Profile

Abstract

I'm a plant ecologist with an interest in the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in grasslands. I studied at the University of Leipzig, where among other things, I experimentally explored how declining insect biodiversity affect nutrient cycling in grasslands. After my studies I did a PhD in ecology, together with Ass. Prof. Fons van der Plas (Wageningen University, Niederlande) und Prof. Alexandra Weigelt (Leipzig University), in which I studied the reciprocal relationships between plant diversity and aboveground productivity. At the moment I'm a Synthesis PostDoc at iDiv, exploring if belowground functional biodiversity can predict aboveground productivity and resilience under climate change.