Main menu:
We belong to the Faculty of Life Sciences of the University of Vienna and are part of the Vienna Ecology Centre. Our department has a "dependance" at the Center of Geobiology at University of Bergen, Norway. _
ABOUT
Beside Bacteria, a second evolutionary lineage of microorganisms arose about 3.5 billion years ago on this planet: the Archaea. They thrive in extreme environments reminiscient of conditions on the early Earth, but are also of global ecological importance in moderate common place environments.
It is the main goal of this Department to shed light on fundamental distinctions between archaea and bacteria, to understand their different roles in both ecological and evolutionary processes. We study specifically:
- molecular adaptations and virus defense of hyperthermophilic model organisms
- genome content, expression patterns, physiology and ecology of moderate ammonia oxidizing archaea as well as
- symbioses of microorganisms with viruses and eukaryotes.
We thus attempt to improve the understanding of the role of microorganisms, in particular of archaea, in global biogeochemical cycles and in early evolution.
NEWS
PUBLIC OUTREACH
|
From April 1st, 2013 on, we are part of the new Department of "Ecogenomics
|
New paper published in Nature Communications |
Methanogenic archaea in ruminants are major sources of anthropogenic methane emissions and targets for methane mitigation strategies. Poulsen et al. show that Thermoplasmata archaea in bovine rumen are methanogens with methylamines as substrates, and are reduced in abundance and activity upon dietary rapeseed oil supplementation. |
30.11.2012 Two Ö1 radio broadcasts with Christa Schleper |
Dimensionen - die Welt der Wissenschaft
|
Wissen aktuell
|
GUEST LECTURES AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
.
Last update: 29.04.2013
Webdesign by Natalia Khilkevitch