LABEF
The Functional Community Ecology Lab (LABEF), located in the Department of Botany, Universidade Federal do Paraná (UFPR), was created in 2017 and is coordinated by Dr. Marcos B. Carlucci. The research activities of the lab are mainly developed at the Graduate Program in Ecology and Conservation/UFPR and Graduate Program in Botany/UFPR.
Research
Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning
We are interested in understanding the processes that drive biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. We use functional traits, phylogenies and biodiversity data at multiple scales, from populations and communities to ecosystems and entire biogeographic regions to assess repeated patterns and understand potential historical and ecological processes behind these patterns.
Conservation and restoration
We are particularly interested in applying up-to-date ecological theory on applied questions in biodiversity conservation and ecological restoration. We have been mostly focused on the conservation of Araucaria mixed forests and Campos grasslands, which are usually found in mosaics in southern Brazil. Regarding restoration, we have been developing quantitative approaches to select species for restoration based on functional traits to provide ecosystem services in restored ecosystems.