Abstract
This research uses integrated botanical, zoological and spatial studies in Hungary's oldest and largest habitat restoration to provide novel information on the role of temporal ecological processes in the emergence of spatial patterns in biodiversity. The new approach leads to a new interpretation of community assembly and the ecological processes operating on multiple scales. This research will provide solid, tested results on ways to conserve and increase biodiversity, which can be applied directly in practical nature conservation and indirectly in the foundation of sustainable development. We work by international scientific standards, thus, this research will further advance conservation biology and ecology in Hungary. One beginning-level postdoc, two PhD-students and two students will be employed, who will acquire internationally competitive skills in using professional literature, research design and modern methods, will produce competitive publications, and can join international collaborations. This study is conducted in parallel with an EU FP7 research project, which, however, examines biodiversity at larger spatial scales using observations and modelling, rather than experiments and monitoring as proposed here. Work is based on a monitoring system run for years, thus, implementation of this research has no risks. The project involves infrastructural development, which establishes the conditions for the foundation of an internationally competitive research group.
Hungary