Research in functional ecology investigates the impact of species or species communities for ecosystems processes. Therefore, it covers a broad range of scientific topics that relate to specific mechanisms (e.g. effect of resource availability on reproduction success), rules in community ecology (e.g. predator-prey interactions) and basic relationships (e.g. linking biodiversity to ecosystem functions). Studies conducted in our group include correlative studies or manipulative experiments in the laboratory or field and provide a detailed understanding of mechanisms and patterns in ecology.
Main research
Effect of
habitat and landscape characteristics on biodiversity and ecosystem functions
including pollination, herbivory, predation and decomposition
Spatial relationships between predators and their prey
Functional
implications of soil foodwebdynamics
Land use as
filter for inter- and intraspecific traits including diet plasticity, body
size and phylogenetic diversity
Effect of ecological and evolutionary constraints on the structure
of interaction networks
