
Current members
Naia Morueta-Holme (PI)
I am an ecologist interested the patterns, drivers and conservation of biodiversity. I am particularly interested in the role of humans in influencing the distribution and diversity of species, especially plants and birds. I received my PhD from Aarhus University in 2014 and was a Villum postdoctoral fellow at the University of California – Berkeley. I am tenure-track assistant professor at the Center of Macroecology, Evolution and Climate, Globe Institute, at University of Copenhagen.
Charlie Davison (Research Assistant)
The common theme of my research is the impact of humans on the natural world – my primary focus being on the role of land-use change as a driver of biodiversity declines. I come from a background in tropical ecology, mostly studying mammals in Borneo, and have carried out many months of remote fieldwork. For my PhD I examined the state of the land-use change and biodiversity literature, and investigating the interactive effects of land-use change and climate change on bird communities in Denmark.

Phillip Wulff Carstensen (MSc student)
As a geographer I have worked with a wide array of problems regarding climate, environment, and nature in general. Furthermore, I have an interest in biodiversity and how we accommodate wildlife in an anthropogenic world. My master thesis “Areas of importance for conserving biodiversity, climate, and water resources in Denmark” aims to examine what areas of Denmark that need to be prioritized to efficiently contribute to the EU goals of protected area. The thesis will examine what areas hold the highest multifunctional value, as well as examining weighted scenarios and potential synergies and tradeoffs among the three variables. The goal is to contribute future to planning schemes and nature conservation based on data driven analyses.
Txapi (lab pet)
I am an Insta360 Pro2 camera, assisting the lab to capture 360 degree images in the field for studies exploring the usability of ground-based imagery to quantify local habitat complexity and improve models of biodiversity
Past Members
MSc students
Lukas Seifert. MSc 2022: Quantifying the effect of structural habitat complexity on bird species richness in Danish ecosystems. Now pursuing his PhD at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway
Jascha Brettschneider. MSc 2021: Changes in assemblages and functional traits of Arctic tundra vascular plants over 74 years: A historical resurvey. Now applying for conservation research jobs in the US
Sara Bundgaard. MSc 2021: Arctic vegetation response to climate change over 74 years – A resurvey study of the Kangerlussuaq region based on the historic records of Tyge W. Böcher. Now High School teacher
Ignacio (Nacho) Reyes. MSc 2021: Historical changes in European Odonates’ thermal niches and their link to climate change. Now pursuing his PhD at University of Canterbury, New Zealand
Yaquan Chang. MSc 2020: Plant functional responses to human and environmental drivers — insights from Danish temperate forest communities. Now pursuing her PhD at ETH Zürich, Switzerland
Jesse Case Jones. MSc 2020: Past human influence on disequilibrium dynamics on Eastern United States trees. Now pursuing his PhD at University of Florida, USA
Cathrine Hemmingsen. MSc 2019: Potential impact on terrestrial plant diversity of pollutant loading from port operations at Tema, Ghana. Now Sustainability Advisor at Ørsted, Denmark
Samantha Van Deurs. MSc 2019: Changes in phytogeographical knowledge over two centuries: An update of the world’s first maps of global plant distributions and floristic regions. Now pursuing her PhD at ETH Zürich, Switzerland
Visitors
Francesco Chini. Postdoc Intern 2020. Now Postdoctoral Researcher at University of Tübingen, Germany