Soil, as a highly heterogeneous environment, comprises a myriad of microhabitats hosting an unparalleled biodiversity, ranging from microbiota to plant roots. Several physical and chemical parameters define the soil microhabitat: the geometry of the pore space, notably its connectivity, the water distribution at the microscale and the nature, distribution and association of organic compounds within the soil mineral matrix (organo-mineral associations, soil aggregates). Variations in these parameters result in micro-gradients in oxygen, moisture, nutrients and organic compounds, acting as ecological filters for soil biota, usually promoting the co-existence of contrasting ecological strategies. In addition, the soil microhabitat exerts significant constraints on the mobility of the soil biota, with major consequences for the interactions between soil organisms and repercussions on soil functioning. Finally, microhabitats are highly variable in time, being constantly re-modelled by numerous factors such as the alternation of wet and dry cycles, the activity of the soil biota, especially plant roots and ecosystem engineers and the input of fresh organic matter.
In this session we would like to invite contributions on: (i) deciphering the main drivers of the formation and spatiotemporal variability of the soil microhabitats, such as the release of EPS, the formation of biopores, etc., (ii) quantifying the role of the soil microhabitat in determining soil ecology, through field and experimental (microcosms, control of matric potential, isotopic tracing, etc.) approaches, (iii) describing the physico-chemical properties of the soil microhabitats, notably by developing novel tools (µCT, NanoSIMS, microscopy, etc.) rebuilding artificial microhabitats for experimental reproducible works (Soil chips, etc.). and (iv) modeling approaches that aims to capture soil functioning within the heterogeneous soil matrix. Finally, studies assessing the variability in soil activity within the soil matrix, notably focusing on microbial molecular analysis are also welcome.