Ecosystem Ecology – K Rousk Lab

Our research focusses on the role of moss-associated, nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria for nutrient cycling in pristine ecosystems. How important is moss-associated nitrogen fixation for ecosystem biogeochemistry? And how much will it be affected by climate change? We are also very much interested in the relationship mosses and colonising cyanobacteria share. Do they benefit from growing together? Or is the relationship neutral, or even parasitic? How do abiotic factors affect this association? We work with different moss- and cyanobacterial species collected across the globe. We use traditional methods (e.g. microscopy) as well as more novel approaches such as metagenomics.