Anke M. Herrmann is a professor of soil nutrient cycling since 1 oktober 2020. Her inauguration lecture has the title "Life underground: the diet of soil biota"
Anke Herrmann´s research focuses on the dynamics of organic matter, the food of soil biota, in various agricultural soil ecosystems. Anke places special emphasis on the interactions between soil organic matter, the community composition of soil-living organisms and their habitats. These studies reveal the efficiency with which soil biota utilise food resources under different conditions. The turnover of soil organic matter exerts an important feedback control on climate change by regulating carbon losses to the atmosphere. Another important aspect of her research concerns the promotion of sustainable intensification of agriculture, by identifying appropriate management practices that improve the fertility of agricultural soils.
