Research projects of current students
- Roey Angel
- Start date: Oct. 2007
- Nationality: Israeli
- Masters thesis:
"The Diversity, Activity and Abundance of the Ammonia
Oxidizing Bacteria in the Sediment of a Polluted Ephemeral Stream in the Negev Desert, Israel"
- Research group:
AG Conrad, Dept. of Biogeochemistry, MPI
- Research project description
My field of research is the ecology of soil bacteria and archaea primarily in regards to how they are affected by environmental factors and, in return, how they affect and shape ecosystems. More specifically, I'm interested in dryland environments. These areas cover about 35% of the earth's surface and are constantly expanding due to desertification, yet they are poorly understood in terms of their ecology and ecosystem functions. Currently in my PhD research I study the turnover the atmospheric greenhouse gas methane in arid environments. I study the diversity and activity of methane oxidizing bacteria which are able to oxidize atmospheric methane. I also study the diversity and potential activity of methanogenic archaea in soil. These are strict anaerobic microorganisms that are responsible for most of the methane being produced on our planet. Despite being strict anaerobes, methanogens apparently can survive in oxic environments even in desiccated desert soils, and become active upon wetting.
