Phototrophic community succession as driver of mineral weathering and soil formation along chronosequences in maritime Antarctica

• Applicant: Dr. Jens Boy
• Subject Area: Mineralogy, Petrology and Geochemistry
• Term: from 2013 to 2021
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 238150183

Weathering is of utmost importance for the support of life on earth, as it turns bedrock into soil and delivers nutrients to organisms. Vice versa, life itself is heavily engaged in mineral weathering by investment of photosynthates into weathering processes. We aim at investigating the processes and thresholds in biogenic weathering as a function of photoautotrophic community succession from microalgae/cyanobacteria to lichen-dominated stages towards the appearance of higher plants along soil chronosequences built by global-change induced glacier retreat in maritime Antarctica. For this, along the chronosequences weathering agents, organic carbon allocation to the soil, mineral in-situ composition and biogenic weathering on surfaces of introduced and defined, rock forming minerals will be assessed and related to phototrophic community structure. We expect to contribute to the understanding if and how life alters its own habitat in an extreme terrestrial ecosystem, and how this biogeosystem may respond to changes induced by Global Change in an increasingly warmer Antarctica.

• DFG Programme: Infrastructure Priority Programmes
• Subproject of: SPP 1158: Infrastructure area - Antarctic Research with Comparative Investigations in Arctic Sea Ice Areas
• International Connection: Chile
• Participating Persons: Professor Dr. Thomas Friedl; Professor Dr. Roberto Eduardo Godoy Borquez; Professor Dr. Georg Guggenberger; Professor Dr. Robert Mikutta; Dr. Olga Shibistova; Professor Dr. Dirk Wagner