An essential consequence of multi-cellularity is the need for intercellular and tissue wide communication. As seen with animals, higher plants coordinate metabolic and developmental processes via signals transferred to different body parts. Plants use a dual vascular system consisting of phloem and xylem for long-distance transfer of metabolites and signalling molecules.

The mission of the Research Training Group „Biota-mediated effects on Carbon cycling in Estuaries“ (BiCEst) is to provide Doctoral and Postdoctoral Researchers an outstanding platform for their career development and to systematically analyze the role of indirect effects of biota (IEB) on estuarine C cycling.

"exRNA": Plant-microbe communication through extracellular RNASystems-level approaches to explore molecular mechanisms and agronomic applications

The research focus of the DFG Research Unit 5116 is on the phenomenon of cross-kingdom RNA communication and RNA interference in plant-microbe interactions, including pathogenic and mutualistic biosystems. We aim to understand the mechanisms behind interorganismic RNA-based communication as a prerequisite for future applications in agriculture.

In dem über die Landesforschungsförderung (LFF) Hamburg geförderten Forschungsverbund BIKON werden Aufbau, Dynamik und Funktion biomolekularer Kondensate untersucht. Biomolekulare Kondensate sind zelluläre Reaktionsräume ohne Membran. Die lokale Konzentrierung von Molekülen in Kondensaten ist ein Grundprinzip der Regulation biochemischer Prozesse in Lebewesen. Das interdisziplinäre Forschungskonsortium von UHH und DESY erforscht die Funktion und Regulation dieser Kondensate bei der Stressantwort im zellulären und organismischen Kontext.

Discover the project Rapid Adaptive Change (LFF-RAC) funded by the Landesforschungsförderung at the University of Hamburg! Our initiative studies how species, communities, and ecosystems in northern Germany respond to global change. Using innovative methods like genomics, museomics, and AI, we create data-driven predictions on biodiversity adaptation. Our goal is to develop practical conservation strategies and promote the next generation of scientists.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) play eminent roles in intercellular and inter-organismal communication that has become a research focus across systems and disciplines. The Hamburg EV Initiative aims at connecting local researchers to better tackle the outstanding questions regarding the fundamental biology, functions and mechanisms of EV-mediated communication.

TRICMA² addresses the societal challenges posed by the need to adapt and improve the management and governance of Wadden Sea salt marshes, which is seriously contested by the triple crisis of biodiversity loss, climate change, and pollution. The overarching goal of TRICMA is to create a set of guiding principles to support sustainable trilateral salt marsh management with an explicit focus on engagement with the future generation and involve stakeholders