Dear all,

After the success of the first seminar, the Wageningen Microbiome Center (WMC) invites you to join its second event: a seminar by Dr. Stefan Geisen entitled “The extended (soil) microbiome: why looking beyond bacteria and fungi is key”. Stefan Geisen works as an assistant professor at the Laboratory of Nematology, WUR and is one of the members of WMC’s steering committee. He summarizes his talk as follows:

Preaching to the choir: microbiomes determine all One Health dimensions, and most assume it’s the bacteria (in soil, also fungi) that do it all. Here, I will show that this view is biased and needs a makeover by considering environmental and host-associated complexity in the form of microbiome predators: protists and nematodes. With a focus on soils, I will show how these predators regulate microbiome composition and, thereby, microbiome functioning that shapes environmental and host health. I will also highlight the role of protists and nematodes as bioindicators, likely more sensitive than other microbial groups, and conclude by highlighting recent advances in understanding protist and nematode diversity in soils and the implications of this diversity for (soil) functions. I will showcase how integrating protists into general microbiome research transforms our understanding of soil and overall One Health.

Date: 2nd of July, 10:30 – 11:30
Location: Impulse Speakers Corner (Stippeneng 2), WUR

Please forward this invitation to anyone that may be interested.

We look forward to seeing many of you there!

On behalf of the WMC,
Maryse Berkhout