Research Interests
Adaptability of ecosystems - and societies - to climatic change
Ecosystems and societies are at different degrees vulnerable to climate change. Next to the risk of exposition and the degree of impact, the adaptability is of major interest – and at the same time most difficult to conceptualize and to quantify. I am interested in ecosystem adaptability. That includes a resilient approach of adaptive management as well as the adoption of evaluation systems to manage ecosystem functions in an evoluting environment. Actually, this conceptual discussion will be linked to a research project on the future of German nature conservation areas under climatic change ("Conservation areas").
Further I looked at human adaptation strategies and focused research on resource conservation practices such as Rain Water Harvesting (RWH). Rain Water Harvesting allows a more efficient use of rain water, and in combination with small scale irrigation can contribute significantly to ensure world nutrition, and to approach the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Nonetheless, it is neither fully understood, what bio-physico-chemical prerequisites allow sustainable changes of the hydrological regime, nor what socio-cultural-economic prerequisites support a justice application. As a service in cooperation with the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) a public database on adoption constraints of natural resource conservation practices is implemented.
Vulnerability of ecosystem functions and services under climate change
Ecosystem goods and services are strongly determined by soil and climate, and strongly modified by global change impacts. The induced shifts in carbon and water cycling modify species composition and structure of ecosystems. The important research question is how ecosystem functions do change facing climate change, and what impact on biodiversity parameters does this have.
One research project in focus investigates on the future of German nature conservation areas under climatic change. My specific interest is to investigate on different scenarios of changes under different climatic change models to estimate what ecosystem function probably will change most, and what nature conservation aims might be endangered by climatic change.
My main research tool is a mechanistic vegetation model, LPJ-GUESS that will be adapted to relevant plant functional types, and perspective to faunal biodiversity parameters and ecosystem services.
Management of Biodiversity across scales
Biodiversity is a multi-facetted concept, ranging from quantitative definitions describing numbers of genes, species or species traits, up to comprising the whole variety of living organisms. It is used to analyse evolutionary pathways, to evaluate different options of landscape planning, and also entered the political debate regarding the future of farming strategies facing increasing use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), the recreational and aesthetic value of the environment, or the formulation of the CBD (UN Convention on Biological Diversity).
I have a strong biosystematic background, with special focus on soil arthropods and epigeic arthropods. I taxonomically described new millipede species, and analysed faunal compositions of arthropods in dependence of land use in the Amazon and southern Africa.
I work on conceptual frameworks that evaluate biodiversity parameters especially in their functionality to maintain evolutionary potential. I am interested in the public debate on it, as this discussion is essential to allow future developments also under global changes such as land use shifts and climatic change.
