Dr. Jesse Kalwij

Interest in Research and Teaching:
Invasive and exotic plant species: Dispersal mechanisms, genetic patterns, elevational distribution, and human impact on invasive species.
Vegetation dynamics in savanna and grassland systems: Influence of large herbivores, management measures, and climate change on plant composition and diversity.
Vegetation changes along landscape gradients: Elevational, climatic, and disturbance gradients, such as the spread of species along roads or in montane ecosystems.
Functional diversity and adaptation to environmental variables: Relationship between stress resistance and range size, functional redundancy, local adaptation in invasive species.
Remote sensing and drone use in vegetation ecology: Use of UAVs (drones) and high-resolution imagery for analyzing tree structures, species composition, and vegetation changes.
Long-term effects of landscape use and management: Impacts of bush encroachment, artificial waterhole management, and roadside verges on vegetation and biodiversity.
Plant dispersal by biotic vectors: Role of animals (e.g., birds, mammals) in long-distance transport of plant propagules.
Spatio-temporal analysis of ecological patterns: Spatially-explicit data analyses, and development of large-scale databases.
Methods to assess and interpret large-scale biodiversity data: Use and evaluation of species distribution data, sampling bias, and biodiversity indicators.

Courses Taught:
Geoinformatik 2

Projects:
Lapalala Elephant Landscape Experiment (LELE Projekt)
Sani Pass Alien plants Monitoring Project (SPAM Projekt)

Qualification and Education:
05/2005 PhD (Dr. phil.-nat., University of Bern)
01/2000 MSc (Wageningen University)

Current academic positions:
Since 10/2025: Academic staff, Institute of Geography, University of Göttingen
Since 2013: Visiting Senior Research Fellow, Department of Zoology, University of Johannesburg
Since 2022: Guest researcher, Institute of Geography and Geoecology, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
Since 10/2025: Guest researcher, Institute of Environmental Planning, University of Hannover.


Travel and Abroad works:
Europe, southern Africa

Memberships:
• Associate Editor für Plant Ecology und Koedoe
• International Association for Vegetation Science
• Nederlands-Vlaamse vereniging voor ecologie


Link to: Orcid, LinkedIn