About us
The GfÖ working group ‘Soil Ecology’ was founded in 2002. It sees itself as a multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary association in the field of soil science focussing on the diversity of organisms and their interactions. Important topics are
monitoring of soil biodiversity and its assessment (bioindication),- multitrophic interactions,
- material flows in soil and
- abiotic and biotic interactions.
Our aim is to bring together scientists from different disciplines to better understand the diversity and function of soil ecosystems. The Soil Ecology Working Group works closely with the Commission III (Soil Biology) of the German Society for Soil Science (https://www.dbges.de/de/dbg-themen/komissionen/k3-bodenbiologie-und-bodenoekologie). We would also like to contribute to the networking of different topics within the GfÖ.
All interested scientists are cordially invited to participate in our activities.
Team
© Martin Potthoff
Kommissarischer Sprecher:
PD Dr. Martin Potthoff
Universität Göttingen
Zentrum für Biodiversität und nachhaltige Landnutzung
Büsgenweg 1
37077 Göttingen
martin.potthoff (at) uni-goettingen.de
News
Joint workshop of the DBG and GfÖ:
Dialogue: Future of soil biodiversity monitoring
Review:
On 25-26 November 2024, around 50 scientists and representatives of authorities and expert offices met in Göttingen to discuss current and future programmes for soil biodiversity monitoring in Germany.
The connection to existing monitoring programmes is a challenge due to the different objectives, but allows synergies, such as the joint use of soil data.
The main challenge for standardised sampling is the high temporal variability. It is proposed to sample more intensively at the beginning of the monitoring programme and to determine the sampling frequency on the basis of this database.
Modern methods and the traditional determination of soil fauna complement each other. Modern methods help to process routine cases quickly and utilise the capacity of experts to deal with special cases.
Citizen science projects can contribute to data collection, especially on private land. However, they require good guidance and supervision of the participants.
The FAIR principles should be applied to the data collected. Repositories allow the necessary data security and accessibility for scientific re-use. Reference states can be defined based on the range of data collected or by extrapolating data to sites with utilisation gradients. Alternatively, a soil multifunctionality approach can be used.
The conservation objective includes species and their functions. Particular attention should be paid to organisms
communities and interactions. The training and further education of taxonomists must be secured in the long term. At universities, the connection to current research questions is a good idea; expert courses are recommended for further training. The use of modern technology (e.g. VR glasses) could help to make the courses more attractive.
In general, it is important to raise public awareness of the soil microbiome and soil fauna. This could be achieved, for example, by including a suitable soil animal of the year in the Soil of the Year campaign.
Finally, it was planned to meet in about two years' time for a further workshop on soil biodiversity monitoring in order to discuss further developments and to stabilise cooperation between science and the authorities.
Organising team: Anja Miltner (UFZ Leipzig); Martin Potthoff (University of Göttingen), Christian Poll (University of Hohenheim), Anneke Beylich (Institute of Applied Soil Biology), Michaela Dippold (University of Tübingen), Steffen Kolb (ZALF).
