Individual-based Ecology

Global change, characterized by increasing nonlinear dynamics and stochasticity, directly affects the individual organisms of natural systems. However, common ecological concepts estimate ecosystem resilience based on the average characteristics of populations or communities, ignoring variation among individuals and their interactions with the environment. Yet, accounting for this individual variation is often crucial for predicting biodiversity and ecosystem dynamics.

Our research network focuses on individuals to understand biodiversity and resulting ecosystem dynamics. We aim to shift the paradigm from classical "averaging ecology" to an individual-based ecology.