Christophe Dominik
PhD Student
Department Computational Landscape Ecology
Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ
Permoserstraße 15 | 04318 Leipzig | Germany
Phone: +49 341 235 1941 | fax: +49 341 235 1939
christophe.dominik@ufz.de
Research interests
- Landscape ecology
- Ecological modelling
- Biological control
- Community ecology
Current project
PhD Thesis: "The effects of surrounding landscapes on the biocontrol-production function in rice dominated agroecosystems"
In the Asian rice agroecosystems, the brown planthopper (Nilaparvata lugens) is a major threat to rice production, causing significant yield loss.
My research aims to test the potential influence of landscape complexity on the distribution of specific species representative for the given predator-prey system. I use a landscape ecology approach together with a simulation model to understand the basic dynamics of the predator-prey system and examine the effects of temporal land use regimes on the distribution of rice pests and pest-controlling species at a regional scale.
Part of the LEGATO project "Land-use intensity and Ecological Engineering – Assessment Tools for risks and Opportunities in irrigated rice based production systems"
Publications
Dominik, C., Seppelt, R., Horgan, F.G., Marquez, L., Settele, J., Václavík, T. (2017): Regional-scale effects override the influence of fine-scale landscape heterogeneity on rice arthropod communities. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment 246: 269–278. [URL]
Research experience
since Jul 2012
Mar-Jun 2012
PhD Student
Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ
Leipzig, Germany
LEGATO Project
Research Assistant
Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS) - Nantes, France
In collaboration with Ecomuseum of the Ré Island - Île de Ré, France
European Union's INTERREG Programme "ECOSAL Atlantis"
Influence of landscape structures of the salinas on terrestrial bird distribution of the Ré Island (Western France)