High-latitude Biodiversity

Research in the High latitude biodiversity group focuses on the reconstruction of past ecosystem changes in response to climate and land-cover variability over the late Pleistocene to present‐day warming. We focus on the most environmentally-sensitive areas on the planet that include terrestrial high-latitude and altitude regions and polar marine areas. We aim to understand how climate change contributes to community shifts (diversification or species loss) and its consequences for the ecosystem functionality, like the contribution of terrestrial vegetation and marine phytoplankton to the carbon cycle. Our research is based on the innovative sedimentary ancient DNA (sedaDNA) proxy applied on lake and marine sediment cores, which allows a deeper understanding of population, community and ecosystem changes across millennial time scales. The analogy between past natural climate change and current climate developments helps to understand and foresee future developments and can deliver management strategies for the conservation of polar and high-altitude environments in the future.

Temporary Head

Dr. Kathleen Stoof-Leichsenring

(Prof. Dr. Ulrike Herzschuh)