Vita

As an ecologist and botanist, I am broadly interested in many ecological processes, especially in drivers of plant diversity, plant community assembly rules and regeneration patterns.

I find it essential to asses these processes not only from a botanical point of view but trying to understand how species interactions among and between taxa can shape ecosystem processes. This is particularly important when studying the regeneration ability of ecosystems and their resilience against natural or anthropogenic disturbances. I’m passionate about understanding how insights in these processes can come in hand for conservation and restoration efforts, as well as human benefits.

In my previous research I focused on vegetation assembly patterns as well as the relationship between plant biodiversity and ecosystem services in the Southern Black Forest. In my current research for my PhD project, I study the influence of abiotic and biotic factors on seedling communities in the Dry Forest of the tropical Andes of Southern Ecuador. Therefore, I compare seedling recruitment between two elevations as well as between disturbed and non-disturbed habitats. The Tropical Dry Forest in the Tumbesian region is highly biodiverse but also strongly threatened. With my research I aim to gain more insights in the regeneration dynamics of this unique ecosystem. My project is part of the research unit “RESPECT Environmental changes in biodiversity hotspot ecosystems in Southern Ecuador: RESPonse and feedback effECTs” funded by the German Research Foundation and I am supervised by Dr. Eike Lena Neuschulz and PD Dr. Matthias Schleuning.

CV