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. 2022
  2. 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

  3. 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

  4. Soil bacterial and fungal communities show within field heterogeneity that varies by land management and distance metric

    Seaton, F. M., Griffiths, R. I., Goodall, T., Lebron, I. & Norton, L. R., 27 Jul 2022, BioRxiv, p. 2022.07.26.501510, (bioRxiv).

    Research output: Working paperPreprint

  5. 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

  6. Relative contribution of high and low elevation soil microbes and nematodes to ecosystem functioning

    Semeraro, S., Kergunteuil, A., Sánchez-Moreno, S., Puissant, J., Goodall, T., Griffiths, R. & Rasmann, S., 5 Apr 2022, In: Functional Ecology. 36, 4, p. 974-986 13 p.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  7. 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

  8. Sustainable futures over the next decade are rooted in soil science

    Evans, D. L., Janes-Bassett, V., Borrelli, P., Chenu, C., Ferreira, C. S. S., Griffiths, R. I., Kalantari, Z., Keesstra, S., Lal, R., Panagos, P., Robinson, D. A., Seifollahi-Aghmiuni, S., Smith, P., Steenhuis, T. S., Thomas, A. & Visser, S. M., 19 Jan 2022, In: European Journal of Soil Science. 73, 1, p. e13145

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  9. 2021
  10. Pasture age impacts soil fungal composition while bacteria respond to soil chemistry

    Seaton, F. M., Griffiths, R. I., Goodall, T., Lebron, I. & Norton, L. R., 15 Sept 2021, (bioRxiv).

    Research output: Working paperPreprint

  11. 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

  12. 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

  13. 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

  14. The effect of root-associated microbes on plant growth and chemical defence traits across two contrasted elevations

    Formenti, L., Caggìa, V., Puissant, J., Goodall, T., Glauser, G., Griffiths, R. & Rasmann, S., 10 Jan 2021, In: Journal of Ecology. 109, 1, p. 38-50 13 p.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  15. 2020
  16. 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

  17. 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

  18. 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

  19. Soil Fungal Community Characteristics and Mycelial Production Across a Disturbance Gradient in Lowland Dipterocarp Rainforest in Borneo

    Robinson, S. J. B., Elias, D., Johnson, D., Both, S., Riutta, T., Goodall, T., Majalap, N., McNamara, N. P., Griffiths, R. & Ostle, N., 26 Jun 2020, In: Frontiers in Forests and Global Change. 3

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  20. 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

  21. 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

  22. 2019
  23. Published

    The pH optimum of soil exoenzymes adapt to long term changes in soil pH

    Puissant, J., Jones, B., Goodall, T., Mang, D., Blaud, A., Gweon, H. S., Malik, A., Jones, D. L., Clark, I. M., Hirsch, P. R. & Griffiths, R., Nov 2019, In: Soil Biology and Biochemistry. 138, 107601.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  24. 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

  25. Zones of influence for soil organic matter dynamics: A conceptual framework for data and models

    Cagnarini, C., Blyth, E., Emmett, B. A., Evans, C. D., Griffiths, R. I., Keith, A., Jones, L., Lebron, I., McNamara, N. P., Puissant, J., Reinsch, S., Robinson, D. A., Rowe, E. C., Thomas, A. R. C., Smart, S. M., Whitaker, J. & Cosby, B. J., 6 Aug 2019, In: Global Change Biology. 25, 12, p. 3996-4007 12 p.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  26. 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

  27. 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

  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. 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

  30. 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

  31. 2018
  32. 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

  33. Seasonality alters drivers of soil enzyme activity in subalpine grassland soil undergoing climate change

    Puissant, J., Jassey, V. E. J., Mills, R. T. E., Robroek, B. J. M., Gavazov, K., De Danieli, S., Spiegelberger, T., Griffiths, R., Buttler, A., Brun, J-J. & Cécillon, L., Sept 2018, In: Soil Biology and Biochemistry. 124, p. 266-274 9 p.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  34. Soil bacterial networks are less stable under drought than fungal networks

    de Vries, F. T., Griffiths, R. I., Bailey, M., Craig, H., Girlanda, M., Gweon, H. S., Hallin, S., Kaisermann, A., Keith, A. M., Kretzschmar, M., Lemanceau, P., Lumini, E., Mason, K. E., Oliver, A., Ostle, N., Prosser, J. I., Thion, C., Thomson, B. & Bardgett, R. D., 2 Aug 2018, In: Nature Communications. 9, 1

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  35. 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

  36. 2017
  37. 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

  38. 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

  39. 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

  40. 2016
  41. Selecting cost effective and policy-relevant biological indicators for European monitoring of soil biodiversity and ecosystem function

    Griffiths, B. S., Römbke, J., Schmelz, R. M., Scheffczyk, A., Faber, J. H., Bloem, J., Pérès, G., Cluzeau, D., Chabbi, A., Suhadolc, M., Sousa, J. P., Martins da Silva, P., Carvalho, F., Mendes, S., Morais, P., Francisco, R., Pereira, C., Bonkowski, M., Geisen, S., Bardgett, R. D., de Vries, F. T., Bolger, T., Dirilgen, T., Schmidt, O., Winding, A., Hendriksen, N. B., Johansen, A., Philippot, L., Plassart, P., Bru, D., Thomson, B., Griffiths, R. I., Bailey, M. J., Keith, A., Rutgers, M., Mulder, C., Hannula, S. E., Creamer, R. & Stone, D., Oct 2016, In: Ecological Indicators. 69, p. 213-223 11 p.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  42. 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

  43. 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

  44. 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

  45. 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

  46. 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

  47. 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

  48. 2015
  49. 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

  50. Soil conditions and land use intensification effects on soil microbial communities across a range of European field sites

    Thomson, B. C., Tisserant, E., Plassart, P., Uroz, S., Griffiths, R. I., Hannula, S. E., Buée, M., Mougel, C., Ranjard, L., Veen, J. A. V., Martin, F., Bailey, M. J. & Lemanceau, P., Sept 2015, In: Soil Biology and Biochemistry. 88, p. 403-413 11 p.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  51. 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

  52. 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

  53. 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

  54. 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

  55. 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

  56. Vegetation exerts a greater control on litter decomposition than climate warming in peatlands

    Ward, S. E., Orwin, K. H., Ostle, N. J., Briones, M. J. I., Thomson, B. C., Griffiths, R. I., Oakley, S., Quirk, H. & Bardgett, R. D., 1 Jan 2015, In: Ecology. 96, 1, p. 113-123 11 p.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  57. 2013
  58. Plant soil interactions alter carbon cycling in an upland grassland soil

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

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  59. 2012
  60. 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

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