Scientific interest

"We know more about the movement of celestial bodies than about the soil underfoot." - Leonardo da Vinci

Although this was said about 500 years ago it still remains true. My personal aim in research is to explore long-term effects of plant diversity as well as plant trait diversity and identity effects on soil organisms like microorganisms, meso- and macrofauna. Of my special interest is, how rhizodeposits are influencing the plant-plant and plant-microorganism “communication” in soil. I think if we can understand the language of plants and microorganisms in more detail, we can also start to understand why some plants facilitate each other and why they are competing. Consequently, I would like to use this knowledge to spell out the importance of one of the most essential and largest ecological systems on earth and its high sensitivity due to environmental changes and foster its protection.