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Hire Dr. Davide F.

Germany

USD 50 /hr

Professor in Plant Microbiomics, Soil-plant ecologist, Data scientist, manuscript writing and editing

Profile Summary

I am a Professor in Plant Microbiomics at Geisenheim University (Germany) with more than fifteen years of experience in the field of microbiology and microbial ecology in terrestrial and aquatic environments. I have published more than twenty scientific manuscripts in high rank international Journals and I am an Editor Reviewer for the journal Frontiers in Microbiology. As a researcher, I've sound knowledge R and R-Studio software and I can assist you in data analysis, statistics and interpretation of your research results. I can show you how to create fancy figures, charts and tables to present your data. I have extensive experience in a diverse set of technologies and lab techniques related to molecular biology, especially on the identification of microorganisms in environmental samples using next-generation sequencing. My skills include assay development, experimental design, troubleshooting, academic manuscript and report writing, academic proofreading, and editing. I am an active listener, problem-solver and I can tailor my writing and editing to suit your needs. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Davide-Francioli https://www.hs-geisenheim.de/en/research/departments/soil-science-and-plant-nutrition/department-of-soil-science-and-plant-nutrition/team/

Subject Matter Expertise

• ★ Molecular Ecology
• ☆ Microbiology
• ☆ Microbiome Research
• ☆ Mycology/Fungi
• ☆ Molecular Biology
• ☆ DNA Sequencing
• ☆ Soil Science
• ☆ Climate Science
• ☆ Ecology

Services

• Writing
• Research
• Consulting
• Data & AI

Writing Technical Writing, Copywriting, Creative Writing, Newswriting, General Proofreading & Editing

Research Market Research, User Research, Meta-Research, Fact Checking, Gap Analysis, Gray Literature Search, Scientific and Technical Research, Systematic Literature Review

Consulting Go-to-Market Strategy Consulting, Operations Consulting, Scientific and Technical Consulting

Data & AI Statistical Analysis, Data Visualization, Big Data Analytics, Data Processing, Data Insights

Work Experience

Professor

Geisenheim University

May 2023 - Present

Post-Doc

Leibniz-Zentrum für Agrarlandschaftsforschung

March 2020 - Present

Postdoctoral Researcher

University of Hohenheim

March 2022 - April 2023

Wageningen University & Research

- February 2020

Post-Doc

Wageningen University and Research Centre

May 2017 - February 2020

Education

PhD

Universität Leipzig Fakultät für Biowissenschaften Pharmazie und Psychologie

- Present

Certifications

• Certification details not provided.

Publications

JOURNAL ARTICLE

Davide Francioli, Guillaume Lentendu, Simon Lewin, Steffen Kolb (2021). DNA Metabarcoding for the Characterization of Terrestrial Microbiota—Pitfalls and Solutions . Microorganisms.

(2020). Drivers of total and pathogenic soil-borne fungal communities in grassland plant species . Fungal Ecology.

Drivers of total and pathogenic soil-borne fungal communities in grassland plant species @article{d9cd490eac774fbeb7729ec0a370992f, title = "Drivers of total and pathogenic soil-borne fungal communities in grassland plant species", abstract = "Soil-borne fungi are considered important drivers of plant community structure, diversity and ecosystem process in terrestrial ecosystems. Yet, our understanding of their identity and belowground association with different plant species in natural ecosystems such as grasslands is limited. We identified the soil-borne fungal communities in the roots of a range of plant species representing the main families occurring in natural grasslands using next generation sequencing of the ITS1 region, alongside FUNGuild and a literature review to determine the ecological role of the fungal taxa detected. Our results show clear differences in the total and the pathogenic soil-borne fungal communities between the two main plant functional groups in grasslands (grasses and forbs) and between species within both functional groups, which could to a large extent be explained by plant phylogenetic structure. In addition, our results show that drought can increase the relative abundance of pathogenic fungi. These findings on a range of plant species provide a baseline for future studies revealing the importance of belowground plant-fungal interactions in diverse natural grasslands.", keywords = "Drought, Fungal pathogens, Host phylogeny, Natural grasslands, Plant functional group, Root traits, Root-associated fungi", author = "Davide Francioli and {van Ruijven}, Jasper and Lisette Bakker and Liesje Mommer", year = "2020", month = sep, day = "13", doi = "10.1016/j.funeco.2020.100987", language = "English", volume = "48", journal = "Fungal Ecology", issn = "1754-5048", publisher = "Elsevier", } . Fungal Ecology.

Do soil-borne fungal pathogens mediate plant diversity–productivity relationships? Evidence and future opportunities @article{d4e11de94fde408385ccca5c6810b717, title = "Do soil-borne fungal pathogens mediate plant diversity–productivity relationships? Evidence and future opportunities", abstract = "From the establishment of the first biodiversity experiments in the 1990s, studies have consistently reported positive relationships between plant diversity and productivity in grasslands. However, the predominant hypotheses that may explain this pattern have changed. Initially, there was a strong focus on plant–plant interactions such as facilitation and resource partitioning, but the results from the first experiments that manipulated soil communities have led to a paradigm shift. In the current view on mechanisms that drive plant diversity–productivity relationships, fungal pathogen-induced reductions of plant productivity at low diversity play an important role. This role rests on two assumptions: the effects of pathogens (a) are plant-species specific (i.e. not all plant species are affected equally by a fungal pathogen) and (b) display negative density dependence (i.e. decrease with decreasing host plant density and hence, with increasing plant species richness). Here, we review the empirical evidence for these two assumptions. In the biodiversity literature, this is mainly based on indirect approaches, such as soil sterilization, plant–soil feedback studies and plant biomass patterns. The identification and functional characterization of the fungal pathogens that actually drive the plant diversity–productivity relationship have only recently started. Synthesis. Nevertheless, these studies, together with studies on plant–pathogen interactions in agricultural crops and forests, clearly suggest host-specific, negative density-dependent effects of fungal pathogens are common. Moreover, recent studies suggest that the reduced impact of pathogens at high plant diversity depends not just on host density but also on effects of neighbouring (non-host) plant species on the pathogen. Understanding how neighbouring plants affect the interactions between a pathogen and its host plants and disentangling the role of plant–pathogen interactions from other mechanisms potentially driving diversity–productivity relationships are important future challenges.", keywords = "biodiversity–ecosystem functioning, density dependence, grasslands, host specificity, plant productivity, plant–pathogen interactions, species richness", author = "{van Ruijven}, Jasper and Eline Ampt and Davide Francioli and Liesje Mommer", year = "2020", month = sep, doi = "10.1111/1365-2745.13388", language = "English", volume = "108", pages = "1810--1821", journal = "Journal of Ecology", issn = "0022-0477", publisher = "Wiley", number = "5", } . Journal of Ecology.

Plant functional group drives the community structure of saprophytic fungi in a grassland biodiversity experiment @article{4f47d66cb81246f0baadf3745147a9b0, title = "Plant functional group drives the community structure of saprophytic fungi in a grassland biodiversity experiment", abstract = "Aims: Saprophytic fungi are important agents of soil mineralization and carbon cycling. Their community structure is known to be affected by soil conditions such as organic matter and pH. However, the effect of plant species, whose roots provide the litter input into the soil, on the saprophytic fungal community is largely unknown. Methods: We examined the saprophytic fungi in a grassland biodiversity experiment with eight plant species belonging to two functional groups (grasses and forbs), combining DNA extraction from plant roots, next-generation sequencing and literature research. Results: We found that saprophyte richness increased with plant species richness, but plant functional group richness was the best predictor. Plant functional group was also the main factor driving fungal saprophytic community structure. This effect was correlated with differences in root lignin content and C:N ratio between grasses and forbs. In monocultures, root traits and plant functional group type explained 16% of the variation in community structure. The saprophyte taxa detected in mixed plant communities were to a large extent subsets of those found in monocultures. Conclusions: Our work shows that the richness and community structure of the root-associated saprophytic fungi can largely be predicted by plant functional groups and their associated root traits. This means that the effects of plant diversity on ecosystem functions such as litter decomposition may also be predictable using information on plant functional groups in grasslands.", keywords = "Decomposition, Fungal saprophytes, Grasslands, Plant functional group, Plant species richness, Root traits", author = "Davide Francioli and {van Rijssel}, {Sophie Q.} and {van Ruijven}, Jasper and Termorshuizen, {Aad J.} and Anne Cotton and Dumbrell, {Alex J.} and Raaijmakers, {Jos M.} and Alexandra Weigelt and Liesje Mommer", year = "2020", month = feb, day = "19", doi = "10.1007/s11104-020-04454-y", language = "English", journal = "Plant and Soil", issn = "0032-079X", publisher = "Springer Verlag", } . Plant and Soil.

(2020). Plant functional group drives the community structure of saprophytic fungi in a grassland biodiversity experiment . Plant and Soil.

Francioli, D., van Rijssel, S.Q., van Ruijven, J., Termorshuizen, A.J., Cotton, T.E.A., Dumbrell, A.J., Raaijmakers, J.M., Weigelt, A., Mommer, L.(2020). Plant functional group drives the community structure of saprophytic fungi in a grassland biodiversity experiment . Plant and Soil.

van Ruijven, J., Ampt, E., Francioli, D., Mommer, L.(2020). Do soil-borne fungal pathogens mediate plant diversity–productivity relationships? Evidence and future opportunities . Journal of Ecology.

(2018). Culturable fungi associated with wood decay of Picea abies in subalpine forest soils: a field-mesocosm case study . iForest - Biogeosciences and Forestry.

Culturable fungi associated with wood decay of picea abies in subalpine forest soils: A field-mesocosm case study @article{c5036b29c477400baf431819c6299d61, title = "Culturable fungi associated with wood decay of picea abies in subalpine forest soils: A field-mesocosm case study", abstract = "Fungi are the principal wood decomposers in forest ecosystems and their activity provides wood necromass to other living organisms. However, the wood decay mechanisms and the associated microbial community are largely unknown, especially in Alpine areas. In this study, the culturable fraction of fungal communities associated with the decomposition of Norway spruce (Picea abies [L.] Karst) deadwood in subalpine forest soils were determined using microbiological methods coupled with molecular identification. Fungal communities were evaluated using in-field mesocosms after one year of exposition of P. abies wood blocks along an altitudinal gradient ranging from 1200 up to 2000 m a.s.l. comprising eight subalpine sites, four of them located at north-and other four at south-facing slopes. Although many saprotrophic species were isolated from the wood blocks, several white-rot species as the pathogenic fungi Armillaria cepistipes and Heterobasidion annosum, along with soft-rot fungi such as Lecytophora sp. were identified. Our results further indicated that the wood-inhabiting fungal community was mainly influenced by topographic features and by the chemical properties of the wood blocks, providing first insights into the effect of different slope exposure on the deadwood mycobiome in the subalpine forest ecosystem.", keywords = "Basidiomycota, Norway Spruce, Slope Exposure, Subalpine Forest, Wood Decomposition, Wood-inhabiting Fungi", author = "{Oliveira Longa}, {Claudia M.} and Davide Francioli and Maria G{\'o}mez-Brand{\'o}n and Judith Ascher-Jenull and Tommaso Bardelli and Giacomo Pietramellara and Markus Egli and Giacomo Sartori and Heribert Insam", year = "2018", month = dec, day = "1", doi = "10.3832/ifor2846-011", language = "English", volume = "11", pages = "781--785", journal = "iForest : Biogeosciences and Forestry", issn = "1971-7458", publisher = "The Italian Society of Silviculture and Forest Ecology (SISEF)", number = "6", } . IForest.

(2018). Dynamics of Soil Bacterial Communities Over a Vegetation Season Relate to Both Soil Nutrient Status and Plant Growth Phenology . Microbial Ecology.

Dynamics of Soil Bacterial Communities Over a Vegetation Season Relate to Both Soil Nutrient Status and Plant Growth Phenology @article{001b21321375422994958ce37b010101, title = "Dynamics of Soil Bacterial Communities Over a Vegetation Season Relate to Both Soil Nutrient Status and Plant Growth Phenology", abstract = "Soil microorganisms regulate element cycling and plant nutrition, mediate co-existence of neighbors, and stabilize plant communities. Many of these effects are dependent upon environmental conditions and, in particular, on nutrient quality and availability in soils. In this context, we set up a pot experiment in order to examine the combined effects of soil nutrient availability and microbial communities on plant-soil interactions and to investigate assemblage rules for soil bacterial communities under changed nutrient conditions. Four gamma-sterilized soils, strongly differing in their nutrient contents, were obtained from different fertilization treatments of a centenary field experiment and used to grow communities of grassland plants. The sterilized soils were either self- or cross-inoculated with microbial consortia from the same four soils. Molecular fingerprinting analyses were carried out at several time points in order to identify drivers and underlying processes of microbial community assemblage. We observed that the bacterial communities that developed in the inoculated sterilized soils differed from those in the original soils, displaying dynamic shifts over time. These shifts were illustrated by the appearance of numerous OTUs that had not been detected in the original soils. The community patterns observed in the inoculated treatments suggested that bacterial community assembly was determined by both niche-mediated and stochastic-neutral processes, whereby the relative impacts of these processes changed over the course of the vegetation season. Moreover, our experimental approach allowed us not only to evaluate the effects of soil nutrients on plant performance but also to recognize a negative effect of the microbial community present in the soil that had not been fertilized for more than 100 years on plant biomass. Our findings demonstrate that soil inoculation-based approaches are valid for investigating plant-soil-microbe interactions and for examining rules that shape soil microbial community assemblages under variable ecological conditions.", keywords = "B-ARISA fingerprinting, Inoculation of sterilized soil, Niche and neutral assemblage processes, Plant-soil interactions, Soil bacterial communities", author = "Davide Francioli and Elke Schulz and Fran{\c c}ois Buscot and Thomas Reitz", year = "2018", month = jan, doi = "10.1007/s00248-017-1012-0", language = "English", volume = "75", pages = "216--227", journal = "Microbial Ecology", issn = "0095-3628", publisher = "Springer Verlag", number = "1", } . Microbial Ecology.

Longa, C.M.O., Francioli, D., Gómez-Brandón, M., Ascher-Jenull, J., Bardelli, T., Pietramellara, G., Egli, M., Sartori, G., Insam, H.(2018). Culturable fungi associated with wood decay of picea abies in subalpine forest soils: A field-mesocosm case study . IForest. 11. (6). p. 781-785.

Francioli, D., Schulz, E., Buscot, F., Reitz, T.(2018). Dynamics of Soil Bacterial Communities Over a Vegetation Season Relate to Both Soil Nutrient Status and Plant Growth Phenology . Microbial Ecology. 75. (1). p. 216-227.

(2017). Effects of slope exposure on soil physico-chemical and microbiological properties along an altitudinal climosequence in the Italian Alps . Science of The Total Environment.

Bardelli, T., Gómez-Brandón, M., Ascher-Jenull, J., Fornasier, F., Arfaioli, P., Francioli, D., Egli, M., Sartori, G., Insam, H., Pietramellara, G.(2017). Effects of slope exposure on soil physico-chemical and microbiological properties along an altitudinal climosequence in the Italian Alps . Science of the Total Environment. 575. p. 1041-1055.

(2016). Reinoculation elucidates mechanisms of bacterial community assembly in soil and reveals undetected microbes . Biology and Fertility of Soils.

(2016). Mineral vs. Organic Amendments: Microbial Community Structure, Activity and Abundance of Agriculturally Relevant Microbes Are Driven by Long-Term Fertilization Strategies . Frontiers in Microbiology.

Francioli, D., Schulz, E., Lentendu, G., Wubet, T., Buscot, F., Reitz, T.(2016). Mineral vs. organic amendments: Microbial community structure, activity and abundance of agriculturally relevant microbes are driven by long-term fertilization strategies . Frontiers in Microbiology. 7. (SEP).

Francioli, D., Schulz, E., Purahong, W., Buscot, F., Reitz, T.(2016). Reinoculation elucidates mechanisms of bacterial community assembly in soil and reveals undetected microbes . Biology and Fertility of Soils. 52. (8). p. 1073-1083.

(2015). Influence of Commonly Used Primer Systems on Automated Ribosomal Intergenic Spacer Analysis of Bacterial Communities in Environmental Samples . PLOS ONE.

Purahong, W., Stempfhuber, B., Lentendu, G., Francioli, D., Reitz, T., Buscot, F., Schloter, M., Krüger, D.(2015). Influence of commonly used primer systems on automated ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis of bacterial communities in environmental samples . PLoS ONE. 10. (3).

(2014). Microbial community development and unseen diversity recovery in inoculated sterile soil . Biology and Fertility of Soils.

Delmont, T.O., Francioli, D., Jacquesson, S., Laoudi, S., Mathieu, A., Nesme, J., Ceccherini, M.T., Nannipieri, P., Simonet, P., Vogel, T.M.(2014). Microbial community development and unseen diversity recovery in inoculated sterile soil . Biology and Fertility of Soils. 50. (7).

(2014). Land use and seasonal effects on a Mediterranean soil bacterial community . Journal of soil science and plant nutrition.