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Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
Joint media release by Leipzig University and iDiv
Leipzig. “Mysterious but beautiful” - this is how Dr Anton Potapov describes the world of organisms that live under our feet. Starting on 1 July 2022, the ecologist and microbiologist is setting up a new junior research group at the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) and the University of Leipzig. The goal is to take a closer look at the role of soil organisms in the ecosystem. Potapov's work during the coming years will be supported by the German Research Foundation (DFG) through the Emmy Noether Programme with 1 million euros.
At least 25 per cent of species on Earth are resident in the soil. Complex food webs exist between soil animals – e.g. insects, arachnids or earthworms – microorganisms and plants. Potapov and his team want to study these food webs more closely and gain a better understanding of their function in the ecosystem. The focus is also on what influence humans have on the belowground food webs and how they thus influence the services of the soil ecosystem such as carbon storage, plant growth, water supply, etc.
“In our projects, we will, among other things, investigate the role of soil animals in the carbon cycle of forests,” Potapov explains. “When we plant a certain tree type in a certain soil type, for example, we change the ecosystem in complex ways. We know little about how the soil organisms react to that. My goal is to better understand and predict these reactions and, more importantly, how these reactions then affect the functioning of the entire ecosystem.”
In setting up his research group at iDiv and Leipzig University, the Emmy Noether Programme of the German Research Foundation (DFG) is supporting him with 1 million euros. Anton Potapov studied in Moscow and received his doctorate in ecology and microbiology in 2015. Most recently, he worked as a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Animal Ecology at the University of Göttingen.
Dr Anton Potapov
Head of Junior Research Group "Soil Biological Diversity and Functions"
German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig
Leipzig University
Email: anton.potapov@idiv.de
Sebastian Tilch
Media and Communications
German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig
Phone: +49 341 97 33197
Email: sebastian.tilch@idiv.de
Dr Anton Potapov, head of a new junior research group at iDiv and Leipzig University
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Dr Anton Potapov, head of a new junior research group at iDiv and Leipzig University
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