Biodiversity Change
How will global environmental change affect marine biodiversity?
This question lies at the heart of our research, which seeks to understand both the extent and drivers of biodiversity change across temporal and spatial scales.
On one hand, we examine the magnitude and nature of change: are new ones being introduced? Does the number of individuals of a species change? Are species adapting to new environmental conditions in novel ways? On the other hand, we investigate the underlying mechanisms driving these changes—identifying general patterns and processes that may allow us to predict future biodiversity dynamics.
To address these questions, we will employ data analysis and modeling to explore the functional diversity of plankton communities and associated food webs in the North Sea and Arctic regions—two critical marine ecosystems undergoing rapid transformation. By analyzing long-term ecological data and unlocking historical records, we aim to uncover long-term climate impacts and assess the asynchrony between biodiversity change and climate change drivers.
This work is embedded, among others, within the Ocean Floor EXC cluster and the HIPP Tipping Point Cohort 2025.
Ecosystem Functions
How will changes in species composition affect functions of marine ecosystems?
For example, can they perform their function as oxygen or biomass producers to the same extent?
Our research aims to identify general principles governing the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem processes, providing a foundation for conservation and management.
Building on this, we investigate the consequences of biodiversity change for marine ecosystems, focusing on species interactions—including symbioses and host-microbiome dynamics—and predicting failure modes and tipping points in food webs and microbial networks. This work is conducted within initiatives such as IMAPP and the ERC Starting Grant project PhagoPhoRe.
Conservation and Management
How can we preserve the biodiversity of the oceans and how can species protection be integrated into the management of ecosystem functions and services?
The protection of marine biodiversity has so far mainly focused on area-based approaches, as is customary on land, and is often organized around individual sectors (e.g. fishing, tourism).
However, marine ecosystems are characterized by strong spatial and temporal changes in conditions and biodiversity, so that nature conservation and management must be based on concepts that go beyond territorial protection and take this dynamism and adaptability into account.
To advance effective conservation, we will develop science-based approaches to marine conservation and management by modeling shipping impacts, creating a new class of socio-ecological models that incorporate human political and decision-making processes (through initiatives like the HIPP Call on Human Progress 2026 and the CORDAP project on coral population management tools) and organizing stakeholder dialogue for area-based biodiversity management beyond national jurisdiction (e.g. in AGELESS and IMAPP).
Additionally, our projects will examine governance structures, policy effectiveness, and knowledge production through social science analysis via the Ocean Floor Booster Unit and Strengthening Climate Resilience projects.