Ecology and Nature Management
The human-induced pressures on ecosystems have increased dramatically. These pressures act alone or in combination and diminish ecosystem function and capacity to deliver important ecosystem services.
The Ecology and Nature Management research group investigates how different environmental factors under change impact flora and fauna, biodiversity, ecosystem processes, function and stability and thus the services they provide.
Ecology and Nature Management - Research Area
The Ecology and Nature Management research group conducts basic and applied research in system ecology in natural, semi-natural and managed ecosystems and interactions with drivers of change both as climate, nutrients and invasive species. Research is conducted at process and organism level to ecosystem and landscapes level and thus covers many topics:
- System Ecology: We study the relationship and feedbacks between organisms, ecosystem structure, processes and abiotic and biotic factors under natural and anthropogenic influence.
- Habitats and biodiversity: We conduct research to identify landscape elements, ecosystem structures and processes that maintain and promote biodiversity (water, dead wood, soil nutrients, topography, grazing).
- Organisms: We study organisms and their interactions with the environment and interactions with other organisms (indicator species, invasive species, herbivory, grazing, competition, symbiosis).
- Biological processes: We study biological processes and how these can be used in management and restoration of habitats (succession, un-managed forests, natural hydrology, grazing).
- Adaptation: We study how ecosystems, ecological processes and organisms respond to drivers of change (climate, nutrients, catastrophic events etc) and evaluate the resilience and feed-back mechanisms.
- Management and restoration: We provide research in management and restoration of habitats for flora and fauna to quantify ecosystem service (e.g. biodiversity, plant protection, water protection, C-sequestration) and dissemination of best practice to inform land managers and policy makers. Hereby we work with Natura 2000 (Habitats and Bird Directives) and the national Danish §3.
The experimental basis: We deliver basic and applied research based on long-term monitoring and large scale experiments in natural and semi-natural ecosystems in forest, landscape and urban areas.
Our research focuses on developing fundamental and practical knowledge on how different management, conservation and restoration options either diminish pressures, improve services, and/or improve ecosystem robustness. The research has special focus on climate change and invasive species, which threaten the native flora and fauna and their habitats. Research span from species to landscape level and is based on long term monitoring or conducted in long term and large scale manipulation experiments in natural, semi-natural, urban and forest ecosystems.
- Nørholm Heath – Long term succession from heathland to forest
- INCREASE - An Integrated Network on Climate Change REsearch Activities on Shrubland Ecosystems. We coordinate the EU-funded infrastructure project www.increase.ku.dk of 7 long-term and large scale climate manipulation experiment in shrublands across Europe.
- CLIMAITE – VKR-Climate Centre of Excellence -Climate change effects on biological processes in terrestrial ecosystems.
- Ecological restoration of the upper river Øle Å, Bornholm, Denmark. www.olea.ku.dk
- Invasive arters introduktionsveje
- Cryphalus - about Cryphalus piceae
Semi natural vegetation for urban environments
Read more about our major research and PhD projects
Completed projects
- VULCAN
- Vildt og Landskab
We offer projects within a wide range of topics. See our suggestions
Ongoing project
Nina Bonke Mikkelsen - Succession in forest floor vegetation under 5 tree species in Vestskoven.
- Biodiversity in Urban Nature
- Landscape and Restoration Ecology
- Naturpleje og plejeplanlægning
- Environmental Management in Europe
- Thematic Course: Ecology and Management of Forests and other Semi-natural Terrestrial Ecosystems
- Feltkursus i naturforvaltning
The group collaborates with a large number of national and international institutes, scientists and land managers.
National collaboration
CLIMAITE – VKR-Climate Centre of Excellence -Climate change effects on biological processes in terrestrial ecosystems. Other partners are DTU, KU-BIO and AU. climaite
Contact: Inger Kappel Schmidt iks@ign.ku.dk
International collaboration
The European Heathland Network - The European Heathlands Network has been established to enable all persons involved or interested in ecological research, conservation of wildlife, and in policy formulation and implementation in relation to European heathlands to meet, to stimulate discussion, to promote communication, to further the understanding of heathland ecosystems and to disseminate information as widely as possible.
INCREASE – An Integrated Network on Climate Change REsearch Activities on Shrubland Ecosystems. INCREASE is an EU-funded network of large-scale field experiments for studies of climate effects on vulnerable shrubland ecosystems in Europe. Facilities and partners in Hungary, University of Tuscia, Italy, CREAF, University of Barcelona, Spain, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands, CEH, Bangor and Bangor University, UK and University of Copenhagen and Technical University of Denmark, Denmark. In Denmark we have two large scale climate experiments with manipulations of temperature, precipitation and atmospheric CO2.
Contact
Inger Kappel Schmidt iks@ign.ku.dk
Members of the Research Group
| Name | Title | Phone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Search in Name | Search in Title | Search in Phone | |
| Anna Karina Zimmermann | Research Assistant | ||
| Carl-Fredrik Johannesson | PhD Student | ||
| David Bille Byriel | Postdoc | +4535334225 | |
| Davide Barsotti | PhD Fellow | +4535324216 | |
| Erik Dahl Kjær | Professor | +4535331624 | |
| Hjalte Calberg Ro-Poulsen | Postdoc | +4535331334 | |
| Inge Stupak | Associate Professor | +4535331665 | |
| Inger Kappel Schmidt | Professor | +4535331668 | |
| Johannes H.C. de Koning | Assistant Professor | +4593850502 | |
| Julie Værgman Cronberg | Academic Research Staff | ||
| Karsten Raulund-Rasmussen | Professor | +4535331666 | |
| Katrine Skovsen | Research Assistant | +4535320126 | |
| Lars Nørgaard Hansen | Researcher | +4535336160 | |
| Lars Vesterdal | Professor | +4535331672 | |
| Lasse Gottlieb | Postdoc | +4535333701 | |
| Ludovica D'Imperio | Research Coordinator | +4535336298 | |
| Mathias Just Justesen | Postdoc | +4535328055 | |
| Mona Chor Bjørn | Postdoc | +4535331845 | |
| Morten Alban | Academic Staff | +4520921568 | |
| Prescott Huntley Brownell II | PhD Fellow | +4535324839 | |
| Rita M. Buttenschøn | Senior Adviser | +4535331712 | |
| Sascha Hellmann Hansen | Academic Research Officer | +4535334960 | |
| Sebastian Kepfer Rojas | Assistant Professor | +4535334843 | |
| Torben Riis-Nielsen | Special Consultant | +4535331625 | |
| Yamina Micaela Rosas | Postdoc |
