Niels Preuk
PhD Student
Soldmannstraße 15
D-17489 Greifswald
Room 1.03
Phone: +49 3834 420 4193
Email: niels.preukuni-greifswaldde
Research interests
My PhD project is part of the DFG-funded Research Training Group “Biological RESPONSEs to Novel and Changing Environments”. In RESPONSE project A6, I investigate the effects of climate change on the persistence and distribution of European beech (Fagus sylvatica), with a particular focus on the roles of genetic adaptation and phenotypic plasticity.
The first part of my research identifies spatial patterns in the phenotypic responses of F. sylvatica to varying environmental conditions. Using existing provenance-trial data, I aim to identify patterns of ecotypic variation that arise from the responses of provenances to climatic conditions at the trial sites. This will improve our understanding of the role of climate in intraspecific variation.
The second part focuses on modelling the distribution of European beech using two approaches. First, I integrate intraspecific variation into species-distribution models to improve predictions under future climate scenarios. For this approach, I use results from the first part of the project and existing spatial genetic information on European beech to account for local adaptation. Second, I use existing data on phenotypic plasticity, heritability and local adaptation to constrain hybrid species-distribution models and better understand the species’ potential under climate-change scenarios.
My current research interests include forest ecosystems, climate change, species-distribution modelling and trait-based approaches. Based on previous work, I am also interested in the causes and effects of biological invasions and in community ecology.
Publications
Haider, S., Lembrechts, J. J., McDougall, K., Pauchard, A., Alexander, J. M., Barros, A., Cavieres, L. A., Rashid, I., Rew, L. J., Aleksanyan, A., Arévalo, J. R., Aschero, V., Chisholm, C., Clark, V. R., Clavel, J., Daehler, C., Dar, P. A., Dietz, H., Dimarco, R. D., ... Preuk, N., … Seipel, T. (2022). Think globally, measure locally: The MIREN standardized protocol for monitoring plant species distributions along elevation gradients. Ecology and Evolution, 12, e8590. doi.org/10.1002/ece3.8590