Forschungskolloquium PG: Ecophylogenetic Classification of Forest Communities in Georgia. – Mi. 21.01.2026

Physisch-geographisches Kolloquium (PG):

Ecophylogenetic Classification of Forest Communities in Georgia

Alexander Wellenbeck (Chair of Systematic Zoology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University Bonn, Germany)

Moderation: PD. Dr. Kim Vanselow

The mountainous region of the South Caucasus is a biodiversity hotspot where steep climatic and elevational gradients host exceptional forest variation. Georgia, situated between the Greater and Lesser Caucasus, contains extensive forests with high levels of endemism and contrasting ecological conditions across a relatively small territory. A recent nationwide forest inventory provides the first systematic dataset for analyzing forest diversity at the national scale.

Woody species assemblages are classified using a phylogenetically informed dissimilarity metric, revealing coherent forest assemblages along expected environmental gradients. Building on this approach, the spatial distribution of phylogenetically informed forest types is predicted using Earth observation variables related to climate, soil, topography, and human influence. As phylogenetically defined assemblages show ecologically meaningful spatial patterns more clearly than traditional classifications, they exhibit strong predictive potential, weakened by structural homogenization and introduced species.

In summary, ecophylogenetic classification enhances forest monitoring in Georgia by linking evolutionary relationships in community composition to underlying environmental drivers.

Wann: Mittwoch, 21.01.2026 von 12:30 bis 14:00 Uhr
Wo: Präsenz, Seminarraum Tennenlohe, Wetterkreuz 15, 91058 Erlangen.

Vortragsübersicht für das Institutskolloquium im Wintersemester 2025/26.

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Kategorie: Aktuelles, Aktuelles zur Lehre, Allgemein, Institutskolloquium, Institutskolloquium Physische Geographie