Pascal Benard

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Rhizosphere

I focus on the interface between soil physics, biology and hydrology. I study the mechanisms that shape the soil pore space, in particular the interactions between plants, soil, and microorganisms. A major focus of my work is to investigate how root growth and exudation, in combination with soil moisture dynamics, modify soil structure and soil water dynamics in the rhizosphere. The goal of this work is to identify the key feedbacks that shape this habitat and control the availability of nutrients and water for soil life. 

Soil wettability

Furthermore, I am interested in the effects of changes in soil wettability on soil moisture dynamics in forest soils. As droughts and extended periods of high temperature become more frequent, soil wettability decreases, affecting nutrient turnover, water percolation, and the quantity of plant-available soil water. Ultimately, the goal is to improve models predicting hydraulic, microbial, and climatic processes by providing a mechanistic description of this phenomenon.

Outreach

Finally, I am developing novel ways to raise awareness of the importance of life-soil interactions in providing fundamental ecosystem services. An example of these efforts is a 3D representation of the rhizosphere based on X-ray CT images that allows exploration of the pore space from the perspective of a bacterium.    

2024: Associate Senior Lecturer, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Soil Mechanics and Soil Management

2021- 2024: Researcher and Lecturer, ETH Zurich, Institute of Terrestrial Ecosystems, Physics of Soil and Terrestrial Ecosystems

2019 –2020: Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Bayreuth, Chair of Soil Physics   

2016 – 2019: Ph.D. Student, University of Göttingen (Group of Soil Hydrology) and University of Bayreuth (Chair of Soil Physics), Prof. Dr. Andrea Carminati

2012 - 2015: M.Sc. Hydrogeology and Environmental Geoscience, University of Göttingen                                                     

2009 - 2012: B.Sc. BioGeoSciences, University of Koblenz-Landau, Campus Koblenz                      

Holz, M., Zarebanadkouki, M., Benard, P., Hoffmann, M., Dubbert, M., 2024. Root and rhizosphere traits for enhanced water and nutrients uptake efficiency in dynamic environments. Front. Plant Sci. 15. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2024.1383373

Benard, P., Bachmann, J., Zarebanadkouki, M., Schlüter, S., Blaser, S.R.G.A., Kaestner, A., Carminati, A., 2023. Variations in pore size and contact angle distributions control rhizosphere rewetting. Geoderma 437, 116576. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2023.116576

Benard, P., Bickel, S., Kaestner, A., Lehmann, P., Carminati, A., 2023. Extracellular polymeric substances from soil-grown bacteria delay evaporative drying. Adv. Water Resour. 172, 104364. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.advwatres.2022.104364

Benard, P., Zarebanadkouki, M., Brax, M., Kaltenbach, R., Jerjen, I., Marone, F., Couradeau, E., Felde, V.J.M.N.L., Kaestner, A., Carminati, A., 2019a. Microhydrological Niches in Soils: How Mucilage and EPS Alter the Biophysical Properties of the Rhizosphere and Other Biological Hotspots. Vadose Zone J. 18, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.2136/vzj2018.12.0211

Benard, P., Zarebanadkouki, M., Carminati, A., 2018a. Impact of Pore-Scale Wettability on Rhizosphere Rewetting. Front. Environ. Sci. 6, 16. https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2018.00016

Benard, P., Zarebanadkouki, M., Hedwig, C., Holz, M., Ahmed, M.A., Carminati, A., 2018b. Pore-Scale Distribution of Mucilage Affecting Water Repellency in the Rhizosphere. Vadose Zone J. 17, 170013. https://doi.org/10.2136/vzj2017.01.0013

Carminati, A., Benard, P., Ahmed, M.A., Zarebanadkouki, M., 2017. Liquid bridges at the root-soil interface. Plant Soil 417, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-017-3227-8

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