Andre Velescu

Biogeochemistry, Element cycling, Soil chemistry, Soil physics, Ecosystem research, Soil and water analysis

Topics

Element cycles and nutrient input in a tropical montane forest in the Andes of South Ecuador
Nutrient manipulation experiments in tropical ecosystem research
Tracer experiments with ¹⁵N isotopes to study the fate and transformation of Nitrogen in temperate and tropical ecosystems
Monitoring of environmental field parameters using automatic data collection

Curriculum Vitae

Since 2015	Researcher and head of the laboratory at the Institute of Geography and Geoecology of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Geomorphology and Soil Science Group.
Since 2011	PhD position at the Institute of Geography of the University of Bern, Soil Science Group. Title of the Dissertation: „Response of element cycles to increased nutrient input in a tropical montane rain forest in South Ecuador“.
2009-2010	Research assistant at the Institute of Geography of the Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Chair of Physical Geography.
2002-2009	Study of Geography, Geology and Geochemistry at the Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen. Title of the Diploma thesis: “Heterogeneity of soil factors in the humid-tropical mountainous landscape of the Río Huehuetán catchment (Chiapas, Mexico)”.

Projects

Since 2018	Nutrient supply as driver of biomass production and associated ecosystem water fluxes along a land-use and climate gradient (DFG, WI 1601/26-1). The project is part of the DFG Research Unit 2730 - Environmental changes in biodiversity hotspot ecosystems of South Ecuador: response and feedback effects (RESPECT). www.tropicalmountainforest.org
2014-2017	Nutrient cycles and their response to climate change in a tropical montane rain forest in the Andes of South Ecuador. Project of the Research Platform DFG PAK 823-825: Platform for Biodiversity, Ecosystem Monitoring and Research in South Ecuador. www.tropicalmountainforest.org
2011–2013	Response of element cycles in a tropical mountain rain forest to environmental and land-use change. Project of the Research Unit DFG FOR 816: Biodiversity and Sustainable Management of a Megadiverse Mountain Ecosystem in South Ecuador. www.tropicalmountainforest.org
2011–2013	Effects of plant diversity on the soil nutrient cycle. Project of the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNF) within the framework of the DFG Research Unit FOR 1451: Exploring mechanisms underlying the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. www.jena-experiment.de
2007–2009	Investigation of water resources in the catchment of the Río Huehuetán, Chiapas, Mexico. Research project of the Mexican Water Commission (CONAGUA), México D.F., Mexico.

Presentations

Oral presentations

Velescu, A., Leimer, S., Valarezo, C., Wilcke, W. (2019): Total organic carbon concentrations in ecosystem solutions of a remote tropical montane forest respond to global environmental change. Conference of the German Society of Soil Science and of the Swiss Soil Science Society, 25.-28. August 2019, Bern.

Fabian, T., Velescu, A., Nellessen, T., Wilcke, W. (2019): Sodium limitation of soil fauna affects decomposition processes in a tropical montane forest in South Ecuador. Conference of the German Society of Soil Science and of the Swiss Soil Science Society, 25.-28. August 2019, Bern.

Velescu, A., Bigalke, M., Boy, J., Valarezo, C., Wilcke, W. (2018): Biological vs. abiotic control of base metal budgets in a tropical montane forest in South Ecuador. Annual Conference of the Society for Tropical Ecology, 26.-30. March 2018, Paris.

Fabian, T., Velescu, A., Wilcke, W. (2018): Sodium retention in the canopy of a tropical montane forest in South Ecuador. Annual Conference of the Society for Tropical Ecology, 26.-30. March 2018, Paris.

Velescu, A., Leimer, S., Willimann, E., Trachte, K., Peters, T., Rollenbeck, R., Bendix, J., Wilcke, W. (2016): Response of element budgets of a tropical montane forest to climate change and nitrogen deposition. Annual Conference of the Society for Tropical Ecology, 23.-26. April 2016, Göttingen.

Leimer, S., Velescu, A., Peña Herrera, J.M., Emck, P., Peters, T., Rollenbeck, R., Trachte, K., Bendix, J., Wilcke, W. (2015): Biogeochemical and biological responses of a tropical montane ecosystem in Ecuador to environmental change. Conference of the German Society of Soil Science, 5.-10. September 2015, München.

Bandowe, B.A.M., Meusel, H., Leimer, S., Velescu, A., Strecker, T., Oelmann, Y., Eisenhauer, N., Scheu, S., Hoffmann, T., Wilcke, W. (2015): The effect of plant diversity on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and their derivatives in soils: Results from the Jena Experiment. Conference of the German Society of Soil Science, 5.-10. September 2015, München.

Velescu, A., Homeier, J., Wilcke, W. (2015): Response of dissolved organic matter in ecosystem solutions to moderate N, P and N+P additions to a tropical montane forest in southern Ecuador. Annual Conference of the Society for Tropical Ecology, 7.-10. April 2015, Zürich.

Velescu, A., Homeier, J., Wilcke, W. (2014): Low-level N, P and N+P amendments to a tropical montane forest in Ecuador: Response of C and N cycles during the first five years. Annual Conference of the Society for Tropical Ecology, 24.-28. February 2014, Freising.

Camenzind, T., Donnellan Barraclough, A.M., Gensing, A., Hempel, S., Hertel, D., Homeier, J., Velescu, A., Rillig, M.C. (2013): Arbuscular mycorrhizal abundance and community structure observed in a tropical montane forest in response to nutrient additions. Annual Conference of the Society for Ecology, 9.-13. September 2013, Potsdam.

Velescu, A., Valarezo, C., Wilcke, W. (2012): Biogeochemical responses to increasing N deposition in a tropical mountain forest in southern Ecuador. Annual Conference of the Society for Tropical Ecology, 20.-24. February 2012, Erlangen.

Poster

Fabian, T., Velescu, A., Camenzind, T., Wilcke, W., Rillig, M.C. (2017): Sodium in a tropical montane forest in South Ecuador: demand of phyllosphere microorganisms and effects on decomposition. Conference of the German Society of Soil Science, 3.-6. September 2017, Göttingen.

Velescu, A., Fabian, T., Wilcke, W. (2016): Nutrient availability drives dissolved organic matter cycling in a tropical montane forest of Ecuador. Annual Conference of the Society for Tropical Ecology, 23.-26. April 2016, Göttingen.

Fabian, T., Velescu, A., Camenzind, T., Wilcke, W., Rillig, M.C. (2016): Sodium shortage increases Na retention in the phyllosphere and affects decomposition processes in a tropical montane forest in South Ecuador. Annual Conference of the Society for Tropical Ecology, 23.-26. April 2016, Göttingen.

Leimer, S., Velescu, A., Valarezo, C., Wilcke, W. (2015): 17 years of biogeochemical data from a remote tropical montane forest in Ecuador: Tracing changes in the N cycle under environmental change. General Assembly of the European Geoscience Union, 12-17. April 2015, Wien.

Velescu, A., Camenzind, T., Herpich, L., Wilcke, W., Rillig, M.C. (2015): Do fungi need salt licks? Sodium shortage in tropical forests affects decomposition processes. Annual Conference of the Society for Tropical Ecology, 7.-10. April 2015, Zürich.

Camenzind, T., Hempel, S., Hertel, D., Homeier, J., Horn, S., Olsson, P.A., Velescu, A., Wilcke, W., Rillig, M.C. (2014): Nitrogen and phosphorus additions impact arbuscular mycorrhizal abundance and molecular diversity in a tropical montane forest in southern Ecuador. New Phytologist Symposium, 14.-16. Mai 2014, Zürich.

Velescu, A., Oelmann, Y., Wilcke, W. (2011): Ein ¹⁵N-Tracer-Experiment zur Aufklärung des Zusammenhangs zwischen Pflanzendiversität und Stickstoffumsatzraten in einem experimentellen Grünlandökosystem. Conference of the German Society of Soil Science, 3.-9. September 2011. Berlin and Potsdam.

Publications

Contributions in peer-reviewed journals

2021Dantas de Paula, M., Forrest, M., Langan, L., Bendix, J., Homeier, J., Velescu, A., Wilcke, W., Hickler, T. (2021): Nutrient cycling drives plant community trait assembly and ecosystem functioning in a tropical mountain biodiversity hotspot. New Phytologist 232(2), pp. 551–566. Unter den Bedingungen von Open Access verfügbar

Unter den Bedingungen von Open Access verfügbar

10.1111/nph.17600

Velescu, A., Homeier, J., Bendix, J., Valarezo, C., Wilcke, W. (2021): Response of water-bound fluxes of potassium, calcium, magnesium and sodium to nutrient additions in an Ecuadorian tropical montane forest. Forest Ecology and Management 501, pp. 119661. 10.1016/j.foreco.2021.119661

2020Knoke, T., Paul, C., Rammig, A., Gosling, E., Hildebrand, P., Härtl, F., Peters, T., Richter, M., Diertl, K., Castro, L. M., Calvas, B., Ochoa, S., Valle-Carrión, L. A., Hamer, U., Tischer, A., Potthast, K., Windhorst, D., Homeier, J., Wilcke, W., Velescu, A., Gerique, A., Pohle, P., Adams, J., Breuer, L., Mosandl, R., Beck, E., Weber, M., Stimm, B., Silva, B., Verburg, P. H., Bendix, J. (2020): Accounting for multiple ecosystem services in a simulation of land‐use decisions: Does it reduce tropical deforestation? Global Change Biology 26(4), pp. 2403–2420. Unter den Bedingungen von Open Access verfügbar 10.1111/gcb.15003

Lama, S., Velescu, A., Leimer, S., Weigelt, A., Chen, H., Eisenhauer, N., Scheu, S., Oelmann, Y., Wilcke, W. (2020): Plant diversity influenced gross nitrogen mineralization, microbial ammonium consumption and gross inorganic N immobilization in a grassland experiment. Oecologia 193, pp. 731–748. Unter den Bedingungen von Open Access verfügbar 10.1007/s00442-020-04717-6

Wilcke, W., Velescu, A., Leimer, S., Blotevogel, S., Alvarez, P., Valarezo, C. (2020): Total organic carbon concentrations in ecosystem solutions of a remote tropical montane forest respond to global environmental change. Global Change Biology 26(12), pp. 6989–7005. Unter den Bedingungen von Open Access verfügbar 10.1111/gcb.15351

2019Bandowe, B. A. M., Leimer, S., Meusel, H., Velescu, A., Dassen, S., Eisenhauer, N., Hoffmann, T., Oelmann, Y., Wilcke, W. (2019): Plant diversity enhances the natural attenuation of polycyclic aromatic compounds (PAHs and oxygenated PAHs) in grassland soils. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 129, pp. 60–70. 10.1016/j.soilbio.2018.10.017

Wilcke, W., Velescu, A., Leimer, S., Bigalke, M., Boy, J., Valarezo, C. (2019): Temporal trends of phosphorus cycling in a tropical montane forest in Ecuador during 14 years. Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences 124, pp. 1329–1386. 10.1029/2018JG004942

2017Wilcke, W., Velescu, A., Leimer, S., Bigalke, M., Boy, J., Valarezo, C. (2017): Biological vs. geochemical control and environmental change drivers of the base metal budgets of a tropical montane forest in Ecuador during 15 years. Biogeochemistry 136, pp. 167–189. 10.1007/s10533-017-0386-x

2016Velescu, A., Valarezo, C., Wilcke, W. (2016): Response of dissolved carbon and nitrogen concentrations to moderate nutrient additions in a tropical montane forest of south Ecuador. Frontiers in Earth Science 4, pp. 58. Unter den Bedingungen von Open Access verfügbar 10.3389/feart.2016.00058

2014Camenzind, T., Hempel, S., Homeier, J., Horn, S., Velescu, A., Wilcke, W., Rillig, M. C. (2014): Nitrogen and phosphorus additions impact arbuscular mycorrhizal abundance and molecular diversity in a tropical montane forest. Global Change Biology 20, pp. 3646–3659. 10.1111/gcb.12618

2010Velescu, A., Meßmer, T., Scholten, T., Kühn, P. (2010): Removal of short-range order minerals prior to grain size analysis of volcanic ash soils. Journal of Plant Nutrition and Soil Science 173, pp. 799–804. 10.1002/jpln.201000111

Contributions in journals and series (not peer-reviewed)

2022Fabian, T., Velescu, A., Espinosa, C. I., Wilcke, W. (2022): Vertical distribution of the carbon isotope ratios in soils to predict nitrogen mineralization rates under forest and pasture along an elevational gradient in South Ecuador. Tabebuia Bulletin - DFG Research Unit 2730 9, pp. 11–13. 10.5678/9xq8-jy86

2020Fabian, T., Velescu, A., Hartleif, K., Wilcke, W. (2020): Soil properties of the cloud forest in Cajanuma and of the pastures along an elevation gradient from 1000 to 3000 m a.s.l. Tabebuia Bulletin - DFG Research Unit 2730 7, pp. 9. 10.5678/lcrs/for2730.cit.1817

Wilcke, W., Velescu, A. (2020): Response of soil nutrient supply in the tropical montane forest in South Ecuador to climate and landuse change along an elevation gradient from 1000 to 3000 m above sea level. Tabebuia Bulletin - DFG Research Unit 2730 8, pp. 13–15. 10.5678/lcrs/for2730.cit.1857

2019Fabian, T., Velescu, A., Wilcke, W. (2019): Soil development on heterogeneous parent material under tropical montane forest in South Ecuador. Tabebuia Bulletin - DFG Research Unit 2730 6, pp. 8. 10.5678/lcrs/for2730.cit.1736

2015Fabian, T., Velescu, A., Wilcke, W. (2015): Canopy Organisms Retain Sodium in the Tropical Montane Forest. Tabebuia Bulletin - DFG Research PAK 823-825 4, pp. 14f. 10.5678/lcrs/pak823-825.cit.1412

Velescu, A., Wilcke, W. (2015): Increased nitrogen and phosphorus availability stimulates the mineralization of dissolved organic matter in the tropical montane forest of South Ecuador. Tabebuia Bulletin - DFG Research PAK 823-825 3, pp. 12f. 10.5678/lcrs/pak823-825.cit.1399

2012Velescu, A., Valarezo, C., Wilcke, W. (2012): Response of the forest to elevated nitrogen deposition. TMF Newsletter of the DFG Research Unit 816 16, pp. 12. Unter den Bedingungen von Open Access verfügbar 10.5678/lcrs/for816.cit.1081

Book chapters

2020Wilcke, W., Velescu, A., Leimer, S., Valarezo, C. (2020): Water and Nutrient Budgets of Organic Layers and Mineral Topsoils Under Tropical Montane Forest in Ecuador in Response to 15 Years of Environmental Change. pp. 565–586. In: Levia, D. F., Carlyle-Moses, D. E., Iida, S., Michalzik, B., Nanko, K., Tischer, A. (ed.): Forest-Water Interactions. Ecological Studies 240, Springer, Cham. 10.1007/978-3-030-26086-6_23

2016Velescu, A., Wilcke, W. (2016): Rising Nitrogen Inputs to the Tropical Mountain Rain Forests. pp. 80–85. In: Bogner, F. X., Bendix, J., Beck, E. (ed.): Biodiversity Hotspot Tropical Mountain Rainforest. Naturaleza y Cultura Internacional, Loja, Ecuador.