Natural processes affecting soil carbon dynamics; Controls on carbon input, turnover and sequestration; Global carbon reservoirs; Plant-soil relationships as a key component to understand soil organic carbon dynamics; Impact of climate on plant species distibution and soil organic carbon cycling; Soil microorganisms as agent of carbon turnover at the global scale; The role of soil microorganisms in the formation and loss of soil organic carbon; Geochemical perspective on the properties of soils to store carbon; Soil formation as control on (bio)geochemistry and soil organic carbon storage; Carbon cycling in the Anthropocence: direct and indirect human disturbance of soil and its impact on soil organic carbon; The role of human-induced climate change; Moisture effects on soil organic carbon cycling; Integrating biosphere responses to human-induced climate change; The historic and modern role of global land use change on biogeochemical cycling and soil organic carbon sequestration; Human impact on soil organic carbon dynamics through land use change and intensive agriculture; Impact of agricultural management practices on soil microbial communities and plant productivity.
