معرفی
Meelis Pärtel is a full Professor of Botany at the University of Tartu’s Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, affiliated with the Faculty of Science and Technology. He has held this position since 2002, with continuous academic service at the university since 1991. His career includes roles such as Editor-in-Chief of prominent journals like Journal of Vegetation Science and leadership in national and international ecological organizations.
- Education: PhD in Botany (1997, University of Tartu), postdoctoral studies at the University of Regina (Canada) and Uppsala University (Sweden).
- Honors: Estonian State Science Awards (2024, 2009), Order of the White Star (2023), and Academia Europaea Young Scientist Award (1996).
Research focuses on macroecology, plant trait evolution, and dark diversity theory. He explores how environmental heterogeneity and historical processes shape biodiversity. Key themes include community assembly rules, conservation strategies for plant diversity, and impacts of global change.
Recent work emphasizes dark diversity—species expected but absent in local communities—and its implications for conservation. His studies span global grasslands, tropical forests, and temperate ecosystems, addressing biodiversity loss mechanisms. Notable projects include analyzing drought impacts on grasslands and quantifying functional diversity changes.
Publications highlight methodological advancements in dark diversity modeling and collaborative global ecology initiatives. Supervised over a dozen postdoctoral researchers, fostering international collaborations in biodiversity research.
