Microbiome Study Group

The group's work adopts interdisciplinary approaches to understand the relationship between the microbiome and ecosystem functions, its responses to environmental stressors, and how it is shaped by evolutionary processes. In this context, the focus is on topics such as microbial diversity, community interactions, functional potential, and host-microbiome relationships. A key focus of the group is the determination of the genetic diversity of microbial communities living in extreme environmental conditions, the discovery of new enzyme sources, and the investigation of gene pathways and biotechnological potentials of specific functions of microorganisms contributing to various nutrient cycles in agricultural soils depleted by unsustainable production. Aiming to make unique contributions to the field of microbial ecology by examining the biodiversity and adaptation mechanisms of archaea and bacteria species, which have been little studied in Türkiye, the group utilizes advanced biotechnological tools such as metagenomic sequencing, microbial diversity analysis, and functional gene profiling. The group also aims to understand ecosystem dynamics and develop sustainable environmental management strategies through environmental DNA (eDNA)-based microbial monitoring projects by creating local genetic databases.

List of work areas

Microbial Diversity Analysis

Determining the microbial community structure in the samples.

Determining the Potential Function of the Microbiome

Functional gene prediction and metabolic pathway analysis.

Community Interactions and Microbial Network Analyses

Determining the relationship between microorganisms, their environment, and each other.

Host-Microbiome Relationships

Identification of the host microbiome and investigation of its interactions.

Environmental Monitoring Studies

Assessment of ecosystem health using microbial indicators and indicator species.

Evolutionary Microbiology

Microbial genome evolution and phylogenetic analyses