Fungal Ecology Lab at the University of Vienna

Our research works to understand how soil microbiomes (i.e., fungi, bacteria, archaea, viruses, other small eukaryotes) influence carbon and nutrient cycling. With an estimated 1 x 10^9 bacterial and 6.2 x 10^6 fungal species, microbiomes are the most diverse life forms on Earth. Studying them provides fundamental insights into the ecological and evolutionary  forces shaping communities and biogeochemal cycles. We can also harness the ecology of microorganisms to address pressing societal needs in agriculture, forestry, and medicine. 

The main interest of our group is fungi with a particular focus on plant-associated biotrophs including pathogens, endophytes, and mycorrhizal fungi. Mycorrhizal fungi are our primary focus. They are a largely mutualistic and phylogenetically diverse fungal guild found across the fungal tree of life. Mycorrhizal fungi form symbioses with nearly all land plant species. A massive fraction of plant sugars and lipids flow through mycorrhizal fungal mycelium. This allocation of energy by plants to fungi is part of a recipricol exchange. Mycorrhizal fungi provide plants with otherwise inaccessible soil resources, like water, nitrogen, and phosphorus in exchange for carbon. This symbiosis is so critical that many plants and fungi have lost the ability to grow without each other. 

To study microscopic fungi and soil microbiomes, we employ a variety of techniques, including DNA metabarcoding, gene probing, metagenomics, metabolomics, lipid profiling, fungal culturing, microscopy, biogeochemical assays, as well as a combination of observational, experimental, and statistical modeling approaches. We are embedded in multiple climate change experiments that simulate different future scenarios of global change. These types of experiments offer a unique look into the future in order to better prepare and adapt to global change.