My main research interests are the ecological role of bacteria in sediments and soils, their contribution to nutrient cycling and their adaption to specific habitats. My current studies are part of the DynaDeep project, which aims to gain a deeper understanding of processes in the subsurface of high-energy beaches. In this transition zone between land and sea, biogeochemical processes are very variable in time and space, so that microorganisms in this habitat have to be highly adapted. Therefore, we will monitor the composition of the sediment attached microbial communities and the communities in the porewater to evaluate the diversity, and to define key-organisms. We will investigate the response of the microbial communities to the dynamic changes in the subsurface just as the role of varying metabolic activities in biogeochemical transformation processes. Furthermore, the metabolic activity will be targeted by describing the presence or absence of key-genes in metagenomes. Additionally, the microbial response to changing environmental conditions will be assessed in laboratory experiments using flow-through columns.

Link to current project: uol.de/en/icbm/dynadeep