Rhizosphere Processes ¶

Contents ¶

Focal points
Projects
Staff

Focal points ¶

The group studies the complex interactions between soil, microbes and roots in natural systems and investigates the impacts of environmental change on these interactions. The group applies biochemical, molecular and stable isotope methods in their studies. The two areas of research concern 1) determining the diversity and functions of bacterial and fungal communities in soil and understanding them as drivers for biogeochemical processes and 2) soil microbial communities and roots as indicators of environmental stress.

FOEN VBBio Secretariat

The cantonal soil protection agencies and the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) formed the Soil Biology Enforcement Working Group (VBBio) in 1995. This group is mainly dedicated to questions of enforcement-orientated soil biology.
Members from administration and research work closely together in topic-specific project groups. The secretariat of the VBB is run by Dr Beat Frey of the Rhizosphere Processes group at WSL. VBB Bulletins are issued regularly and published on the Internet. They can be downloaded here (German or French only).

Projects ¶

The rapidly advancing climate change in the Swiss Alps is driving glacier retreat and thawing permafrost. We are investigating the effects of these drastic changes on Alpine biodiversity.

Testing cost-effectiveness of Soil Biodiversity indicators and the provision of soil biodiversity-based Ecosystem Services to build better land management solutions that effectively implement the EU Soil Strategy.

The cold habitats of the Swiss Alps and the Arctic are undergoing change and are at risk of disappearing completely or partially in the future. Along with them, a poorly known diversity of microorganisms that have adapted to life in these supposedly hostile places. By cryopreserving microorganisms from these habitats, some of today's biodiversity can be preserved in biobanks.

We are researching glaciers as a refuge for microbial life forms in the Swiss Alps. These organisms have been living in the ice for thousands of years and are now reappearing due to global warming.

The ExtremeThaw project is working to enhance our understanding of rapid permafrost thaw in Switzerland’s alpine regions, helping to shape effective response strategies.

Staff ¶