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Maik Geers-Lucas @mud-maik.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

PhD Opportunity in Soil Science @ TU Berlin Interested in how plant roots, soil structure, and soil organisms shape carbon cycling? Join the DFG-funded ROOT-DECAY project and work with X-ray CT, ¹³C isotope tracing, and field, greenhouse & lab experiments. #PhD #SoilScience #CarbonCycling

X-ray CT image of particulate organic matter with the shape of a heart

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Maik Geers-Lucas @mud-maik.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

Perfect ending to a great conference. After many inspiring talks, posters, and conversations at the #SOM26, we traveled today to an Embrapa field station to see how tropical agriculture is being transformed through integrated crop–livestock–forest systems aimed at improving soil conditions.

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Carsten W. Müller @cwmsoils.bsky.social · 28/11/2025

PhD position in #SoilScience - join my research group and work together with me on the project: ‘CINCA - Climate change Impacts on Nutrient and Carbon Allocation in soils of maritime Antarctica’ at @tuberlin.bsky.social #biocrust #POM #MAOM #Antarctica #SOC stellenticket.tu-berlin.de/en/job-offer...

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Maik Geers-Lucas @mud-maik.bsky.social · 03/11/2025

whereas cup plant relied more on biopore-mediated flow, these biopores were partly blocked by roots and organic matter, in part reducing conductivity. Congratulations to L. Rohlmann for this outstanding research! 👏 #SoilScience #PerennialCrops #CarbonSequestration

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Maik Geers-Lucas @mud-maik.bsky.social · 03/11/2025

Interestingly, this process may be strongly supported by soil (meso)fauna, which appear to play a key role in creating and maintaining these porous microstructures. Both systems differed in how water moved through the soil, the crop rotation was dominated by matrix-driven flow....

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Maik Geers-Lucas @mud-maik.bsky.social · 03/11/2025

Cup plant develops a biologically driven pore structure rich in biopores and organic matter. We could follow the disintegration of roots into POM and found that POM within the soil matrix promoted the development of a porous matrix, a structure closely linked to soil organic carbon stabilization.

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Maik Geers-Lucas @mud-maik.bsky.social · 03/11/2025

This study used X-ray microtomography (µCT) to visualize how ten years of Silphium cultivation reshape the 3D pore architecture of soil and how these structural changes control carbon storage and near-saturated water flow. ➡️ Key findings:

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Maik Geers-Lucas @mud-maik.bsky.social · 03/11/2025

🎉 New: Perennial Roots, Lasting Structure: How Silphium perfoliatum alters pore structure to shape carbon storage and water flow 🔗 www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... Excited to share the results of L. Rohlmann’s thesis.

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Maik Geers-Lucas @mud-maik.bsky.social · 28/10/2025

This rediscovery shows that smart soil interventions can leave a long-term ecological fingerprint — improving subsoil structure, supporting roots, and storing carbon. Read our joint publication with @zalf.bsky.social , @ufz.de and @tuberlin.bsky.social here 🔗 www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

lnkd.in

This link will take you to a page that’s not on LinkedIn

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Maik Geers-Lucas @mud-maik.bsky.social · 28/10/2025

🔹 Even more striking: these shafts contain particulate organic matter comparable to today’s topsoil — a clear sign of ongoing root growth and carbon input over decades. 🌱 🔹 The subsoils continue to act as active carbon reservoirs — with carbon levels similar to the topsoil >40a later.

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Maik Geers-Lucas @mud-maik.bsky.social · 28/10/2025

🔹 Using X-ray computed tomography (X-ray CT), we observed that the subsoil shafts created by mFDT show enhanced pore structure and biopore connectivity, especially in sandy soils. Even after 40+ years, the soil still “remembers” the tillage pattern!

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Maik Geers-Lucas @mud-maik.bsky.social · 28/10/2025

Those sites were eventually lost to time… until colleagues at the @zalf.bsky.social recently rediscovered them. We returned to these historic fields to see if mFDT left any trace beneath the surface after four decades. What we found:

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Maik Geers-Lucas @mud-maik.bsky.social · 28/10/2025

Sometimes soils remember what we forget. 🌾 Over 40 years ago, researchers in the former GDR carried out large-scale experiments with meliorative fractional deep tillage (mFDT) — designed to loosen compacted soils and improve rooting conditions. A Thread on our new publication.

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Maik Geers-Lucas @mud-maik.bsky.social · 30/09/2025

This leads to a self-organizing rhizosphere, balancing soil structure with biological activity, creating hotspots for microbes and improving water/nutrient flow.

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Maik Geers-Lucas @mud-maik.bsky.social · 30/09/2025

Close to the root surface (<0.2 mm), root effects are visible, but beyond that, preference for existing pores matters more. In sieved soils, roots compact narrow pores, but in intact soils with biopores, compaction is minimal—roots reuse existing pore networks instead.

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Maik Geers-Lucas @mud-maik.bsky.social · 30/09/2025

Using repeated X-ray µCT imaging, this study separated root-induced effects (compaction, shrink/swell) from root growth preference (roots choosing existing pores). Main finding: Growth preference, not root-induced changes, is the dominant driver of rhizosphere porosity

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Maik Geers-Lucas @mud-maik.bsky.social · 30/09/2025

Root-Pore Interactions, the Underestimated Driver for Rhizosphere Structure and Rhizosheath Development Online now: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/... 🔑 Takeaway: In soils, roots shape their rhizopsphere more by where they grow than by what they do to soil structure. 🌱 Insights:

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

Root‐Pore Interactions, the Underestimated Driver for Rhizosphere Structure and Rhizosheath Development

Using X-ray computed micro-tomography, we show that root growth preferences, rather than root-induced modifications, primarily shape rhizosphere porosity in intact soils, while rhizosheath formatio...

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Dr. Lutz Böhm @drlutzboehm.bsky.social · 25/06/2025

"In einer Stadt, in der Kultur auf Kante genäht wird, schaffen wir Sichtbarkeit. Dort, wo Kunst Raum fordert – und Verantwortung übernimmt. Ein Statement gegen das Unsichtbarmachen. Für die Szene. Mit der Szene. Kommt vorbei. Zeigt euch." www.tu.berlin/veranstaltun...

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Maik Geers-Lucas @mud-maik.bsky.social · 23/06/2025

Always nice when experiments with students turn out well. Looking for root adaptations (architecture, phosphatase, mycorrhiza) after localised P addition

Rhizobox with roots of zea mays. On the left side of the box a rectangle is drawn depicting the area where P-fertilizer was added. Roots in this rectangle show much more lateral roots compared to the rest of the box.

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Pause @ Real Scientists DE @realscientists.de · 21/04/2025

1/ Jedes Kind weiß, dass Landwirtschaft dafür da ist, Nahrungsmittel zu produzieren. Doch sie trägt auch anderweitig zum menschlichen Wohlergehen, u. a. durch die Bereitstellung von sog. Ökosystemleistungen:

Schematische Abbildung mit Ökosystemleistungen in Agrarlandschaften: Nahrungsmittel- und Biomasseproduktion, Landschaftsästhetik, Biodiversitätsschutz, Boden-Biodiversitätsschutz, Dürreschutz, Klimaregulierung, Hochwasserschutz, Wasserqualität, Biokontrolle, Bestäubung (eigene Darstellung).

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Dr. Jens Foell @jensfoell.de · 24/03/2025

Meine lieben (deutschsprachigen) Leute, meine Kolleg:innen und ich haben uns einen kleinen Traum erfüllt und endlich mal eine ganze Folge MAITHINK X nur zum Thema Scientific Publishing gemacht 🤩 Schaut gerne rein und sagt, was ihr dazu denkt! ❤️ www.zdf.de/video/shows/...

zdf.de

Steuerskandal: Wissenschaft hinter Paywalls

Wissenschaftliche Artikel hinter Paywalls und milliardenschwere Verlage profitieren. Bei MAITHINK X zeigt Mai Thi Nguyen-Kim, was man noch tun kann.

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Soilcast - Der tiefgründige Podcast! @soilcast.bsky.social · 20/03/2025

Es gibt noch ein paar freie Plätze für die Bodenmikrofon ausleihe. Los geht's!🎧🐜

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Marc Somssich @somssich.bsky.social · 19/03/2025

#PlantScienceClassics #19: Root gravitropism: 120 years ago the starch-statolith theory was described, ~100 years ago the Cholodny-Went theory proposed, and 25 years ago the directional auxin flow was mapped as reverse fountain in the root tip. #Phytohormones #Gravitropism #Auxin #PlantScience

The title pages of the three papers: "Ueber die Art der Wahrnehmung des Schwerkraftreizes bei den Pflanzen" by Bohumil Řehoř Němec (1900), "Ueber die Perception des geotroplschen Reizes" by Gottlieb Johann Friedrich Haberlandt (1900), and "AUX1 regulates root gravitropism in Arabidopsis by facilitating auxin uptake within root apical tissues" by Alan Marchant et al. (1999). On the left, an sketch from Haberlandt, showing a set of cells from a root that was tilted by 13 degrees. The starch granules are visible inside the cells and have shifted from the center to the corners of the cells that is now pointing down along the gravitropic force. On the right is a sketch from Marchant, showing a root tip with arrows that indicate the auxin flow: Down toward the QC inside the vasculature, then out to the sides and back up toward the shoot in the outer tissues. When the root is slightly tilted, the shoot-ward auxin flow is redirected to the lower side, where it inhibits cell elongation. Hence, the cells on the opposite side elongate more, which leads to root bending.

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Soilcast - Der tiefgründige Podcast! @soilcast.bsky.social · 15/03/2025

Ab sofort könnt ihr in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland Bodenmikrofone ausleihen! es sind noch ausreichend Ausleihzeiträume ab dem 31. März frei! Alle Informationen zum Mikrofonverleih erhaltet ihr unter soilcast.de/bodenmikrofone #Bodenkunde #Bodenakustik #Soilcast

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Bundesverband Boden @bvboden.bsky.social · 29/01/2025

"Mehr als nur „Dreck“ - wie Überleben in der #Klimakrise von #Böden abhängt" youtu.be/_vXwSjqgm1k?... Vortrag von Prof. Dr. Carsten W. Müller, TU Berlin, FG #Bodenkunde, zur Ringvorlesung zum #Klimaschutz „TU Berlin for Future - Teil 1“ am 13.01.25 #Boden #Bodenschutz #Bodenkunde #Klimawandel #Klima

youtu.be

Mehr als nur „Dreck“ - wie Überleben in der Klimakrise von Böden abhängt

YouTube video by TUBerlinTV

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Franz Winkelhofer @franzwinkelhofer.bsky.social · 27/01/2025

Diese Woche durfte ich der Landjugend #Erosionsschutz nahe bringen. Nachdem mir hier auf X ein bisserl langweilig ist - ein kleiner Diskurs zum Thema als Threat. 1/X

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Steffen Schweizer @schweizer.bsky.social · 14/01/2025

High time for #EGU25 submissions. Consider contributing to our interdisciplinary session on the spatial heterogeneity of soils influencing biogeochemical matter cycles and C dynamics. meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU25/sessio... @edithhammer.bsky.social, @mud-maik.bsky.social, S.König, N.Meyer

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Maik Geers-Lucas @mud-maik.bsky.social · 08/01/2025

🚨 Don't miss EGU's submission deadline (15.01)! 🚨 Are you working on spatial heterogeneity of soils? Whether it's through image analysis or other methods, we’d love to hear from you! SSS5.4: "Soil heterogeneity and its role in biogeochemical processes across scales" 🔗 tinyurl.com/SSS54

Image showing the session title "The spatial heterogeneity of soils influences biogeochemical matter cycles and C dynamics" and pictures of soils at different scales.

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Maik Geers-Lucas @mud-maik.bsky.social · 08/01/2025

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Technische Universität Berlin @tuberlin.bsky.social · 18/12/2024

#Rentiere: Weihnachtshelfer UND Klimaschützer 🦌❄️ Sie bremsen die #Permafrost- Erwärmung, fördern #Biodiversität & schaffen stabilere Ökosysteme. Forschung u.a. von Carsten Müller/ @cwmsoils.bsky.social zeigt, wie die Pflanzenfresser dem #Klima helfen können. 🌍 ℹ️ www.tu.berlin/go203083/n63...

Rentier bewegt sich auf einem Permafrostboden. Im Hintergrund ist ein Gewässer zu sehen.

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Carsten W. Müller @cwmsoils.bsky.social · 17/12/2024

Sparked by a question by @mud-maik.bsky.social: 2014 I published a study that nicely demonstrats how much particulate organic matter #POM can be contained in a small size fraction <6.3µm!!!, many people now bluntly call mineral-associated organic matter #MAOM, check it out: tinyurl.com/POMvsMAOM

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Maik Geers-Lucas @mud-maik.bsky.social · 12/12/2024

Created soil profiles for today's #christmas party in our soil science department @cwmsoils.bsky.social, @tuberlin.bsky.social

Shown are soil profiles in the shape of desserts, made from pudding cookies and other ingredients.

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Joanna Bagniewska @joannabagniewska.com · 09/12/2024

Brilliant tips for explaining research to non-scientists. Having to answer the "So what do you ACTUALLY do?" question at family gatherings is what got me into #SciComm in the first place - I wish this was the case for more researchers. #AcademicSky

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Boden des Jahres @bodendesjahres.bsky.social · 05/12/2024

#Rendzina - Boden des Jahres 2025 Auf der Festveranstaltung zum #Weltbodentag wird die #Rendzina als #Boden des Jahres 2025 präsentiert. #BdJ2025 #BodendesJahres #Böden #Bodenschutz

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Steffen Schweizer @schweizer.bsky.social · 28/11/2024

The spatial heterogeneity of soils influences biogeochemical matter cycles and C dynamics. 4 days to submit and apply for support Looking forward to a diverse #EGU25 🛰️🔬🍃🦠💦🪱⛰️🤹‍♀️🤎 👇 meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU25/sessio... ☝️ @edithhammer.bsky.social, @mud-maik.bsky.social, S.König, N.Meyer

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Maik Geers-Lucas @mud-maik.bsky.social · 15/11/2024

🚨 PhD Opportunity! 🌾 Join the DFG project MOFANE @TUBerlin ! Explore how crop residue management affect N₂O+N2 emissions using cutting-edge tools like 15N labeling & X-ray µCT imaging. 🌍 📍 Soil Science Berlin 🧪 GHG 🧩Soil Structure Apply now: tinyurl.com/y6uek7dj #PhD #SoilScience

tinyurl.com

Job Posting VI-641/24: Research Assistant - 0.65 working time - salary grade E 13 TV-L Berliner Hochschulen – Job Postings at Technische Universität Berlin

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Steffen Schweizer @schweizer.bsky.social · 10/04/2024

Looking forward to discuss soil spatial heterogeneity and biogeochemistry next Tuesday at 10:45 am in hall X3 and at 16:15 pm in room -2.21 at #EGU24! 👉 meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU24/sessio... @mud-maik.bsky.social @edithhammer.bsky.social, N. Meyer, S. König, M. Engel, and E. Lacroix

https://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU24/session/50039

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Alix Vidal 🪱 @alixvidal.bsky.social · 22/03/2024

📣Happy that our review on soil structure formation in the rhizosphere, led by @cwmsoils.bsky.social, is out in the Soil Biology and Biochemistry Journal! This has been a long journey, but we made it 😆! doi.org/10.1016/j.so...

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0038071724000853?via%3Dihub

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Maik Geers-Lucas @mud-maik.bsky.social · 08/01/2024

Less than 2 days to submit your abstract at EGU. If you're research is dealing with spatial heterogeneity of soils, e.g. using image analysis, go for session SSS5.1. 👉 meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU24/sessio...

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