My goal as a researcher is to improve our ability to predict the consequences of global change for ecosystems both above- and belowground.
Global change and biodiversity loss are intimately intertwined. Global change alters biodiversity and ecosystem functioning which also feedback on each other through species interactions. I aim to tease apart these complexities by focusing on the underlying species interactions that determine both the effect of global change on biodiversity and the effect of biodiversity loss on ecosystem functioning.
One such experiment is the Biodiversity and Climate Variability Experiment (BioCliVE) at Utrecht University. At the BioCliVE, we examine the consequences of future climate variability for how ecosystems function. Within the setting, I focus on the consequences for and of positive interactions between plant species especially belowground.
I also examine the consequences of interactions for biodiversity and ecosystem functioning using SimNet - an integrative modeling platform where we create digital plant experiments across models that have different types of interactions embedded within them.