My research is focused on the regulatory forces (biotic and abiotic) controlling decomposition processes and soil microarthropod community composition in tropical montane rain forests in southern Ecuador. Tropical montane rainforests harbour large stocks of dead organic material and little is known on the regulatory forces responsible for this accumulation of carbon. Microarthropods, especially the highly diverse and abundant Oribatid mites and Collembola, are known to regulate organic matter turnover and influence nutrient cycling via direct and indirect processing of organic matter. However, there is a lack of knowledge on interrelationships between litter decomposition and the structure of soil microarthropod communities in tropical montane rainforests.

Current project

In the framework of the "Platform for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Monitoring and Research in South Ecuador" http://www.tropicalmountainforest.org/ I am currently working on the following experiments:

NUMEX: Nutrient manipulation experiment
In the NUMEX Experiment study sites along an altitudinal gradient have been fertilised at a low dosage with nitrogen, phosphorous and calcium over the course of 8 years. Nutrients were applied homogenously twice a year with an annual rate of 50 kg of N/ha as urea, 10 kg of P/ha as monosodium phosphate and 10 kg of Ca/ha as calcium chloride. This experimental setup enabled us to investigate both short and long term effects of nutrient addition on decomposition rates and soil fauna community composition in tropical montane rainforests.

Fauna exclusion experiment
The aim of this experiment was to investigate the role of the soil fauna community on decomposition processes in leaf and root litter along an altitudinal gradient in a tropical montane rainforest. By restricting access to the litter material certain size classes of the soil fauna were excluded, thereby manipulating the decomposer community composition.

Altitude and topography experiment
This experiment was designed to allow disentangling the effects of small scale topographical variations on decomposition rates and soil microarthropod community composition along an altitudinal gradient. Thereby, looking at both standardised litter material and site specific litter mixtures which were exchanged between topographic regions.


Resume

Since 2016
Postdoc Position at the Department of Animal Ecology, Universtiy of Goettingen
"Platform for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Monitoring and Research in South Ecuador"
http://www.tropicalmountainforest.org/



2010-2016
Dissertation in Biodiversity, Ecology and Evolution
Department of Animal Ecology, Universtiy of Goettingen, Germany
Thesis: "Altitude, litter quality and availability of root derived resources as determinants of decomposition processes and soil microarthropod community composition in tropical montane rainforests in Southern Ecuador"
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Stefan Scheu


2005-2010
Studies in Biology, Technical University of Darmstadt, Germany
Thesis: "Decomposition rates and microarthropod colonization of litter and roots along an altitudinal gradient in a tropical mountain rain forest in Southern Ecuador"


Publications


Marian F, Sandmann D, Krashevska V, Maraun M, Scheu S. 2018. Altitude and decomposition stage rather than litter origin structure soil microarthropod communities in tropical montane rainforests. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 125, 263–274.

Ramirez Castillo P, Marian L, Marian F, Günter S, Espinosa C I, Maraun M, Scheu S. 2018 Response of oribatid mites to reforestation of degraded tropical montane pastureland. European Journal of Soil Biology 84: 35-41

Marian F, Sandmann D, Krashevska V, Maraun M, Scheu S. 2017. Leaf and root litter decomposition is discontinued at high altitude tropical montane rainforests contributing to carbon sequestration. Ecology and Evolution 7, 6432-6443

Sun X, Weiner W M, Marian F, Scheu S. 2017 Agraphorura xuae sp. nov., the First Record of Onychiuridae (Collembola) from Continental Ecuador, with a Key to the Known Species of the Genus. Annales Zoologici 67: 253-259

Krashevska V, Sandmann D, Marian F, Maraun M, Scheu S. 2017. Leaf Litter Chemistry Drives the Structure and Composition of Soil Testate Amoeba Communities in a Tropical Montane Rainforest of the Ecuadorian Andes. Microbial Ecology 74, 681-690

Butenschoen O, Krashevska V, Maraun M, Marian F, Sandmann D, Scheu S. 2014. Litter mixture effects on decomposition in tropical montane rainforests vary strongly with time and turn negative at later stages of decay. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 77: 121-128

Ermilov SG, Sandmann D, Marian F, Maraun M. 2014. New species of oribatid mites of the genera Hermannobates and Rhynchoribates (Acari: Oribatida: Hermanniellidae, Rhynchoribatidae) from Ecuador. Systematic and Applied Acarology 19: 313-321.

Maraun M, Fronczek S, Marian F, Sandmann D, Scheu S. 2013. More sex at higher altitudes: Changes in the frequency of parthenogenesis in oribatid mites in tropical montane rain forests. Pedobiologia 56: 185-190.

Ermilov SG, Bayartogtokh B, Sandmann D, Marian F, Maraun M. 2013a. New and little known species of oribatid mites of the family Haplozetidae (Acari, Oribatida) from Ecuador. ZooKeys 57: 43-57.

Ermilov SG, Sandmann D, Marian F, Maraun M. 2013b. New oribatid mites of the genera Machadobelba and Campachipteria Acari: Oribatida) from Ecuador. Systematic & Applied Acarology 18: 145-152.

Ermilov SG, Sandmann D, Marian F, Maraun M. 2013c. Two new oribatid mite species of the genus Gittella from Ecuador. Spixiana 39: 1-8.

Ermilov SG, Sandmann D, Marian F, Maraun M. 2013d. Oribatid mites of the superfamily Oppioidea from Ecuador (Acari : Oribatida). Systematic &Applied Acarology 18: 218-224.

Ermilov SG, Sandmann D, Marian F, Maraun M. 2013e. Three new species of the genus Sternoppia (Acari: Oribatida: Sternoppiidae) from Ecuador. Zootaxa 3641: 565-576.

Ermilov SG, Sandmann D, Marian F, Maraun M. 2013f. New taxa and new records of oribatid mites of the family Galumnidae (Acari: Oribatida) from Ecuador. Zootaxa 3700: 259-270.

Ermilov SG, Sandmann D, Marian F, Maraun M. 2013g. Two new species of oribatid mites of the genus Truncozetes (Acari, Oribatida, Epactozetidae) from Ecuador. ZooKeys 31: 23-31.

Ermilov SG, Sandmann D, Marian F, Maraun M. 2013h. Three new species of oribatid mites (Acari, Oribatida) from Ecuador. Acarologia 53: 111-123.

Ermilov SG, Sandmann D, Marian F, Maraun M. 2013i. Perscheloribates paratzitzikamaensis n. sp., with supplementary descriptions of Scheloribates elegans and Monoschelobates parvus (Acari, Oribatida, Scheloribatidae) from Ecuador. Acarologia 53: 429-437.