Research - Microorganisms
Head of Department: Prof. Dr. Michael Pester
The Department Microorganisms studies the whole breadth of prokaryotic diversity and the relevance of microorganisms for biogeochemical, ecological, and biotechnological processes. We use state-of-the art molecular tools to identify key players in their specific habitat and strive to isolate them into pure culture using our long-standing expertise in cultivation. Please see our Research Activities below for more details.
Research activities
- Evolution and niche separation of culturable anaerobic prokaryotes in hypersaline microbial mats and sediments - Archaea and Extremophilic Bacteria
- Lake microbiology and N cycling - Geomicrobiology
- Synthetic soil communities - Geomicrobiology
- Wetlands and sulfur cycling - Geomicrobiology
- Bioethanol from straw and algae - Gram-negative Bacteria / Halophilic and Phototrophic Bacteria
- European Space Agency Microbial Strain Collection - Gram-positive Bacteria
- Acidobacteria – The exploration of the unknown abundance - Underrepresented Bacterial Phyla
- Cyanobacteria – Gaining Benefit from Non-Axenic Cultures - Cyanobacteria and Protists