Global change ecology
Global Change Ecology
With global change (e.g. climate change, land use changes) plant communities and ecosystems may dramatically change in their composition and functioning. These complex ecological processes where potentially many different factors interact are difficult to study and understand.
I use two study systems to gain a multivariate understanding of ecological change processes. In both study systems I compare ecological patterns and processes across multiple case studies distributed worldwide. The two study systems are oceanic islands and elevational gradients in mountains.
In my research I combine experimental plant ecology, functional ecology and statistical modelling (e.g. species distribution modelling).
A second research interest is transdisciplinary research on global ecological change. I collaborate with social scientists, psychologists and philosophers to develop problem-solving strategies that adequately account for scientific uncertainties, valuation issues, and institutional and socioeconomic constraints to implementation.
Research topics
Functional ecology of invasive plants
Functional ecology of oceanic island plants
Plant conservation on oceanic islands
Plant invasions on oceanic islands
Plant invasions in mountains
Transdisciplinary research on ecological change with climate change
Interdisciplinary
Coordinator of the Mountain Invasion Research Network (MIREN, www.miren.ethz.ch)
Fellow, Network of Young Scientists, Center for Interdisciplinary Research (ZiF), Bielefeld University (http://www.uni-bielefeld.de/ZIF/)
Member, working group ‘Transdisciplinarity’ of SAGUF (www.saguf.scnatweb.ch)
Member, working group ‘Knowledge Exchange – Knowledge Management for Sustainable Development’ of SAGUF (www.saguf.scnatweb.ch)
