The section Geomicrobiology investigates geomicrobiological processes both on the Earth’s surface including the critical zone and in the ’deep biosphere‘, which supposedly plays a fundamental role within the global biogeochemical cycles over short and long time scales. Our research focuses on the development and distribution of microbial life in terrestrial environments particularly in extreme habitats such as permafrost, deserts, lake sediments and the deep subsurface in continental areas. We analyse the dynamics and processes of microbial communities and the related complex geologic-biological interactions.
We established the novel Helmholtz Laboratory for Integrated Geological and Biological Research (GeoBioLab) as an interdisciplinary platform for joint activities of scientists from various disciplines including microbiology/molecular biology, (bio)geochemistry, bioinformatics, and geomorphology to address our scientific questions in a wide range of environments and disciplines. In addition to basic research, we also work on translating suitable results into applications. These include, for example, the development of equipment for sediment sampling and sample preparation or the utilization of the genetic resources represented by our unique type culture collection of extremophilic microorganisms for industrial or biotechnological applications.
The Section Geomicrobiology focuses on four main topics:
18th March 2021, 15:00, online seminar
“Redox and thermodynamic controls of decomposition in anoxic soils: defferent environments, same principles”
Prof. Dr. Klaus-Holger Knorr, University of Münster, Germany
MSc. Ebuka Canisius Nwosu received an award for the best poster at the Annual Conference 2019 of the Association for General and Applied Microbiology (VAAM), 17 - 20 March 2019, Mainz, Germany
https://www.facebook.com/vaam.de/photos/a.1649890918613967/2309682989301420/?type=3&theater
MSc. André Friese received the “ISSM best student oral presentation” award at The international Society for Subsurface Microbiology (ISSM) Conference 2017 (6-10 November 2017) in Rotorua, Newzealand. Title of the talk: „A simple and inexpensive technique for assessing contamination during drilling operations.“, 09.11.2017
Life in Extreme Environments (editor-in-chief D. Wagner)
Volume 7 on the subject "Microbial Life in the Cryosphere and its Feedback on Global Change" (Susanne Liebner, Lars Ganzert (Eds.) was published by De Gruyter Verlag, Berlin/Bosten, in January 2021.
Book series: Life in Extreme Environments (editor D. Wagner)
Volume 2 of the series on the subject „Microbial Evolution Under Extreme Conditions“ (C. Bakermans, ed.) was published by De Gruyter Verlag, Berlin in March 2015