Prøveforelesning og disputas - Master i biologi Eva Breitschopf

Trial lecture on assigned topic will take place at 10.15: 

“Why are people visiting green areas? The multifunctionality of urban green spaces, trade-offs between different interests, effects of maintenance and the role of ecology.” 

Later, at 12.15 she will defend her thesis entitled: 

“Advancing the Integration of Ecology in Landscape Architecture: Employing the Concept of Ecological Filtering to Bridge the Functioning and Aesthetics of Biodiversity. Insights from Perception to Practice” 

Dean at Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and Economics Roy Ambli Dalmo will lead the defense. 

Popular Science Summary: 
The biodiversity crisis emphasizes the need for landscape architecture to integrate ecological knowledge into designed landscapes. However, this integration faces two key challenges: the complexity of ecological knowledge and the assumption that landscape designs based on ecological principles receive low public appreciation. This thesis addresses these challenges through a multi-angled approach.
Aiming to make ecological knowledge more accessible to landscape architects, the thesis introduces the Ecological Filters Framework. This conceptual tool, grounded in community ecology, adapts the concept of environmental filtering to structure relevant ecological knowledge into actionable categories.
To investigate the state of the art of ecology integration in European landscape architecture, this framework was applied in a systematic project review. This review revealed limited integration of ecological principles in European landscape architecture projects, particularly regarding biotic factors and feedback mechanisms essential for ecosystem functioning.
Addressing the assumption of low public appreciation for biodiverse designs, two experimental studies in this thesis explore the aesthetics of biodiversity in herbaceous plant communities.
Collecting biologists’ and laypeople’s opinions on photographs of assembled plant communities demonstrated that perceived species richness positively correlated with aesthetic appreciation. However, misperceptions of species evenness and turnover were common, especially among laypeople.
An onsite survey of public opinion on biodiverse, ornamental flowerbeds created employing the Ecological Filters Framework showed that "messiness" inherent in biodiverse vegetation was not a barrier to appreciation. Instead, higher productivity, correlated with increasing species richness, enhanced aesthetic appeal.
This thesis highlights the interconnected roles of biodiversity, ecosystem functioning, and aesthetics in designed landscapes. The findings suggest that high biodiversity can enhance aesthetic appeal, encouraging designs that incorporate functional plant communities. The Ecological Filters Framework might offer valuable guidance for the creation of biodiverse, functional, and visually appealing environments by supporting the integration of ecological principles into landscape architecture.

Evaluation Committee: 

• Professor Marcus Hedblom, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Sweden (1. opponent) 
• Associate professor Siri Lie Olsen, NMBU (2. opponent) 
• Associate professor Jarad Mellard, AMB (internal member and leader of the committee) 

 Supervisors: 

• Professor Kari Anne Bråthen, AMB 
• Professor Thomas Juel Clemmensen, Academy of Arts, UMAK 

Streaming

Both defense and trial lecture will be streamed and recorded from store auditorium E-101 at NFH: 

Trial lecture 

Disputation

Thesis: 

The thesis is available in Munin (lenke kommer)