Helmholtz Zentrum München Deutsches Forschungszentrum für Gesundheit und Umwelt GmbH

The Institute for Comparative Microbiome Analysis at Helmholtz Munich investigates interaction of ecosystem biodiversity, functioning and human health which was repeatedly outlined and summarized under the One Health concept. The institutes main focus is on the assessment of consequences of biodiversity losses fostered by human activities as well as climate change for environmental and human health. The definition of prevention strategies is the ultimate goal of the institutes research.

Role within ProPollSoil

Within ProPollSoil the Institute mostly contributes towards the analytical and experimental work addressing how soil conditions and environmental stressors affect pollinator health and functioning (WP4). The main focus is the analysis of the interaction of the soil microbiome with the microbiome of insects. The major goal will be to define major functional traits of the insect associated microbiome which determine health and disease of pollinators. In addition, the role of insects as vectors for the transmission of antibiotic resistance genes under different environmental conditions should be investigated. The group also supports the synthesis of existing knowledge on soil–pollinator interactions (WP2) as well as to the interpretation of pan-European monitoring data, linking soil parameters and environmental pressures to biological responses (WP3). HMGU also supports the interpretation of Case Study Area data to assess impacts of soil management under real-world conditions (WP5) and to the integration of empirical results into broader threat analyses, supporting the development of evidence-based mitigation and management recommendations (WP6).