Project: Soil microbes as key players – decoding the impact of forest fertilisation on their communities
This project aims to investigate the impact of forest fertilisation on soil microbial communities in young Norway spruce stands in southern Sweden, with a focus on microbial abundance, community structure, and metabolic activity.
Project information
Project manager
Mehrdad Zarafshar
Other project members
Johan Bergh and Charlotta Håkansson
Participating organisations
Linnaeus University
Financier
KSLA
Timetable
1 June 2025–31 May 2026
Subject
Forestry and wood technology (Department of Forestry and Wood Technology, Faculty of Technology)
Research group
Forest Ecology and Ecophysiology
More about the project
Soil microbes are crucial for nutrient cycling, soil health and greenhouse gas dynamics in forests. Despite their importance, their response to forest fertilisation has been under-researched. In southern Sweden, we will study how nitrogen fertilisation affects soil microbial communities in Norwegian spruce forests. Using techniques such as qPCR and MicroResp™, we will analyse microbial abundance and activity in response to varying fertilisation rates.
Our results will provide valuable insights for sustainable forest management forest management and help improve climate resilience by understanding microbial roles in nutrient cycling and greenhouse gas fluxes.
The project is also part of the research in the research group Forest Ecology and Ecophysiology.
