Joana Bergmann
joanabergmann.bsky.social
Joana Bergmann
@joanabergmann.bsky.social
Plant functional ecologist, #SustainableGrasslandSystems group at ZALF, plant biodiversity, functional traits, roots, mycorrhizal fungi. Opinions my own
We are excited to have @janaduchoslavova.bsky.social with us here @zalf.bsky.social! In her MSCA postdocoral fellow project she will investigate fine-root variation in respect to plant clonality. Quite an in-depth study on morphology, anatomy and uptake/transport. First results to be expected soon!
My project, HiddenFun, at ZALF (Germany), started in September, and I have been very busy since arriving here. All of these experimental plants have now been harvested, and I am looking forward to comparing the transport and acquisitive functions of their roots using various measures!
November 7, 2025 at 6:07 PM
Reposted by Joana Bergmann
Do you study effect of disturbance on large scales? Use Belowground Persistence Types of plants! We hope that they will help us to understand better ecosystem resilience than only plant traits.
🌱 New framework in plant ecology! Researchers propose 6 Belowground Persistence Types (BPTs) — classifying plants by woodiness, clonality, and resprouting ability. This whole-plant view reveals how species persist after disturbance and could reshape how we study resilience.
🔗 buff.ly/LgaPglR
(MK)
October 17, 2025 at 5:03 PM
Happy to anounce this hot-of-the-press paper lead by Meng Zhou. We show how fine root traits vary with root anatomy in different root orders leading to distinct differences in trait coordination between monocots and dicots.
besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Anatomical trait variation across root orders shapes the distinct root economics space of herbaceous monocots and dicots
Monocots and dicots exhibited contrasting resource acquisition strategies: monocots showed consistent trait coordination across root orders, mediated by cortex proportion in the root cross-section, w...
besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
October 14, 2025 at 12:38 PM
Reposted by Joana Bergmann
I had the honour to write a @newphyt.bsky.social commentary on this fantastic paper — summarizing its key insights and exploring exciting directions for future research. Hope it may spark new ideas and helps the community! ✨
🔗 nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
October 13, 2025 at 1:40 PM
Excited and proud to see this paper published! Another example of a fruitful (and fun!) collaboration of #root scientists.
Thanks to the leading team, to @newphyt.bsky.social and to many global scientific networks and experiments for making it possible.
October 7, 2025 at 1:49 PM
Reposted by Joana Bergmann
Morgen (am 25.9.25) erscheint mein Buch "Mutter Erde", geschrieben gemeinsam mit dem Wissenschaftsjournalisten Jörg Blech. Im Buch schildere ich auch den wissenschaftlichen Prozess der Erforschung des Bodens und seiner Ökologie.
September 24, 2025 at 12:23 AM
Reposted by Joana Bergmann
Microbial conservation is essential for sustaining ecosystem functions and services! We propose a conceptual framework and a roadmap for microbial conservation: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Microbial conservation is essential for sustaining ecosystem functions and services | PNAS
Microbial conservation is essential for sustaining ecosystem functions and services
www.pnas.org
September 18, 2025 at 5:32 AM
On my way to #GoBelowground summer school 2025 in beautiful Czech Republic.
Looking forward to meet old and make new friends!
@exfumo.bsky.social
September 14, 2025 at 10:08 AM
Reposted by Joana Bergmann
Happy to announce my first collaboration on microbial methane cycling, led by PhD student Nils Volles.

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Methane sink function of grassland soil microbiomes - negative effects of intensive management persist three years after land-use extensification
Grassland soils are important methane (CH4) sinks through CH4 oxidation by methanotrophs, but intensive management with high nitrogen inputs and grazi…
www.sciencedirect.com
September 13, 2025 at 7:19 AM
Biodiversity Exploratories are coming to town! Save the date for June 2026!
📢Save the Date!👩‍🔬
Join us in Berlin, June 8–12, 2026 for the #BE20 Conference:
“Emerging Topics in Long-Term and Large-Scale Biodiversity Research” 🦋🌱🌳

📍 Langenbeck-Virchow-Haus, Berlin
🎉 Celebrating 20 years of the #Biodiversity Exploratories!

Please RT and share this news!

#Research #Conference
August 19, 2025 at 3:08 PM
Reposted by Joana Bergmann
As happy author I wold like to advertise my new book. I am presenting what do we know about functions of plant morphological characters. I hope it will change a way how ecologists look at plants and insipire them in their research. (link.springer.com/book/10.1007...
Plant Bodies
The book about how the knowledge of the shapes of the plant body contributed and contributes to the understanding of plant life strategies.
link.springer.com
July 27, 2025 at 12:54 AM
We did a #SustainableGrasslandSystems group internal mini conference last week. It was super interesting and fun and I am just deeply grateful to work with such amazing people!
among others are @elsaelsam.bsky.social @azmisheriff.bsky.social @milosbielcik.bsky.social
July 21, 2025 at 8:08 AM
Please use this temporary link to get access to the paper by @jitkaklimesova.bsky.social and the #sUnderfoot group: authors.elsevier.com/c/1lOTN4rGdj...
July 16, 2025 at 3:35 PM
I am very proud to share this conceptual work of the #sUnderfoot working group, supported by @idiv-research.bsky.social. We propose a new plant classification based on belowground persistence.
July 8, 2025 at 3:08 PM
If you are at #rhizosphere6 and interested in fine root functional traits, go talk to @elsaelsam.bsky.social from @zalf.bsky.social. If you (like me - tearfully) miss out on this event, check out the paper in the thread below 😉
Next up at #rhizosphere6: @elsaelsam.bsky.social takes us on a journey about the extensions of the Root Economics Space! 🤩
June 16, 2025 at 10:43 AM
Reposted by Joana Bergmann
SP4's greenhouse experiment at @zalf.bsky.social wrapped! 🌿 Studying root, leaf & hyperspectral traits across crops, phytometers & arable weeds - grown with or without mycorrhiza. Now analyzing individual plants and their leaves and roots to uncover trait variation. #formula #agroforestry
June 5, 2025 at 8:52 AM
Reposted by Joana Bergmann
🎉Happy 5th Birthday to the Root Economics Space!🌱
This fun blog from our colleagues @joanabergmann.bsky.social and Elsa Matthus at the @zalf.bsky.social celebrates 5 years of the Root Economics Space-a framework that describes the diverse root strategies to grow and survive belowgrond.

#Ecology
April 29, 2025 at 12:37 PM
#GoBelowground features our recent revisiting of the RES ☺️
#root #collaboration @zalf.bsky.social
🚩Throwing a birthday party for a five-year old – and what that tells us about root functioning
▶️
1url.cz/3JzAd
Root Economics Space was born! 🎉
#GoBelowground #ExFuMo #root #functional #ecology #concept #spectrum #strategy #plant
April 23, 2025 at 12:08 PM
Reposted by Joana Bergmann
To the world:
We are fighting back. Our movement has been silenced by the media here—but we are not backing down. This is what our streets looked like across multiple cities. Tomorrow, there will be more of us! Raise a glass to freedom.

—With love,
Your American allies.
April 5, 2025 at 10:03 PM
Very happy to see this review on the #root economics space lead by @elsaelsam.bsky.social being published! link.springer.com/article/10.1...
We show support and limitations of the concept, map extensions and discus future research avenues. Amazing team of coauthors!
March 24, 2025 at 2:13 PM
Headed off to Chicago now to visit Luke McCormack and his Root Lab at the Morton Arboretum.
March 18, 2025 at 3:13 PM
I had an amazing time at the University of Wyoming visiting Daniel Laughlin and his lab, discussing exciting new research ideas and enjoying the stunning prairie and the snowy mountains together with @karlandraczek.bsky.social!
March 18, 2025 at 3:09 PM
Reposted by Joana Bergmann
Klima-Appell von Wissenschaftler_innen in Deutschland an die Politik - jetzt noch bis Donnerstag, 13.03.2025, 10 Uhr mitzeichnen! www.bayceer.uni-bayreuth.de/s4f/de/top/o...
March 10, 2025 at 12:16 PM
Reposted by Joana Bergmann
Klimaschutz muss in den Koalitionsvertrag (und in die Sondervermögen)!
Wir Forschende appellieren daher an alle demokratischen Parteien, ihrer Verantwortung gerecht zu werden, und erwarten insbesondere von der zukünftigen Bundesregierung fünf Dinge:
www.bayceer.uni-bayreuth.de/s4f/de/top/o...
S4F: Ein Appell von Wissenschaftlerinnen und Wissenschaftlern in Deutschland an die Politik
als Wissenschaftlerinnen und Wissenschaftler in Deutschland sind wir in großer Sorge. Die Klima­krise und weitere Umweltkrisen (Biodiversitätsverlust, Überlastung biogeochemischer Stoffkreisläu­fe ......
www.bayceer.uni-bayreuth.de
March 10, 2025 at 8:01 AM
@nahidrasa.bsky.social @zalf.bsky.social expertly presenting her results on Silicon and Calcium dynamics in managed grasslands of the @bexplo.bsky.social.
February 20, 2025 at 1:52 PM