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Research & Publications

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Research

My research focuses on disentangling population ecological processes that drive the local spread or decline of plant populations. I am particularly interested in how environmental gradients determine the genetic structure of populations and phenotypic among-population variation through local adaptation. I also use biological invasions as models to study eco-evolutionary principles at contemporary time scales.

Publications

Current publications

Callaway, R. M., Pal, R., Schaar, A., Hooper, D., Auge, H., Hensen, I., …., & Rosche, C. (2025). Exotic invasive plant species increase primary productivity, but not in their native ranges. Ecology Letters, accepted.

Thoma, A. E., Lekberg, Y., Nagy, D. U., Sheng, M., Welk, E., & Rosche, C. (2025). Progress and future directions of biogeographical comparisons of plant-fungal interactions in invasion contexts. New Phytologist.

Slate, M. L., Sporbert, M., Hensen, I., Hierro, J. L., Korell, L., Larios, L., ... & Rosche, C. (2025). Drivers of phenological transitions in the seedling life stage. Functional Ecology.

Rosche, C., Broennimann, O., Novikov, A., Mrázová, V., Boiko, G. V., Danihelka, J., ... & Mráz, P. (2025). Herbarium specimens reveal a cryptic invasion of polyploid Centaurea stoebe in Europe. New Phytologist, 245(1), 392–405.

Durka, W., Michalski, S. G., Höfner, J., Bucharova, A., Kolář, F., …, Rosche, C.,  ... & Zidorn, C. (2025). Assessment of genetic diversity among seed transfer zones for multiple grassland plant species across Germany. Basic and Applied Ecology, 84, 50–60.

Vörös, W. A., Hensen, I., Träger, S., Rosche, C., Müller, J., Römermann, C., ... & Lehnert, M. (2025). From herbarium specimens to contemporary surveys: Tracing the extinction dynamics and performance of endangered plant species in central Germany. Flora, 323, 152664.

Buzhala, M., Mustafa, B., Pulaj, B., Mala, X., Peters, K., Rosche, C., Sahiti, H., & Hajdari, A. (2025). Variation in VOCs, phenolics, flavonoids and antioxidant activity among natural populations of Centaurea kosaninii in Kosovo. Biochemical Systematics and Ecology, 122, 105037.

Nagy, D. U., Thoma, A. E., Al‐Gharaibeh, M. M., Callaway, R. M., Flory, S. L., ... & Rosche, C. (2024). Among‐population variation in drought responses is consistent across life stages but not between native and non‐native ranges. New Phytologist, 243, 922–935.

Kožić, K., Hartmann, M., Callaway, R. M., Hensen, I., Nagy, D. U., …, & Rosche, C. (2024).  Performance in the recruitment life stage and its potential contribution to invasive success in the polyploid invader Centaurea stoebe. Neobiota, 95, 309–329.

Lucas, M.S., Hensen, I., Barratt, C. D., Callaway, R. M., Durka, W., …, & Rosche, C. (2024). Re-focusing sampling, design and experimental methods to assess rapid evolution by non-native plant species. Biological Invasions, 26, 1327–1343.

Al-Gharaibeh, M. M., Bakhit, H. A., Masadeh, S., Nagy, D., & Rosche, C. (2024). Resurrecting a locally extinct species from Jordan: Pre-germination treatments affect seed dormancy, germination dynamics and seedling survival in Rosa pulverulenta. Global Ecology and Conservation, e03123.

Winkler, D. E., Garbowski, M., Kožić, K., Ladouceur, E., Larson, J., Martin, S., Rosche, C., ..., & Korell, L. (2024). Facilitating comparable research in seedling functional ecology. Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 15, 464–476.

Rauschkolb, R., Bucher, S. F., Hensen, I., Ahrends, A., …, Rosche, C., ..., & 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.

Robinson, M. L., Hahn, P., Inouye, B., Underwood, N., …, Rosche, C., ..., & Wetzel, W. C. (2023). Plant size, latitude, and phylogeny explain within-population variability in herbivory. Science, 382, 679–683.

Lehnert, M., Monjau, T., & Rosche, C. (2023). Synopsis of Osmunda (royal ferns; Osmundaceae): towards reconciliation of genetic and biogeographic patterns with morphologic variation. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, boad071.

Villasor, C., Robertson, K., Becker, T., Cahill, J. F., Deák, B., Hensen, I., Rosche, C., …, & Wagner, V. (2023). Invasion success of three cool‐season grasses in the northern prairie: a test of three hypotheses. Oikos, e10266.

Rosche, C., Baasch, A., Runge, K., Brade, P., Träger, S., Parisod, C., & Hensen, I. (2022). Tracking population genetic signatures of local extinction with herbarium specimens. Annals of Botany, 129, 857–868.

Sheng, M., Rosche, C., Al-Gharaibeh, M., Bullington, L. S., Callaway, R. M., Clark, T., ..., & Lekberg, Y. (2022). Acquisition and evolution of enhanced mutualism—an underappreciated mechanism for invasive success? The ISME Journal, 16, 2467–2478.

Lee, B. R., Miller, T. K., Rosche, C., Yang, Y., Heberling, J. M., Kuebbing, S. E., & Primack, R. B. (2022). Wildflower phenological escape differs by continent and spring temperature. Nature Communications, 13, 7157.

Sporbert, M., Jakubka, D., Bucher, S. F., …, Rosche, C., … & Römermann, C. (2022). Functional traits influence patterns in vegetative and reproductive plant phenology - a multi-botanical garden study. New Phytologist, 235, 2199–2210.

Ten recent publications (selection)

Rosche, C., Hensen, I., Schaar, A., Zehra, U., Jasieniuk, M., Callaway, R. M., Khasa, D. P., …, &  Shah, M. A. (2019). Climate not native vs. non-native ranges controls genetic structure and common garden performance of a cosmopolitan weed. Ecological Monographs, 89, e01386.

Irimia, R. E., Lopes, S. M. M., Sotes, G., Cavieres, L.A., Eren, Ö., Lortie, C. J., French, K., Hierro, R. L., Rosche, C, …, & Montesinos, D. (2019). Biogeographic differences in the allelopathy of leaf surface extracts of an invasive weed. Biological Invasions, 21, 3151-3168.

Rosche, C., Hensen, I., Heinicke, S., Silantyeva, M. M., Stolz, J., Grönning, S., & Wesche, K. (2018). Spatio-environmental determinants of the genetic structures of three steppe species in a highly fragmented landscape. Basic and Applied Ecology, 28, 48-59.

Rosche, C., Schrieber, K., Lachmuth, S., Durka, W., Hirsch, H., Wagner, V., Schleuning, M., & Hensen, I. (2018). Sex ratio rather than population size affects genetic diversity in Antennaria dioica. Plant Biology, 20, 789-796.

Rosche, C., Hensen, I., Mráz, P., Durka, W., Hartmann, M., & Lachmuth, S. (2017). Invasion success of polyploids: The role of self-incompatibility and inbreeding depression for the contrasting colonization ability of diploid and tetraploid Centaurea stoebe s.l. Journal of Ecology 105: 425-435.

Rosche, C., Hensen, I., & Lachmuth, S. (2017). The potential role of pre-adaptation and inbreeding-environment interactions for colonization of disturbed habitats: an experiment with diploid and tetraploid Centaurea stoebe. Plant Biology, 20, 75-84.

Rosche, C., Durka, W., Hensen, I., Mráz, P., Hartmann, M., Müller-Schärer, H., & Lachmuth, S. (2016). The population genetics of the fundamental cytotype-shift in invasive Centaurea stoebe s.l.: genetic diversity, genetic differentiation and small-scale genetic structure differ between cytotypes but not between ranges. Biological Invasions, 18, 1895-1910.

Nagy, D. U., Stranczinger, S., Godi, A., Weisz, A., Rosche, C., Suda, J., Mariano, M., & Pal, R. W. (2016). Does higher ploidy level increase the risk of invasion? A case study with two geo-cytotypes of Solidago gigantea Aiton (Asteraceae). Journal of Plant Ecology, 11, 317–327.

Shah, M. A., Callaway, R. M., Shah, T., Houseman, G. R., Pal, R. W., Xiao, S., Luo, W., Rosche, C, … & Chen, S. (2014). Conyza canadensis suppresses plant diversity in its nonnative ranges but not at home: a transcontinental comparison. New Phytologist, 202, 1286–1296.

Cosendai, A.-C., Wagner, J., Ladinig, U., Rosche, C, & Hörandl, E. (2013). Geographical parthenogenesis and population genetic structure in the alpine species Ranunculus kuepferi (Ranunculaceae). Heredity, 110, 560–569.

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