We engage in a number of projects, most of which are externally funded. Most projects are themed broadly around biodiversity, and the functions and ecology of soil fungi.
Ecological synthesis and analysis
There are a number of projects in which different lab members engage in re-analysis and synthesis of existing ecological data in order to gain new insights. One commonly used set of techniques are meta-analyses.
DFG German Biodiversity Exploratories
The lab is part of the DFG-funded German Biodiversity Exploratories program (speaker: Prof. M. Fischer); in the current phase, having started in 2011, the lab participates with three contributed projects, which deal with diversity of arbusculary mycorrhizal fungi (Hempel and Rillig), soil aggregation (Rillig) and plant-soil feedback (Prof. Jasmin Joshi at University of Potsdam and Rillig). The Exploratories are large-scale laboratories in three locations in the north, middle and south of Germany in which replicated plots are located. The goal is to uncover interrelationships among biodiversity, land use and ecosystem processes.
DFG Research Unit 816 Ecuador
Our lab contributes a project on arbuscular mycorrhiza to the research unit in southern Ecuador, a global hotspot of biodiversity. The project is to test hypotheses regarding the response of mycorrhizas to fertilization in tropical montane rainforest.
Soil biota and soil aggregation
Several projects related to the soil process of aggregation, i.e. the formation of soil structure. We are most interested in the role of soil biota in this process, for example mycorrhizal fungi. One DFG-funded project looks at interaction of AM fungi and soil microbiota, others aim at other biotic interactions or more complex controls on soil structure.
Communities of AM fungi and other soil fungi
We engage in a number of projects in which we seek to understand what controls the structure of AM fungal communities or communities of other fungi. More recently, this involves testing neutral patterns vs. niche-based patterns.
Soil pathogenic fungi
Soil pathogenic fungi in natural ecosystems are quite underrepresented in soil and plant ecology. We are isolating and testing pathogenic fungi and try to learn more about how they control plant communities in local grasslands.
Biochar and hydrochar
Biochar additions to soil, following the example of the Amazon Dark Earths, are being discussed as a means of soil carbon storage. We are particularly interested in the effects of biochar and hydrochar (produced by hydrothermal carbonization) on soil biota.
Riparian systems
We participate in the SMART program, a collaboration between Italy, Great Britain and Germany, to study aspects of riparian ecology, with a below-ground focus.
Priming and memory
We are a member of the collaborative research center (Sonderforschungsbereich) on Priming and memory; our project deals with thermo-priming in fungi (both saprobic fungi and mycorrhizal fungi), in other words, how fungi remember past stress events and how this affects renewed exposure to stress. It is our most physiologically oriented project in the lab.
Novel soil contaminants
We scan for potential future issues that could affect soils. Currently, we look at potential effects of microplastic on soil biota. But we're always interested in new ideas...