Biodiversity and soil function

Biodiversity and soil function is hosted by HELMHOLTZ ZENTRUM MUENCHEN DEUTSCHES FORSCHUNGSZENTRUM FUER GESUNDHEIT UND UMWELT GMBH (HMGU), Germany and aims at enhancing our basic knowledge about soil biodiversity by characterising abiotic and biotic parameters shaping soil biodiversity. Links between biodiversity and ecosystem services are described by investigation of interactions within soil communities on soil services and links between redundancy of microbial function and human perturbation, abiotic parameters, geology, history and their relevance for soil biodiversity (KU, HMGU, ECL, IMIC, UNIfI, WSR, BioSRO).

The work packages will be divided into tasks and projects and allocated between network partners.

  • Provide relevant bioinformatic data sets on factors involved in evaluation of links between biodiversity and ecosystem function (KU).
  • Investigate effects of spatial heterogeneity on soil function (HMGU).
  • Investigations of the links between soil biodiversity and ecosystem function (ECL).
  • Comparison of soil metagenome and metatranscriptome leading to functional biodiversity estimates (IMIC).
  • Soil enzymes, soil functions and comparison of metatransciptome and proteomics to detect biomarker molecules (UniFi).
  • Post remediation site investigation Dynamic and/or continuous biomass sampling with relation to improved assessment of variable stress and its relevance to improvement of biodiversity and ecosystem value (WSR).
  • Development, production and distribution of natural microbial products for use in agriculture and gardening (ABi).