Alessandra Rocha Kortz

Alessandra Kortz researches the role of non-native species leading to biodiversity change.

Human impacts on the planet are leading to unprecedented levels of change in the native assemblages. It is thus necessary to understand how native assemblages are changing in the Anthropocene. Assemblages worldwide are experiencing unprecedented levels of compositional change (changes in species composition), yet a systematic loss of species (species richness) has not been detected. Non-native species - species that were intentional or accidentally introduced to areas outside of their natural distribution - are one of the main threats to natural areas and are thought to be a major contributor to these elevated changes in species composition. But how their impacts contribute to these overall temporal patterns in biodiversity remains poorly understood. Dr Kortz investigates what is the role of non-native species leading to biodiversity change. The outputs of this work will allow us to better understand the often context-dependent impacts of non-native species on natural assemblages, thus aiding better management strategies and policy for conservation. 

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Funding:  CAPES (Brazilian Federal Agency for Support and Evaluation of Graduate)

Nationality: Brazil

Program: Evolution and Ecology (EEP)

Dates: April 2019 – March 2020


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Last edited: 09 September 2019

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Aleksandra Cofala

Capacity Development Coordinator Capacity Development and Academic Training Unit

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International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA)
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