Department of Microbial Ecology

The Department of Microbial Ecology at the University of Groningen (RUG) has as its mission to perform cutting-edge research in adaptive microbial ecology, with an emphasis on the development and application of advanced, molecular tools that assist us in these studies. The functioning, fate and adaptive abilities of micro-organisms in their natural habitats are the key topics of interest. Specifically, the research is focussed on:

• The adaptive capabilities and responses of micro-organisms in natural ecosystems, including adaptations via horizontal gene transfer, mutational and recombinational events.

• The interactive capabilities of micro-organisms with diverse host, including soil fungi, marine sponges and algae.

• The impact of microbial diversity on ecosystem functioning and the engimatic link between diversity and function.

• The exploration of functional microbial diversity from different ecosystems, with an emphasis on soil and related environments.

• The use of genomics and metagenomics as tools to assess microbial functioning, evolution and bioexploration.