Linking microbial physiology and biogeochemical dynamics through individual-based modeling

Recent research suggests that certain physiological traits of soil microbes, such as the efficiency of converting plant detritus into microbial biomass, or efficiency of extracellular enzymes, influence C and N content of the soil at the steady state. Using individual-based, stoichiometrically explicit, microbial community modelling we show that spatial self-organization of microbes and substrates, emerging from microbial interactions at the microscale, represents a factor of a new quality which can significantly affect soil C and N buildup. Such phenomena are however rarely taken into account in microbial soil organic matter turnover models, and are difficult to observe experimentally.