.		.	VIENNA ECOLOGY CENTRE .* University of Vienna   Faculty of  Life Sciences	.		.

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The integration of research within the institute follows four major topics:
1. Physiological processes (signal transduction, stress physiology, e.g. heavy metals, functional response towards enhanced CO2-levels)
2. Biotic interactions (e.g. between prokaryonts and eukaryonts, symbioses, parasitism, allelopathic interactions among plants)
3. Conservation biology, ecological sustainability and restoration of terrestrial, limnic and marine systems (system ecology with regard to biodiversity patterns and the flow of energy and recycling of nutrients in terrestrial, alpine and pannonian landscapes, urban and cultural systems and fluvial wetlands). Restoration ecology has become a prominent research area of the institute.
4. Ecology in a changing environment: effects of global change. The existing strength and expertise in this major research field and the scope of the internal cooperations is outlined in more detail below.

The general research orientation is in line with the research perspectives of the Science faculty: Within the integrative research clusters “Geo-and Biosphere Research” the interests of the IECB are:
· Evolutionary physiology; the evolution of adapted mechanisms with special regard to man-made changes and environmental stress factors
· Global change research
· System research in terrestrial and aquatic systems with special emphasis on conservation and sustainability

Within the Bio-and Pharma- Research cluster the interests are:
· Molecular architecture
· biotic interaction mechanisms

Overview of the main research topics of the divisions

DOME
Microbial ecology with special emphasis on interactions between pro-and eukaryonts (e.g. Chlamydia)
Diversity, genomics and ecophysiology of bacteria in the nitrogen cycles
Evolution and ecology of sulfate-reducing bacteria.

CELL
Stress responses (e.g. heavy metals, UV-B) and environmental signal transduction at the plant cellular and the molecular level.
Development of plant cells (cytoskeleton)
Ecology of carnivorous plants: uptake mechanisms, role of symbiosis

CHEM
Adaptive mechanisms in chemical plant physiology (carbohydrate metabolism; stress metabolites)
Ecosystem physiology (C,N flow; stable isotope methodology)
Global change
Arctic-alpine, rainforests, wetlands

HP4
Primary Productivity and interference of plants
Effects of CO2, Ozone, UV-B and drought. Development of a plant physiological diagnosis line (leaf anatomy, growth analysis, energy partitioning).
Global change; competition and allelopathy (bio-chemical interactions)
Natural stands, managed forests and arable lands

ECOPH
Stress physiology of plants (heavy metals, UV-B)
System analysis of urban and cultural landscapes (material flow)

VEGEC
Landscape ecology (classification, monitoring and functional analysis); vegetation ecology and conservation biology of terrestrial landscapes (inventories for conservation, management and restoration)
High expertise in GIS; vegetation development and global change
(alpine zones, wetlands)

TEREC
Soil ecology
Pannonian and Mediterranean ecosystems: conservation and biotope management

HYDRO
Ecology of river corridors –function of ecotones
Algae and macrophytes: Functional role and bioindicators for man-made changes
Danube catchment

LIMNO
Ecology of river corridors (riverscapes), ecohydrology and biogeochemistry (C,P,N –flow)
Microbial ecology (floodplains and bedsediments)
Benthic & pelagic communities, fish: bioindication
Conservation and restoration of riverine landscapes
Danube catchment

MARE
Benthic marine ecology
Symbiosis between bacteria and invertebrates
Anthropogenic influences in coastal waters
Mediterrenean and Deep Sea

Research integration and major research focus

The following “matrix of internal research interactions” identifies xisting research links between the divisions of the institute and forms a basis for enhancing the internal networking.
(white = joint utilisation of instruments, shaded = joint individual programes, graduate students, and publications, black = joint large scale research programes, etc.)

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.	.	..
.	postal address: Institut für Ökologie und Naturschutz, Althanstr. 14, A-1090 WIEN, Austria
..	Oekologie@univie.ac.at	[++43 - 1]-4277-54201, Fax: -9542
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..	last update: jan 11 2001,	..
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