The aggregate formation as well as its effects on water, nutrient and gas fluxes on various scales affects to a great extent the nutrient accessibility and gas composition and also results in an altered water availability and total amount of water storage. The stronger aggregates become the smaller becomes the nutrient availability and the geat gets the disequilibrium betwenn the inter- and the intraaggregat pore space and chemical composition.In addition the microbial activity and composition show a strong interrelation to the kind of aggregate resulting in more aerobs in the outer skin while inside dominate the anaerobic species. The structure formation coincides with a further heterogenisation of physical,chemical and biological properties and soil functions which will be discussed in the lecture.