Our research goal

Research objective

We investigate the diversity and processes in biocoenoses and their exchange with the environment. A particular focus here is on cryptogamic communities that grow on soil, rock and epiphytically on the bark and even on the leaves of trees. These small ecosystems are composed of photosynthetically active organisms (e.g. lichens, mosses, algae, cyanobacteria) and decomposers (e.g. fungi, bacteria, archaea), and consumers (protozoa, nematodes, tardigrades and microarthropods) are also regularly found in these communities. The aim of our group is to study and quantify the functional and biogeochemical connectivity of these communities in order to understand their ecosystem functions and their role in the Earth system under historical, recent and future environmental conditions.