Functional Agrobiodiversity &
Agroecology

Functional Agrobiodiversity

Our research is guided by principles of ecological intensification to maintain or increase long-term agricultural productivity while protecting and enhancing biodiversity. We develop and explore measures and practices at the local scale of farming systems as well as at the landscape scale that help to promote biodiversity and ecosystem services, such as pollination and biological pest control. Our research projects focus on applied and socio-economically relevant topics in agroecology, such as the loss of biodiversity and associated ecosystem services by the intensification and expansion of agriculture and climate change.
As agricultural systems are determined by ecological and social components, we investigate direct and indirect effects that determine the functionality and productivity of agroecosystems through collaborative, trans- and interdisciplinary research approaches. Current research focuses on the development of effective agri-environmental measures and biodiversity conservation, such as organic farming and mixed cropping at the field and landscape scale as well as habitat restoration and the promotion of habitat connectivity. We study food webs in temperate and tropical agroecosystems, including oil palm and macadamia plantations, and diversified crop rotations with grain legumes.
To assess agrobiodiversity and ecosystem functions and services provided by functionally relevant taxa, we use novel experimental designs, such as landscape-scale experiments, and innovative methods, such as sound recordings and functional trait analyses.

You may find all information concerning the winter semester 2024/25 on our homepage under teaching.