Projects

Although phages are abundant in soil, to date they have been neglected in soil biogeochemistry. In this Emmy Noether research group we will for the first time study how abiotic soil microhabitats govern phage infection and thus bacterial death and quantify the effects on plant nutrient and CO₂ release as well as the stabilization of microbial residues. We will go beyond phenomenological descriptions to reveal the mechanisms of these processes, including direct dispersal limitations (e.g. phage sorption to mineral surfaces) and indirect effects (shaping traits of the phage community, with potential feedback to dispersal). The project will couple isotopic tracing techniques with phage isolation and culture-independent molecular methods to comprehensively characterize the interactions between the soil habitat, its bacterial inhabitants, and their viruses.

Billions of microorganisms live and die in the soil beneath our feet, affecting soil carbon storage and its release to the atmosphere. This project investigates how viruses drive bacterial death and the fate of bacterial remains, to better understand how soil can contribute to maintaining a healthy climate.

Participating in this large project to map soil biodiversity, soil chemical, and soil physical characteristics with respect to current and desired soil functions in agricultural fields across the Netherlands.

Project page: https://soilpros.nioo.knaw.nl/en

This project implements soil metabolic flux analysis to investigate the economic and bioenergetic controls on microbial metabolism of complex substrates in soils.

This is a collaboration with the Geosphere-Biosphere Interactions group. [Link]

Project page: https://soilsystems.net/projects-partners/p14-ecoenergetics/