Description of research and teaching

Seagrasses and other aquatic plants are foundation species that maintain biodiversity and modify the abiotic and biotic environment. They form vast underwater meadows that can contain up to 8-9 co-occurring plant species. My research interests lie in the field of marine biodiversity and ecosystem functioning with a focus on macrophytes including seagrasses and other vascular aquatic plants. More specifically, I explore how the functional diversity of aquatic plants is linked to ecosystem processes (e.g. primary production and carbon dynamics) and properties (community resilience, stability) in vegetated coastal environments across spatial and temporal scales. In addition, I investigate how seagrass traits are linked to trait variability along environmental gradients and how ecological filters shape the community assembly of seagrasses regionally and globally.

My research provides critical information on how multi-species seagrass/aquatic plant communities and their functional characteristics maintain ecosystem functioning and how they respond to environmental drivers and future change. This will further improve the understanding of our marine ecosystems undergoing change and support the conservation and management of these important marine ecosystems.