Welcome
to the Working Group Ecosystem Research
The Working Group Ecosystem Research is part of the Institute of Landscape Ecology (ILÖK) of the University of Münster. We study the structure, function and change of terrestrial ecosystems by using soil and vegetation as integrative key features in landscape ecology. We offer a broad range of courses in vegetation science and physical geography that addresses Bachelor, Master and Diploma students in landscape ecology as well as studens of other disciplines of geosciences.
News
Nesting in the muck
[13.05.2013] Why do black larks in the Kazakh steppe move to abandoned cereal fields and why do they build large “pavements” of horse and cattle dung around their nests? Together with colleagues from Kazakhstan, England and the Netherlands, Dr Johannes Kamp (Working Group Ecosystem Research) investigates this question. From field experiments, the scientists hope to gain insight into the evolutionary reasons of using dung in animal nests. Updates from the field are given in the blog.
further information on projects on steppe ecosystems in Kazakhstan
SASCHA at the LAMA status conference 2013
[02.05.2013] Members of several SASCHA subprojects joined the Status Conference 2013 of the BMBF-Research Programme “Sustainable Land Management“ in Berlin from 17th to 19th of April 2013. The event provided an excellent opportunity for scientific exchange with members of other collaborative projects.
The SASCHA-"market stand" was visited not only by many colleages from other projects within the programme but also by Prof. Dr. Klaus Töpfer, Executive Director of the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS) in Potsdam and former german federal minister, who just returned from a journey to Siberia. He was very interested in the scientific work of SASCHA and emphasised the high relevance of the project for the bilateral relations.
photos of the Status Conference 2013
Successful Symposium for scientists and students
[30.04.2013] The symposium entitled "New developments in restoration research and applied ecology" was held from 26th to 28th of April 2013 to bring together international researches to discuss current reserach topics and to plan joint projects. Beside 16 talks and lively discussions all participants from the Czech Republic, Spain, France, and Germany attended an interesting excursion to the Ruhr region to visit outstanding locations of industrial nature. The symposium was also of geat interest for students of landscape ecology who got insight into several international reserach fields. Assumedly, the next meeting will be held in Spain, at the University of Bilbao.
Vacancy: Position in carbon and nutrient dynamics in South Patagonian bogs
[18.03.2013] At the Institute of Landscape Ecology the Working Groups Ecosystem Research and Hydrology are seeking for a project scientist to investigate carbon and nutrient dynamics in South Patagonian bog ecosystems. Further information can be found in the job advertisement
SASCHA-staff moved to new Geo-building
[27.02.2013] The staff of the SASCHA-project of the Working Group Ecosystem Research moved to the new adress Heisenbergstr. 2, 5th floor.
Science at the end of the world
[20.12.2012] The German Research Foundation will fund a 3-year joint on south hemispheric peat bog ecosystems in Tierra del Fuego. The partners are the Working Groups Ecosystem Research (Till Kleinebecker) and Hydrology (Christian Blodau) of the Institute of Landscape Ecology and the Research Group Regional Hydrology (Lars Kutzbach) of Hamburg University. In the interdisciplinary project we will focus on carbon, water and nutrient dynamics of vascular plant- vs. Sphagnum-dominated bogs. In order to do this, we will utilize a broad range of approaches and methods which include gas flux measurements, peat core dating and measurements of the photosynthetic activity as well as field and laboratory experiments.
Conferences
56th IAVS Symposium
26-30 June 2013
Tartu, Estonia
Vegetation patterns and their underlying processes
iavs2013.ut.ee
