Research

The Division of Landscape Ecology and Landscape Planning deals with the structure, functions and change of ecosystems. Of special interest are the biodiversity of plants and animals and invasive plant species. We investigate the effects of global change on taxonomic and functional diversity at various spatial and time scales. We also evaluate the impact of global change on biogeochemical cycles of materials. In doing so we strive to contribute to the protection of biodiversity and the sustainable use of natural resources. Among our areas of applied research are species and nature protection, as well as restoration ecology. We are an interdisciplinary working group and conduct our research both exploringly as well as experimentally. We employ hereby a broad spectrum of field-, laboratory-, remote-sensing- and evaluation methods.