Brandl
Fakultäten » Mathematisch-naturwissenschaftliche Fakultät » Evolutionsbiologie und Umweltwissenschaften, Institut für » Ecology & Environment » PD Dr. Helmut Brandl » Brandl
Completed research project
| Title / Titel | Diversity of soil microbial communities affected by plant communities | ||||
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| Abstract (PDF, 14 KB) | |||||
| Original title / Originaltitel | Beeinflussung der Diversity von Mikroorganismen im Boden durch die Pflanzendiversität | ||||
| Summary / Zusammenfassung | Recent ecological research focuses on potentially beneficial effects of biodiversity on ecosystem processes, including the response of diverse ecosystems to environmental change such as increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide. Nevertheless, little is known until now about the relationship between plant communities and soil microbial communities. In this project, these problems are addressed by combining the methodological knowledge of microbiologists with that of plant ecologists. By analyzing the effects on soil microbial diversity of manipulating plant diversity and atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration a better understanding of ecosystem responses to biodiversity loss and environmental change may be obtained. Using physiological (phospholipid fatty acids) and molecular methods (e.g. PCR-TTGE, FISH), the structure, activity, and diversity of the microbial community in soil samples from experimental sites with different plant diversity levels as well as elevated carbon dioxide will be analyzed. Additionally, the soil samples are used to inoculate previously sterile substrate. Phytometer plant species will be grown in microcosms or the inoculated substrate, from which new samples can be analyzed for soil microbial diversity. These studies will allow the evaluation of the relation between the plant community and the functional and genetic diversity of soil microbial communities, particularly the relation of microbial diversity to plant diversity and to the presence of specific plant species. From the microcosms it will be further possible to evaluate the feed back of the soil biota on plant growth. | ||||
| Publications / Publikationen | Grüter D., Schmid B., Brandl H. (2003) Soil microbial diversity: TTGE versus 16S-rDNA-cloning. Swiss Medical Weekly 133(suppl. 134):8Bartelt Ryser J., Joshi J., Schmid B., Brandl H., Balser T. (2005) Carryover effects of soil inocula from a plant biodiversity experiment on subsequent plant growth. Perspectives in Plant Ecology, Evolution and Systematics 7: 27-49Grüter D., Schmid B., Brandl H. (2006) Influence of plant diversity and elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide levels on belowground bacterial diversity. BMC Microbiology 6:68Zeller S.L., Brandl H., Schmid B. (2007) Host-plant selectivity of rhizobacteria in a crop/weed model system. PlosOne 9:e846 [doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0000846]Weitere Informationen | ||||
| Keywords / Suchbegriffe | soil, microbial diversity, plant diversity, elevated CO2, carbon dioxide, PCR, PLFA, FISH | ||||
| Project leadership and contacts / Projektleitung und Kontakte |
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| Funding source(s) / Unterstützt durch |
SNF (Personen- und Projektförderung) |
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| Duration of Project / Projektdauer | Oct 2000 to Dec 2009 |