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My main research interests are the effects of environmental factors (incl. climate change and land use) and biotic interactions on plant community diversity and composition, functional trait diversity and resulting feedback effects on community function.
Additionally, I want to understand whether and how species are adapted to their local habitats, what happens when species expand their range and which factors determine the range margins of species.

Current projects

Evidence-based control and monitoring of Garden Lupine for the conservation of species-rich road verges - funded by the Swedish Transport Administration (TrV) 2021-2025

Effects of invasive species on plant communities - Distribution and effects of Garden Lupine on montane grasslands - funded by Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt (DBU) 2018-2021

Plant diversity on Baltic uplift islands - Relative effects of local and regional factors as drivers for plant community diversity, functional trait diversity and genetic structure of species on Baltic uplift islands - funded by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG)

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Floristics & faunistics (BIG001)

Botany (BIG004)

Plant adaptation and climate change

• Bienau, M.J., Kröncke, M., Eiserhardt, W.L., Otte, A., Graae, B.J., Hagen, D., Milbau, A., Durka, W., Eckstein, R.L. 2015. . - Acta Oecologica 69: 129-136.
• Bienau, M.J., Hattermann, D., Kröncke, M., Kretz, L., Otte, A., Eiserhardt, W.L., Milbau, A., Graae, B.J., Durka, W., Eckstein, R.L. 2014. . - Alpine Botany 124: 115-129.
• Schulz, B., Eckstein, R.L., Durka, W. 2014. . - Molecular Ecology 23: 3523-3537.

Biogeography and range expansion

• De Frenne, P., Coomes, D.A., De Schrijver, A., Staelens, J., Alexander, J.M., Bernhardt-Römermann, M., Brunet, J., Chabrerie, O., Chiarucci, A., Den Ouden, J., Eckstein, R.L., Graae, B.J., Gruwez, R., Hédl, R., Hermy, M., Kolb, A., MÃ¥rell, A., Mullender, S.M., Olsen, S.L., Orczewska, A., Peterken, G., Petřík, P., Plue, J., Simonson, W.D., Tomescu, C.V., Vangansbeke, P., Verstraeten, G., Vesterdal, L., Wulf, M., Verheyen, K. 2014. Plant movements and climate warming: intraspecific variation in growth responses to non-local soils. - New Phytologist 202: 431-441.
• Voss, N., Eckstein, R.L. & Durka, W. 2012. Range expansion of a selfing polyploid plant despite widespread genetic uniformity. - Annals of Botany 110: 585-593.
• Voss, N., Simmering, D., Peppler-Lisbach, C., Durka, W. Eckstein, R.L. 2011. Vegetation databases as a tool to analyzeÌý factors affecting the range expansion of the forest understory herb Ceratocapnos claviculata.- Journal of Vegetation Science 22: 726-740.

Invasibility of plant communities

• Eckstein, R.L., Ruch, D., Otte, A. & Donath, T.W. 2012. Invasibility of a nutrient-poor pasture through resident and non-resident herbs is controlled by litter, gap size and propagule pressure. PLoS ONE 7: e41887. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0041887
• Shakeri, Z., Marvie Mohadjer, M.R., Simberloff, D., Etemad, V., Assadi, M., Donath, T.W., Otte, A. & Eckstein, R.L. 2012. Plant community composition and disturbance in Caspian Fagus orientalis forests: which are the main driving factors? - Phytocoenologia 41: 247-263.
• Eckstein, R.L., Pereira, E., Milbau, A. & Graae, B.J. 2011. Predicted changes in vegetation structure affect the susceptibility to invasion of bryophyte dominated subarctic heath. - Annals of Botany 108: 177-183.