Biogeochemical Cycles

The study of biochemical processes in the landscape cannot ignore a detailed investigation of element cycles in the soil environment and their flow at the ecosystems level.

Currently, this issue is targeted by the SLAvONIC project (Effects of soil alteration on nitrogen and carbon cycling, FP 7-PEOPLE-2013-CIG), focused on the research of influence of deposition on the organic matter cycle in the forest soils. All monthly measurements and replication experiments with soil-acidity manipulation and influence of chemical composition of soils (pH, easy access to N, P, C) on the organic-matter cycle in the soil ( (measurement of transformation of C and N – decomposition, mineralization, nitrification, composition of microbial associations, enzyme analyses) are complementarily conducted at two localities involving a well-developed spruce-dominated (80 years old) and beech–dominated (130 years old) forests. The common goal of the experiments is a better understanding of processes in the forest soils (regeneration out of acidification, eutrophication, climate´s change).

More detailed information can be found at on project´s web pages.