Functional ecology
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 foodweb dynamics
- 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