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Sigmar Bortenschlager
Department of Systematics, Palynology and Geobotany
Institute of Botany, University of Innsbruck
sigmar.bortenschlager@uibk.ac.at www.botany.uibk.ac.at
The Department of Systematics, Palynology and Geobotany deals with the following topics:
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- The taxonomy and systematics of cryptogam and phanerogam species, together with their occurrence (fossil and extant) and their association related to biotic and abiotic factors.
- Pollen and Macrofossil analyses in order to reconstruct past climate and vegetation change.
- Dendroecology and timberline studies, which complement our palaeoecological research approaches.
- Population dynamics and vegetation development are another major topic for the Department, i.e. to understand ecological relationships within terrestrial and aquatic habitats in order to make hypotheses and models on the future developments of primary and secondary plant succession.
- Nature conservation studies, management planning, biotope and vegetation mapping are also part of the Department's research activities.
- Floristic-sociological and ecophysiological research on aquatic plants (especially algae) and ecosystem-related issues concerning waters are another major topic.
- Updated floristic maps and inventories of the bryophyte, lichen and algae flora of Tyrol continuously provide new data on species diversity within the region, and do as well contribute to all-Austrian plant inventories.
- Further methodological development of bioindication, monitoring and remote sensing for biodiversity studies and environmental monitoring (both aquatic and terrestrial) are additional topics of our research.
- The Botanical Garden and the Alpine Garden Patscherkofel are part of the Department, which is also responsible for their scientific management.
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