M. Bonkowski

Microbial utilisation of maize rhizodeposits applied to an agricultural soil at a range of concentrations

This study examines microbial growth dynamics on maize rhizodeposits and exudates at varying concentrations, identifying distinct C-thresholds and nutrient limitations.

A fast-slow trait continuum at the level of entire communities

The paper shows that slow and fast functional strategies manifest at the ecosystem level, driven by disturbance and resource availability in grassland communities.

Fungivorous protists in the rhizosphere of Arabidopsis thaliana - Diversity, functions, and publicly available cultures for experimental exploration

This study identifies and characterizes fungivorous protists in Arabidopsis thaliana rhizosphere, revealing diverse feeding strategies and providing cultures for further research.

Biotic interactions explain seasonal dynamics of the alpine soil microbiome

This study shows biotic interactions explain more variation in alpine soil microbiomes than abiotic factors, with stronger effects in summer than spring.

Linking rhizosphere processes across scales: Opinion

The paper discusses how multi-scale rhizosphere processes influence plant-scale behavior and presents models that integrate experimental data across scales to predict rhizodeposition and microbial activity.

A parasite's paradise: Biotrophic species prevail oomycete community composition in tree canopies

This study shows that obligate biotrophic oomycetes dominate tree canopies, indicating canopies as a reservoir for parasitic protists and challenging previous assumptions about host dependencies.

On the phenology of protists: Recurrent patterns reveal seasonal variation of protistan (Rhizaria: Cercozoa, Endomyxa) communities in tree canopies

This study identifies seasonal patterns in protistan communities in tree canopies using high-throughput sequencing, revealing distinct taxa in spring and autumn and highlighting the canopy as a reservoir for wind-dispersed propagules.

To the canopy and beyond: Air samples reveal wind dispersal as a driver of ubiquitous protistan pathogen assembly in tree canopies

The paper analyzes air samples to show wind dispersal drives protistan pathogen assembly in tree canopies, with no spatial restriction in forest ecosystems.

Distinct responses of oomycete plant parasites according to their lifestyle in a landscape-scale metabarcoding survey

The paper surveys soil oomycete diversity across temperate grasslands and forests, revealing distinct ecological responses of biotrophic and hemibiotrophic pathogens to environmental factors.

Contrasting responses of protistan plant parasites and phagotrophs to ecosystems, land management and soil properties

The paper examines protistan lineages in soil, finding differences in their responses to land management and environmental factors between grassland and forest ecosystems.

What drives the assembly of plant-associated protist microbiomes?

The study investigates how soil type and plant species influence the assembly of Cercozoa protist communities in the rhizosphere, finding plant species has a stronger effect than soil type.

Environmental selection and spatiotemporal structure of a major group of soil protists (Rhizaria: Cercozoa) in a temperate grassland

The paper investigates environmental factors shaping cercozoan protist communities in a temperate grassland, finding moisture and clay content as key drivers with spatial and seasonal patterns.

Genotypic variability enhances the reproducibility of an ecological study

This study tests whether introducing genotypic variability improves reproducibility in ecological experiments across multiple labs, finding it increases consistency in controlled environments but not in variable ones.