Jos Raaijmakers

This PhD project explores the biogeography of plant-associated fungi in the Galápagos Islands, focusing on how microbial communities shape the ecology and evolution of Scalesia species. The work investigates hidden fungal diversity in a classic island system where geographic isolation and environmental heterogeneity have driven adaptive radiation and endemic plant diversification. The project examines fungi associated with several Scalesia species across soils, roots, and leaves, with attention to three key components of the fungal microbiome: arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, yeasts, and fungal pathogens. By comparing these communities across islands, plant hosts, and connections to the mainland, the research aims to clarify patterns of fungal distribution and function in an insular ecosystem. You will combine molecular and microbiology methods with bioinformatics, statistical analyses, field sampling, and greenhouse experiments. The project also asks whether fungal communities can enhance dominance, competitive ability, and resilience of Scalesia during seed germination and seedling growth, linking microbial ecology with plant performance and ecosystem restoration. The position is based at the Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW) in Wageningen and is embedded in the Terrestrial Ecology and Microbial Ecology departments, with collaboration through the Galápagos Microbiome Initiative at the University of San Francisco de Quito. You will work closely with researchers and other early-career scientists in an international research environment focused on plant-microbiome biogeography.