Matthias C. Rillig

Paper just online: Microbial biomass loss and community composition shifts reduce soil multifunctionality following grassland degradation w/ Gaowen Yang & many other friends www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Very pleased to see this paper out in print, written with @chistinesd.bsky.social The deep-time history of soils and plants www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Myths in mycorrhizal ecology? matthiasrillig.substack.com/p/myths-in-m...

Operationalizing #soil persistence in soil and ecosystem #ecology A #Letter by @mrillig.bsky.social, Philippot & Lehmann 👇 📖 nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/... #LatestIssue #PlantScience

What is limiting fungal ecology the most? Here's my opinion, what's yours? matthiasrillig.substack.com/p/what-is-li...

Paper just accepted: Plant and microbial diversity jointly shape ecosystem multifunctionality in alpine grassland microcosms Will share details once available

Paper just accepted: Biodegradable and non-biodegradable microplastics drive divergent microbial carbon and nitrogen metabolism regimes in soil-plant systems Will share details once available

Are we too mycorrhiza-centric? matthiasrillig.substack.com/p/are-we-too...

Review paper just out: Fu et al. w/ Fang Wang Extracellular polymeric substances mediate bacterial biofilm effects on the soil antibiotic resistome: A double-edged sword www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Paper accepted: Root hairs and mycorrhiza represent alternative phylogenetically conserved strategies for belowground absorptive surface maximization Wills share details once available

Paper just accepted: Soil viruses as key regulators of the microbial carbon pump in deep soils Will share details once available

New paper just out: Reichel et al. A single high compost application accelerates organic matter restoration in marginal soil and enhances C and nutrient retention From research funded by BMBF/BMFTR, project INPLAMINT, led by Nicolas Brüggemann. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Yesterday I gave a keynote as part of the 120th anniversary celebration of Sichuan Agricultural University, here in Chengdu. It has already been a great 2 weeks in China, with stops in Beijing and Ningbo before Chengdu.

Are future soils increasingly controlled by artificial agents? matthiasrillig.substack.com/p/are-future...

Has environmental research on microplastics (in soils) reached saturation? What do you think? matthiasrillig.substack.com/p/has-enviro...

Hydroclimatic-driven pulse enrichment amplifies riverine microplastic export in developing countries | Science www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Reading in journal club Almaraz et al. Fluxes and imbalances in the modern global nitrogen cycle @natrevearthenviron.nature.com www.nature.com/articles/s43...

New paper out in @pnas.org : Extreme climatic events drive consistent and predictable shifts in soil antibiotic resistance genes Led by Guanghui Xu, postdoc in our lab; a collaboration with @frantecol.bsky.social www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

Our article on hosting artists-in-residence in the lab (from 2021) has already been viewed over 5000 times now.... journals.plos.org/ploscompbiol...

I'm looking forward to my keynote in Odense! See you there...

Final version is out: AI agency as a new force in global change biology pubs.acs.org/esthag/artic...

AI agency as a new force in global environmental change: a short explainer. This could be one of the most significant effects of AI on the environment, going far beyond what's currently being discussed (e.g. data centers). What's you take on this? matthiasrillig.substack.com/p/ai-agency-...

New paper out: Li et al. Microplastic–cadmium co-contamination in agricultural soils: A critical review of interactions, transfer, and plant exposure www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

New paper out: Beyond nutrient concentration: A call for uptake in mycorrhizal research under drought A collab with Bo Tang, CAS. besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Reading in journal club: Exploring the concept of longevity in fungi @kaleklett.bsky.social linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii...

Fostering creative output from lab meetings matthiasrillig.substack.com/p/fostering-...

Twenty-two easy ways to power up your lab meetings | Nature by Hannah Docter-Loeb in Nature Careers Scientists share help and advice on how they got their research discussions flowing (including a contribution from our lab) www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Paper just out in The Innovation (a collaboration with Prof. Fang Wang & many co-authors) AI for science: Progress, challenges, and perspectives doi.org/10.1016/j.xi...

New paper out: Spatial dynamics of filamentous soil fungi in response to a heterogeneously distributed chemical stressor. Catharina Neumann and @milosbielcik.bsky.social explore what happens when fungal mycelia encounter a localized pollutant patch. doi.org/10.1016/j.fu...

Reading in journal club Microbial interactions as key players shaping the emergence and spread of de novo resistance mutations Pittaccio, Knowles & @rachelmwheatley.bsky.social www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/jour...

We have a new doctor! 🥂🍾 Congratulations to Jeane dela Cruz for successfully defending her PhD; in this case it was an online defense from The Philippines in the middle of a heavy storm/ flood.

Soil persistence Looking for ideas how to distinguish when "positive" soil activities (like decomposition or enzymatic rates) may become a burden for soil persistence. Can this trade-off really be happening? What do you think...? matthiasrillig.substack.com/p/soil-persi...

I liked reading these personal stories: Despite global turmoil, Gen Z researchers are not giving up www.nature.com/articles/d41...

You just never know, but I think this could be one of the most important papers for this year that will initially not be cited.... Let's see in 5 years from now.... 😬

New paper just out in Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology A call for studying the impact of multiple stressors on biological systems w/ Ron Mittler and Sara Zandalinas nature.com/articles/s41... Free share link: rdcu.be/fy2rP

Reading in journal club: Braunmiller et al. @newphyt.bsky.social Opening the black box: in situ imaging of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal structures in soil using synchrotron-based micro-CT @mutezahmed.bsky.social nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Hmmmm..... AI-designed viral genomes | Science www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

My new paper is just online (open access) Artificial Agency as a New Force in Global Environmental Change Curious to hear what people think! pubs.acs.org/esthag/artic...

How many different versions of soils were there at the beginning of terrestrial ecosystems? matthiasrillig.substack.com/p/how-many-d...

Paper just accepted: Unraveling the coastal marine plastisphere archaeome Will share details of open-access publication once available.

Paper just accepted: Beyond nutrient concentration: A call for uptake in mycorrhizal research under drought. Will share details once available

We need more response surface designs in microplastic research; but these are tricky. PhD student Tamara in our group just has a paper out on this topic: Microplastics drive both gradual and abrupt shifts in soil multifunctionality www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

I am wondering how many totally different versions of soil there were right at the beginning of terrestrial ecosystems, well before the arrival of land plants.

Curious to hear what people think about this concept and how it could be applied...

Check out our new review: Impacts of pollution on the soil microbiome just out in @natrevmicro.nature.com www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Nature Index 2026 Research Leaders rankings: are China’s East Asian neighbours keeping pace with it? www.nature.com/articles/d41...