We all know #fungi are the dominant microbial #eukaryotes in #forest #soils… or are they really? In our new paper, we revisited 51 forest metatranscriptomes from 4 European and North American forest regions - and found that protistan predators outshine fungi in activity!

Following up on my last post, here is a glimpse into the culture room, where our protists are now growing and awaiting exploration. Excited to see everything fully operational! As you see, there is still a lot of shelf space to fill - one step at a time. Now back to proposal writing 🫡 #protists

The molecular lab, culture and microscopy rooms, and bioinformatic server, are now fully set up! I’m very grateful for my new position 🎉 We’re already generating results and insights in Koblenz, and I’m looking forward to the years ahead! Now, I "just" need to get the proposals funded 🫡 #protists

If you read anything today, read this. Stunning images. Love it!

Our new workgroup, and one of its latest papers on #ProtistsOnSky and #AntimicrobialResistance - has been featured in the news! www.ardmediathek.de/embed/Y3JpZD...

In case anyone’s wondering how things are going in my new position at the University of Koblenz - I think this picture makes it pretty clear we’re in great spirits! 😄 Julia and I are out sampling #cyanobacteria and #protistsonsky on local lakes :)

🚨 We’re hiring! Join our Aquatic Ecosystem Analysis group #UniversityKoblenz,Germany as a PhD researcher (m/f/d) in #plankton #ecology. Dive into #protist- #algae interactions, molecular ecology & sustainable water management. Apply by 14.08.2025! 🌊🔬 #protistsonsky #parasites #microbiology

New logo for my new workgroup :) Yes, it's abstract, but I have the feeling it draws attention #protistsonsky

A bit late to the #skyparty but I was really glad to co-chair our special symposium on protist traits at #ICOP2025 organized by #ISOP in Seoul 🇰🇷 Grateful for the inspiring talks, engaging discussions, and the chance to reconnect with old friends and colleagues from around the world. #ProtistsOnSky

Thanks ICOP/ISOP2025! I had a blast. See you in Prague! #protistsonsky

Today is the last day of #ICOP-ISOP2025! It was a blast, I enjoyed it a lot, feel very motivated, met and talked with plenty of fellow scientists, but also regret I couldn't discuss with even more people! Until next time :) #protistsonsky

Here you will find a great overview of genomic tools and their application on protists. Figure 3 is crazy interesting for everybody who wonders about what kinds of protist genomes are available, their sizes and why there aren't more. Take a look! Glad I could contribute :)

Glissomonads (Cercozoa, Rhizaria) are always in for a surprise! Saprotrophic, sucking up bacteria lysate. Axenic culture! #ProtistsOnSky

Big thanks to #OpenAI and #ChatGPT -not for helping me write my manuscript, but for clearly writing one of the reviewer's entire review!😂 Never thought I’d get peer-reviewed by a Large Language Model with imposter syndrome. Some recommendations are hilarious😅 #protists #ProtistsOnSky #nonamedropping

Evidence for #recombination, and maybe #meiosis, in free-living #Rhizaria! I wish the results were clearer. As so often we raised more questions than we could answer :) If you are into #sex and the #meiosis-toolkit, this is an important read! #ProtistsOnSky link.springer.com/article/10.1...

My good friend and former colleague Fionn Clissmann painted a testate #amoeba shell for my formerly very empty walls in my new office. Love it! Stunning colours! #ProtistsOnSky

Only 1 week left to apply for both advertised researcher positions in my new lab! If you're excited about #microbial #eukaryotes and #ecological #interactions, don’t miss the deadline - spread the word! For more info, visit my website: www.kennethdumack.de

Only two more weeks to apply! 3 years postdoc position with flexibility in research. Join me in exploring #protist #ecology! #omics #environmental_sequencing #microscopy #algae #plankton #ProtistsOnSky #MicroSky

🚨 2.5-year PhD or Postdoc Opportunity! Join me and the Aquatic Ecosystem Analysis group @UniKoblenz. 🔬 Microbial #ecology, #bioindicators, #protists, #wastewater 🌊 | German language skills are necessary,Apply by May 16 | 🔗 kennethdumack.de | tinyurl.com/dumack2 Please share! #MicroSky #ProtistsOnSky

Friday was a special day for us! My first non-shared PhD student, Ana Cristina Martínez Rendón, concluded her work with us and earned her doctorate! Congratulations Cristina, and I wish you all the best for your future in the private sector! One of my last duties in Cologne!

🚨 3-year Postdoc Opportunity! Join me and the Aquatic Ecosystem Analysis group @UniKoblenz. 🔬 Microbial #ecology, #protist predation, #algae #plankton & flexibility | 💻 Environmental -omics | 🌊 Rivers 📅 Apply by May 15 | 🔗 kennethdumack.de | tinyurl.com/dumack Please share! #MicroSky #ProtistsOnSky

Very proud to announce that my first (shared) doctoral student, Dr. Jule Freudenthal, finished her doctoral studies! 🎉 She did amazing work! I know my recent shift to a professorship is for certain parts due to her work. We both align very well which is why I am happy that she is now my postdoc :) 🎊

🧠🦠🚨 New preprint alert! We’ve built the first trait database for Amoebozoa, and showcase ecological insights and evolutionary patterns. If you're into protists, soil ecology, or functional biodiversity - this is for you! #ProtistsOnSky #MicroSky 🧵👇

🚨New preprint out! We show that Arcella spp., a shell-bearing amoeba, controls the abundance of the filamentous bacterium Ca. Microthrix parvicella, the main culprit behind sludge bulking in wastewater treatment plants. Interested in applicability of protists? Read along! #protistsonsky #microsky 🧵👇

I'm starting my research group in Koblenz on April 1st (no April Fools' joke!) and will soon advertise two postdoc positions in #protist #ecology and/or #genomics. If you're a (soon-to-be?) postdoc-level #protistologist looking for a job, get in touch! One position on wastewater, the other flexible!

#NEWS: Thrilled to announce my #professorship in Aquatic Ecosystem Analyses at Koblenz University! Grateful to past colleagues and excited to collaborate with new ones at Uni Koblenz and the Federal Institute of Hydrology. Hiring soon! Reach out if you're into #protistsonsky, #rivers, and #algae!

#Archaea play a crucial role in #anaerobic_digestion where #waste is reduced and #methane is produced. In this paper, we show that a change in #sludge retention time affects #Archaea through #protists through an inter-kingdom loop. Likely via predator-prey #protistsonsky doi.org/10.1016/j.wa...

Have you used #network_analyses in the past to analyse your #ecology data? Have you wondered how many of those correlations actually represent interactions between #microorganisms? Here I present a paper how we leveraged #protistsonsky to evaluate the validity of the method. A thread:

Netzelia corona is an amoeba with teeth. Can a model proposed by Kenneth Dumack and colleagues explain that? A brief blog post. www.itcamefromthepond.com/2024/12/16/a... #Protists #Amoebae #ProtistsOnSky @dumack.bsky.social

#Paper_Alert! Did you ever wonder why there is such a large morphological diversity in #shell-bearing #amoebae and what is the #function of shells anyway? It was long assumed shells are for #defense, well let me try to convince you that their purpose is #attack! A thread🧵👇

New genus and species Katarium polorum described in the paper below by Marcel Solbach, Michael Bonkowski and @dumack.bsky.social, the two strains are held in CCAP: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....

Interested in #polar #algae and their #predators? In this small paper we describe a novel genus of amoebae preying on #diatoms! Interestingly, the 18S sequence of #arctic and #antarctic isolates is completely identical. Meet Katarium polorum! doi.org/10.1111/jeu.... #protistsonsky

Today we are celebrating the recently granted research proposal to investigate #Arctic #Rhizaria #algae #parasites! (It's supposed to be polar bears :D) #protistsonsky

HUGE NEWS :) We got a project funded to work on the diversity of #Arctic Cryomonadida ( #Rhizaria), i.e. #parasite -like predators of ice #algae :) One reviewer touched my heart: "I would hope that the success of the project will aid in propelling them to a permanent position." Me too, reviewer 1! 😅