Dr. Kristof Brenzinger
PostdocMicrobial Ecology |
Research themes
Research expertiseApplied Soil Microbial Ecology Biogeochemistry Carbon and nitrogen cycling
Page last updated: 12-11-2020
The objective of my current research is to understand the influence of organic fertilizers on the relationship of microorganisms, plants and GHG balance in agricultural soils. It is of great importance to reduce GHG emissions, increase uptake and thereby preventing further harm to the climate by anthropogenic causes. Promising, novel reactions and organisms in agricultural soils maybe of practical importance if provided with the proper conditions. To addresses these urgent questions I would like to focus on three major topics in my project:
- Investigate the influence of a combination of organic amendments (compost, biochar and cover crop-residues) in agricultural soils on GHG balance, methane cycling and on N-transformation rates. Can CH4 emission be further reduced by the predicted introduction of a higher variety of C- and N-compounds from a mixture of organic amendments and how does this influence CO2 and N2O emission (B)?
- Studying the effect of the addition of agricultural plants to the established model from research objective 1 and investigate the interaction with their associated microbial community that is involved in GHG consumption. Is stimulation of atmospheric methane after addition of organic amendments influenced by the presence of plants and how does the GHG balance change through CO2 uptake by plants (C)?
- Identification of the microbial communities involved in C- and N-cycle. Who are the key players responsible for increasing methane oxidation rates and which microorganisms involved in N-cycling will be affected (C)?
05/2017 - present
Postdoctoral Fellow Deparment Microbial Ecology at NIOO-KNAW
10/2015 – 03/2017
Max Planck Institute for terrestrial Microbiology, Marburg, Germany
Postdoctoral Fellow Deparment Biogeochemistry
11/2011 – 10/2015
Philipps University, Marburg, Germany
PhD studies in Microbiology, Thesis: “Impact of changes in environmental parameters (pH and elevated CO2) on soil microbial communities involved in N-cycling” Supervision PD Dr. Gesche Braker (Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Marburg) and Prof Dr. Christoph Müller (Justus Liebig University Giessen)
11/2011 – 10/2015
Max Planck Institute for terrestrial Microbiology, Marburg, Germany
International Max Planck Research School for Environmental, Cellular and Molecular Microbiology (IMPRS-Mic)
10/2009 – 10/2011
Philipps University, Marburg, Germany
Master of Science in Molecular and Cellular Biology, Thesis: “Differences in the expression of denitrification genes under stress (pH, temperature) determine functional responses of denitrification in three organic soils”
10/2006 – 08/2009
Philipps University, Marburg, Germany
Bachelor of Science in Biology, Thesis: “RING-FISH as a detection method for nirK-type denitrifiers in pure culture and environmental samples”
Smart residue amendments to improve greenhouse gas uptake by agricultural soils
Moser, G. , A. Gorenflo, A. , K. Brenzinger, K. , Keidel, L. , Braker, G. , Marhan, S. , Clough, T.J. and Müller C. (2018). Explaining the doubling of N2O emissions under elevated CO2 in the Giessen FACE via in-field 15N tracing. Glob Change Biol. (accepted) Brenzinger, K., Palmer, K., Horn, M.A., Moser, G., Guillet, C., Kammann, C., Müller, C. and Braker, G. (2017). Soil Conditions Rather Than Long-Term Exposure to Elevated CO2 Affect Soil Microbial Communities Associated with N-Cycling. Frontiers in Microbiol. 8:1976. Brenzinger, K., Breidenbach, B., Brandt, F.B., Blaser, M.B. and Conrad, R. (2017). The effect of crop rotation between wetland rice and upland maize on the microbial communities associated with roots. Plant and Soil. Suleiman, M., Brandt, F. B., Brenzinger, K., Martinson, G. and Braker, G. (2016). Potential N2O emissions from the tanks of bromeliads suggest an additional source of N2O in the Neotropics. Microbial ecology. 73(4):751-754. Brenzinger, K., Dörsch, P. and Braker, G. (2015). pH-driven shifts in overall and transcriptionally active denitrifiers control gaseous product stoichiometry in growth experiments with extracted bacteria from soil. Frontiers in Microbiol. 6:961. Braker, G., Matthies, D., Hannig, M., Brandt, F. B., Brenzinger, K. and Gröngröft, A. (2015). Impact of Land Use Management and Soil Properties on Denitrifier Communities of Namibian Savannas. Microbial ecology, 1-12. Brenzinger, K., Brandt, F. B., Breidenbach, B. and Conrad, R. (2014). Impact of short-term storage temperature on determination of microbial community composition and abundance in aerated forest soil and anoxic pond sediment samples. Systematic and applied microbiology, 37:570-577.
