Ecology of Soil Microorganisms 2025
Networking across scales
Sun 15.– Thu 19.6.2025, Helsinki, Finland
Programme
Porthania building, Yliopistonkatu 3
| Sunday 15.6.2025 |
15:40 Fungal community assembly processes from local to global scales, Nerea Abrego, University of Jyväskylä, Finland
16:25 How microbes find and adhere to roots? Philip Poole, University of Oxford, U.K.
17:10 Soil microhabitats – How do soil microorganisms benefit from their local environment? Ellen Kandeler, University of Hohenheim, Germany
18:00 Get together
| Monday 16.6.2025 |
9:05 Contrasting influence of ectomycorrhizal fungi on decomposition depending on forest fertility, Björn Lindahl, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Sweden
9:35 Fragile foundations of temperate forests: Microclimate effects on microbiome involved in fine woody debris decomposition and soil nutrient cycling, Vendula Brabcova, Czech Academy of Sciences, Czech Republic
9:50 Meta-omics reveal microbial guild succession and functions during fungal necromass decomposition in forest soil, Elsa Hilaire, INRAE, Université de Lorraine, France
10:05 Microbial Keystone Taxa in Stratified Floors of Beech Forests, Sebastian Bibinger, Helmholtz Munich, Germany
10:10 Nitrogen addition increases soil carbon pool through increased microbial necromass formation but also modifies tree secondary metabolism in boreal forest, Sylwia Adamczyk, Natural Resources Institute Finland, Finland
10:15 Ecological drift and host plant identity drive endophyte community structure in leaves along a gradient of soil primary succession, Caio Cesar Pires de Paula, Biology Centre CAS, Czech Republic
11:00 Establishing Genetic, Phylogenetic and Functional Mechanisms that Shape Acidobacteriota Diversity of Arctic Tundra and Boreal Forest Soils, Max Häggblom, Rutgers University, USA
11:15 The spatio-temporal distribution of soil fungi alters enzymatic activities along forest management gradients, Kezia Goldmann, UFZ - Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Germany
11:30 Understanding local soil microbiomes in forest ecosystems: A perspective beyond broad-scale studies, Nobuhiko Shigyo, Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, Japan
11:45 Short-Term Response of Microbial Communities in Peatland Forest Soils to Forest Harvesting, Alexandre Raimbault, Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Czech Republic
11:50 Do nitrogen-fixing Frankia nodules retain significant amounts of scarce micronutrients in a mixed-tree situation? Tarja Lehto, Natural Resources Institute Finland, Finland
11:55 Reindeer grazing alters soil microbial activity in a northern peatland, Tommi Välikangas, Natural Resources Institute Finland, Finland
Lunch break
Poster session
14:00 Dynamics of fungi and bacteria in soil and what they tell about the microbiome function, Petr Baldrian, Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Czech Republic
14:30 How do microeukaryotes in boreal forest soil respond to forestry? Ella Thoen, University of Oslo, Norway
14:45 Biogeography and diversity of soil microbial and mesofauna communities in different land uses with a gradient of soil disturbance in Eastern Canada, Claudia Goyer, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Canada
15:00 Arbuscular mycorrhiza systematically suppresses ammonia oxidizing bacteria, but nor archaea, across a range of soils, Jan Jansa, Czech Academy of Sciences, Czech Republic
15:15 Do earthworms alter fungal community composition and activity in boreal forest soils? Péter Garamszegi, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Sweden
15:20 Adaptation of microbial communities’ life strategies in urban areas along a management intensity gradient, Fadwa Khalfallah, Bureau des Ressources Géologiques et Minières, France
15:25 Agricultural expansion in boreal regions: temporal responses of soil microbial functions after land clearing, Lori Phillips, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Canada
15:30 Soil fungal communities in space and time, Markus Gorfer, AIT Austrian Institute of Technology, Austria
Coffee and posters
16:15 The co-occurrence of soil protists and prokaryotes is affected by rhizocompartment and wheat variety, Anne Winding, Aarhus University, Denmark
16:30 Delineating the co-existence strategy of different arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi for root colonization and foraging on root-free patches, Anukool Vaishnav, Czech Academy of Sciences, Czech Republic
16:45 Mycelial exploration of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi: intra- and interspecific variation among 29 isolates, Rasmus Kjøller, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
16:50 Soil and plant microbiome assemblages in pristine ecosystems of remote sub-Antarctic islands; responses to abiotic drivers of global changes, Constance Bertrand, Université de Rennes, France
16:55 Limited responses of ammonia oxidizers to simulated drought and heatwaves across arable soils in Europe, Eduardo Pérez-Valera, INRAE, Université de Bourgogne, France
17:00 Gradients of C flux and microbial C use in the detritusphere, Christian Poll, University of Hohenheim, Germany
17:15 How biochemistry may support microbiology? New tools and perspectives, Bartosz Adamczyk, Natural Resources Institute Finland
17:30 Microbial necromass production and consumption define net necromass stocks, Kate Buckeridge, Northwest A&F University, China
17:45 Deadwood as a key factor in soil carbon and energy flow through microbial communities, Ewa Błońska, University of Agriculture, Poland
17:50 Soil disturbances affect GHG emissions, organic carbon pool and microbial community in drained peatland forest, Qian Li, Natural Resources Institute Finland, Finland
17:55 Forest Management Impacts on Fine Root Input to Peat Carbon, Tuula Larmola, Natural Resources Institute Finland, Finland
19:00 Helsinki city reception at the Helsinki City Hall (address: Pohjoisesplanadi 11–13). The City of Helsinki hosts the event.
| Tuesday 17.6.2025 |
9:00 The magnificent, frustrating diversity of soil viruses, Joanne Emerson, University of California, Davis, USA
9:30 Virus community dynamics and host defense evolution vary as a function of biogeochemical process rates in soil, Christina Hazard, University of Lyon, France
9:45 Phosphate amendment drives bloom of RNA viruses after soil wet-up, Ella Sieradzki, Aarhus University, Denmark
10:00 Diversity of RNA Virome in Soil, Rumakanta Sapkota, Aarhus University, Denmark
10:05 Characterizing soil virus-nitrifier interactions and impact on nitrification, Sungeun Lee, University Claude Bernard, France
10:10 Viral regulation of soil microbial communities and carbon cycling, Ruiqi Wang, Leiden University, Netherlands
10:15 Bacteria-phage coevolution drives patchy distribution of plant disease through resistance-virulence trade-offs, Ville Friman, University of Helsinki,Finland
10:30 Virus evolution and lifestyle in root-associated fungi, Eeva Vainio, Natural Resources Institute Finland, Finland
10:45 Directional assembling of disease suppressive rhizobiome using probiotic-targarting phages, Keming Yang, Nanjing Agricultural University, China
10:50 Isolation of micropredators from Arctic and subarctic soils, Tatiana Demina, University of Helsinki, Finland
Coffee break
5.1. Soil Carbon and Nutrient Cycles, chairs: Petr Kohout, Kristiina Karhu
11:30 Using plant-soil interactions to increase stable carbon in soils, Elly Morriën, University of Amsterdam, Netherlands
12:00 Disentangling the plant-microbial origins and stability of long-term soil carbon stores, Rachel Yamamoto, The University of Sydney, Australia
12:15 Plant diversity drives positive microbial associations in the rhizosphere enhancing carbon use efficiency in agricultural soils, Luiz Domeignoz Horta, Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, France
12:30 Development of biodiversity, nutrient cycling and soil organic stocks across a 150-year grassland chronosequence in a north European landscape, Karina Clemmensen, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Sweden
Lunch break
Poster session
5.2. Soil Carbon and Nutrient Cycles, chairs: Karina Clemmensen, Jussi Heinonsalo
14:45 Exploring potential success factors for high soil multifunctionality: agricultural management, soil microbiome and soil carbon, Guusje Koorneef, Netherlands Institute for Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Netherlands
15:00 Functional shifts in plant microbiomes along altitudinal gradients: Insights from DNA metabarcoding and metatranscriptomics, Skylar Burg, University of Jyväskylä, Finland
15:15 Presence of undersown cover crops but not their diversity, and especially soil depth affect microbial SOC stabilization and priming, Jussi Heinonsalo, University of Helsinki, Finland
15:30 Enhanced respiration rates from translocated tropical forest soils explained by lower 18O CUE, increased enzyme activities and substrate availability from decomposition of recalcitrant SOM, Kristiina Karhu, University of Helsinki, Finland
15:35 Phosphorus Solubilization in Bacillus spp.: Advancing Sustainable Agriculture, Stefanie Katharina Thaqi, Technische Universität München, Germany
15:40 Regrowth alters rhizosphere nitrogen dynamics: Shifts in microbial community composition and functional profiles across different root parts, Guoting Shen, Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research, Germany
Coffee and Posters
16:15 Biodiversity and functioning of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in agricultural ecosystems at regional scale, Maarja Öpik, University of Tartu, Estonia
16:30 Organic Phosphorus Mineralization in Soil: Microbial Energetics and Metabolic Costs, Nataliya Bilyera, University of Tuebingen, Germany
16:45 Global impacts of climate, management strategies and land degradation on biodiversity status of agricultural soils, Pablo Sánchez Cueto, Leitat Technological Center, Spain
17:00 Microbial functions induced by wood fibre amendments in agricultural fields, Taina Pennanen, Natural Resources Institute Finland, Finland
17:20 Antimicrobial resistance dissemination potential of recycled fertilizers according to field trials, Johanna Muurinen, University of Helsinki, Finland
17:25 More generalistic AM fungal communities also produce less biomass in managed soils, Tanel Vahter, University of Tartu, Estonia
17:30 Copper and synthetic pesticides are major drivers of bacterial and fungal communities in vineyard soils, Elias Barmettler, University of Zurich, Switzerland
17:35 Antibiotic Resistance and Microbial Communities in the Environment of an 18th-century Slaughterhouse, Minna Maunula, University of Helsinki, Finland
19:00 Conference dinner, at Restaurant Sipuli, (address: Kanavaranta 7)
| Wednesday 18.6.2025 |
9:00 Global distribution and biogeography of ericoid mycorrhizal fungi, Petr Kohout, Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Czech Republic
9:30 Successive impoverishment of soil guilds alters grassland functioning: from universal to contextual effects, Dajana Radujkovic, University of Antwerpen, Belgium
9:45 The undescribed soil fungal lineages, Leho Tedersoo, University of Tartu, Estonia
10:00 Shrub expansion and associated microbial communities mediate shifts in organic matter characteristics and carbon stocks when colonizing subarctic grasslands, Carles Castaño, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Sweden
10:05 Does the interaction of fungi and plant roots drive soil carbon stabilization in boreal forests? Anne Tyvijärvi, Natural Resources Institute Finland, Finland
10:10 The formation and breakup of the magic circle: 15 years of life of a fairy ring in Abisko, Christoffer Bugge Harder, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
Coffee and Posters
7.2. Ecology of soil microorganisms, chairs: Luiz Horta, Katharina Kujala
10:45 Microbial diversity–biomass relationships in soils across Europe, José Siles, CEBAS-CSIC, Spain
11:00 Diverse and distinct soil archaeal communities in topsoil of arable, forest, and permanent grassland sites robustly detected by improved domain-specific metabarcoding, Florian Gschwend, Agroscope, Switzerland
11:05 Along the way from till to alpine meadow soils: diversification, specialization and microbial network decoupled, Eva Kastovska, University of South Bohemia, Czech Republic
11:10 Identification of microbial keystones in complex soil ecosystems and determination of their activity, function and niche preferences, Selma Vieira, Leibniz Institute DSMZ GmbH, Germany
11:15 Labeling of active arsenate- and antimonate-reducing microbes in peat soil used for treatment of mining-affected waters, Katharina Kujala, Natural Resources Institute Finland, Finland
11:30 Recycled nutrients, resilient microbes: unveiling soil microbial responses to alternative fertilization, Ruben Lopez-Mondejar, CEBAS-CSIC, Spain
11:45 Deciphering the role of microbes and soil properties for natural disease suppressiveness, Marie-Lara Bouffaud, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Germany
11:50 Enrichment and genomic analyses of methanogens from desert soil crust, Weitao Tian, Czech Academy of Sciences, Czech Republic
Lunch break
Poster session
8. Monitoring agricultural soil microbiomes, chairs: Christoph Tebbe, Sannkajsa Velmala
13:45 Limitations and perspectives of monitoring the diversity of cropland microbiomes as soil health indicators, Christoph Tebbe, Thünen Institut für Biodiversität, Germany
14:15 Shaping Soil Microbial Communities and Functionality by Tillage Intensity and Crop Diversification in Austrian Agroecosystems, Katharina Keiblinger, BOKU University, Austria
14:30 Engineering the rhizosphere for mitigating biotic stress in arable land, Shilpi Sharma, IIT Delhi, India
14:45 Disentangling Land-Use Effects on Soil Fungal Communities Across Continents, Felix Wesener, Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Czech Republic
14:50 Temporal developments of bacterial and fungal communities assessed over ten years of annual soil biomonitoring, Janine Moll-Mielewczik, Agroscope, Switzerland
Coffee break, posters
9. European soil health, biodiversity, sustainable management chair: Guusje Koorneef
15:30 Microbial and biogeochemical responses to root exclusion across diverse European forests, Tijana Martinović, Institute of Microbiology of the CAS, Czech Republic
15:40 Legume-cereal intercropping for sustainable agriculture across Europe, Shamina Imran Pathan, Universita Degli Studi di Firenze, Italy
15:50 Impact of Agricultural Microplastics on Soil and Microbial Functions Across Europe, Sannakajsa Velmala, Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), Finland
16:00 Response of Soil Organisms to Climate-Smart Sustainable Soil Management Techniques – Highlights from EJP SOIL, Sophie Zechmeister-Boltenstern, BOKU University, Austria
16:10 SOILGUARD: Measuring the impact of climate change and soil management on soil biodiversity and multifunctionality at six sites across Europe. Tania Galindo, ETH, Switzerland
16:20 Impacts of arable management practices on soil biological diversity – Outcomes from boreal case studies in SoildiverAgro, Krista Peltoniemi, Natural Resources Institute Finland, Finland
16:30 Soil health benefits from food industry side streams – the EU Mission Soil DeliSoil project, Ansa Palojärvi, Natural Resources Institute Finland, Finland
16:40 Introducing Precilience: A Horizon Project Developing Tailored Solutions for Agricultural Practices in Boreal Regions, Liina Soonvald, Estonian University of Life Sciences, Estonia
16:50 Project SOLO – developing a holistic and transdisciplinary soil research agenda for Europe, Guusje Koorneef, Netherlands Institute for Ecology, Netherlands
17:00 Panel discussion
17.30 Soil Mission Mingle, refreshments
| Thursday 19.6.2025 |
9:00 Soil microbial regulation of atmospheric trace gases: from enzymes to ecosystems, Chris Greening, Monash University, Australia
9:30 Unravelling the role of hydrogen cycling microorganisms in agricultural soils, Zahra Islam, The University of Melbourne, Australia
9:45 Wintertime microbial community activity in oroarctic tundra soils, Sirja Viitamäki, University of Helsinki, Finland
10:00 Like fish out of water? Cultivation and genomic characterisation of the first methanogens isolated from upland soils, Roey Angel, Biology Centre CAS, Czech Republic
10:15 Legacy effects of fluctuating oxygen availability on the methane-driven interaction network, Tanja Heffner, Leibniz University Hannover, Germany
10:20 Microbial adaptations in northern soils with naturally high baseline concentrations of arsenic and metals, Lotta Purkamo, Geological Survey of Finland, Finland
Coffee break
11:00 Pre-restoration baseline for microbial activity from two forestry drained fens in Northern Finland, Jenni Hultman, Natural Resources Institute Finland, Finland
11:30 Cascading effects of Arctic tundra herbivory on above- and belowground biomass, soil biogeochemistry, and soil (microbial) food webs, Andrea Söllinger, The Arctic University of Norway, Norway
11:45 Effect of warming on microbial decomposition of plant biomass in Arctic tundra soils using a stable isotope probing approach, Gabriele Tosadori, Czech Academy of Science, Czech Republic
11:50 Composition of artificial root exudate treatment impacts soil functional outcome and plant productivity in metal-contaminated brownfield soils, Nina Goodey, Montclair State University, USA
11:55 Mapping Microbial Genomic Potential: Predicting Plant Litter Decomposition from Soil Metagenomes Across Ecosystems, Bala Singavarapu, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Germany
12:00 Unlocking novel microbial biosynthetic potential in a peatland microbiome, Zander Human, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Germany
12:15 Into the heights and toward the poles: elevational and latitudinal trends in AM fungal community niche structure, Inga Hiiesalu, University of Tartu, Estonia
12.30 -12:45 Closing ceremony, prizes