Seminar by Dr. Michael Staab, "Insects and their multi-trophic interactions in natural and experimental forests"

Dear All,

The Biodiversity and Biocomplexity (Economo) Unit would like to invite you to a seminar by Dr. Michael Staab.

Date: Thursday, April 13, 2017

Time: 11:00 - 12:00

Venue: Seminar Room C700, Lab 3

Speaker: Dr. Michael Staab, Department of Nature Conservation and Landscape Ecology, University of Freiburg

Title: Insects and their multi-trophic interactions in natural and experimental forests

Abstract:

It is now accepted in ecology that diversity in lower trophic levels (e.g. plants) begets diversity in higher trophic levels (insect consumers). However, this relationship has mostly been deduced from experimental grasslands. Forests, which are structurally much more complex ecosystems as opposed to relatively simple grasslands, are surprisingly understudied in biodiversity-ecosystem functioning research (BEF). I will present various examples from the natural and experimental forests of the BEF-China project to illustrate if and how tree diversity, among other environmental variables, relates to arthropod (mostly ant) communities, their trophic interactions, and the related ecosystem functions.

We hope to see many of you at the seminar.

Sincerely,

Chisa

Biodiversity and Biocomplexity (Economo) Unit