Biological soil crusts as sentinels of ecosystem health and function in central and Mediterranean Eu

Organisation/Company Libera Università di Bolzano Research Field Agricultural sciences Researcher Profile Recognised Researcher (R2) Leading Researcher (R4) First Stage Researcher (R1) Established Researcher (R3) Application Deadline 19 Oct 2026 - 12:00 (UTC) Country Italy Type of Contract To be defined Job Status Not Applicable Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Not funded by a EU programme Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Offer Description
The CrustHealth project investigates the role of biological soil crusts as indicators of soil health and functioning across different European climatic contexts. The research will analyze how abiotic stressors such as salinity, microplastics, and trampling affect the biodiversity, structure, and functions of communities associated with biocrusts.
Field surveys, physicochemical soil analyses, controlled experiments, DNA metabarcoding, metatranscriptomics, and bioinformatic analyses will be integrated. The aim is to understand the effects of these stressors on soil fertility, stability, and biodiversity, and to identify potential indicators useful for ecosystem monitoring and conservation...

Italy

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OTHER

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