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. 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

  2. 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

  3. Raman-FISH: combining stable-isotope Raman spectroscopy and fluorescence in situ hybridization for the single cell analysis of identity and function

    Huang, W. E., Stoecker, K., Griffiths, R., Newbold, L., Daims, H., Whiteley, A. S. & Wagner, M., 15 Jun 2007, In: Environmental Microbiology. 9, 8, p. 1878-1889 12 p.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  4. Raman Microscopic Analysis of Single Microbial Cells: Analytical Chemistry

    Huang, W. E., Griffiths, R. I., Thompson, I. P., Bailey, M. J. & Whiteley, A. S., 2004, In: Analytical Chemistry. 76, 15, p. 4452-4458 7 p.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  5. Rapid Method for Coextraction of DNA and RNA from Natural Environments for Analysis of Ribosomal DNA- and rRNA-Based Microbial Community Composition

    I., G. R., S., W. A., G., OD. A. & J., B. M., Dec 2000, In: Applied and Environmental Microbiology. 66, 12, p. 5488-5491 4 p.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

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

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

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  7. Published

    pH and exchangeable aluminum are major regulators of microbial energy flow and carbon use efficiency in soil microbial communities

    Jones, D. L., Cooledge, E., Hoyle, F., Griffiths, R. & Murphy, D., Nov 2019, In: Soil Biology and Biochemistry. 138, 107584.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  8. 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

  9. 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

  10. 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

  11. 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

  12. Soil microbial communities with greater investment in resource acquisition have lower growth yield

    Malik, A. A., Puissant, J., Goodall, T., Allison, S. D. & Griffiths, R. I., May 2019, In: Soil Biology and Biochemistry. 132, p. 36-39 4 p.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  13. Soil Fungal:Bacterial Ratios Are Linked to Altered Carbon Cycling

    Malik, A. A., Chowdhury, S., Schlager, V., Oliver, A., Puissant, J., Vazquez, P. G. M., Jehmlich, N., von Bergen, M., Griffiths, R. I. & Gleixner, G., 9 Aug 2016, In: Frontiers in Microbiology. 7

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  14. 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

  15. Rhizosphere bacterial carbon turnover is higher in nucleic acids than membrane lipids: implications for understanding soil carbon cycling

    Malik, A. A., Dannert, H., Griffiths, R. I., Thomson, B. C. & Gleixner, G., 9 Apr 2015, In: Frontiers in Microbiology. 6

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  16. Linking microbial communities to soil carbon cycling under anthropogenic change using a trait-based framework

    Malik, A., Griffiths, R. & Allison, S., 4 May 2020.

    Research output: Contribution to conferencePaper

  17. Stable Isotope Probing: A Critique of Its Role in Linking Phylogeny and Function

    Manefield, M., Griffiths, R., Bailey, M. J. & Whiteley, A. S., 2006, Nucleic Acids and Proteins in Soil. Nannipieri, P. & Smalla, K. (eds.). Springer, p. 205-216

    Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter

  18. 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

  19. 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

  20. The sensitivity of a forest soil microbial community to acute gamma-irradiation

    McNamara, N. P., Griffiths, R. I., Tabouret, A., Beresford, N. A., Bailey, M. J. & Whiteley, A. S., Oct 2007, In: Applied Soil Ecology. 37, 1, p. 1-9 9 p.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  21. 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

  22. The interactions and hierarchical effects of long-term agricultural stressors on soil bacterial communities

    Mombrikotb, S. B., Van Agtmaal, M., Johnstone, E., Crawley, M. J., Gweon, H. S., Griffiths, R. I. & Bell, T., 1 Oct 2022, In: Environmental Microbiology Reports. 14, 5, p. 711-718

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  23. Soil networks become more connected and take up more carbon as nature restoration progresses

    Morriën, E., Hannula, S. E., Snoek, L. B., Helmsing, N. R., Zweers, H., de Hollander, M., Soto, R. L., Bouffaud, M-L., Buée, M., Dimmers, W., Duyts, H., Geisen, S., Girlanda, M., Griffiths, R. I., Jørgensen, H-B., Jensen, J., Plassart, P., Redecker, D., Schmelz, R. M., Schmidt, O., Thomson, B. C., Tisserant, E., Uroz, S., Winding, A., Bailey, M. J., Bonkowski, M., Faber, J. H., Martin, F., Lemanceau, P., de Boer, W., van Veen, J. A. & van der Putten, W. H., 8 Feb 2017, In: Nature Communications. 8, 1, 14349.

    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. Soil parameters, land use, and geographical distance drive soil bacterial communities along a European transect

    Plassart, P., Prévost-Bouré, N. C., Uroz, S., Dequiedt, S., Stone, D., Creamer, R., Griffiths, R. I., Bailey, M. J., Ranjard, L. & Lemanceau, P., 24 Jan 2019, In: Scientific Reports. 9, 1, 605.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review