Current research
Since my first years of study I am interested in processes that promote and maintain species diversity in the field of conservation biology. I want to examine common patterns in natural plant and animal communities and test the mechanisms that underlie these patterns. It is important to predict how specific human-induced changes in ecosystems will impact species’ abilities to persist. And I want to give solutions to species loss and reduction in species diversity, because in our highly fragmented landscape it is important to investigate into conservation aspects.
As a graduate student, I used the highly invasive Argentine ant (Linepithema
humile) to explain patterns of foraging behaviour. My current main
theme of research is the development of a “meta food-web” approach for
better understanding of community organization in spatially-structured
ecosystems. To address this research issue we are making use of
wildflower strips in agricultural landscapes, since these are habitats
of simple plant species composition, they are numerous and well
recorded and, most of all, their plant and animal community can be
designed experimentally. Here I will investigate into social insects as
ants and bees to determine the effect of different plant diversity and
the effect of presence and absence of trophic levels as well as to
determine the connectivity between wild flower strips.
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Metapopulation research project
Curriculum vitae
| 1997-2000 | Studies of Biology at the Friedrich-Schiller University of Jena/Germany |
| 1999-2000 | Erasmus exchange student at the Umea University/Sweden |
| 2004 | Masterwork at Victoria University of Wellington/New Zealand |
| 2006 | Masters at the Institute of Ecology / FSU Jena |
| since 2007 | PhD at the University of Fribourg/Switzerland |
Publications
Fabian, Y. (2006) Foraging behaviour of Argentine ants (Linepithema humile) and other resident ant species, in relation to resource density and distribution: implications for competitive interactions and coexistence. Diploma thesis, FSU Jena (Germany)