Integrative Ecology

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There has been an impressive progress in biodiversity science over the last fifteen years to predict the impacts of global changes on range shifts, extinction risks and the future distribution of biodiversity. The demand for simulations of "biodiversity scenarios" has pushed ecology, traditionally focused on the description and understanding of processes, towards a more predictive science. Despite the enthusiasm for these scenarios, most of the modelling approaches are still criticized for not integrating key processes known to impact biodiversity distribution and key ecosystem processes. Biodiversity is more than a list of species, it is also the collection of interactions among them driving ecosystem processes and supporting diversification of life. Research by the CRC in Integrative ecology has shown that not only the distribution of species richness varies across the globe, but also the architecture of biodiversity. Building on this research at the crossroad between biogeography and community ecology, I am now exploring how biodiversity distribution will be affected by anthropogenic changes. The long-term objective of my research program is to develop a theory to understand and predict the multiple dimensions of biodiversity changes. In addition to fundamental research on biodiversity changes, activities of the Chair include the development of an open information system and a suite of decision-support tools for partners.