Daniel Thomas

Department of Ecological Microbiology

I am interested in the microbial dynamics of forests. Here with BayCEER I have been
collaborating with the Carbon4D project at the Department of Soil Ecology, to look for
large spatial patterns in forest soils in the Fichtegebirge, and possible mechanisms for
these spatial patterns. My working hypothesis is that trees selectively filter and
amplify microbial inputs from the atmosphere into the soil, through a variety of
mechanisms, and that this results in higher beta diversity in forest soils compared to
other land-use types in the region.