The mission of the Max Planck Institute (MPI) for Terrestrial Microbiology is to understand how microorganisms function at the molecular, cellular, and community levels. In particular, we aim to elucidate the mechanisms underlying the metabolic diversity of microorganisms, their ability to adapt and differentiate in response to changes in the environment, the mechanisms involved in cell cycle regulation and cell polarity, as well as the biogeochemical processes involved in the exchange of climatically relevant trace gases. These analyses include all levels of microbial functions from the atomic/ structural, molecular/cellular, and biochemical/physiological to the microbial community level as well as plant-microbe interactions. The research areas covered at the MPI include: Cellular microbiology Molecular microbiology Microbial biochemistry Biogeochemistry Microbial ecology Environmental genomics Microbial symbiosis Plant-microbe interactions Plant pathogens