Claus Holzapfel

Assistant Professor, Fusion Ecology

Contact Info

Office: 408 Boyden Hall
Office Phone: (973) 353-5385
Lab: 3?? Boyden Hall
Lab Phone:
E-mail: holzapfe@andromeda.rutgers.edu

Personal/Lab Web Sites

http://newarkbioweb.rutgers.edu/Holzapfel%20Lab/

Educational Background

Research Interests

As a plant ecologist I am fascinated by the intriguing ways of how species interact with each other. Within that topic I address questions spanning community ecology, evolutionary ecology and ecophysiology. The list of keywords describing my past and present work is long: disturbance, breeding systems, diversity, invasion, seed ecology, root interactions, clonal plant biology, species interaction. So far I conducted field research in a wide range of systems ranging from Old World and New World deserts, through Mediterranean-type ecosystems to temperate forests. Significant parts of my research take place also in the greenhouse and the lab: sometimes nature is simply too complex to pursue specific questions.

Community ecology of plants - the theme of my research - is the examination of ecological and evolutionary processes and their outcome in plant populations and communities. These processes can be detected at a variety of ecological and temporal scales; accordingly, my research includes studies of individuals (ecophysiology), populations, communities and higher levels (flora).

I am pursuing two main goals: (1) to predict the ecological consequences and evolutionary trajectories of interactions between plants. Ecological interactions are understood to have the potential to lead to intricate co-evolution among interacting species. I am interested to find out whether coexisting species are coevolved and affect each other in non-random ways. The leading question is whether communities are much more than simple chance assemblies. Perturbed systems - systems that are altered from their pristine state - are ideal study objects to address such a question, since here coevolved interactions are likely disrupted. Good examples are plant communities that are invaded by alien organisms or systems otherwise heavily impacted by human activity. Needless to say, such systems are increasingly common throughout the East Coast Region. (2) to detect the mechanisms by which plants adapt to varying environments. Real environments are never constant and organisms are likely to encounter new abiotic factors and/or new neighbors. Evolutionary and ecological plant responses to stochastic environments often differ strongly from responses to predictable environmental change.

Selected Publications

• Schenk H.J., Holzapfel C., Hamilton J.G. & Mahal B.E. (2003): Spatial ecology of a small desert shrub on adjacent geological substrates. Journal of Ecology 91: 383-395.
• Holzapfel C. & Alpert P. (2003): Root cooperation between plants of the same clone. Oecologia 134: 72-77.
• Alpert P., Bone E. & Holzapfel C. (2000): Invasiveness and invasibility: the possible role of environmental stress in preventing biological invasions by plants. Perspectives in Plant Ecology, Evolution and Systematics 3: 52-66
• Hamilton J.G., Holzapfel C. & Mahall B.E. (1999): Coexistence and interference between a native perennial grass and non-native annual grasses in California. Oecologia 121: 518- 526.
• Holzapfel C. & Mahall B.E. (1999): Bidirectional facilitation and interference between shrubs and annuals in the Mojave Desert. Ecology 80: 1747-1761.