Matthias C. Rillig
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mrillig.bsky.social
Matthias C. Rillig
@mrillig.bsky.social
5K followers 730 following 1.2K posts

Professor, ecology, FU Berlin, own views, book author
Global change, soil, fungi, environment, microplastic, biodiversity 🧪
https://www.youtube.com/@mrillig
https://www.youtube.com/@lifeinthesoil
rilliglab.org
https://matthiasrillig.substack.com .. more

Videos
Agriculture 35%
Environmental science 28%
Posts Replies Media Videos

mrillig.bsky.social
Matthias C. Rillig @mrillig.bsky.social · 20h
My little science wish list for 2026

open.substack.com/pub/matthias...
My wish list for 2026
Science wishes for the next year
open.substack.com

mrillig.bsky.social
Matthias C. Rillig @mrillig.bsky.social · 21h
In terms of publications and citations, this has been a good year!
Let's see what 2026 brings!

Reposted by Matthias C. Rillig

natrevmicro.nature.com
Nature Reviews Microbiology @natrevmicro.nature.com · 1d
New online! Keystone concept revisited: insights into microbial community dynamics and control
Keystone concept revisited: insights into microbial community dynamics and control
Nature Reviews Microbiology, Published online: 02 January 2026; doi:10.1038/s41579-025-01266-8In this Perspective, Garza et al. revisit the keystone concept and discuss its relevance for microbial keystone taxa and functions. For this, they explore the different mechanisms behind keystoneness, cover the strengths and weaknesses of current keystone prediction methods, present recent findings on keystone taxa and functions and explore the role of keystones in community control.
www.nature.com

mrillig.bsky.social
Matthias C. Rillig @mrillig.bsky.social · 2d
Happy New Year!

mrillig.bsky.social
Matthias C. Rillig @mrillig.bsky.social · 3d
What a great article:

Why would anyone want to be a scientist? | Journal of Cell Science | The Company of Biologists

I love how it describes the moment of having an idea, and how that feeling is second to none.

journals.biologists.com/jcs/article/...
Why would anyone want to be a scientist?
It is difficult to fathom why anyone intelligent enough to be a scientist would actually choose to be one. Doing good science requires the utmost exertion of body, mind and spirit, yet is consistently...
journals.biologists.com

mrillig.bsky.social
Matthias C. Rillig @mrillig.bsky.social · 3d
Contact info: rilliglab.org/contact/
Contact/ Impressum
You can find the lab at Altensteinstr. 6, D-14195 Berlin, Germany. Prof. Dr. Matthias C. Rillig Freie Universität Berlin – Institut für Biologie Ökologie der Pflanzen – Plant Ecology Al…
rilliglab.org

mrillig.bsky.social
Matthias C. Rillig @mrillig.bsky.social · 3d
Some key publications on the topic from our group / by 'multiple' we mean more than 4 factors:

Rillig et al. 2019 dx.doi.org/10.1126/scie...

Rillig et al. 2023
doi.org/10.1038/s415...

Bi et al. 2024
doi.org/10.1038/s414...
The role of multiple global change factors in driving soil functions and microbial biodiversity
A combination of global change factors can predict trends of ecosystem reactions, soil properties, and microbial communities.
dx.doi.org

mrillig.bsky.social
Matthias C. Rillig @mrillig.bsky.social · 3d
Must have demonstrated ability to work on concepts, theory, modelling through pertinent publications.

We are an ecology lab, but I am also interested in exploring this topic beyond the field of ecology (e.g., biomedical).

Will help with writing proposals for follow-up funding, if applicable.

Reposted by Francis Martin, Benjamin Wildermuth

mrillig.bsky.social
Matthias C. Rillig @mrillig.bsky.social · 3d
Interested in working on the theory of and concepts behind multiple factor impacts on ecological systems and beyond?

Please send expressions of interest. Starting Jan 2026, I would be awarding up to three postdoctoral fellowships on this topic (12 months; 2,5K €) to drive progress on this topic.

mrillig.bsky.social
Matthias C. Rillig @mrillig.bsky.social · 4d
Paper just accepted:

Stressor combinations shift soil microbial communities from rare to unknown taxa and alter genomic strategies.

Will share details once available.

mrillig.bsky.social
Matthias C. Rillig @mrillig.bsky.social · 4d
Paper just out @ Cell Reports Sustainability

Dou et al.
Oligomer nanoparticles challenge the sustainability of biodegradable plastics

www.cell.com/cell-reports...
Oligomer nanoparticles challenge the sustainability of biodegradable plastics
Environmental concerns over persistent plastic pollution are driving the rise of biodegradable alternatives. However, these materials may release more harmful oligomer nanoparticles than traditional p...
www.cell.com

Reposted by Pierre Mariotte

mrillig.bsky.social
Matthias C. Rillig @mrillig.bsky.social · 4d
Paper published in final form:

Man et al.
Microplastic and drought influence the positive effect of plant diversity on plant biomass production

@journalofecology.bsky.social
besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Microplastic and drought influence the positive effect of plant diversity on plant biomass production
Microplastic and drought influenced plant diversity–biomass relationships in a glasshouse grassland experiment. Microplastic reduced the shoot biomass of grasses and legumes, weakening the positive s...
besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

mrillig.bsky.social
Matthias C. Rillig @mrillig.bsky.social · 5d
New paper just out, a collaboration among several lab members, led by Huiying Li.

Dissimilarity among soil restoration practices influences soil functions and plant biomass: A functional group approach

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Dissimilarity among soil restoration practices influences soil functions and plant biomass: A functional group approach
Soil restoration amendments are of great importance to maintain soil health. However, the effects of joint application of multiple (more than two) res…
www.sciencedirect.com

mrillig.bsky.social
Matthias C. Rillig @mrillig.bsky.social · 5d
Article in the Guardian by @mountainogre.bsky.social

Defunding fungi: US’s living library of ‘vital ecosystem engineers’ is in danger of closing

www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Defunding fungi: US’s living library of ‘vital ecosystem engineers’ is in danger of closing
These fungi boost plant growth and restore depleted ecosystems, but federal funding for a library housing them has been cut – and it may be forced to close
www.theguardian.com

Reposted by Zen Faulkes, Kathleen Kennedy

mrillig.bsky.social
Matthias C. Rillig @mrillig.bsky.social · 6d
I am interested in working with an artist on a graphic novel on soil and/ or global environmental change. The lab would have money to fund this.

Do you know of any graphic artists that would be interested?