My research focuses on plant-soil-feedbacks and what role they play in changes over time.
I have a general interest in factors that drive plant community assembly, aiming to understand general ecological priciples as well as apply them within a restoration context. Especially how past events and the timing of events affect current day processes fascinates me. For instance, the order of arrival of species can drive the vegetation composition in a certain direction, and past events can have long lasting effects as the rate of vegetation change is very slow. This is very relevant for restoration, where the past situation can have large consequences on the possibilities for the new vegetation.
Soil conditions play an important role in many of these so-called legacy effects. For instance, the previous vegetation has affected the type and amount of carbon in the soil. Understanding decomposition, both from an ecological as well as applied perspective is therefore the second theme of my research.
Ongoing projects
Lupinlabbet: Lupine is the most well known invasive plant species in Sweden, and since 15 maj 2026, it is officially considered an invasive species, which means that it has to be removed and you cannot trade or plant it. To evaluate the best way in which this species can be managed, we are 'gathering all knowledge about lupine in sweden' via interviews, workshops and questionaries. Read more on www.lupinlabbet.se. Financed by Formas.
Collaborating with: Maria Wikdahl (UMU), Karlstad University and Vetenskap och Allmänhet
Arctic Ecosystems: Under the course arctic ecosystems we started a long-term experiment to understand the effects of climate change on plant-soil feedbacks. In specific we investigate the interaction between climate and litter type for short term and long term decomposition, and the interaction between climate and fertilization for vegetation development. Financed by Kempe and part of Climate Impact Research Centre (CIRC)
Collaborating with: Nicolas Bonfanti (Post-doc), Maja Sundqvist (SLU)
Teabagindex: As part of an international team I developed an elegant, simple and cheap method to determine decomposition rates. Within the Teatime4science project we want to collect data with help of citizen scientists and researchers from all over the world, and create a global map. Learn more about this project on www.teatime4science.org or see the results on www.teabagindex.org. As part of this project we are currently evaluating the role of changes of tea bags by the manufacturars and the role of seasonality on decomposition on a global scale. Welcome to join!
Collaborating with: Utrecht University, Reading University, AGES, and many more
Tundraflux: Soils are respiring carbondioxide to the air. With an international team, we showed that warming significantly increases soil respiration and that plants and soil organisms likely contribute equally to this increase. The dataset that we collected is huge and provides unique opportunities to answer more exiting questions. Read more on www.arcticflux.org.
Collaborating with: Ellen Dorrepaal, Sarah Schwieger, Jan Dietrich, Mats Björkman (Göteborg University) and his group, Sybryn Maes (KU leuven)
Previous projects
First come First serve: Small differences in when a seed or seedling arrive can have big consequences for their establishment in the vegetation. My PhD Tamara van Steijn defended in 2025, but the experiment that she started is still running. Read her thesis here. Funded by Vetenskapsrådet.