My research focuses on understanding how plant species and their functional traits contribute to the assembly and functioning of ecological communities. I explore the interactions between plants and their environments, with an emphasis on how these relationships influence community assembly patterns.
I study plant functional traits—such as leaf size, root structure, and growth rates— to understand how these characteristics determine a plant's survival, growth, and reproduction in various environments. These traits are central to my work in functional ecology, where I investigate how the diversity and distribution of functional traits within a community impact overall ecosystem functioning, including nutrient cycling, productivity, and resilience.
In my research, I also explore beta diversity, which measures the variation in species composition between different communities or habitats. Additionally, I study dark diversity, focusing on species that are absent from a particular community but could potentially thrive there based on environmental conditions and species interactions.
Through this integration of concepts, I aim to uncover the underlying processes that drive biodiversity patterns and ecosystem dynamics, providing insights into how plant communities form, function, and respond to environmental changes.
