TER

Division of Terrestrial Ecosystem Research

Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science

About TER

The Division of Terrestrial Ecosystem Research | TER at the Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science | CeMESS aims to advance the fundamental understanding of how soil microorganisms and plants respond to and in turn shape their abiotic and biotic environment, and what consequences these interactions have for the functioning of the Earth’s ecosystems.

Researchers at TER address pressing environmental issues, such as the impact of climate change on ecosystem functioning and the role of soils in the global carbon cycle and in food security.

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CeMESS/Maximilian Prag

Latest Publications at TER

Zhou, J., Liu, S., Jan van Groenigen, K., Mueller, C. W., Ochoa-Hueso, R., Fanin, N., Ren, Z., Zhang, Y., Ma, Y., Sun, S., Hu, J., Zhang, Y., Yahdjian, L., Wanek, W., Olesen, J. E., Kuzyakov, Y., Liu, J., & Chen, J. (2026). Contrasting responses of particulate and mineral-associated organic carbon stocks to grazing exclusion in an alpine meadow. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment, 400, Article 110227. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2026.110227

Hansen, P. M., Zhang, Y., Guseva, K., Kaiser, C., & Francesca Cotrufo, M. (2026). Microbial community regulation of extracellular enzyme production can mediate patterns of particulate and mineral-associated organic matter accumulation in undersaturated soils. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 214, 1-12. Article 110056. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2025.110056

Zhou, W., Bai, Y., Xie, Y., Wei, B., Wanek, W., Rousk, K., Noyce, G., Zhang, D., Peng, Y., & Yang, Y. (2026). Key role of moss in supplementing nitrogen for plant growth under warming in a permafrost ecosystem. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 123(8), Article e2516443123. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2516443123

Ullah, M. R., Kwatcho Kengdo, S., Peršoh, D., Tian, Y., Heinzle, J., Urbina Malo, C., Shi, C., Lueders, T., Poll, C., Wanek, W., Schindlbacher, A., & Borken, W. (2026). Long-term soil warming decreases fungal biomass and alters fungal but not bacterial communities in a temperate forest. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 216, 1-11. Article 110120. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2026.110120

Zechner, V., Tiutiunnyk, M., Riedmüller, H., & Wanek, W. (2026). Cryptic carnivores: why feline hair makes cats (Felis catus) look vegan. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 13, Article 1699291. https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2025.1699291

Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science

University of Vienna

More about CeMESS
CeMESS/Maximilian Prag