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Dr. Maria Sporbert

Wissenschaftliche Anstellungen

my detailed CV can be found here   

Since 01/2026 Scientific Employee

Project "KIBA-D   " (Continuous AI-based biodiversity assessments for Germany), German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv e.V.) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Germany

08/2025 - 01/2026 Parental leave

07/2021 - 07/2025 Postdoc

Project “Faktencheck  Artenvielfalt“   , Institute of Biology / Geobotany & Botanical Garden,  Martin-Luther University, Halle-Wittenberg & German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity  Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Germany

09/2019 – 06/2021 Scientific Coordinator

Project  “PhenObs    - Botanical Gardens as a Global Phenological  Observation Network“, iDiv Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Germany  & Plant Biodiversity, Institute of Ecology and Evolution  with Herbarium Haussknecht and Botanical Garden,  Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Germany

Ausbildung

10/2015 – 11/2020 PhD student

Institute of Biology / Geobotany & Botanical Garden, Martin-Luther University, Halle-Wittenberg. Research topic: “Relationship between local abundance, range-wide niche characteristics and functional traits in vascular plants”; Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Helge Bruelheide; Co-Supervisors: Dr. Erik Welk, Dr. Ute Jandt, Dr. Petr Keil

10/2011 – 02/2015 Master of Science Biology, MLU Halle

Focus: Field ecology, Nature conservation, Systematic Botany; Title master thesis: “Range and niche dynamics in plant invasion processes”; Supervisors: Prof. Dr. Helge Bruelheide, Dr. Erik Welk

10/2008 – 09/2011 Bachelor of Science Biology, MLU Halle

Focus: Population and Vegetation Ecology, Molecular plant physiology; Title bachelor thesis: „Auswirkung von Trockenstress auf Wachstum und Etablierung südwest- und nordost-europäisch verbreiteter Gräser und Kräuter“; Supervisors: Prof. Dr. Isabell Hensen, Dr. Susanne Lachmuth

Veröffentlichungen

Ellerbrok, J. S., Sporbert, M., Schreiner, V., Ristok, C., Farwig, N., Hähn, G. J., ... & Bruelheide, H. (2026). Determinants of Terrestrial and Limnic Species Richness in Germany. Diversity and Distributions, 32(3), e70170. https://doi.org/10.1111/ddi.70170   

Wellmann, T., Knapp, S., Albert, C., Egerer, M., Fischer, L. K., Kaiser, J., …, Sporbert, M., … & Haase, D. (2025). Status and trends of Germany’s urban biodiversity: A nationwide assessment and identified knowledge gaps. Basic and Applied Ecology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.baae.2025.10.002   

Panter, C. T., Kambach, S., Bachman, S. P., Baines, O., Bruelheide, H., Sporbert, M., ... & Schrodt, F. (2025). Plants with higher dispersal capabilities follow ‘abundant-centre’distributions but such patterns remain rare in animals. Nature Communications, 16(1), 8205.  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-63566-0   

Hähn, G.J.A., Damasceno, G., …, Sporbert, M., … & Bruelheide H. (2025). Global decoupling of functional and phylogenetic diversity in plant communities. Nature Ecology and Evolution, 9, 237–248. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-024-02589-0   

Slate, M. L., Sporbert, M., Hensen, I., Hierro, J. L., Korell, L., Larios, L., Nagy, D. U., Pearson, D. E., Waller, L., Wolf, F., & Rosche, C. (2025). Drivers of phenological transitions in the seedling life stage. Functional Ecology, 00, 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.70003   

Wirth, C., Bruelheide, H., Farwig, N., Marx, J. M., & Settele, J., … Sporbert M., ...  (2024). Faktencheck Artenvielfalt. Bestandsaufnahme und Perspektiven für den Erhalt der biologischen Vielfalt in Deutschland. oekom Verlag. https://www.oekom.de/9783987260957   

Wirth, C., Bruelheide, H., Farwig, N., Settele, J., Marx, J., Ellerbrok, J. S., Schmidt, A., Spatz, T., Sporbert, M., Bieling, C., Eisenhauer, N., Eskildsen, K., Feld, C. K., Freyhof, J., Fürst, C., Grunewald, K., Grüner, S., Guerra, C. A., Haase, D., Haase, P., Hauck, J , Hering, D., Hillebrand, H., Hodapp, D., Jacob, U., Kaiser, J., Keil, P., Klein, A. M., Lakner, S., Lettenmaier, L., Mascarenhas, A., Mergner, U., Müller, J., Mupepele, A. C., Nguyen, H. H., Paetow, H., Pahl-Wostl, C., Paul, C., Poßer, C., Quaas, M., Ristok, C., Scheiffarth, G., Schmedtje, U., Schreiner, V., von Sivers, L., Sommer, P., Sponagel, C., Tebbe, C. C., Thompson, A., Wellmann, T. and Xylander, W. (2024): Faktencheck Artenvielfalt. Bestandsaufnahme und Perspektiven für den Erhalt der biologischen Vielfalt in Deutschland. Zusammenfassung für die gesellschaftliche Entscheidungsfindung. oekom Verlag, https://doi.org/10.14512/9783987263378   

Rauschkolb, R., Bucher, S. F., Hensen, I., Ahrends, A., Fernández-Pascual, E., Heubach, K., ... Sporbert, M., … & Römermann, C. (2024). Spatial variability in herbaceous plant phenology is mostly explained by variability in temperature but also by photoperiod and functional traits. International Journal of Biometeorology, 68, 761–775. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00484-024-02621-9   

Elliott T., Thompson A., Klein A. M., Albert C., Eisenhauer N., Jansen F., Schneider A., Sommer M., Straka T., Settele J., Sporbert M., Tanneberger F., & Mupepele A. C. (2023). Abandoning grassland management negatively influences plant but not bird or insect biodiversity in Europe. Conservation Science and Practice, e13008. https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.13008   

Farwig N., Settele J., Bruelheide H., Marx J., Schmidt A., Spatz T., Sporbert M., von Sivers L., & Wirth C. (2022). Faktencheck zum Erhalt der Artenvielfalt: ein nationales Biodiversitäts-Assessment. Natur und Landschaft, 97 (11), 523-525

Farwig N., Settele J., Bruelheide H., Marx J., Schmidt A., Spatz T., Sporbert M., von Sivers L., & Wirth C. (2022). Ein nationales Biodiversitäts-Assessment. Naturschutz und Landschaftsplanung, 54 (10), 10-11

Sporbert M., Jakubka D., Bucher S. F., Hensen I., Freiberg M., Heubach K., König A., Nordt B., Plos C. Blinova I., Bonn A., Knickmann B., Koubek T., Linstädter A., Mašková T., Primack RB., Rosche C., Shah M.A., Stevens A.-D., Tielbörger K., Träger S., Wirth C., & Römermann C. (2022). Functional traits influence patterns in vegetative and reproductive plant phenology - a multi-botanical garden study. New Phytologist, 235 (6), 2199-2210. https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.18345   

Sporbert M., Welk E., Seidler G., Jandt U., Aćić S., Biurrun I., Campos J.A., Čarni A., Cerabolini B.E.L., Chytrý M., Ćušterevska R., Dengler J., De Sanctis M., Dziuba T., Fagúndez J., Field R., Golub, V., He T., Jansen F., Lenoir J., Marcenò C., Martín-Forés I., Moeslund J.E., Moretti M., Niinemets Ü., Penuelas J., Pérez-Haase A., Vandvik V., Vassilev K., Vynokurov D., & Bruelheide H. (2021). Different sets of traits explain abundance and distribution patterns of European plants at different spatial scales. Journal of Vegetation Science, 32, e13016. https://doi.org/10.1111/jvs.13016   

Nordt B., Hensen I., Bucher S. F., Freiberg M., Primack R. B., Stevens A.-D., Bonn A., Wirth C., Jakubka D., Plos C., Sporbert M. & Römermann C. (2021). The PhenObs initiative — A standardised protocol for monitoring phenological responses to climate change using herbaceous plant species in botanical gardens. Functional Ecology, 35, 821-834. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.13747   

Proß T., Bruelheide H., Potvin C., Sporbert M., Trogisch S., & Haider S. (2021). Drivers of within-tree leaf variation in tropical forests of different tree richness. Basic and Applied Ecology, 50, 203-216. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.baae.2020.11.001   

Sporbert M., Keil P., Bruelheide H., Seidler G., Jandt U., Acic S., Biurrun I., Campos J.A., Čarni A., Casella L., Chytrý M., Custerevska R., Dengler J., Golub V., Jansen F., Kuzemko A., Lenoir J., Marceno C., Moeslund J.E., Pérez-Haase A., Rūsiņa S., Šilc U., Tsiripidris I., Vandvik V., Vasilev K., Virtanen R., & Welk E. (2020). Testing macroecological abundance patterns: the relationship between local abundance and range size, range position and climatic suitability among European vascular plants. Journal of Biogeography, 47, 2210–2222. https://doi.org/10.1111/jbi.13926   

   Also see ECR Feature in Journal of Biogeography   

Hock M., Plos C., Sporbert M., & Erfmeier A. (2020). Combined effects of UV‐B and drought on native and exotic populations of Verbascum thapsus L. Plants, 9, 269. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants9020269   

Sporbert M., Bruelheide H., Seidler G., Keil P., Jandt U., Austrheim G, Biurrun I., Campos J.A., Čarni A., Chytrý M., Csiky J., De Bie E., Dengler J., Golub V., Grytnes J.-A., Indreica A., Jansen F., Jiroušek M., Lenoir J., Luoto M., Marcenò C., Moeslund J.E., Pérez-Haase A., Rūsiņa S., Vandvik V., Vassilev K., & Welk E. (2019). Assessing sampling coverage of species distribution in biodiversity databases. Journal of Vegetation Science, 30, 620-632. https://doi.org/10.1111/jvs.12763   

Bruelheide H., Dengler J., Purschke O., Lenoir J., Jiménez-Alfaro B., Hennekens S.M., Botta-Dukát Z., Chytrý M., Field R., Jansen F., Kattge J., Pillar V.D., Schrodt F., Mahecha M.D., Peet R.K., Sandel B., van Bodegom P., ..., Sporbert M., ... & Jandt U. (2018). Global trait–environment relationships of plant communities. Nature Ecology & Evolution, 2, 1906-1917. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-018-0699-8   

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