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Michael Köhler

Currently I´m working on my PhD Thesis about the diversity of leaf endophytic fungi.

For my PhD project I will use Next-generation Sequencing to explore the hidden diversity of endophytic fungi in trees. Furthermore, the molecular data will be backed up with the occurrence and density of foliar fungal pathogens derived from visual identification. I conducted leaf sampling in tree diversity experiments in Germany (MyDiv) and China (BEF China).

I want study if diversity begets diversity and see if a higher tree diversity also translates to a higher endophyte diversity as it does for pathogens. I try do identify tree species and neighbourhood identity effects and gain a deeper understanding of the underlying processes that tree diversity holds towards shaping fungal diversity and community composition.

My further research interests include:

Tropical ecology, taxonomy and anatomy of plants and fungi and the plant holobiome

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