Sprecher
SGN
Prof. Dr. Thomas Hickler
Professor for Biogeography, Head of Research Group 'Biogeography and Ecosystem Ecology', 'Quantitative Biogeography', Speaker of GRADE Sustain (Goethe Graduate Academy)
My main research interest is to understand the distribution of life on earth (e.g. species, biodiversity, vegetation types, ecosystems) through space and time. I am particularly interested in interactions between climate and the terrestrial biosphere. This includes potential impacts of climate change on species, ecosystems and associated ecosystem services, as well as the role of the biosphere in the earth climate system (e.g. carbon and water cycling). Methodologically, vegetation and ecosystem modelling at local to global scales has been at the core of my work.
Examples of current projects:
- GEOEssential
- EarthShape: Earth Surface Shaping by Biota
- Ecosystem Management Support for Climate Change in Southern Africa (EMSAfrica)
- The open Climate Impacts Encyclopedia (ISIpedia)
- Past warm periods as natural analogues of our „high CO2“ climate future (VeWA Project)
- Environmental changes in biodiversity hotspot ecosystems of South Ecuador: RESPonse and feedback effECTs (FOR2730)
- Fire in the Future: Interactions with Ecosystems and Society – FURNACES
- Multisectoral analysis of climate and land use change impacts on pollinators, plant diversity and crops yields – MAPPY
- BioDiv-Support: Scenario-based decision support for policy planning and adaptation to future changes in biodiversity and ecosystem services
Examples of environmental impact assessments:
- IPBES-IPCC Co-Sponsored Workshop Report on Biodiversity and Climate Change
- Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (Chapter 5)
- IPBES Scenarios and Models Assessment
- North Sea Region Climate Change Assessment (NOSCCA, chapter Terrestrial Ecosystems)
BSc. and MSc. topics (‚Abschlussarbeiten‘)
For international publications and peer-reviewed published papers, see my profile on Google Scholar or my Web of Science Researcher ID S-6287-2016
For further publications, e.g. IPBES assessments, see Further publications (pdf)
PD Dr. Matthias Schleuning
Senior scientist, Head of Senior Scientist Group 'Functional Ecology and Global Change'
Fields of interest
I am fascinated by interactions between organisms, especially if they are mutually beneficial for both partners*. To understand the structure and function of ecological networks, I study species interactions in ecological communities along environmental gradients and across large spatial scales. My research uses trait-based approaches in combination with field studies, experiments and simulation models to predict the impacts of climate and land-use change on ecosystem functions and services. (*I usually become enthusiastic if one of the interaction partners has wings and a beak.)
Research
– Plant-animal interactions and ecological networks
– Functional diversity of ecological communities
– Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning
– Pollination and seed dispersal by animals
– Nature’s contributions to people
Methods
– Observational and experimental field studies
– Functional trait measurements
– Network analyses
– Trait-based analyses and models
Study areas
– Tropical Andes
– Tropical and subtropical Africa
– Germany
Concepts & Synthesis Editor of Ecological Monographs
Associate Editor of Functional Ecology
Recent publications
Albrecht, J., Wappler, T., Fritz, S.A., Schleuning, M. (2023). Fossil leaves reveal drivers of herbivore functional diversity during the Cenozoic. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 120, e2300514120.
Barczyk, M.K., Acosta‐Rojas, D.C., Espinosa, C.I., Homeier, J., Tinoco, B.A., Velescu, A., Wilcke, W., Schleuning, M., Neuschulz, E. L. (2024). Environmental conditions differently shape leaf, seed and seedling trait composition between and within elevations of tropical montane forests. Oikos, e10421.
Bello, C., Schleuning, M. & Graham, C.H. (2023). Analyzing trophic ecosystem functions with the interaction functional space. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 38, 424-434.
Bianco, G., Manning, P., Schleuning, M. (2024). A quantitative framework for identifying the role of individual species in Nature’s Contributions to People. Ecology Letters, 27, e14371.
Martins, L.P., Stouffer, D.B., Blendinger, P.G., Böhning-Gaese, K., Costa, J.M., Dehling, D.M., Donatti, C.I., Emer, C., Galetti, M., Heleno, R., Menezes, I., Morante-Filho, J.C., Muñoz, M.C., Neuschulz, E.L., Pizo, M.A., Quitián, M., Ruggera, R.A., Saavedra, F., Santillán, V., Schleuning, M., da Silva, L.P., da Silva, F.R., Tobias, J.A., Traveset, A., Vollstädt, M.G.R., Tylianakis, J.M. (2024). Birds optimize fruit size consumed near their geographic range limits. Science, 385, 331-336.
Schleuning, M., García, D., Tobias, J.A. (2023). Animal functional traits: Towards a trait‐based ecology for whole ecosystems. Functional Ecology, 37, 4-12.
Sobral, M., Schleuning, M. & Cortizas, A.M. (2023). Trait diversity shapes the carbon cycle. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 38, 602-604.
Tobias, J.A., Sheard, C., Pigot, A.L., […], Neuschulz, E.L., […], Schleuning, M. (2022). AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters, 25, 581-597.