Evolutionary Ecology of Plants and Global Change

Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Brüggemann, w.brueggemann@bio.uni-frankfurt.de, Phone +49 69 798 42222

Prof. Dr. Niek Scheepens, scheepens@bio.uni-frankfurt.de, Phone +49 69 798 42132

Vera Holland, vholland@gmx.de, Phone +49 69 798 42188


Module information

Compared to most animals, plants have low mobility and therefore cannot easily escape adverse environmental conditions. Within the context of global change (climate change, land-use change, etc.), plants need to either adjust their spatial distribution or adapt plastically of evolutionarily to new environmental conditions. Are they able to do so?

In the lectures, we teach theoretical knowledge from the fields of plant evolutionary ecology extended with ecophysiology to understand how plants can adapt physiologically and evolutionarily to different stress factors. Variation among and within plant species in ecologically relevant traits play a central role in such adaptations. Furthermore, we focus on methodological approaches in experimental plant ecology, ecophysiology, quantitative genetics, and population genetics in lectures and seminars. In seminar meetings, participants will read scientific articles, which will subsequently be critically discussed within the group.

In the practicals, participants will be split into two groups. One group will design evolutionary ecological experiments (two students per experiment), which will be conducted in the greenhouse or climate chambers, and the results will be presented orally. In addition, participants will learn the basics of the statistical software package R to analyze and visualize the acquired data. The other group will organize a symposium on the theme of Global Change and Plants. Topics of the oral presentations concern the physical basis of climate change and its consequences for the Earth, for its main ecosystems and most important plant groups, and plant populations. Results of the experiments from the first group will also be presented during the symposium.
















Time slot of the module: Second half of the winter semester


Number of participants: 12


Special features: The module is conducted partly or entirely in English.


Homepages of the working groups:

Abt. Scheppens

Abt. Brüggemann

Coordinator of the master programme

Dr. Sabrina Schiwy

Biologicum, Campus Riedberg

Flügel C, Raum3.318
Max-von-Laue-Str. 13
60438 Frankfurt am Main

F +49 69 798-42173

Office hour:

by arrangement

E-Mail schiwy@bio.uni-frankfurt.de

Examination office

Sandra Luckert

Biozentrum, Campus Riedberg
Gebäude N 101, Raum 1.07
Max-von-Laue-Str. 9
60438 Frankfurt am Main

T +49 69 798-46475

F +49 69 798-46470 

Office hours:  

Tuesday and thursday from 12-14 o'clock and by arrangement

E-Mail pabio2@bio.uni-frankfurt.de