Dr. Annemarie Wurz

Research interests

Generally, I am interested in how biodiversity and ecosystem services respond to land-use change.

In my research at the University of Marburg, I am looking at the interplay between arthropod assemblages and plant trait diversity. To do so, I investigate leaf area loss (herbivory) in tree canopies in different systems and at different elevations to identify the abiotic and biotic drivers of herbivory. With this knowledge, we can predict changes in biotic processes under specified species loss and evaluate the resistance of ecosystems to climate and land-use change.

In my PhD research at the University of Goettingen, I focused on how biodiversity and ecosystem services respond to land-use change by smallholder farming in north-eastern Madagascar. Here, I identified conservation opportunities in the agricultural landscape and provided management solutions which reconcile biodiversity conservation and agricultural production.

Focus groups: Arthropods, plants

Methods: Fogging, baiting, netting, mapping, caterpillar dummies

Research areas: Ecuador, Madagascar

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