Krista Peltoniemi

Ecological research on soil microbes and soil organisms, investigations of community structure and function as a result of various environmental changes using eDNA methods (amplicons, metagenomes) directly from environmental samples. The studied organisms include methane cycle linked microbes (methanotrophs, methanogens), fungi (symbiotic and decomposers), bacteria, and soil animals. The research environments vary according to the projects, from boreal forests to peatlands (both natural and forested peatlands) and agricultural fields. I have studied and continue to study the effects of ash fertilization, climate warming, reindeer grazing, organic farming, recycling-based soil organic amendments, biochar, and peatland restoration on soil organisms. In the ongoing SOFASU project funded by the Research Council of Finland, I am researching soil animal diversity using eDNA and their role as drivers of sustainable agriculture. In MiDiPeat project (Biodiversa+ funded), we study the role of soil microbes in restored peatlands together with changes in vegetation and peat quality and their connection to greenhouse gases.