Third Party Funds Group - Sub project
Start date : 01.02.2019
End date : 31.01.2022
Website: https://www.ufz.de/spp-rhizosphere/index.php?en=46495
The self-organization of the aggregates in the rhizosphere by various
attracting forces influenced by geochemistry, and microbiology shall
be studied by a novel, comprehensive model. This model should
account for processes on the microscale (single roots, pore scale),
and then be upscaled to the root system scale (macroscale) by
mathematical homogenization. This goal exceeds the functional range
of existing models for aggregation and needs the introduction of an
explicit phase of mucilage, and attachment properties of root hairs in
the rhizosheath. The project aims at the development of a mechanistic modeling approach that allows for dynamic structural reorganization of the rhizosphere at the single root scale and couples this evolving microscale model to the root system scale including the inference of soil functions. This means that we do not assume a static rhizosphere but develop a tool that is capable to dynamically track this zone on the basis of the underlying spatiotemporal aggregegate formation and geochemical patterns. The collaboration with experimental groups – analyzing CT images in various moisture and growth conditions - the Central Experiment will allow to derive the properties of the mucilage phase, the pore structure and thus the
influence of root hairs on aggregation mechanisms.