Manuela Winkler

Manuela Winkler is a Priv.-Doz. Dr. (equivalent to Associate Professor) at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU), affiliated with the Department of Ecosystem Management, Climate and Biodiversity. She holds teaching authorization in ecology and evolution of plants and is actively involved in both research and teaching at BOKU.

Her research focuses on alpine plant ecology, climate change impacts, functional seed trait ecology, and long-term vegetation monitoring. She is a key contributor to the GLORIA (Global Observation Research Initiative in Alpine Environments) network and has conducted extensive fieldwork in the European Alps and beyond.

Her work spans community assembly processes, polyploidy and speciation, phylogeography, and plant–environment interactions across elevation gradients. She has published extensively in high-impact journals, with over 50 peer-reviewed articles since 2005, many of which are co-authored with international collaborators.

Scientific Contributions:

• Led long-term alpine vegetation monitoring across Europe
• Developed novel methodologies for analyzing plant functional traits and community dynamics
• Investigated the role of microclimates and microtopography in shaping alpine plant distributions
• Contributed to global databases such as SoilTemp, ReSurveyEurope, and GrassPlot

Advising & Collaborations:

While specific student names are not listed, her extensive publication record indicates active supervision and collaboration with graduate students and postdocs. She is involved in international research networks and has coordinated cross-site comparative studies across European mountain ranges.

Labs & Teams:

She is associated with the gGLORI research group at BOKU, which focuses on alpine biodiversity and climate change. Her work is supported by long-term monitoring infrastructure and collaborative projects across Austria and Europe.