Species coexistence and ecosystem functioning in relation to C:N:P stoichiometry
Plant and Ecosystems Ecology
In several postdoc and PhD projects we are studying interactions between nutrient cycling, plant growth and the species composition of vegetations. We investigate how these interactions are influenced by herbivores and environmental factors. Also, we are interested in feedback mechanisms, such as the effects of plants on soil microbes and C, N or P transformations, and the role herbivores play in nutrient cycling. Invasive and endangered species have our special interest.
A red line in our research is the question how processes in plant communities and ecosystems are affected by the stoichiometry (that is the balance) of carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P).
We study ecological processes under field conditions in savanna ecosystems in Tanzania and Brazil, wetlands and floodplains in Zambia and European countries, and along a gradient of soil development at the Damma glacier forefield in Switzerland. We also study ecological mechanisms in greenhouse experiments and by means of conceptual and theoretical approaches.
Research topics
Nutrient cycling and ecological stoichiometry
Functional plant ecology
Plant-herbivore interactions
Plant-soil interactions
Plant species competition and coexistence
Species loss and exotic invasions
Interdisciplinary
Interactions between plants, microbes and soil nutrients.
Plant – herbivore interactions in savanna and wetland ecosystems.
Influence of environmental changes on the cycling of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus in natural ecosystems.
Dam construction in African rivers; hydrological, ecological and socio-economical consequences.
Conservation management and ecological restoration to prevent species loss and to handle with exotic invasions.
