The research in the laboratory covers the ecology, physiology and biochemistry of microorganisms in the environments, especially in soils, plant litter, decomposing wood or in association with plants.
The main emphasis is placed on the study of microorganisms involved in the decomposition of organic matter in forest litter and soil, both bacteria and saprotrophic fungi and the ecology of saprotrophic versus plant-symbiotic taxa.
The description of microbial processes in the environment relies on the combination of advanced molecular methods for the characterization of the composition and function of soil microbial communities as well as the isolation and characterization of individual microorganisms. Microorgansims are also studied as potential resources for biotechnologically relevant enzymes or secondary metabolites. Culture collection of basidiomycetes that performs research on the preservation of fungi including endangered and biotechnologically-relevant species is an inherent part of the laboratory.
