Seminar of the Department of Microbiology
Markus Neurauter M.Sc. - PhD candidate – Mycology - UIBK
06.11.2025, 11:00 - Hybrid
- Join online
- or in presence: Seminarraum Biologie - Foyer (Technikerstraße 25, Viktor-Franz-Hess Haus, Parterre).
Abstract
Climate change is driving increasingly frequent and intense droughts, which in turn are amplifying the occurrence and severity of forest fires. Mountain forests are particularly vulnerable, as their tree species often possess limited adaptations to drought and heat stress, and because warming in mountain regions exceeds the global average. The health and resilience of these ecosystems—and their ability to provide essential ecosystem services—are closely linked to belowground processes that sustain forest functioning. Our research aims to understand how increased drought frequency and intensity, as well as forest fire, affect soil microbial communities and key soil parameters in mountain forests.
The first work package examines the impacts of recurring summer drought on subalpine spruce and larch forests, focusing on changes in ectomycorrhizal (ECM) communities and soil bacterial and fungal assemblages under drought stress. The second work package explores how drought intensity influences potted saplings, assessing its effects on ECM activity and the belowground carbon allocation of host plants. Work package 3 investigates how post-fire soil conditions shape seedling establishment success in a prescribed burn area near the treeline.
Together, these studies provide an integrated understanding of how drought and fire reshape belowground ecological processes in mountain forests, informing strategies to sustain forest health and resilience under a changing climate.