The MICE facility – a new tool to study plant–soil C cycling with a holistic approach

ABSTRACT

Plant–soil interactions are recognized to play a crucial role in the ecosystem response to climate change. We developed a facility to disentangle the complex interactions behind the plant–soil C feedback mechanisms. The MICE (‘Multi-Isotope labelling in a Controlled Environment’) facility consists of two climate chambers with independent control of the atmospheric conditions (light, CO₂, temperature, humidity) and the soil environment (temperature, moisture). Each chamber holds 15 plant–soil systems with hermetical separation of the shared above ground (shoots) from the individual belowground compartments (roots, rhizosphere, soil). Stable isotopes (e.g. ¹³C, ¹⁵N, ²H, ¹⁸O) can be added to either compartment and traced within the whole system. The soil CO₂ efflux rate is monitored, and plant material, leached soil water and gas samples are taken frequently. The facility is a powerful tool to improve our mechanistic understanding of plant–soil interactions that drive the C cycle feedback to climate change.

KEYWORDS:

• Biochemistry
• carbon cycle
• climate chamber
• ecology
• multi-isotope labelling test facility
• models
• plant–soil interactions
• theory

Acknowledgements

We thank people involved in the development of the facility with special acknowledgement to D. Asensio and C. Friedli.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

We thank the funding agencies of the MICE facility: the Swiss National Science Foundation (Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung) [R'Equip number: 144982, project number: 135233], the University of Zurich, Department of Geography, Faculty of Science and University Research Priority Program ‘Global Change and Biodiversity’.