Team > Henrik Oechler
Henrik Oechler
Faculty of Biology, Chemistry & Earth Sciences
Biology
Doctoral candidate
since 2023 at Ecology of Fungi
| 10/2021 – 07/2023 | Master of Science Ecology and Evolution, Goethe University Frankfurt Main | Focus: Mycology; Conservation Biology; Ecotoxicology; Evolutionary Vertebrate Genomics Thesis: “Response of fungal fruit body type diversity to the environment”; Supervisor Dr. Franz-Sebastian Krah Final Grade: 1.0 |
| 10/2018 – 09/2021 | Bachelor of Science Biological Sciences, Goethe University Frankfurt Main | Focus: Ecology and Evolution Thesis: “Fungal trait response to macro- and microclimate in a local elevation and canopy gradient”; Supervisor Dr. Franz-Sebastian Krah Final Grade: 1.3 |
Project:
ResEt-Fi (Pioneers of Reforestation: Regional Land Management for the Development of Multifunctional Forests on Disturbed Spruce Areas
Faculty of Biology, Chemistry & Earth Sciences
Biology
PhD Project description
Forest ecosystems are expected to perform many, often conflicting, functions: They provide a diverse habitat for a wide range of organisms, protect and build soil, sequester carbon dioxide and clean the air, play an important role in the water cycle, and provide recreational space for people. At the same time, forests provide an important and sought-after raw material in the form of wood and have therefore been shaped by economic interests for generations, for example through the widespread planting of spruce forests. However, due to the ongoing climate change, extreme weather events such as droughts and storms are becoming more frequent, which in turn favors the spread of the bark beetle, so that these forests can no longer fulfill the above-mentioned functions.
The project "ResEt-Fi" (Pioneers of Reforestation: Regional Land Management for the Development of Multifunctional Forests on Disturbed Spruce Areas) addresses the question of how these disturbed areas can be transformed into climate-resilient and multifunctional forest ecosystems on a large scale. In a research phase, evidence-based and practicable solutions and tools for risk assessment and decision making in reforestation of disturbed areas will be developed.
One of the most diverse groups in forest ecosystems are the fungi and bacteria that live within dead wood. They are also inextricably linked to forest functions, for example by decomposing dead organic material such as wood and making the nutrients available for new growth. Despite the importance of these processes, little is known about how human interventions in disturbed areas, such as planned reforestation or removal of dead wood, affect or alter microbial diversity and function. In this project, I would like to investigate this knowledge gap using both molecular and classical methods. In addition, I am interested in the adaptations and strategies that fungi have developed in response to their environment, how the complex interactions with them and other organisms are organized, and of course how this knowledge can be used to protect this group, but also their ecosystems.
Due to the collaborative nature of the ResEt-Fi project, I am able to combine my findings with those of the other research partners to develop practical recommendations for action. In this sense, I am always open for further collaborations. If you are interested in research internships, bachelor, or master theses on the mentioned topics with the possibility of field as well as laboratory work, please contact me directly via mail.
Faculty of Biology, Chemistry & Earth Sciences
Biology
Henrik Oechler
Doctoral student
University of Bayreuth - Chair of Ecology of Fungi
Universitätsstr. 30
95447 Bayreuth
Room: NWI, 70 00 03
Phone: +49 (0)921 55 2465
E-mail: henrik.oechler@uni-bayreuth.de
ORCID: 0009-0001-0413-8731
ResearchGate: Profile