Soil microbial community is responsible for a number of ecological functions that, directly or indirectly, affect the environment and the activivites of human society. The key processes include mainly the decomposition of natural organic compounds and closely related decontamination of soils polluted with anthropogenic, harmful compounds originating from industrial, agricultural and military/terrorist activities. The project is focused on the study of relationships between the function, diversity, structure and metabolic activity of microbial communities in soil and their impact on the ecosystem stability, resistence and resilience in the case of its damage.

The principal scientific aim of CEM is to improve and extend the knowledge of soil microbial community as a complex functional unit. The program is characterized by a complex approach following the line of genes, enzymes, organisms, populations, communities, soil environment, and the environment damaged by stress factors.

Analyses and comparisons of soil ecosystems in localities with and without anthropogenic contamination have been carried out as well as the analyses of the presence, bioavailability and transformation of pollutants by soil microorganisms and their effect on the structure, diversity, function and enzyme activities of microbial populations. The ability of microbial communities to react to variable, external stress factors has been studied by monitoring the expression of genes responsible for adaptation responses.