REASSEMBLY

Reassembly of species interaction networks

Resistance, resilience and functional recovery of a rainforest ecosystem

​DFG-funded Research Unit REASSEMBLY (FOR 5207)

REASSEMBLY aims at understanding network dynamics to uncover rules of network dis- and reassembly in a highly diverse tropical lowland rainforest ecosystem. We study the dynamics of natural forest recovery from agriculture along a chronosequence and the contribution of re-assembled networks to the resilience of ecosystem processes against perturbation. We compare the trajectories of predator–prey, plant–pollinator, and plant–seed disperser networks, as well as decomposition networks between mammals, dung beetles and seeds, and between dead wood, ants, termites, and beetles. Subprojects thus examine networks of all major ecosystem processes mediated by interspecific interactions: predation, pollination, primary and secondary seed dispersal, herbivory, decomposition, and tree seedling recruitment. Networks and ecosystem processes are studied along a large-scale chronosequence of forest recovery (62 plots representing different stages of succession) and in a small-scale perturbation–recruitment experiment. Our Research Unit is funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG).

Our MISSION: Although REASSEMBLY is a basic scientific research unit, our aim is to ensure that the knowledge gained can be applied and contribute to optimizing the restoration of tropical forests. This research project, funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG), will not only be conducted within a forest in Ecuador, but on an equal footing with the Ecuadorian scientific community in different institutions and with an Ecuadorian conservation organization (Fundación Jocotoco). Our goal is to strengthen ecological science and the next generation of scientists in both countries, as well as nature conservation efforts that meet the interests of local communities. To achieve these goals, transparent and accessible data and results are essential.

Latest Posts:

  • Caught on camera: Natural comeback of wild forest animals
    by Nico
    Ocelots, jaguars, tayras, peccaries or armadillos may be surprisingly common in a tropical forest, but are very shy and hard to observe systematically. Only wildlife cameras reveal their often nocturnal activities and distribution. A team of researchers implemented such cameras across all sites and analysed the community composition and abundance. Results of this campaign were …
  • Third Newsletter
    by Nico
    Our third Reassembly newsletter is out! Thanks to all the PhD researchers and postdocs who contributed their chapters. Martin added a thoughtful introductory piece through the lens of tropical forest conservation and Jocotoco. What a great selection of insights from the third year of our research endeavor. We hope you all enjoy the scientific and …
  • Sounds disturbing – how the cicada communities’ song patterns change with forest loss
    by Nico
    Noisy cicada calls often shape the sound of tropical forests each day from dawn to dusk, with a reproducible temporal pattern. But a new study revealed that these song patterns are strongly reduced, less common and simplified when forests are converted to agriculture, and when agricultural sites or forest fragments are surrounded by a largely …
  • Arianna Tartara – PhD student SP2, TU Darmstadt
    by Nico
    Throughout my doctorate, I have been driven by a fascination with natural cycles and the efficiency of the natural world. My early background as a chemist allowed me to explore these processes on a microscopic scale, focusing on the turnover of matter and energy. Transitioning to ecological research, I expanded my scope to larger-scale understorey …
  • Karen Marie Pedersen – PhD student SP6, TU Darmstadt
    by Nico
    Within the context of REASSEMBLY, I study dung beetle trophic network reassembly across a forest recovery gradient in the Ecuadorian Chocó. Dung beetles are good predictors of habitat quality. First, because they are sensitive to environmental changes brought about by deforestation and because they depend upon medium- to large-bodied mammals for sustenance. This means they …