Mariana Rodriguez
Project
Plant diversity and ecosystem services: the case of constructed wetlandsBiodiversity plays a fundamental role in ecosystem processes. It is generally believed that higher diversity enhances ecosystem functions. Constructed wetlands constitute complex ecosystems which provide a specific ecological service, which is pollutant removal from wastewater. Plants play a major role in the performance of these ecosystems; therefore, constructed wetlands represent a good model to evaluate the effect of plant diversity on the provision of an ecological service. The aim of my project is to evaluate the role of plant diversity and invasive species on the performance of constructed wetlands, to identify patterns in terms of macrophytes traits, that may explain differences between species in removal efficiencies. I work on three experiments at a mesocosms scale comparing the performances of different free-floating and emergent macrophytes species.
