A5050908525- Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies
- Plant and animal studies
- Genetic diversity and population structure
- Botany and Plant Ecology Studies
- Species Distribution and Climate Change
- Plant Parasitism and Resistance
- Plant Taxonomy and Phylogenetics
- Rangeland and Wildlife Management
- Forest Management and Policy
- Forest Insect Ecology and Management
- Botany, Ecology, and Taxonomy Studies
- Animal Ecology and Behavior Studies
- Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
- Genomics and Phylogenetic Studies
- Plant Diversity and Evolution
- Ecology and biodiversity studies
- Hydrology and Watershed Management Studies
- Forest Ecology and Biodiversity Studies
- Plant Water Relations and Carbon Dynamics
- Peatlands and Wetlands Ecology
- Forest ecology and management
- Insect and Arachnid Ecology and Behavior
- Climate change impacts on agriculture
- Plant and fungal interactions
- Mediterranean and Iberian flora and fauna
Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research
2016-2025
German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research
2016-2025
Francke Foundations
2021-2023
Metropolitan University
2022
Amt für Umwelt
2013
Federal Office for the Environment
2013
Deutsches Biomasseforschungszentrum
1999-2004
Natural Environment Research Council
2004
Philipps University of Marburg
2004
University of Bayreuth
1992-1999
Abstract Plant traits – the morphological, anatomical, physiological, biochemical and phenological characteristics of plants their organs determine how primary producers respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic levels, influence ecosystem processes services provide a link from species richness functional diversity. Trait data thus represent raw material for wide range research evolutionary biology, community ecology biogeography. Here we present global database initiative named...
Summary In many European agricultural landscapes, species richness is declining considerably. Studies performed at a very large spatial scale are helpful in understanding the reasons for this decline and as basis guiding policy. unique, large‐scale study of 25 landscapes seven countries, we investigated relationships between several taxa, links biodiversity landscape structure management. We estimated total vascular plants, birds five arthropod groups each 16‐km 2 landscape, recorded various...
Tree diversity improves forest productivity Experimental studies in grasslands have shown that the loss of species has negative consequences for ecosystem functioning. Is same true forests? Huang et al. report first results from a large biodiversity experiment subtropical China. The study combines many replicates, realistic tree densities, and plot sizes with wide range richness levels. After 8 years experiment, findings suggest strong positive effects on carbon accumulation. Thus, changing...
A species' ecological niche depends on the adaptations to its present habitat, but also legacy from ancestors. Most authors argue that such a phylogenetic conservatism is of minor importance, although no quantitative analyses across major taxon available. Higher plants central Europe offer unique opportunity for an exercise, as positions along various environmental gradients are available most species. We quantified by two approaches. First, we used tree and degree retention niches tree....
Summary Theory predicts that the processes generating biodiversity after disturbance will change during succession. Comparisons of phylogenetic and functional (alpha beta) diversity with taxonomic can provide insights into extent to which community assembly is driven by deterministic or stochastic processes, but comparative approaches have yet be applied successional systems. We characterized taxonomic, plant within between four stages in a > 270‐year‐long arable‐to‐grassland...
Summary Biodiversity–ecosystem functioning ( BEF ) experiments address ecosystem‐level consequences of species loss by comparing communities high richness with from which have been gradually eliminated. originally started microcosms in the laboratory and grassland ecosystems. A new frontier experimental research is manipulating tree diversity forest ecosystems, compelling researchers to think big comprehensively. We present discuss some major issues be considered design trees illustrate...
This data set represents a comprehensive, dated phylogeny of large European flora comprising the vascular plants British Isles, Germany, The Netherlands, and Switzerland, totaling 4685 species. thus encompasses all species in trait databases BIOLFLOR, PLANTATT, BioBase 2003. topology phylogentic tree is based on backbone family Angiosperm Phylogeny Group III. Subsequently, partial phylogenetic subtrees derived from total 518 recent molecular studies were manually pruned onto tree, using...
Humans modify ecosystems and biodiversity worldwide, with negative consequences for ecosystem functioning. Promoting plant diversity is increasingly suggested as a mitigation strategy. However, our mechanistic understanding of how affects the heterotrophic consumer communities remains limited. Here, we disentangle relative importance key components drivers herbivore, predator, parasitoid species richness in experimental forests grasslands. We find that effects on are consistently positive...
A global dataset shows that animal pollinators are crucial for reproduction in half of wild flowering plants.
Abstract Land use change, by disrupting the co-evolved interactions between plants and their pollinators, could be causing plant reproduction to limited pollen supply. Using a phylogenetically controlled meta-analysis on over 2200 experimental studies more than 1200 wild plants, we ask if land intensification is at global scales. Here report that reliant pollinators in urban settings are similarly pollinator-reliant other landscapes. Plants functionally specialized bee natural managed...
Subtropical broad-leaved forests in southeastern China support a high diversity of woody plants. Using comparative study design with 30 × m plots (n = 27) from five successional stages (<20, <40, <60, <80, and ≥80 yr), we investigated how the gradient species composition reflects underlying processes community assembly. In particular, tested whether richness adult trees shrubs decreased or increased assessed to which degree this pattern was caused by negative density dependence continuous...
Abstract Invasive species offer excellent model systems for studying rapid evolutionary change. In this context, molecular markers play an important role because they provide information about pathways of introduction, the amount genetic variation introduced, and extent to which founder effects inbreeding after population bottlenecks may have contributed Here, we studied microsatellite in eight polymorphic loci among within 27 native 26 introduced populations garlic mustard ( Alliaria...
Abstract DNA methylation is an important, heritable epigenetic modification in most eukaryotic organisms that connected with numerous biological processes. To study the impact of natural variation ecological or evolutionary context, studies are increasingly using methylation‐sensitive amplification polymorphism ( MSAP ) for surveys at population species level. However, no consensus exists on how to interpret and score multistate information obtained from banding patterns. Here, we review...
Summary One of the key questions in ecosystem restoration is choice seed material for restoring plant communities. More and more scientists practitioners are currently advocating use regional sources, based on argument that plants often adapted to local or environmental conditions, thus, sources should provide best success. However, there still substantial debate about this approach, partly because a lack solid empirical data. We conducted multispecies transplant experiment which we compared...
Summary Ecological restoration of grasslands is increasingly based on regional seeds derived from predefined seed transfer zones. However, the degree and spatial pattern genetic differentiation among provenances different zones largely unknown. We assessed eight out 22 German for seven common grassland species ( Arrhenatherum elatius, Centaurea jacea, Daucus carota, Galium album, Hypochaeris radicata, Knautia arvensis Lychnis flos‐cuculi ) using AFLP markers. analysed population structure...
Abstract Climate change and land‐use are considered as the most important threats to ecosystems. Both factors can be expected have interacting influences on ecosystem functions directly indirectly via changes in biodiversity. Knowledge about these interactions is limited due a lack of experiments which investigate climate effects under different scenarios. Among processes involved responses global change, particular, those occurring soils or related biotic microevolution were...
Variation of DNA methylation is thought to play an important role for rapid adjustments plant populations dynamic environmental conditions, thus compensating the relatively slow response time genetic adaptations. However, and epigenetic variation wild has not yet been directly compared in fast changing environments. Here, we surveyed Viola elatior from two adjacent habitat types along a successional gradient characterized by strong differences light availability. Using amplified fragment...
Urbanization is one of the most intensive and rapid human-driven factors that threat biodiversity. Finding an indicator species community responses to urbanization crucial for predicting consequences anthropogenic land cover changes. Here, we develop a framework relies on functional originality. A original or equivalently distinct, regarding its traits, if it possesses rare trait values in species. The have greatest contributions diversity community. We studied plant originality, light...
Abstract To become invasive, exotic species have to succeed in the consecutive phases of introduction, naturalization, and invasion. Each these leaves traces genetic structure, which may affect species’ success subsequent phases. We examined this interplay structure invasion dynamics South African Ragwort ( Senecio inaequidens ), one Europe’s fastest plant invaders. used AFLP microsatellite markers analyze 19 native 32 invasive European populations. In combination with historic data, we...
Abstract Differences in herbivory among woody species can greatly affect the functioning of forest ecosystems, particularly species‐rich (sub)tropical regions. However, relative importance different plant traits which determine herbivore damage remains unclear. Defence have strong effects on herbivory, but rarely studied geographical range characteristics could complement these through evolutionary associations with herbivores. Herein, we use a large number morphological, chemical,...