About BioApp

In the environment, it is not singular populations that are active, but mostly closely networked communities of organisms that play a central role in the respective habitat - often depending on each other. These interactions take place endo- or episymbiontically, or can be antagonistic in nature, always involving molecular signals and transmission mechanisms. The analysis of such associations plays an increasing role in the entire environmental and life sciences.

The doctoral college Biointeractions - from basics to application (BioApp) aims to contribute to the understanding of interactions between different prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms, with plants and animals, as well as with their abiotic environment (from the species to the domain level). These interactions are still largely unexplored, although they are extremely relevant for natural ecosystems, and also significantly influence biotechnological processes, from wastewater treatment, biogas production and biological remediation of contaminated sites to agrobiotechnology.

(Bio)molecules play a central role, which contribute significantly to biocommunication between organisms and their trophic relationships as metabolic intermediates or end products or as substrates. Understanding how these communities function, how they are composed and what abiotic environmental conditions shape them, how they interact, and what role each individual organism plays, is not only of great scientific interest, but also essential for their biotechnological applications.