Am 11. Oktober 2018 hat sich die Regionalgruppe Rhein-Main im Raum Atrium der Alten Mensa der Johannes-Gutenberg-Universität Mainz gegründet. 

Einen kurzen Bericht zur Gründungsveranstaltung finden sie hier.

Dear Humboldtians,

Considering that members of our regional group as well as all other Humboldtians live and work in different parts of the Rhein-Main region and beyond, we try to organize our meetings at various locations. Therefore, our program continues with a meeting in Darmstadt, to which we cordially invite you. This Humboldt Salon takes place June 12, 2019, and includes a lecture followed by a get-together.

The  lecture will be given by Dr. Isabel Donoso (Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Center, Frankfurt/Main) on

Ecological networks in the Anthropocene: understanding global change impacts on species interactions

Global biodiversity faces an unprecedented impact of mankind. Human impacts such as habitat loss or species defaunation are considered to be two main drivers of the current biodiversity crisis. Since biodiversity sustains essential ecosystem functions such as pollination or seed dispersal, it is pivotal to understand how biodiversity loss modifies ecosystem functioning. Biodiversity -traditionally measured in terms of the number of species- needs to be approached from a community perspective that considers those components more closely related to ecosystem functions per se. In recent years, an increasing effort has been oriented to the study of ecological networks (i.e. assemblages of species linked by ecological relationships). Despite this effort and due to methodological limitations and the lack of comprehensive empirical data, we are still far from understanding ecological networks from a functional perspective. In this talk, I will present some of our latest studies where we overcome these limitations and I will focus on interaction networks between fleshy-fruited plants and frugivorous birds from the tropical Andes. Specifically, we assessed the effect of bird species loss on seed dispersal (e.g. long-distance seed dispersal or seedling recruitment) for entire plant communities, which might have important consequences for the potential responses of plants to escape or to adapt to changing conditions in the future and that could affect forest ecosystems globally. 

Born in Bilbao (Spain, 1987), Isabel Donoso is a nature enthusiast and community ecologist interested in the effect of plant-animal interactions on ecosystem functioning under anthropogenic impacts. She holds a Master degree in Global Change (Menéndez Pelayo Interantional University, 2012) and an International PhD degree in Biological Resources and Biodiversity (University of Oviedo, 2017). Since Octubre 2017 she is a postdoctoral researcher at Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Center (Frankfurt am Main), where she is currently working thanks to a Humboldt Postdoctoral fellowship. Her current and past research covers a wide range of study topics and ecosystems, from temperate to tropical forest; the application of empirical, theoretical and advanced modelling approaches to large data sets; as well as several temporal stays at international research institutes from Europe (Spain, UK, Germany) and beyond (New Zealand and Colombia). This experience throughout her research career has provided her with a broader perspective of the threats faced by natural ecosystems across the globe.

Venue:            Agora Cooperative Darmstadt, (Erbacherstraße 89a, 64287 Darmstadt)

Date:               Wednesday, June 12, 2019, 19:00

Snacks and beverages will be available, kindly sponsored by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. In order to facilitate preparations, we ask you to confirm participation and indicate the number of persons attending the Salon, by Monday, June 10, 2019, to kruhl@tum.de. Of course, partners are welcome!

The building of the Agora Cooperative is located directly at the train station Darmstadt-Ost, easily accessible by public transport (train or bus). A parking area also exists. Access to the seminar room is through the Agora restaurant.

With kind regards,

Jörn H. Kruhl, Concettina Sfienti, Thomas Mittmann

(Humboldt Club Rhein-Main)

Vergangene Meldungen finden Sie im Archiv der Regionalgruppe.