Bodenmikrobiologie und Klimawandel

Soil is essential for global nutrient cycles and constitutes the most complex habitat on Earth, hosting an unimaginably vast diversity of soil microorganisms.

Our research group investigates this microbial diversity—that is, the communities of fungi, bacteria, and archaea in soils and soil-associated habitats like rhizospheres. We study how these microbial communities are shaped by factors such as climate change, land-use change, and agricultural practices. Conversely, we also examine how specific groups of soil microorganisms—such as methanogenic archaea, methanotrophic bacteria, and CO₂-producing heterotrophs—actively contribute to climate processes.

A particular focus of our work lies in investigating the interactions between soil microorganisms and plants and animals in alpine habitats. Specifically, we examine the metamicrobiomes of these environments, which refers to the complex microbial communities associated with both the soil and the surrounding biotic components (such as plants and animals). We also explore how these interactions respond to external factors such as climate change and land-use alterations.