Scientist
Disciplinary Background:
I studied biology, completed my Ph.D. in soil quality and am now working at the Institute of Grassland Science in the Faculty of Agriculture. The red line throughout this development is the quest for improving the sustainability of grassland production systems. At first, I focussed on nutrient losses (especially nitrous oxide) and fertilisation. Since 2005, my main emphasis is on the role of plant diversity for nutrient and water use and thus productivity and resilience.
Research Interests:
- Use of plant diversity for increasing productivity, sustainability and resilience of grassland production systems in a changing climate
- Influence of large grazers on biodiversity and nutrient balances
- Production and sources of nitrous oxide (N2O)
- Use of stable isotopes in ecological research
Current Projects:
- "Increasing grassland diversity by extensive grazing" More information about this project is available here.
- "Microbial sources of nitrous oxide: The contribution of nitrifier denitrification" in collaboration with D. Kool, J.W. van Groenigen and O. Oenema from Wageningen University and Research Centre
- Fodder production on permanent grassland in Lower Saxony under climate change - strategies for dealing with increasing variability of climatic factors; Subproject in research network 'Klimafolgenforschung - Szenarien für die Klimaanpassung' (KLIFF)
From October 2007 to 2009, Nicole Wrage was fellow of the Fast Track Programme of the Robert Bosch Foundation (Fast Track).