Laboratory of Functional Ecology and Global Change (ECOFUN)
Our aim is to investigate the drivers of biodiversity, structural patterns and functional processes in grasslands, forests and other agro-ecosystems to develop ecological models and establish the basis for a sustainable management in the context of global change. Linking shifts in biodiversity patterns along trophic webs to variations in biogeochemical functions under climate, land use and management changes, the group investigates the provision of ecosystem goods and services, including productivity, product quality, resistance to invasibility, greenhouse gas reduction, nitrogen leaching decrease, and carbon sequestration.
Main Research Fields of ECOFUN
- Agricultural, silvicultural and pastoral ecosystem ecology and management
- Biodiversity assessment and conservation
- Climate change
- Land use change
- Nutrient cycling
- Soil ecology
- Grasslands and legume based mixtures
- Soil-plant-microorganisms interactions
The ECOFUN group has two locations: