Complexity of leaf surface texture affects microbial colonization in temperate forest tree species
Schulze, Waltraud X.; Schulze, Ernst-Detlef ; Reiße, Susanne; Rischke, Roman; Bouriaud, Oliver; Büdel, Burkhard; Straub, Tatsiana; Pillai, Evelina; Tanunchai, Benjawan; Purahong, Witoon; Simm, Stefan; Noll, Matthias (2026)
Schulze, Waltraud X.; Schulze, Ernst-Detlef ; Reiße, Susanne; Rischke, Roman...
PLoS One 2026 (21), 5.
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0349938
Open Access Peer Reviewed
Throughout their life cycle, tree leaves are subject to colonization and degradation by microorganisms, including fungi, bacteria, and algae. These relationships co-evolved with chemical properties, leaf shape, and surface structures. Here we developed (i) a novel quantitative trait describing leaf surface texture complexity based on variables extracted from scanning electron microscopic images, resulting in a quantitative score of surface texture complexity on a tree species level. This complexity score was then used (ii) to test functional hypotheses, quantifying the contribution of leaf surface texture complexity in context of growth habitat preferences and colonization patterns by fungi and bacteria. We show that (iii) leaf surface texture complexity correlated with anatomical features such as stomatal density and leaf orientation as well as with Ellenberg temperature habitat indicator. Increasing leaf surface texture complexity was negatively correlated with leaf-associated fungal and bacterial specialists. Moreover, leaves with higher leaf surface texture complexity values showed reduced richness of colonization with plant pathogens (broad-leaved species) or lichenization (conifers), suggesting protection effects. Our results highlight leaf surface texture complexity as a previously underappreciated trait that may be a key to understanding microbial diversity between tree species and interaction patterns with leaf-associated microbes. This opens promising avenues for future research on plant-microbe co-evolution, trait-based ecosystem modeling, and the potential use of surface traits in forest management and disease resistance strategies.
Continuous intake of façade eluates affects active and total soil microbiome
Reiß, Fabienne; Kiefer, Nadine; Reiß, Pascal; Kalkhof, Stefan; Noll, Matthias (2025)
2025, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00374-025-01955-9.
DOI: 10.1007/s00374-025-01955-9
Peer Reviewed
Biocide-containing facades alter culture-based bacterial and fungal community composition and resistance patterns to Octylisothiazolinone
Ciok, Michal; Diener, Julia; Otte, Franziska; Nichterlein, Moritz; Kalkhof, Stefan; Noll, Matthias (2025)
Ciok, Michal; Diener, Julia; Otte, Franziska; Nichterlein, Moritz; Kalkhof, Stefan...
MDPI Microorganisms 2025 (13), 2284.
DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms13102284
Open Access Peer Reviewed
The enrichment of nitrogen-fixing bacteria on biodegradable plastics during the early stage of degradation under agricultural soil conditions and changing climate.
Tanunchai, Benjawan; Nonthijun, Parada; Schädler , M.; Disayathanoowat, Terd; Noll, Matthias (2025)
Tanunchai, Benjawan; Nonthijun, Parada; Schädler , M.; Disayathanoowat, Terd...
Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances 2025 (vgaf156).
DOI: 10.1016/j.hazadv.2025.100793
Peer Reviewed
To address the issue of plastic pollution, biodegradable plastics have been developed as an alternative to conventional
non-biodegradable plastics. Nitrogen(N)-fixing bacteria have been shown to play a pivotal role in the
microbial degradation of biodegradable plastics. However, little is known about how N-fixing bacteria respond to
plastic degradation in agricultural practice. Therefore, this study aimed to (i) provide insights into the N-fixing
bacteria associated with biodegradable plastics during the early stage of degradation (after 60 days of exposure),
and (ii) examine the impact of agricultural practices and climate simulations on the enrichment of N-fixing
bacteria across various plastic types: poly(butylene succinate) (PBS), polybutylene adipate terephthalate (PBAT),
and polyethylene (PE) as a reference. Our findings revealed that N-fixing bacterial genera, particularly Sphingomonas,
Hymenobacter, Massilia, and Methylobacterium-Methylorubrum, outcompete other N-fixing bacteria in the
plastisphere at the early degradation stage, while they are almost absent in the initial soils. These bacterial
groups have been previously linked to plastic degradation and the production of plastic-degrading enzymes.
Moreover, our results indicate that agricultural practices and climate conditions did not significantly affect the
enrichment of N-fixing bacteria. Instead, this study explored the enrichment of these bacteria on biodegradable
plastics, particularly PBAT and PBS, under changing climate and land use conditions during the early degradation
phase. Additionally, we identified soil-associated minor N-fixing bacteria that dominate these N-poor
plastics in both conventional and organic farming systems. Identifying plastic-preferring microbial groups is
crucial for understanding the microbial plastic degradation process under the real world’s scenario.
Encapsulated biocides in façade materials impact leaching and UV stability, resulting in lower aquatic toxicity of the eluates
Nichterlein, Moritz; Kiefer, Nadine; Hohner, Jenny; Stapf, D.; Schatz, Madeleine; Noll, Matthias; Kalkhof, Stefan (2025)
Nichterlein, Moritz; Kiefer, Nadine; Hohner, Jenny; Stapf, D.; Schatz, Madeleine...
Environmental Science and Pollution Research 2025 (32), 16324-16339.
DOI: 10.1093/etojnl/vgaf156
Peer Reviewed
Systematic Comparison of Bone Proteome Extraction Methods to Allow for Integrated Proteomics–Metabolomics Correlation
Wiltzsch, Vivien; Schmidt, Johannes; Adamowicz, Klaudia; Lauterbach, Theresa; Lehmann, Jörg; Baumbach, Jan; Laske, Tanja; Kalkhof, Stefan (2025)
Wiltzsch, Vivien; Schmidt, Johannes; Adamowicz, Klaudia; Lauterbach, Theresa...
Journal of Proteome Research 24 (9), 4362–4376.
DOI: 10.1021/acs.jproteome.4c01060
Peer Reviewed
Privacy-preserving multicenter differential protein abundance analysis with FedProt
Burankova, Yuliya; Abele, Miriam; Bakhtiari, Mohammad; von Toerne, Christine; Barth, Teresa; Schweizer, Lisa; Giesbertz, Pieter; Schmidt, Johannes; Kalkhof, Stefan; Müller-Deile, Janina; van Veelen, Peter; Mohammed, Yassene; Hammer, Elke; Arend, Lis; Adamowicz, Klaudia; Laske, Tanja; Hartebrodt, Anne; Frisch, Tobias; Meng, Chen; Matschinske, Julian; Späth, Julian; Röttger, Richard; Schwämmle, Veit; Hauck, Stefanie; Lichtenthaler, Stefan; Imhof, Axel; Mann, Matthias; Ludwig, Christina; Kuster, Bernhard; Baumbach, Jan; Zolotareva, Olga (2025)
Burankova, Yuliya; Abele, Miriam; Bakhtiari, Mohammad; von Toerne, Christine...
Nature Computational Science 5 (8), 675–688.
DOI: 10.1038/s43588-025-00832-7
Peer Reviewed
Experimental and computational identification of essential parameters governing biocide distribution in soil.
Kiefer, Nadine; Klein, Judith; Rohr, M; Noll, Matthias; Burkhart, Michael; Klein, Michael ; Kiefer, Nadine (2025)
Kiefer, Nadine; Klein, Judith; Rohr, M; Noll, Matthias; Burkhart, Michael...
Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 2025 (32), 2425-2440.
DOI: 10.1093/etojnl/vgaf156
Does future climate and agricultural farming system affect the fungal plastisphere of different biodegradable plastics at the early stage of field degradation?
Tanunchai, Benjawan; Schädler , M.; Noll, Matthias (2025)
Environmental Science Europe 2025 (37), 23.
DOI: 10.1186/s12302-025-01051-7
Peer Reviewed
Das aktive Mikrobiom als ökotoxikologischer Indikator in Umweltproben
Reiß, Fabienne; Noll, Matthias (2025)
Biospektrum 2025 (31), 1-3.
DOI: DOI: 10.1007/s12268-025-2384-1
Peer Reviewed
Die Bedeutung der Koniferen für die Erhaltung der Pilz-Artenvielfalt
Schulze, Ernst-Detlef ; Bouriaud, Oliver; Guenther, A; Tanunchai, Benjawan; Noll, Matthias; SChulze, Waltraud, X. (2025)
Schulze, Ernst-Detlef ; Bouriaud, Oliver; Guenther, A; Tanunchai, Benjawan...
Allgemeine Forstzeitung 2025 (1), 44 | 41-44.
Feels like home: A biobased and biodegradable plastic offers a novel habitat for diverse plant pathogenic fungi in temperate forest ecosystems
Nonthijun, Parada; Tanunchai, Benjawan; Schroeter , Simon Andreas; Wahdan, S. F. M.; Alves , G. E.; Hilke , Ines; Buscot, F.; Schulze, Ernst-Detlef ; Disayathanoowat, Terd; Purahong, W.; Noll, Matthias (2024)
Nonthijun, Parada; Tanunchai, Benjawan; Schroeter , Simon Andreas; Wahdan, S. F. M....
Microbial Ecology 2024 (87), 155.
DOI: 10.1007/s00248-024-02466-0.
Open Access Peer Reviewed
Extrinsic rather than intrinsic factors determine microbial colonization of deadwood
Moll, Julia; Bässler, C.; Buscot, F.; Hoppe, B.; Jehmlich, N.; Kellner, H.; Muszynski, Sarah; Noll, Matthias (2024)
Moll, Julia; Bässler, C.; Buscot, F.; Hoppe, B.; Jehmlich, N.; Kellner, H....
Soil Biology and Biochemistry 2024 (199), 109608.
DOI: 10.1016/j.soilbio.2024.109608
Peer Reviewed
Active soil microbial composition and proliferation are directly affected by the presence of biocides from building materials
Kalkhof, Stefan; Reiß, Fabienne; Kiefer, Nadine; Purahong, Witoon; Borken , W.; Noll, Matthias (2024)
Kalkhof, Stefan; Reiß, Fabienne; Kiefer, Nadine; Purahong, Witoon; Borken , W....
Science of the Total Environment 912, 168689.
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.168689
Peer Reviewed
Eluates from facades at the beginning of their service time affect aquatic and sediment organisms
Kalkhof, Stefan; Kiefer, Nadine; Nichterlein, Moritz; Reiß, Fabienne; Runge, M.; Biermann, U.; Wieland, Thomas; Noll, Matthias (2024)
Kalkhof, Stefan; Kiefer, Nadine; Nichterlein, Moritz; Reiß, Fabienne; Runge, M....
Science of the Total Environment. 906, 167531.
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.167531
Peer Reviewed
Hydration Status of Geriatric Patients Is Associated with Changes in Plasma Proteome, Especially in Proteins Involved in Coagulation
Wester (geb. Hoen), Laura; Pfeffer, Daniel; Schmidt, Johannes; Johannes, Kraft; Kalkhof, Stefan; Hildebrand, Janosch (2023)
Wester (geb. Hoen), Laura; Pfeffer, Daniel; Schmidt, Johannes; Johannes, Kraft...
Nutrients 15 (17), 3789.
DOI: 10.3390/nu15173789
Open Access Peer Reviewed
Fate of a biodegradable plastic in forest soil: Dominant tree species and forest types drive changes in microbial community assembly, influence the composition of plastisphere, and affect poly(butylene succinate co adipate) degradation
Tanunchai, Benjawan; Ji, Li; Schröder, O. (Hg.); Gawol, Susanne J.; Geissler, Andreas ; Wahdan, S. F. M.; Buscot, F.; Kalkhof, Stefan; Schulze, Ernst-Detlef ; Noll, Matthias; Purahong, Witoon (2023)
Tanunchai, Benjawan; Ji, Li; Schröder, O. (Hg.); Gawol, Susanne J.; Geissler, Andreas ...
Science of the Total Environment 873, 162230.
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.162230
Peer Reviewed
Osmotic Stress Interferes with DNA Damage Response and H2AX Phosphorylation in Human Keratinocytes
Wester (geb. Hoen), Laura; Rudisch , Christoph ; Wick , Michael ; Indenbirken , Daniela; Grundhoff, Adam; Wegwitz, Florian ; Kalkhof, Stefan; Hildebrand, Janosch (2022)
Wester (geb. Hoen), Laura; Rudisch , Christoph ; Wick , Michael ; Indenbirken , Daniela...
Cells 11 (6) (6), 959.
DOI: 10.3390/cells11060959
Open Access Peer Reviewed
Institut für Bioanalytik IBICO
Hochschule Coburg
Friedrich-Streib-Str. 2
96450 Coburg
Jakob Hanke
Forschungsreferent
T +49 9561 317 360
jakob.hanke[at]hs-coburg.de