Working Group Molecular and Microbial Ecology

We are investigating the structure and function of microbial communities in aquatic systems with particular focus of the pelagic Baltic Sea.

Our general goals are

- to elucidate general spatial and temporal patterns in microbial diversity,

- to identify key players for specific processes,

- to link the analysis of community structure with particular functions, relevant at the ecosystem scale and

- to reveal underlying controlling mechanism.

This is done mainly by field studies during cruises on research vessels and by shipboard experiments but also with the help of laboratory experiments with isolated organisms.

Besides ecosystem-related research projects we study mechanisms of microbial interactions and adaptations and also use microorganisms as model systems to infer general ecological questions.

The scope of our research encompasses a whole range of microorganisms from "viruses" to prokaryotes and microbial eukaryotes (protists).

Within the IOW we are responsible for running the molecular laboratory and to maintain and establish state-of-the-art molecular techniques for community analysis, species identification and functional gene analysis. Although these techniques are at present mainly used for microbiological research it is planned to extent the methodology also for other groups of organisms and questions related to metazoan population ecology.