Our mission

The mission of the Max Planck Institute (MPI) for Terrestrial Microbiology is to understand how microorganisms function at the molecular, cellular, and community levels. In particular, we aim to elucidate the mechanisms underlying the metabolic diversity of microorganisms, their ability to adapt and differentiate in response to changes in the environment, the mechanisms involved in cell cycle regulation and cell polarity, as well as the biogeochemical processes involved in the exchange of climatically relevant trace gases. These analyses include all levels of microbial functions from the atomic/structural level, the molecular and cellular levels, and biochemistry/physiology to the microbial community level and plant-microbe interactions.

The research areas covered at the MPI include:

Cellular microbiology
Molecular microbiology
Microbial biochemistry
Biogeochemistry
Microbial ecology
Environmental genomics
Microbial symbiosis
Plant-microbe interactions
Plant pathogens

Upcoming seminars

23.11.2009
Dr. Jochen Kumlehn (IPK Gatersleben)
Genetic engineering in cereals and its use to improve the resistance to fungal pathogens

30.11.2009
Prof. Dr. Liz Sockett (University of Nottingham)
Predatory Bdellovibrio – cousins of the Myxobacteria

07.12.2009 13:15
PD Dr. Jörg Simon (TU Darmstadt)
The microbial nitrogen cycle and the colourful world of cytochromes