With more organisms living in a handful of soil than there are people living on this plant, soils are the foundation of life on land, with plants bridging life above- and belowground. I research how soil life and plants influence each other and together determine ecosystem functioning. The Plant-Soil Interaction research team, under my lead, aims to find answers to the question:

What role do plant-soil interactions play in carbon and nutrient cycling, and how are these dynamics influenced by global change?

Plant-soil interactions in peatlands

Peatlands are the densest natural carbon sink on Earth. Plants take up CO₂ from the atmosphere through photosynthesis, and use this to grow. Plants transfer most of this carbon to the soil where soil organisms recycle it. Conditions in peatlands lead to long-term storage of plant-derived carbon. Yet, this dynamic is sensitive. By studying the relationship between peatland vegetation and the peatland soil community under changing conditions, we can better anticipate responses to climate change and develop effective restoration measures.

Seasonal dynamics of plant-soil interactions

When winter comes to a close, life aboveground springs into action. Ecosystem in temperate and boreal regions show strong seasonal dynamics. The timing of biological activity (phenology) is well studied aboveground, but whether soil life follows the same calendar as plants is unexplored. We work towards better understanding belowground seasonal dynamics, timing of soil biologic processes and responses to extreme events.

Collaborative science

Science is a team effort. The research of the Plant-Soil Interaction team is embedded in the Ecology & Biodiversity research group. We further collaborate with the 3D lab on the MicroFracNet project to better understand the role of climate on microscale for plant-soil interactions, with BioCliVE to understand the responses of plant-soil interactions to various forms of drought in relation to plant diversity, and with Working With Nature to monitor the recovery of a tropical rainforest in Costa Rica. 

The Plant-Soil Interaction team also leads and participates in citizens science projects (Tea @ the Park, Pientere Tuinen). Together with the public we gather data to better understand the diversity of life belowground and the processes they govern.