Philippot nitrogen greenhouse gas N2O denitrification

Research interest:

Microbial communities have a central role in ecosystem processes by driving the Earth’s biogeochemical cycles. However, the importance of microbial diversity for ecosystem functioning is still debated. My work focuses on a trait-centered approach for bridging microbial community ecology, microbial processes and ecosystem functioning. I developed this line of research using microbial guilds involved in nitrogen cycling and greenhouse gas emissions such as the denitrifiers. Denitrification is a microbial respiratory process during which soluble nitrogen oxides are used as alternative electron acceptors when oxygen is limiting. It is involved in ecosystem services such as filtering but also disservices. Thus, denitrification can results in considerable losses of nitrogen, which is an essential component of biomolecules such as nucleotides and proteins and the most limiting nutrient for crop production in agriculture. Denitrification is also responsible for emissions of nitrous oxide, which is one of the six greenhouse gases considered by the Kyoto protocol and the predominant ozone-depleting substance.

The main objective of my research is to better understand the ecology of these nitrogen-cycling microbial communities in order to identify agricultural practices that can limit the loss of nutrient nitrogen and the production of greenhouse gases.

Laurent PHILIPPOT

Director of Research, INRA

Department of Agroecologie, Dijon