One Health - Interfaculty Research Cooperation

One Health Interfaculty Research Cooperation (IFC)

`Cascading- and Microbiome-Dependent Effects on Multitrophic Health`

Established in 2018, the IRC One Health fosters interdisciplinary research between the Faculties of Science, Veterinary Science and Medicine at the University of Bern, through a unifying framework which explores the impact of different types of chemicals on the health of food chains. The initiative also supports young researchers, to train a new generation of competent, interdisciplinary scientists.

Cancellation of BSc/MSc Summer School 2020

Coronavirus update: Due to the SARS-CoV-2, the planned August 2020 International BSc/MSc Summer School has regretfully been cancelled. We hope to be able to offer a new one in 2021.

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Pesticides also damage ecosystems in lake beds

In a study just published in the journal "Environmental Science & Technology", Aurea Chiaia-Hernández and her team have demonstrated the exposure to pesticides in lake sediments - and revealed the ecotoxicological risks posed by these substances in the habitat at the bottom of lakes. The research has proven that using sediments from the Moossee, that a ban on individual pesticides is effective and that their concentration in the environment decreases. However exposure to pesticides that continue to be approved is constantly increasing.

ERC Starting Grant `PRENEMA -interactions between plants and the natural enemies of pests`

Christelle Robert has been awarded a prestigious ERC grant for her PRENEMA (Plant Response to Entomopathogenic NEMAtodes) project, which aims to understand interactions between plants, herbivores and herbivores natural enemies, so-called tritrophic interactions. These are important determinants of ecological processes and crop yields. Interestingly, recent work shows that plants can perceive and respond to the presence predators. PRENEMA combines an interdisciplinary approach with a new exometabolome phenotyping method to explore the mechanisms and specificity of this phenomenon.

"Emerging Investigator Series” of an RSC journal

Adrien Mestrot’s article on mercury mobility and methylmercury formation in contaminated floodplain soils was selected for the Emerging Investigator Series of the journal "Environmental Science: Processes and Impacts.”

Plant chemicals influence herbivore growth by modulating root microbial communities

Plants can change soil microbial communities and thereby affect the health of plants and herbivores. In a collaborative effort within the IRC One Health, researchers now provide a mechanism for this phenomenon by demonstrating that maize roots release bioactive compounds that reprogram soil microbial communities and thereby strengthen the defenses of the next plant generation against the fall armyworm, which currently threatens food security in Africa. This discovery may lead to new opportunities for the improvement of agricultural food chains. How the same natural plant chemicals may affect human health is currently under investigation.

Plant volatiles protect caterpillars against natural enemies

The herbivore induced plant volatile indole renders caterpillars repellent and more resistant to their natural enemies. Scientists from the University of Bern and the University of Neuchâtel discovered that this new aspect of tritrophic interactions may limit efforts to use plant volatiles for biological control. “This study also illustrates how plant metabolites can shape the health of food chains, a concept that we now investigate in more depth in the IRC One Health”, says co-author Matthias Erb.

Soils in Swiss nature reserves contain significant quantities of microplastics

Scientists from the University of Bern found significant amounts of microplastics in soils of Swiss nature reserves. Even many soils in remote, protected mountainous areas were found to be contaminated with microplastics. Moritz Bigalke, senior author of the study and principal investigator in the IRC One Health, emphasizes that “there is a need for research into the question of how microplastics affect food production, and whether they can get into the food chain."