Forest ecosystems, microbes and the root-soil interface
prof. RNDr. Petr Baldrián, Ph.D. (Institute of Microbiology, CAS - Laboratory of Environmental Microbiology)
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Abstract:
Forests are long lived ecosystems shaped by trees as dominant primary producers. In the soil, however, microorganisms: fungi and bacteria: are equally important as tree roots. Microorganisms in forest soils respond to the activity of trees, such as the seasonal changes in rhizodeposition, help the trees to acquire nutrients and participate in the turnover of organic matter. Microbiome of soils is dynamic at multiple timeframes from short-term to decades-long ecosystem development. The interactions of trees, other plants and microbes make forest ecosystems efficient as well as beautiful.
About the speaker:
Petr Baldrian studied microbiology at the Faculty of Science, Charles University. His research focuses on the role of microorganisms in ecosystem processes, microbial biogeography and biodiversity, and their applications in biotechnology. He supervises students and lectures at Charles University in Prague, where he earned the title of professor.
He is the author of 12 book chapters and more than 250 articles in peer-reviewed journals, with over 25,000 citations and an h-index of 87 according to Web of Science. Petr Baldrian serves as an editor for several journals (e.g., ISME Journal, Microbiome), as the ambassador of the International Society for Microbial Ecology for the Czech Republic, and as the founder of the conference series Ecology of Soil Microorganisms.
From 2021 to 2025, he was the chair of the Czech Science Foundation (GAČR).