Forschungskolloquium PG: Quartz island flora in South Africa: from biotic interactions to habitat island biogeography. – Mi. 12.11.2025
Physisch-geographisches Kolloquium (PG):
Quartz island flora in South Africa: from biotic interactions to habitat island biogeography
Dr. Pia Eibes (Institut für Physische Geographie, Goethe Univ. Frankfurt/Main)
Moderation: PD. Dr. Kim Vanselow
Quartz islands are island-like outcrops—so called habitat islands—occurring in the arid and semi-arid regions of South Africa and Namibia. They host remarkable numbers of plant species, predominantly small succulent shrubs with unique growth forms and unusual morphological traits. Many species inhabiting quartz islands are highly habitat-specialized or locally endemic. Despite their ecological uniqueness and contribution to regional biodiversity, quartz islands and their vegetation remain underrepresented in biogeographical research.
In this talk, I will present the biogeographical, environmental, and ecological particularities of quartz islands and their flora in the Succulent Karoo biome in South Africa. We will begin at a small scale, focusing on the functional traits of co-occurring plant species within the predominantly patchy vegetation and on the role of micro-edaphic drivers in shaping the plant communities. We then broaden the perspective to the habitat island biogeography of these distinctive outcrops and discuss whether the theory of island biogeography can be applied to such habitat islands.
Wann: Mittwoch, 12.11.2025 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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Fragen zum Kolloquium?
Organisation: Dr. des. Lena Schlegel (KG) und Dr. Sebastian Feick (PG)