Scientific Approach & Research Conecpt:

- study individual ecophysiology in response to the environment and biotic interactions to understand (and predict) changes in communities and systems (as well as their services) in a changing world: e.g., BIANCO
- use invasion events as natural space-for-time experiments on changes in biotic interactions under changing environmental conditions: e.g., MENACE
- understand systems dynamics through studying exchange across, and processes along, boundaries: e.g., ATIB
- decomposition processes and nutrient cycling as basal ecosystem processes that underlie ecosystem health and functioning

Methods used:

- field ecology
- quantitative analyses of behavior
- feeding assays
- light and fluorescence microscopy
- electron microscopy (TEM and SEM)
- enzymatics
- chemical analyses
- stoichiometry of natural compounds
- HPLC
- micro-electrodes
- stable and radio-active isotopes
- RT-PCR, diagnostic PCR
- RAPD and Mikrosatelliten
- DGGE and T-RFLP
- cloning and sequencing
- bioinformatics and phylogeny
- Western blot
- SDS- and native PAGE
- 2D protein gel-electrophoresis