Microbial metabolism is the engine of key soil functions, including nutrient cycling, carbon transformation, and plant growth promotion. Their metabolism and growth rely on C and energy as well as nutrients (e.g., N and P) and electron acceptors (O2, NO3, etc. ... or C itself). Microbial death processes close the loop to return biomass to non-living soil organic matter as necromass, changing its original quality. This coupled, dynamic system can be investigated at different scales (nm to km) and from diverse perspectives, leveraging concepts of carbon use efficiency (CUE), microbial ecophysiology, thermodynamics, and ecological stoichiometry. This session integrates experimental and modelling insights to elucidate how soil microbial metabolism drive energy and matter flows, taking account of their interactions with other organisms, dependency on environmental conditions, and the implications for soil functions.

We welcome new insights into soil microbial metabolism, growth and death, across the diverse transformations and interactions that these involve. Topics of interest include cutting-edge characterization of microbial activity and turnover (e.g., isotope tracing, calorimetry, metagenomics), microbial ecophysiology and stoichiometry, physiological responses to (micro)environmental changes (e.g. metabolomics), carbon and energy-use efficiency, alongside approaches to understand microbial functional responses (e.g. dynamic modelling, artificial intelligence). We aim to stimulate interdisciplinary discussions to advance our understanding of soil biology at scales from the mechanistic understanding of biogeochemical processes to global change.

We are excited to welcome Christina Kaiser as our invited speaker in 2027.