Staff until 2012

My core interest is in effects of global change on tropical forest biodiversity and ecosystem processes. My current work addresses effects of forest fragmentation on vascular epiphyte communities with emphasis on the resilience of range-restricted species.Nutrient limitations and the effects of nitrogen deposition in tropical montane forests are addressed within the framework of the NUMEX fertilisation experiment in South Ecuador. In cooperation with soil scientists and microbiologists I also study the methane budget of neotropical forests with a focus on canopy-based processes. Other studies address herbivory and litter decomposition along environmental gradients (elevation, topography), phytodiversity and carbon storage of tropical dry forests.

2002 Graduation in Biology (Diploma), University of Bonn

2000-2003 Work as a naturalist guide, Amazon rainforest

2008 PhD Dissertation, Ecology and Biodiversity, University of Göttingen. Thesis: "Effects of human disturbance on epiphyte assemblages in the Andes of Ecuador"

2008-2010 Scientific staff, Institut für Pflanzenwissenschaften, Universiy of Göttingen

2010-2012 Scientific staff, IBU, University of Oldenburg