Generelle Informationen

Addresse      Fachbereich Biologie

                       Universität Graz

                       Holteigasse 6

                       8010 Graz, Österreich

E-mail           Bettina.weber(at)uni-graz.at

Website        https://diversitaet-oekologie.uni-graz.at/en/diversity-and-ecology/

 

Ausbildung

2013    (re-)Habilitation, Universität Mainz, Deutschland

2011    Habilitation in Plant Ecology, Universität Kaiserslautern, Deutschland

2004    MAS (Master of Advanced Studies) Geographical Information Science & Systems, Universität Salzburg, Österreich

2000    PhD in Biologie, Universität Kaiserslautern, Deutschland

1994    Diplom (Equivalent zu MSc) in Biologie, Universität Würzburg, Deutschland, und Universität Albany, NY, USA

 

Akademische Positionen

Seit 2024      Stellvertretender Leiterin des Instituts für Biologie, Universität Graz, Österreich

Seit 2019      Ordentliche Professorin für Botanik, Universität Graz, Österreich

2015-2019      Forschungsgruppenleiterin, Max-Planck-Institut für Chemie, Mainz, Deutschland

2013-2019      Fakultätsmitglied, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, Deutschland

2013-2015      Forschungsleiterin, Max-Planck-Institut für Chemie, Mainz, Deutschland

2012-2013      Wissenschaftliche Mitarbeiterin, Universität Kaiserslautern, Deutschland

2008-2012      Forschungsgruppenleiterin, Universität Kaiserslautern, Deutschland

2000-2008       Postdoktorand (Teilzeit aufgrund von Kinderbetreuungspflichten), Universität Kaiserslautern, Deutschland

 

Beiträge zur Forschungsgemeinschaft

• Sprecherin des Exzellenzbereichs Klimawandel (https://climate-change.uni-graz.at/en/) der Universität Graz (seit 2023; 2021–2023: Co-Sprecher)
• Mitglied des wissenschaftlichen Lenkungsausschusses des Amazon Tall Tower Observatory-Projekts (www.attoproject.org) seit 2017
• Initiatorin und federführende Person bei der Umwandlung des Masterstudiengangs Biologie in eine innovative modulare Struktur (2020–2023) und Mitglied der Lehrplankommission seit 2023

• Initiatorin der internationalen BIOCRUST-Workshop-Reihe, deren erster Workshop 2011 von ihr gemeinsam mit ihrem Betreuer Burkhard Büdel organisiert wurde und deren sechster für 2026 geplant ist

   

Wichtigste Publikationen (gesamte Publikationsliste hier)

Weber, B., Belnap, J., Büdel, B., Antoninka, A.J., Barger, N.N., Chaudhary, V.B., Darrouzet-Nardi, A., Eldridge, D.J., Faist, A.M., Ferrenberg, S., Havrilla, C.A., Huber-Sannwald, E., Malam Issa, O., Maestre, F.T., Reed, S.C., Rodriguez-Caballero, E., Tucker, C., Young, K.E., Zhang, Y., Zhao, Y., Zhou, X., Bowker, M.A. (2022) What is a biocrust? A refined, contemporary definition for a broadening research community. Biological Reviews. doi: 10.1111/brv.12862

Development of a refined, detailed biocrust definition, delimited to other types of microbial communities and widely supported by the scientific community (22 coauthors).

Rodriguez-Caballero, E., Stanelle, T., Egerer, S., Cheng, Y., Su, H., Canton, Y., Belnap, J., Andreae, M.O., Tegen, I., Reick, C., Pöschl, U., Weber, B. (2022) Global cycling and climate effects of aeolian dust controlled by biological soil crusts. Nature Geoscience. doi.org/10.1038/s41561-022-00942-1

First global modelling approach assessing the relevance of biological soil crusts in global dust cycling und current and future conditions.

Edtbauer, A., Pfannerstill, E.Y., Pires Florentino, A.P., Barbosa, C.G.G., Rodriguez-Caballero, E., Zannoni, N., Alves, R.P., Wolff, S., Tsokankunku, A., Aptroot, A., Sá, M.O., Araújo, A.C., Sörgel, M., Oliveira, S.M., Weber, B., Williams, J. (2021) Cryptogamic organisms are a substantial source and sink for volatile organic compounds in the Amazon region. Commun Earth Environ 2, 258. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-021-00328-y

First study assessing and quantifying VOC emission of tropical cryptogamic communities.

Maier, S., Kratz, A. M., Weber, J., Prass, M., Liu, F., Clark, A. T., Abed, R. M. M., Su, H., Cheng, Y., Eickhorst, T., Fiedler, S., Pöschl, U., Weber, B. (2021) Water-driven microbial nitrogen transformations in biological soil crusts causing atmospheric nitrous acid and nitric oxide emissions. ISME. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41396-021-01127-1

Detailled study investigating the microbial cycling processes driving nitrogen cycling and emission of reactive N compounds.

Löbs, N., Barbosa, C.G.C., Brill, S., Walter, D., Ditas, F., de Oliveira Sá, M., de Araújo, A.C., de Oliveira, L.R., Godoi, R.H.M., Wolff, S., Piepenbring, M., Kesselmeier, J., Artaxo, P., Andreae, M.O., Pöschl, U., Pöhlker, C., Weber, B. (2020) Aerosol measurement methods to quantify spore emissions from fungi and cryptogamic covers in the Amazon. Atmospheric Measurement Techniques 13: 153-164. https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-13-153-2020

Description of a novel method to investigate aerosol emission patterns of cryptogams under field and controlled lab conditions.

Rodriguez-Caballero, E., Belnap, J., Büdel, B., Crutzen, P. J., Andreae, M. O., Pöschl, U., & Weber, B. (2018). Dryland photoautotrophic soil surface communities endangered by global change. Nature Geoscience, 11(3), 185-189. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-018-0072-1

First map of current global biological soil crust distribution and first modelling approach on future biological soil crust distribution as a consequence of climate and land use change.

Maier, S., Tamm, A., Wu, D., Caesar, J., Grube, M., & Weber, B. (2018). Photoautotrophic organisms control microbial abundance, diversity, and physiology in different types of biological soil crusts. The ISME journal, 12(4), 1032-1046. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41396-018-0062-8

First study showing the characteristic composition of microbial communities in biological soil crusts as related to the different succession stages.

Weber, B., Belnap, J., & Büdel, B. (2016). Biological soil crusts: an organizing principle in drylands (pp. 3-13). Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-30214-0

Encyclopaedia on the current status of biological soil crust research (946 citations; 88 000 chapters sold; as on March 11, 2025).

Weber, B., Berkemeier, T., Ruckteschler, N., Caesar, J., Heintz, H., Ritter, H., & Braß, H. (2016). Development and calibration of a novel sensor to quantify the water content of surface soils and biological soil crusts. Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 7(1), 14-22. https://doi.org/10.1111/2041-210X.12459

Development of instrument to measure and monitor the water content and activity patterns of biological soil crusts. The instrument is protected by a utility patent and build and traded by a company.

Weber, B., Wu, D., Tamm, A., …, Pöschl, U. (2015) Biological soil crusts accelerate the nitrogen cycle through large NO and HONO emissions in drylands. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 112(50): 15384-15389. doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1515818112

Detection of the release patterns and mechanisms of reactive nitrogen compounds (HONO and NO) by biological soil crusts and characterization of their role in nitrogen cycling in drylands.

Elbert, W., Weber, B., Burrows, S., Steinkamp, J., Büdel, B., Andreae, M. O., & Pöschl, U. (2012). Contribution of cryptogamic covers to the global cycles of carbon and nitrogen. Nature Geoscience, 5(7), 459-462. https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo1486

First study assessing the relevance of cryptogamic covers (biological soil crusts form one key community) in current and future global carbon and nitrogen fixation.