Dr Robert Griffiths

Professor in Environmental Microbiology

Contact info

Rob Griffiths is an environmental microbiologist whose research focuses on understanding the "natural" and human associated drivers of microbial biodiversity, and understanding the role of microbiomes in environmental health. He uses molecular, biogeochemical and data-driven approaches to uncover fundamental ecological processes operating on microbial communities and impacting functional outcomes.

  1. Article › Research › Peer-reviewed
  2. 13CO2 pulse labelling of plants in tandem with stable isotope probing: methodological considerations for examining microbial function in the rhizosphere

    Griffiths, R. I., Manefield, M., Ostle, N., McNamara, N., O'Donnell, A. G., Bailey, M. J. & Whiteley, A. S., Jul 2004, In: Journal of Microbiological Methods. 58, 1, p. 119-129 11 p.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  3. A method of establishing a transect for biodiversity and ecosystem function monitoring across Europe: Soil biodiversity and ecosystem functions across Europe: A transect covering variations in bio-geographical zones, land use and soil properties

    Stone, D., Blomkvist, P., Hendriksen, N. B., Bonkowski, M., Jørgensen, H. B., Carvalho, F., Dunbar, M. B., Gardi, C., Geisen, S., Griffiths, R., Hug, A. S., Jensen, J., Laudon, H., Mendes, S., Morais, P. V., Orgiazzi, A., Plassart, P., Römbke, J., Rutgers, M., Schmelz, R. M., Sousa, J. P., Steenbergen, E., Suhadolc, M., Winding, A., Zupan, M., Lemanceau, P. & Creamer, R. E., Jan 2016, In: Applied Soil Ecology. 97, p. 3-11 9 p.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  4. Analysis of the microbial functional diversity within water-stressed soil communities by flow cytometric analysis and CTC+ cell sorting

    Whiteley, A. S., Griffiths, R. I. & Bailey, M. J., Aug 2003, In: Journal of Microbiological Methods. 54, 2, p. 257-267 11 p.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  5. Aspects of microbial communities in peatland carbon cycling under changing climate and land use pressures

    Robinson, C., Ritson, J., Alderson, D., Malik, A. A., Griffiths, R. I., Heinemeyer, A., Gallego-Sala, A. V., Quillet, A., Robroek, B. J. M., Evans, C., Chandler, D. M., Elliott, D. R., Shuttleworth, E., Lilleskov, E. A., Kitson, E., Cox, F., Worrall, F., Clay, G., Crosher, I., Pratscher, J., Bird, J., Walker, J., Belyea, L. R., Dumont, M. G., Bell, N. G. A., Artz, R. R. E., Bardgett, R., Andersen, R., Hutchinson, S. M., Page, S. E., Thom, T. J., Burn, W. & Evans, M. G., 2 Feb 2023, In: Mires and Peat. 29, 36 p., 02.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  6. Bacterial Physiological Adaptations to Contrasting Edaphic Conditions Identified Using Landscape Scale Metagenomics

    A., M. A., C., T. B., S., W. A., Mark, B. & I., G. R., 5 Jul 2017, In: mBio. 8, 4

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  7. Published

    Beyond Taxonomic Identification: Integration of Ecological Responses to a Soil Bacterial 16S rRNA Gene Database

    Jones, B., Goodall, T., George, P. B. L., Gweon, H. S., Puissant, J., Read, D. S., Emmett, B., Robinson, D. A., Jones, D. L. & Griffiths, R. I., 19 Jul 2021, In: Frontiers in Microbiology. 12, 682886.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  8. Biogeochemical cycles and biodiversity as key drivers of ecosystem services provided by soils

    Smith, P., Cotrufo, M. F., Rumpel, C., Paustian, K., Kuikman, P. J., Elliott, J. A., McDowell, R., Griffiths, R. I., Asakawa, S., Bustamante, M., House, J. I., Sobocká, J., Harper, R., Pan, G., West, P. C., Gerber, J. S., Clark, J. M., Adhya, T., Scholes, R. J. & Scholes, M. C., 19 Nov 2015, In: SOIL. 1, 2, p. 665-685 21 p.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  9. Catchment-scale biogeography of riverine bacterioplankton

    Read, D. S., Gweon, H. S., Bowes, M. J., Newbold, L. K., Field, D., Bailey, M. J. & Griffiths, R. I., Feb 2015, In: The ISME Journal. 9, 2, p. 516-526 11 p.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  10. Climate change alters temporal dynamics of alpine soil microbial functioning and biogeochemical cycling via earlier snowmelt

    Broadbent, A. A. D., Snell, H. S. K., Michas, A., Pritchard, W. J., Newbold, L., Cordero, I., Goodall, T., Schallhart, N., Kaufmann, R., Griffiths, R. I., Schloter, M., Bahn, M. & Bardgett, R. D., Aug 2021, In: The ISME Journal. 15, 8, p. 2264-2275 12 p.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  11. Published

    Climate change disrupts the seasonal coupling of plant and soil microbial nutrient cycling in an alpine ecosystem

    Broadbent, A. A. D., Newbold, L. K., Pritchard, W. J., Michas, A., Goodall, T., Cordero, I., Giunta, A., Snell, H. S. K., Pepper, V. V. L. H., Grant, H. K., Soto, D. X., Kaufmann, R., Schloter, M., Griffiths, R. I., Bahn, M. & Bardgett, R. D., 30 Mar 2024, In: Global Change Biology. 30, 3, p. e17245

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  12. Closely related protist strains have different grazing impacts on natural bacterial communities

    Glücksman, E., Bell, T., Griffiths, R. I. & Bass, D., 3 Dec 2010, In: Environmental Microbiology. 12, 12, p. 3105-3113 9 p.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  13. Published

    Co-located ecological data for exploring top- and subsoil carbon dynamics across grassland-woodland contrasts

    Reinsch, S., Lebron, I., Brentegani, M., Brooks, M., Busi, S. B., Cagnarini, C., Cooper, D., Day, J., Emmett, B. A., Fitos, E., Goodall, T., Griffiths, R. I., Jones, B., Keenan, P., Keith, A., Lopes-Mazzetto, J. M., Mason, K. E., Pallett, D., Pereira, M. G., Pinder, A., Robinson, D. A., Smart, S. M., Thomas, A., Benham, S., Vanguelova, E. & Cosby, B. J., 9 May 2024, In: Scientific data. 11, 1, p. 478 478.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  14. Comparison of greenhouse gas fluxes from tropical forests and oil palm plantations on mineral soil

    Drewer, J., Leduning, M. M., Griffiths, R. I., Goodall, T., Levy, P. E., Cowan, N., Comynn-Platt, E., Hayman, G., Sentian, J., Majalap, N. & Skiba, U. M., 4 Mar 2021, In: Biogeosciences. 18, 5, p. 1559-1575 17 p.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  15. Published

    Detecting macroecological patterns in bacterial communities across independent studies of global soils

    Ramirez, K. S., Knight, C. G., Hollander, M., Brearley, F. Q., Constantinides, B., Cotton, T. E. A., Creer, S., Crowther, T. W., Davison, J., Delgado-Baquerizo, M., Dorrepaal, E., Elliott, D. R., Fox, G., Griffiths, R., Hale, C., Hartman, K., Houlden, A., Jones, D., Krab, E. J., Maestre, F. T., McGuire, K. L., Monteux, S., Orr, C. H., van der Putten, W. H., Roberts, I. S., Robinson, D., Rocca, J., Rowntree, J., Schlaeppi, K., Shepherd, M., Singh, B. K., Straathof, A., Talbot, J. M., Thion, C., van der Heijden, M. & de Vries, F. T., 2018, In: Nature Microbiology. 3, p. 189-196 8 p.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  16. Differences in soil micro-eukaryotic communities over soil pH gradients are strongly driven by parasites and saprotrophs

    Dupont, A. Ö. C., Griffiths, R. I., Bell, T. & Bass, D., 15 Jan 2016, In: Environmental Microbiology. 18, 6, p. 2010-2024 15 p.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  17. Published

    Divergent national-scale trends of microbial and animal biodiversity revealed across diverse temperate soil ecosystems

    George, P., Lallias, D., Creer, S., Seaton, F., Kenny, J. G., Eccles, R. M., Griffiths, R., Lebron, I., Emmett, B., Robinson, D. & Jones, D. L., 7 Mar 2019, In: Nature Communications. 10, 1, p. 1107 1107.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  18. Ecological consequences of ingestion of Bacillus cereus on Bacillus thuringiensis infections and on the gut flora of a lepidopteran host

    Raymond, B., Lijek, R. S., Griffiths, R. I. & Bonsall, M. B., Sept 2008, In: Journal of Invertebrate Pathology. 99, 1, p. 103-111 9 p.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  19. Ecological network analysis reveals the inter-connection between soil biodiversity and ecosystem function as affected by land use across Europe: Soil biodiversity and ecosystem functions across Europe: A transect covering variations in bio-geographical zones, land use and soil properties

    Creamer, R. E., Hannula, S. E., Leeuwen, J. P. V., Stone, D., Rutgers, M., Schmelz, R. M., Ruiter, P. C. D., Hendriksen, N. B., Bolger, T., Bouffaud, M. L., Buee, M., Carvalho, F., Costa, D., Dirilgen, T., Francisco, R., Griffiths, B. S., Griffiths, R., Martin, F., Silva, P. M. D., Mendes, S., Morais, P. V., Pereira, C., Philippot, L., Plassart, P., Redecker, D., Römbke, J., Sousa, J. P., Wouterse, M. & Lemanceau, P., Jan 2016, In: Applied Soil Ecology. 97, p. 112-124 13 p.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  20. Effects of acidity on dissolved organic carbon in organic soil extracts, pore water and surface litters

    Pschenyckyj, C. M., Clark, J. M., Shaw, L. J., Griffiths, R. I. & Evans, C. D., 10 Feb 2020, In: Science of the Total Environment. 703, p. 135585

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  21. Effects of sieving, drying and rewetting upon soil bacterial community structure and respiration rates

    Thomson, B. C., Ostle, N. J., McNamara, N. P., Whiteley, A. S. & Griffiths, R. I., Oct 2010, In: Journal of Microbiological Methods. 83, 1, p. 69-73 5 p.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  22. Environmental and microbial controls on microbial necromass recycling, an important precursor for soil carbon stabilization

    Buckeridge, K. M., Mason, K. E., McNamara, N. P., Ostle, N., Puissant, J., Goodall, T., Griffiths, R. I., Stott, A. W. & Whitaker, J., 22 Oct 2020, In: Communications Earth and Environment. 1, 1, 36.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  23. Evaluation of the ISO Standard 11063 DNA Extraction Procedure for Assessing Soil Microbial Abundance and Community Structure

    Plassart, P., Terrat, S., Thomson, B., Griffiths, R., Dequiedt, S., Lelievre, M., Regnier, T., Nowak, V., Mark, B., Lemanceau, P., Bispo, A., Chabbi, A., Maron, P.-A., Mougel, C. & Ranjard, L., 11 Sept 2012, In: PLoS ONE. 7, 9, p. 1-8 8 p.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  24. Evolution of diversity explains the impact of pre-adaptation of a focal species on the structure of a natural microbial community

    Padfield, D., Vujakovic, A., Paterson, S., Griffiths, R., Buckling, A. & Hesse, E., 3 Sept 2020, In: The ISME Journal. 14, 11, p. 2877-2889 13 p.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  25. Field scale molecular analysis for the monitoring of bacterial community structures during on-site diesel bioremediation

    Ciric, L., Griffiths, R. I., Philp, J. C. & Whiteley, A. S., Jul 2010, In: Bioresource technology . 101, 14, p. 5235-5241 7 p.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  26. Functional and compositional comparison of two activated sludge communities remediating coking effluent

    Manefield, M., Griffiths, R. I., Leigh, M. B., Fisher, R. & Whiteley, A. S., 25 Feb 2005, In: Environmental Microbiology. 7, 5, p. 715-722 8 p.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  27. Global change pressures on soils from land use and management

    Smith, P., House, J. I., Bustamante, M., Sobocká, J., Harper, R., Pan, G., West, P. C., Clark, J. M., Adhya, T., Rumpel, C., Paustian, K., Kuikman, P., Cotrufo, M. F., Elliott, J. A., McDowell, R., Griffiths, R. I., Asakawa, S., Bondeau, A., Jain, A. K., Meersmans, J. & Pugh, T. A. M., Mar 2016, In: Global Change Biology. 22, 3, p. 1008-1028 21 p.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  28. Grassland biodiversity restoration increases resistance of carbon fluxes to drought

    Cole, A. J., Griffiths, R. I., Ward, S. E., Whitaker, J., Ostle, N. J. & Bardgett, R. D., 19 Apr 2019, In: Journal of Applied Ecology. 56, 7, p. 1806-1816 11 p.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  29. Harnessing rhizosphere microbiomes for drought-resilient crop production

    Vries, F. T. D., Griffiths, R. I., Knight, C. G., Nicolitch, O. & Williams, A., 17 Apr 2020, In: Science. 368, 6488, p. 270-274 5 p.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  30. Influence of depth and sampling time on bacterial community structure in an upland grassland soil

    Griffiths, R. I., Whiteley, A. S., O'Donnell, A. G. & Bailey, M. J., Feb 2003, In: Fems Microbiology Ecology. 43, 1, p. 35-43 9 p.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  31. Insights into the fate of a 13C labelled phenol pulse for stable isotope probing (SIP) experiments

    Manefield, M., Griffiths, R., McNamara, N. P., Sleep, D., Ostle, N. & Whiteley, A., May 2007, In: Journal of Microbiological Methods. 69, 2, p. 340-344 5 p.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  32. Published

    Land management shapes drought responses of dominant soil microbial taxa across grasslands

    Lavallee, J. M., Chomel, M., Alvarez Segura, N., de Castro, F., Goodall, T., Magilton, M., Rhymes, J. M., Delgado-Baquerizo, M., Griffiths, R. I., Baggs, E. M., Caruso, T., de Vries, F. T., Emmerson, M., Johnson, D. & Bardgett, R. D., 2 Jan 2024, In: Nature Communications. 15, 1, p. 29

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  33. Land use driven change in soil pH affects microbial carbon cycling processes

    Malik, A. A., Puissant, J., Buckeridge, K. M., Goodall, T., Jehmlich, N., Chowdhury, S., Gweon, H. S., Peyton, J. M., Mason, K. E., van Agtmaal, M., Blaud, A., Clark, I. M., Whitaker, J., Pywell, R. F., Ostle, N., Gleixner, G. & Griffiths, R. I., 4 Sept 2018, In: Nature Communications. 9, 1, 3591.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  34. E-pub ahead of print

    Land use effects on soil microbiome composition and traits with consequences for soil carbon cycling

    Cole, L., Goodall, T., Jehmlich, N., Griffiths, R. I., Gleixner, G., Gubry-Rangin, C. & Malik, A. A., 1 Jan 2025, In: ISME Communications. 4, 1, p. ycae116

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  35. Legacy effects of drought on plant–soil feedbacks and plant–plant interactions

    Kaisermann, A., de Vries, F. T., Griffiths, R. I. & Bardgett, R. D., 16 Jun 2017, In: New Phytologist. 215, 4, p. 1413-1424 12 p.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  36. Local Adaptation of Bacteriophages to Their Bacterial Hosts in Soil

    Vos, M., Birkett, P. J., Birch, E., Griffiths, R. I. & Buckling, A., 14 Aug 2009, In: Science. 325, 5942, p. 833 1 p.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  37. Published

    Long term drought and warming alter soil bacterial and fungal communities in an upland heathland

    Seaton, F., Reinsch, S., Goodall, T., White, N., Jones, D. L., Griffiths, R., Creer, S., Smith, A., Emmett, B. A. & Robinson, D. A., Sept 2022, In: Ecosystems. 25, 6, p. 1279-1294 16 p.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  38. Long-term cattle grazing shifts the ecological state of forest soils

    Proesmans, W., Andrews, C., Gray, A., Griffiths, R., Keith, A., Nielsen, U. N., Spurgeon, D., Pywell, R., Emmett, B. & Vanbergen, A. J., Apr 2022, In: Ecology and Evolution. 12, 4, e8786.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  39. Mapping and validating predictions of soil bacterial biodiversity using European and national scale datasets: Soil biodiversity and ecosystem functions across Europe: A transect covering variations in bio-geographical zones, land use and soil properties

    Griffiths, R. I., Thomson, B. C., Plassart, P., Gweon, H. S., Stone, D., Creamer, R. E., Lemanceau, P. & Bailey, M. J., Jan 2016, In: Applied Soil Ecology. 97, p. 61-68 8 p.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  40. Mapping natural capital: optimising the use of national scale datasets

    Henrys, P. A., Bee, E. J., Watkins, J. W., Smith, N. A. & Griffiths, R. I., Jun 2015, In: Ecography. 38, 6, p. 632-638 7 p.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  41. E-pub ahead of print

    Microbial and mineral interactions decouple litter quality from soil organic matter formation

    Elias, D. M. O., Mason, K. E., Goodall, T., Taylor, A., Zhao, P., Otero-Fariña, A., Chen, H., Peacock, C. L., Ostle, N. J., Griffiths, R. I., Chapman, P. J., Holden, J., Banwart, S., McNamara, N. P. & Whitaker, J., 20 Nov 2024, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Nature Communications. 15, 1, p. 10063

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  42. Niche specialization of terrestrial archaeal ammonia oxidizers

    Gubry-Rangin, C., Hai, B., Quince, C., Engel, M., Thomson, B. C., James, P., Schloter, M., Griffiths, R. I., Prosser, J. I. & Nicol, G. W., 8 Dec 2011, In: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 108, 52, p. 21206-21211 6 p.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  43. Nutrient Source and Mycorrhizal Association jointly alters Soil Microbial Communities that shape Plant-Rhizosphere-Soil Carbon-Nutrient Flows

    Chowdhury, S., Lange, M., Malik, A. A., Goodall, T., Huang, J., Griffiths, R. I. & Gleixner, G., 19 Jul 2020, In: bioRxiv.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  44. PIPITS: an automated pipeline for analyses of fungal internal transcribed spacer sequences from the Illumina sequencing platform

    Gweon, H. S., Oliver, A., Taylor, J., Booth, T., Gibbs, M., Read, D. S., Griffiths, R. I. & Schonrogge, K., 22 Apr 2015, In: Methods in Ecology and Evolution. 6, 8, p. 973-980 8 p.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  45. Persistence of dissolved organic matter explained by molecular changes during its passage through soil

    Roth, V.-N., Lange, M., Simon, C., Hertkorn, N., Bucher, S., Goodall, T., Griffiths, R. I., Mellado-Vázquez, P. G., Mommer, L., Oram, N. J., Weigelt, A., Dittmar, T. & Gleixner, G., 5 Aug 2019, In: Nature Geoscience. 12, 9, p. 755-761 7 p.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  46. Physiological and Community Responses of Established Grassland Bacterial Populations to Water Stress

    I., G. R., S., W. A., G., O. A. & J., B. M., Dec 2003, In: Applied and Environmental Microbiology. 69, 12, p. 6961-6968 8 p.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  47. Plant diversity increases soil microbial activity and soil carbon storage

    Lange, M., Eisenhauer, N., Sierra, C. A., Bessler, H., Engels, C., Griffiths, R. I., Mellado-Vázquez, P. G., Malik, A. A., Roy, J., Scheu, S., Steinbeiss, S., Thomson, B. C., Trumbore, S. E. & Gleixner, G., 7 Apr 2015, In: Nature Communications. 6, 1, 6707.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  48. Plant soil interactions alter carbon cycling in an upland grassland soil

    Thomson, B., Ostle, N., McNamara, N., Oakley, S., Whiteley, A., Bailey, M. & Griffiths, R., 10 Sept 2013, In: Frontiers in Microbiology. 4

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  49. Plants with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi efficiently acquire Nitrogen from substrate additions by shaping the decomposer community composition and their net plant carbon demand

    Chowdhury, S., Lange, M., Malik, A. A., Goodall, T., Huang, J., Griffiths, R. I. & Gleixner, G., Jun 2022, In: Plant and Soil. 475, 1, p. 473-490 18 p.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  50. Protists have divergent effects on bacterial diversity along a productivity gradient

    Bell, T., Bonsall, M. B., Buckling, A., Whiteley, A. S., Goodall, T. & Griffiths, R. I., 10 Mar 2010, In: Biology letters. 6, 5, p. 639-642 4 p.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  51. RNA Stable Isotope Probing, a Novel Means of Linking Microbial Community Function to Phylogeny

    Mike, M., S., W. A., I., G. R. & J., B. M., Nov 2002, In: Applied and Environmental Microbiology. 68, 11, p. 5367-5373 7 p.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

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