Articles | Volume 12, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-12-205-2026
https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-12-205-2026
Original research article
 | 
10 Mar 2026
Original research article |  | 10 Mar 2026

Coupled C and N turnover in a dynamic pore scale model reveal the impact of exudate quality on microbial necromass formation

Maximilian Rötzer, Henri Braunmiller, Eva Lehndorff, Nadja Ray, Andrea Scheibe, and Alexander Prechtel

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Cited articles

Baumert, V. L., Vasilyeva, N. A., Vladimirov, A. A., Meier, I. C., Kögel-Knabner, I., and Mueller, C. W.: Root exudates induce soil macroaggregation facilitated by fungi in subsoil, Frontiers in Environmental Science, 6, 1–17, https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2018.00140, 2018. a
Baveye, P. C., Otten, W., Kravchenko, A., Balseiro-Romero, M., Beckers, É., Chalhoub, M., Darnault, C., Eickhorst, T., Garnier, P., Hapca, S., Kiranyaz, S., Monga, O., Mueller, C. W., Nunan, N., Pot, V., Schlüter, S., Schmidt, H., and Vogel, H.-J.: Emergent Properties of Microbial Activity in Heterogeneous Soil Microenvironments: Different Research Approaches Are Slowly Converging, Yet Major Challenges Remain, Frontiers in Microbiology, 9, 1–48, https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2018.01929, 2018. a
Brax, M., Buchmann, C., Kenngott, K., Schaumann, G. E., and Diehl, D.: Influence of the physico-chemical properties of root mucilage and model substances on the microstructural stability of sand, Biogeochemistry, 147, 35–52, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10533-019-00626-w, 2020. a, b
Bucka, F. B., Kölbl, A., Uteau, D., Peth, S., and Kögel-Knabner, I.: Organic matter input determines structure development and aggregate formation in artificial soils, Geoderma, 354, 113881, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2019.113881, 2019. a, b
Buckeridge, K. M., Creamer, C., and Whitaker, J.: Deconstructing the microbial necromass continuum to inform soil carbon sequestration, Functional Ecology, 36, 1396–1410, 2022. a
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Short summary
In soil, many factors influence how much carbon is stored: the structure of soil particles, microbial activity, and the balance of carbon and nitrogen. Using small-scale simulations, we can quantify and study their interplay. Nitrogen availability limits the microbial efficiency, and dead microbes contribute to long-term carbon storage by becoming occluded in aggregated soil particles. Our study offers new insights into how soils hold carbon, which is crucial for understanding climate change.
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