Curriculum vitae

05/2017 - 2023	Postdoctoral researcher at the Chair of Restoration Ecology, Research Department of Ecology and Ecosystem Management, Technical University of Munich (TUM), Freising, Germany
05/2013 - 05/2017	PhD in Ecology, Department of Ecology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal/RN, Brazil Thesis on the restoration of plant diversity and the functioning of restored ecosystems
04/2016 - 04/2017	Visiting PhD student at the Chair of Restoration Ecology, Research Department of Ecology and Ecosystem Management, Technical University of Munich (TUM), Freising, Germany
08/2013 - 04/2014	Consultant at the Institute for Sustainable Development and Environment (IDEMA/RN), Natal/RN, Brazil
10/2013 - 01/2014	Visiting PhD student at the Chair of Restoration Ecology (TUM), Freising, Germany
07/2012 - 07/2013	Research assistant at the Aquatic Ecology Laboratory (LEA/UFRN), Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal/RN, Brazil
03/2010 - 07/2012	Master of Science in Ecology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal/RN, Brazil Thesis on the use of facilitation as a technique for restoring coastal dunes vegetation
04/2008 - 10/2009	Internship at the Municipal Department for Environment and Urbanism, Natal/RN, Brazil
08/2007 - 09/2009	Internship at the Aquatic Ecology Laboratory (LEA/UFRN), Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal/RN, Brazil
09/2003 - 09/2009	Bachelor of Science in Ecology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal/RN, Brasil Thesis on the effects of exotic omnivorous filter-feeding fish on water quality
12/2000	High school diploma, Technical School ‘Vasco Antônio Venchiarutti’ (ETECVAV), São Paulo, Brazil

Restoration of invaded grasslands in a changing world: Impacts of invasive plants and climate change on ecosystem functioning

Advisor: Prof. Dr. Johannes Kollmann (TUM)

Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning (BEF) studies provide ample evidence that plant diversity controls the ecological functions and services provided by many ecosystems, and, thus, positively contribute to human welfare. Therefore, biodiversity and ecosystem functioning studies are crucial for understanding anthropogenic impacts on natural ecosystems and for predicting future scenarios, allowing scientists and stakeholders to adopt new strategies for reducing the risks of loosing ecosystem functions and services that are important for human wellbeing. Indeed, there are two main threats to ecosystem health and stability, i.e. habitat loss and invasive alien species (Millennium Ecosystem Assessment 2005; CBD 2010). Both threats can positively interact, thus amplifying anthropogenic impacts on ecosystems. Land transformation and the consequential destruction of habitats by human activities will negatively affect native species diversity, while making ecosystems less stable and less resistant to invasions. Then, invaded ecosystems will be modified by the impacts of alien species on native community dynamics. The effects of the invader on native species occurrence and abundance, community composition and ecosystems properties will, ultimately, favour further invasions.

Recent studies performed around the world have shown that climate changes might have a more drastic effect on species diversity and distribution, ecosystem stability and human wellbeing than invasive species. Furthermore, climate changes can increase the range of alien species distribution across regions or even continents. Ultimately, climate changes would favour invasion success by compromising native species diversity and increasing ecosystem susceptibility to invaders. Despite all the impacts on natural ecosystems resulting from anthropogenic activities, we can understand such scenarios as opportunities for building solid knowledge on how to cope with the challenges arising in a human-dominated world. In fact, more fundamental conclusions about the functioning of ecosystems might be reached by combining different levels and aspects of diversity with different stressors in experimental communities. Particularly, functions related to future scenarios of land transformation, habitat loss, invasions and climate changes. Therefore, it is imperative to design and to test new strategies for the restoration of invaded ecosystems in face of climate change scenarios.

The project investigates how different community compositions (e.g. by the manipulation of the relative abundances of dominant and subordinate species) can be applied to improve restoration success and the functioning of restored ecosystems, mainly related to soil nutrient dynamics and resistance to invasive species. For this, we perform experiments in climate chambers (TUMmesa) testing the effects of the competitive hierarchies of plants for the resistance of grassland communities to the impacts of the invasive species Solidago gigantea on the soil nutrients and on the native plants biomass production. The main focus here is to monitor and to evaluate the functioning of restored ecosystems. These investigations can support management plans for degraded and invaded sites, thus contributing to the reduction of invasive species prevalence and its impacts on grasslands ecosystem functioning, because the most important roles for the biological resistance of native communities seem to be performed by dominant species, i.e. the dominance hierarchy hypothesis.

Selected publications

Google Scholar

Ecotrons: powerful and versatile ecosystem analysers for ecology, agronomy and environmental science J Roy, F Rineau, HJ De Boeck, I Nijs, T Pütz, S Abiven, JA Arnone, ... Global change biology 27 (7), 1387-1407

Effects of benthivorous and planktivorous fish on phosphorus cycling, phytoplankton biomass and water transparency of a tropical shallow lake DDF Dantas, PL Rubim, FA de Oliveira, MRA da Costa, CGB de Moura, ... Hydrobiologia 829 (1), 31-41

Facilitation and sand burial affect plant survival during restoration of a tropical coastal sand dune degraded by tourist cars LH Teixeira, W Weisser, G Ganade. Restoration Ecology 24 (3), 390-397

Functional diversity and invasive species influence soil fertility in experimental grasslands LH Teixeira, FA Yannelli, G Ganade, J Kollmann. Plants 9 (1), 53

Multitemporal analyses of the vegetation cover of coastal sand dune ecosystems in Natal/RN, based on NDVI index LH Teixeira Pinto, LR Fernandes. Anais XV Simpósio Brasileiro de Sensoriamento Remoto - SBSR, 1895-1901

Linking plant traits to multiple soil functions in semi-arid ecosystems LH Teixeira, BF Oliveira, FS Krah, J Kollmann, G Ganade. Journal of Arid Environments 172, 104040

Nucleation increases understory species and functional diversity in early tropical forest restoration S Rojas-Botero, J Solorza-Bejarano, J Kollmann, LH Teixeira. Ecological Engineering 158, 106031

Integrated assessment of ecosystem recovery using a multifunctionality approach K Strobl, J Kollmann, LH Teixeira. Ecosphere 10 (11), e02930

Competitive trait hierarchies of native communities and invasive propagule pressure consistently predict invasion success during grassland establishment S Rojas-Botero, J Kollmann, LH Teixeira. Biological Invasions 24 (1), 107-122

Suppression of an invasive native plant species by designed grassland communities K Möhrle, HE Reyes-Aldana, J Kollmann, LH Teixeira. Plants 10 (4), 775

Synergistic effects between omnivorous filter-feeding fish and nutrient enrichment on algal biomass LH Teixeira, JL Attayde. Acta Limnologica Brasiliensia 27, 223-227

Effects of shading and site conditions on vegetative and generative growth of a native grassland invader MT Krieger, J Ditton, H Albrecht, L Linderl, J Kollmann, LH Teixeira. Ecological Engineering 178, 106592

Management von Wasser-Greiskraut (Jacobaea aquatica) in Wirtschaftsgrünland des ökologischen Landbaus H Albrecht, J Ditton, G Kuhn, J Kollmann, MT Krieger, F Mayer, ...

Biotic Resistance of Native Communities and Alien Propagule Pressure are Consistent Predictors of Invasion Success During Grassland Establishment SL Rojas-Botero, J Kollmann, LH Teixeira

Effektives Management von Wasser-Kreuzkraut in bayerischem Grünland. 2021 Schriftenreihe ISSN 1611-4159 H Albrecht, J Kollmann, G Kuhn, J Ditton, L Teixeira, L Linderl, M Laumer, ...

Methods in Field Ecology 2019: a jointly course between Germany and Brazil LH Teixeira. Nodium - Zeitschrift des Alumni-Clubs Landschaft der TU München 12, 38-39

Integrated assessment of ecosystem recovery using a multifunctionality approach J Kollmann, LH Teixeira. Ecosphere 10 (11)

TUM Model Ecosystem Analyzer (TUMmesa): a new facility for climate change experimental studies LH Teixeira. Nodium - Zeitschrift des Alumni-Clubs Landschaft der TU München 11, 105

Restoration of plant diversity and ecosystem functioning: Effects of species richness, phylogenetic distance, functional diversity and invasive plants LHT Pinto. Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte

Efeitos sinérgicos entre peixes onívoros filtradores e enriquecimento por nutrientes sobre a biomassa de algas LH Teixeira, JL Attayde. Acta Limnologica Brasiliensia 27 (2), 223-227

Dunas costeiras de Jenipabu: Status de conservação e diretrizes para restauração da vegetação LHT Pinto. Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte