Department of Genetics In Ecology

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

Archaea are microorganisms that constitute the third domain of life beside Eukaryotes and Bacteria. Most of them thrive in extreme environments reminiscent of conditions on the early Earth. Some Archaea reside in complex microbial communities in soils, oceans and sediments, where they play important roles in the nitrogen and carbon cycles.

We study the molecular and cellular adaptations of extremely thermophilic and acidophilic archaea and their viruses by exploring their reactions to stress, such as temperature shifts and exposure to UV-light. Our model organism is the hyperthermophilic archaeon, Sulfolobus solfataricus, for which genetic tools have been established. Further we use postgenomic approaches to study information processing machineries of archaea, which are highly related to those of Eukaryotes and to study the genomic potential and physiology of the recently discovered ammonia oxidizing archaea from soil.

In a second research focus we develop and use novel meta-genomic and meta-transcriptomic approaches to explore the genomic diversity and activity of Bacteria and Archaea in complex microbial communities, such as soils and sediments. Thus we attempt to make predictions about the physiological potential of specific microbial lineages, who are abundant components of Earth's biota, but whose ecological role is currently unknown.

NEWS

PUBLIC OUTREACH

02.02.2012
Christa Schleper has been elected to Fellowship in the American Academy of Microbiology.
"Each elected Fellow has built an exemplary career in basic and applied research, teaching, clinical and public health, industry or government service. Election to Fellowship indicates recognition of distinction in microbiology by one’s peers..." ( link)




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