Marlene Charlotte Mellwig
Visiting student
MSc: “Peatland biodiversity responses to wildfire above and below-ground after five years of recovery”
Academic background:
My main interest lies in peatland research, which I developed during a semester-long placement for my BEng degree in Landscape Planning and Nature Conservation. To pursue my interest in that field, I explored the calculation of potential greenhouse gas emission savings from a partial rewetting of the Northern Wieting Moor, including planning of measures and cost calculation, in my BEng thesis. I then started an MSc in Landscape Ecology and Nature Conservation at the University of Greifswald, Germany. My time working in an agency for environmental planning and ecological assessments and as a project assistant at the ‘Michael Succow Foundation’ for peatland and climate protection allowed me to deepen my knowledge of peatlands and biodiversity.
My current research project is a collaboration between the University of Greifswald, the Environmental Research Institute at UHI North, West and Hebrides and the Institute for Biodiversity and Freshwater Conservation at UHI Inverness. My research focus is on peatland biodiversity responses to wildfire above and below-ground after five years of recovery. For that I analyse vegetation surveys five years post-fire as well as the eDNA of soil invertebrates at two field sites in the UNESCO World Heritage Site “Flow Country” in the north of Scotland.
Research Interests :
- The impact of peatland fires on their ecology and biodiversity
- eDNA of peatland invertebrates
- Peatland restoration and paludiculture
Past projects:
BEng: “Calculation of potential greenhouse gas emission savings from a partial rewetting of the Northern Wieting Moor, including planning of measures and cost calculation” (2022)