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My current research focuses on functional ecology with a special emphasis on fire and plant ecology. I am specifically interested in the ecological dynamics in Mediterranean and Anatolian steppe ecosystems.

My graduate work (2000-2008) included post-fire dynamics in Mediterranean vegetation. After earning a Ph.D. in ecology from Hacettepe University (Türkiye) in 2008, I began working on fire-related germination, which I continue with my research team at the Functional Ecology Lab. Later on, I expanded my area of interest to include plant-animal interactions, climate-change ecology, and germination ecology more broadly. Recently, plant functional ecology has become my primary research interest, as I enjoy creating or improving plant trait databases and exploring trait associations under functional hypotheses.

I work as a full professor in the Division of Ecology, Department of Biology at Hacettepe University, Ankara, Türkiye. For more information about my past and ongoing research projects, you can check our research page. You can access my complete scientific profile from my official personal webpage.

Selected Publications

Usta, N., Tavşanoğlu, Ç. (2026) Stage-specific responses to warming in Trojan fir across early life stages: Germination, seedling survival, and seedling growth. Ecology and Evolution 16: e72774.

Monemizadeh, Z., Siahmarguee, A., Soltani, E., Torabi, B., Baskin, C.C., Azimmohseni, M., Pausas, J.G., Tavşanoğlu, Ç., Sadeghipour, H.R., Ghaderi-Far, F. (2025) Fire and seed dormancy: A global meta-analysis. Annals of Botany 135: 1059-1074.

Tavşanoğlu, Ç., Bernardi, R. (2024) Old-growth grasslands of Central Anatolia (Türkiye) require better conservation and management. Environmental Conservation 51: 242-244

Bahar, A., Tavşanoğlu, Ç. (2024) The effect of grazing on central Anatolian steppe vegetation: A modeling approach using functional traits. Ecology and Evolution 14: e70499.

Öztürk, M.G., Bekar, İ., Tavşanoğlu, Ç. (2024) Rethinking lightning-induced fires: Spatial variability and implications for management policies. Forest Ecology and Management 572: 122262

Tüfekcioğlu, İ., Tavşanoğlu, Ç. (2024) Growth form, regeneration mode and vegetation type explain leaf trait variability at the species and community levels in Mediterranean woody vegetation. Ecology and Evolution 14: e11145.

Tavsanoglu, Ç., Pausas, J.G. (2022) Turkish postfire action overlooks biodiversity. Science 375 (6579): 391.

Tavşanoğlu, Ç., Kazancı, D.D., Soyumert, A., Ertürk, A., Değirmenci, C.Ü. (2021) Seed dispersal by the brown bear in a mixed temperate forest: Fruit type matters. Mammal Research 66: 137-147.

Kattge, J. et al. (2020) TRY plant trait database – enhanced coverage and open access. Global Change Biology 26: 119-188.

Kazancı, D.D., Tavşanoğlu, Ç. (2019) Heat shock-stimulated germination in Mediterranean Basin plants in relation to growth form, dormancy type, and distributional range. Folia Geobotanica 54: 85-98.

Tavşanoğlu, Ç., Pausas, J.G. (2018) A functional trait database for Mediterranean Basin plants. Scientific Data 5: 180135.

Tavşanoğlu, Ç., Gürkan, B. (2014) Long-term post-fire dynamics of co-occuring woody species in Pinus brutia forests: the role of regeneration mode. Plant Ecology 215: 355-365.

Çatav, Ş.S., Küçükakyüz, K., Akbaş, K., Tavşanoğlu, Ç. (2014) Smoke-enhanced seed germination in Mediterranean Lamiaceae. Seed Science Research 24: 257-264.

Moreira, B., Tavsanoglu, Ç., Pausas, J.G. (2012) Local versus regional intraspecific variability in regeneration traits. Oecologia 168: 671-677.

Şekercioğlu, Ç.H., Anderson, S., Akçay, E., Bilgin, R., Can, Ö.E., Semiz, G., Tavşanoğlu, Ç., Yokeş, M.B., Soyumert, A., İpekdal, K., Sağlam, İ.K., Yücel, M., Dalfes, H.N. (2011) Turkey’s globally important biodiversity in crisis. Biological Conservation 144: 2752-2769.