Author
Karin Müller
Other affiliations: University of Giessen, AgResearch, University of Auckland
Bio: Karin Müller is an academic researcher from Plant & Food Research. The author has contributed to research in topics: Soil water & Soil carbon. The author has an hindex of 27, co-authored 110 publications receiving 2524 citations. Previous affiliations of Karin Müller include University of Giessen & AgResearch.
Topics: Soil water, Soil carbon, Soil organic matter, Biochar, Loam
Papers published on a yearly basis
Papers
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TL;DR: In this paper, a review of the available literature on the effects of biochar on soil properties and GHG emissions in forest soils is presented, where the authors focus on the negative impacts of intensive forest management and global climate change on the quality of forest soils via soil acidification, reduction of soil organic carbon content, deterioration of soil biological properties, and reduction of the soil biodiversity.
Abstract: Forests play a critical role in terrestrial ecosystem carbon cycling and the mitigation of global climate change. Intensive forest management and global climate change have had negative impacts on the quality of forest soils via soil acidification, reduction of soil organic carbon content, deterioration of soil biological properties, and reduction of soil biodiversity. The role of biochar in improving soil properties and the mitigation of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions has been extensively documented in agricultural soils, while the effect of biochar application on forest soils remains poorly understood. Here, we review and summarize the available literature on the effects of biochar on soil properties and GHG emissions in forest soils. This review focuses on (1) the effect of biochar application on soil physical, chemical, and microbial properties in forest ecosystems; (2) the effect of biochar application on soil GHG emissions in forest ecosystems; and (3) knowledge gaps concerning the effect of biochar application on biogeochemical and ecological processes in forest soils. Biochar application to forests generally increases soil porosity, soil moisture retention, and aggregate stability while reducing soil bulk density. In addition, it typically enhances soil chemical properties including pH, organic carbon stock, cation exchange capacity, and the concentration of available phosphorous and potassium. Further, biochar application alters microbial community structure in forest soils, while the increase of soil microbial biomass is only a short-term effect of biochar application. Biochar effects on GHG emissions have been shown to be variable as reflected in significantly decreasing soil N2O emissions, increasing soil CH4 uptake, and complex (negative, positive, or negligible) changes of soil CO2 emissions. Moreover, all of the aforementioned effects are biochar-, soil-, and plant-specific. The application of biochars to forest soils generally results in the improvement of soil physical, chemical, and microbial properties while also mitigating soil GHG emissions. Therefore, we propose that the application of biochar in forest soils has considerable advantages, and this is especially true for plantation soils with low fertility.
259 citations
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TL;DR: A metagenomic analysis of the rice straw-adapted microbial consortia enriched from compost ecosystems reveals a new benchmark for microbial enzymatic deconstruction of lignocelluloses, and suggests that actinomycetes found in compost ecosystems are potential candidates for mining efficient lignOcellulosic enzymes in the biofuel industry.
Abstract: Compost habitats sustain a vast ensemble of microbes specializing in the degradation of lignocellulosic plant materials and are thus important both for their roles in the global carbon cycle and as potential sources of biochemical catalysts for advanced biofuels production. Studies have revealed substantial diversity in compost microbiomes, yet how this diversity relates to functions and even to the genes encoding lignocellulolytic enzymes remains obscure. Here, we used a metagenomic analysis of the rice straw-adapted (RSA) microbial consortia enriched from compost ecosystems to decipher the systematic and functional contexts within such a distinctive microbiome. Analyses of the 16S pyrotag library and 5 Gbp of metagenomic sequence showed that the phylum Actinobacteria was the predominant group among the Bacteria in the RSA consortia, followed by Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Chloroflexi, and Bacteroidetes. The CAZymes profile revealed that CAZyme genes in the RSA consortia were also widely distributed within these bacterial phyla. Strikingly, about 46.1 % of CAZyme genes were from actinomycetal communities, which harbored a substantially expanded catalog of the cellobiohydrolase, β-glucosidase, acetyl xylan esterase, arabinofuranosidase, pectin lyase, and ligninase genes. Among these communities, a variety of previously unrecognized species was found, which reveals a greater ecological functional diversity of thermophilic Actinobacteria than previously assumed. These data underline the pivotal role of thermophilic Actinobacteria in lignocellulose biodegradation processes in the compost habitat. Besides revealing a new benchmark for microbial enzymatic deconstruction of lignocelluloses, the results suggest that actinomycetes found in compost ecosystems are potential candidates for mining efficient lignocellulosic enzymes in the biofuel industry.
218 citations
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TL;DR: Overall, the sorption capacity of CFBs pyrolyzed at 300°C substantially increased for Pb2+ with ammonia and nitric acid modification, however, these chemical modifications did not improve the Sorption of Pb on CFBspyrolyzing at temperatures ≥500°C, thereby highlighting a temperature dependent response of chemically modified biochars to Pb sorption in this study.
170 citations
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TL;DR: In this paper, the authors discuss the fundamental processes influencing the transformation and transport of pesticides in soil, and present a critical analysis of the impact of effluent irrigation on the transformation of organic contaminants in soils.
164 citations
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TL;DR: This research finding will guide the development of treatment procedures for water polluted by multiple antibiotics by improving sorption efficiency and kinetics.
154 citations
Cited by
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TL;DR: Wild aquatic bird populations have long been considered the natural reservoir for influenza A viruses with virus transmission from these birds seeding other avian and mammalian hosts, but recent studies in bats have suggested other reservoir species may also exist.
4,155 citations
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TL;DR: The remediation of heavy metal(loid) contaminated soils through manipulating their bioavailability using a range of soil amendments will be presented.
1,507 citations
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University of Sydney1, University of Western Australia2, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation3, James Cook University4, Rothamsted Research5, Argonne National Laboratory6, Ohio State University7, Cornell University8, Colorado State University9, Landcare Research10, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna11
TL;DR: In this article, a review highlights knowledge of the amount of carbon stored in soils globally, and the potential for carbon sequestration in soil, and discusses successful methods and models used to determine and estimate carbon pools and fluxes.
1,128 citations