REASSEMBLY

Reassembly of species interaction networks

Resistance, resilience and functional recovery of a rainforest ecosystem

​DFG-funded Research Unit REASSEMBLY (FOR 5207) Posts @bsky @instagram
1st funding phase 2021-2025, 2nd phase 2026-2029

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:

  • Opossum caught feeding on a rare galliwasp in Canandé
    by admin
    Fuchs and Rödel report a probable predation event on the Rainbow Galliwasp (Diploglossus monotropis), a rarely seen lizard that lives in leaf litter and under logs. They documented it during fieldwork on frog communities in the Canandé Reserve. On a rainy evening in April 2024, they found a Common Opossum (Didelphis marsupialis) eating a freshly …
  • Tiger moth traits recover quickly, but old-growth forests remain unique
    by admin
    Püls et al. studied tiger moth communities (Arctiinae) along the forest recovery gradient, from active pastures and cacao plantations through regenerating forests to old-growth forest, and recorded 3,612 individuals of 210 species using light traps. They found that differences among communities in species composition and functional traits peaked in recovering forests, while old-growth forests hosted …
  • Free & basic science funding at risk?
    by Nico
    In Germany we are in a privileged situation regarding research funding – but is this strengh at risk once right-winged nationalist parties gain power? Can goverments change the reasearch agenda funded? Another country – often seen as our role model – currently shows a worrying scenario. Fundamental changes are currently in place for the National …
  • Maths, not myths: which network patterns are truly stabilising?
    by Nico
    Mutualism is a positive interaction between different species. Pollinators or frugivores and their associated plants are popular examples of many kinds of mutualistic interactions. Mutualisms are relevant and widespread in all ecosystems. The topology of mutualistic networks has long puzzled ecologists and other researchers alike, who have assumed that the stability of such networks in …
  • Canopy matters more than forest age for pollinators
    by Edith Villa-Galaviz
    Diniz et al. studied pollinator communities in the understory and canopy and recorded 2,000 plant-pollinator interactions using pollen DNA metabarcoding. They found that moths, stingless bees, and nocturnal bees were all far more abundant and diverse in the canopy, a pattern already evident in younger, late-successional forest canopies, not just old-growth. The exception was orchid …