Current research

List of publications

I'm the director of Center for Macroecology Evolution and Climate(CMEC) and have an active interest in all its research activities.

My main personal research interests are patterns of species distribution, species range sizes, species assemblages, species richness and what determines such patterns (contemporary and historical factors or perhaps also just a bit of chance). Recent focus has been on the issue of climate change, the role of scale and conceptual formulation and practical design of null- and predictive models that allow direct testing of hypotheses related to patterns of diversity in the past, today and in the future. The natural "other side" of my research relates how evolutionary and ecographical principles can be used to identify robust priorities for conservation of biodiversity.

Teaching

Biodiversity (3. year, block 1), lecturer.
Conservation Biology (3. year, block 2), responsible teacher and lecturer.
Macroecology (Masterlevel, 4. year, block 4), responsible teacher and lecturer.

Other information

Elected member of the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters
Elected Member of The International Ornithological Committee
Country representative for International Biogeography Society
Fulbright Scholar
Editor-in-Chief of Ecography;
Subject Editor of Journal of Ornithology
On the publication board of Oikos, Ecography and Journal of Avian
Biology

Elected member of "Akademisk Råd", Faculty of Science, UC
Member of the board and Director of Admittance of (the Danish) International Ph.D. School of Biodiversity Sciences (ISOBIS)

CV

Short Curriculum Vitae (2018)

Carsten Rahbek, Professor (macroecology), Research leader of the ‘Biodiversity and Macroecology' Group, Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen

Nationality: Danish     Born: 3 March 1965     Age:  53     Sex: Male

Working address: 

Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate

Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15, Building 3

DK-2100 Copenhagen Ø, Denmark. Phone: +45 35 32 10 30; Email: [email protected]

Introductory remarks on publicationslist

Publication-list of peer-reviewed journal papers for the last 10 years (January 2009)

152 publications, including 86 papers in international peer-reviewed journals, 1 scientific book, 2 monographies, 5 peer-reviewed book-chapters, and 53 other articles. Of these 61 papers are ISI-listed journal publications with 1651 citations, cf. Web of Science, June 2008).

** = Papers that have received citations to pass the 1 pct threshold level set to select highly cited papers to be listed in ISI Essential Science Indicators (cf. Highly Cited Papers Thresholds) in the  "Environment/Ecology" category.

§ = Papers recommended by the Faculty 1000 within Biology.

¶ = Papers selected as Editors' Choice in Science, or subjected full Editorial papers in Science or Nature (e.g., Perspective papers or News & Views papers).

In press

Araujo, M.B., Nogués-Bravo, D., Diniz-Filho J. A. F., Haywood, A.M., Valdes, P.J., and Rahbek, C. In press. Quaternary climate changes explain diversity among reptiles and amphibians. Ecography

Colwell, R. K., Gotelli, N. J., Rahbek, C., Entsminger G. L., Farrell C., and Graves G. R. In press. Peaks, plateaus, canyons, and craters: The complex geometry of simple mid-domain effect models. Evolutionary Ecology Research.

Stensgaard, A.S., A. Jørgensen, N.B. Kabatereine, C. Rahbek and T.K. Kristensen. In press. Modeling freshwater snail habitat suitability and areas of potential snail-borne disease transmission in Uganda. Geospatial Health

Published, 2008

Bladt, J., Larsen, F. W., and Rahbek C. In press. Does taxonomic diversity in indicator groups influence their effectiveness in identifying priority areas for species conservation? Animal Conservation 

Grytnes, J. A., Beaman, J. H., Romdal T. S., and Rahbek, C. The mid-domain effect matters: simulation analyses of range-size distribution data from Mount Kinabalu, Borneo. Journal of Biogeography

Larsen F. W., Bladt J., and Rahbek C. Indicator taxa revisited: useful for conservation planning? Diversity and Distributions

Larsen F.W., Petersen, A. H., Strange, N., Lund, M.P., and Rahbek, C. A quantitative analysis of biodiversity and recreational values in potential national parks in Denmark. Environmental Management 41: 685-695

Nogués-Bravo, D., Araujo, M.B., Romdal T. S., and Rahbek, C. 2008. Scale effects and human impact on the elevational species richness gradients. Nature 453: 216-219

Pettersson, L.B. and Rahbek C. Editorial: launching Software Notes. Ecography 31: 3, 2008

Pütz, K., Helbig, A. J., Pedersen, K. T., Rahbek, C., Saurola, P., and Juvaste, R. 2008. From fledging to breeding: long-term satellite tracking of the migratory behaviour of a lesser Black-backed Gull Larus fuscus intermedius. Ringing & Migration, British Trust for Ornithology 24: 7-10

Romdal, T.S. and Rahbek C. (conditionally accepted). Elevational zonation of afrotropical forest bird communities along a homogeneous forest gradient. Journal of Biogeography

Skov, M.N. Madsen, J.J., Rahbek, C., Lodal, J., Jespersen, J.B., Jørgensen, J.C., Dietz, H.H., Chriél, M., and Baggesen, D.L. In Press. Transmission of Salmonella between wildlife and meat-production animals in Denmark. Journal of Applied Microbiology

Stephen, G. Willis, Dave G. Hole, Yvonne C. Collingham, Geoff Hilton, Carsten Rahbek and Brian Huntley. In press. Assessing the Impacts of Future Climate Change on Protected Areas Networks: A Method to Simulate Individual Species Responses. Environmental Management

Tøttrup, A. P., Thorup, K., Rainio, K., Yosef, R., Lehikoinen, E., and Rahbek, C. In press. Avian migrants adjust migration in response to environmental conditions en route. Biology Letters

Published, 2007

Araujo, M. B. and Rahbek C. 2007. Conserving biodiversity in a world of conflicts. Journal of Biogeography 34: 199-200

Burgess, N.D., A. Balmford, N. J. Cordeiro, J. Fjeldså, W. Küper, C. Rahbek, E. W. Sanderson, J. P.W. Scharlemann, H. Sommer, and P.H. Williams. 2007. Correlations among species distributions, human density and human infrastructure across the high biodiversity tropical mountains of Africa. Biological Conservation. 134: 164-177

Kissling, W. D., Rahbek, C. and Böhning-Gaese, K. 2007. Food plant diversity as broad-Scale Determinant of Avian Frugivore Richness. Proceedings of the Royal Society: Biological Sciences  274: 799-808

§   Hawkins, B. A., F. S. Albuquerque, M. B. Araújo, J. Beck, L. M. Bini, F. J. Cabrero-Sañudo, I. Castro-Parga, J. A. F. Diniz-Filho, D. Ferrer-Castán, R. Field, J. F. Gómez, J. Hortal, J. T. Kerr, I. J. Kitching, J. L. León-Cortés, J. M. Lobo, D. Montoya, J. C. Moreno, M. Á. Olalla-Tárraga, J. G. Pausas, H. Qian, C. Rahbek, M. Á. Rodríguez, N. J. Sanders, and P. Williams. 2007. A global evaluation of metabolic theory as an explanation for terrestrial species richness gradients. Ecology 88: 1877-1888

Hawkins, B. A., J. A. F. Diniz-Filho, L. M. Bini, M. B. Araújo, R. Field, J. Hortal, J. T. Kerr, C. Rahbek, M. Á. Rodríguez, and N. J. Sanders, and P. Williams. Metabolic theory and diversity gradients: where do we go from here? 2007 Ecology 88: 1898-1902

Larsen F.W., Bladt J., and Rahbek C. 2007. Improving the performance of indicator groups for the identification of important areas for conservation of species. Conservation Biology 21:731-740

Levinsky, I., Skov, F., Svenning, J., and Rahbek, C. 2007. Potential impacts of climate change on the distributions and diversity patterns of European mammals. Biodiversity and Conservation 16: 3803-3816

Pütz, K., Rahbek, C., Saurola, P., Pedersen, K.T., Juvaste, R., and Helbig, A. J. 2007. Satellite tracking of the migratory pathways of the first-year Lesser Black-backed Gulls Larus fuscus departing from the breeding grounds of different subspecies. Vogelwelt 128: 141-148

Rahbek, C. Disease ecology - The silence of the Robins. Nature: 652-653 (paper also selected and released as an Advance Online article)

§¶ Rahbek, C., Gotelli, N.J., Colwell, R. K., Entsminger, G L., Rangel T.F.L.V.B. and Graves, G.R. 2007. Predicting continental-scale patterns of bird species richness with spatially explicit models. Proceedings of the Royal Society: Biological Sciences 274:165-174. (selected as Editors' Choice in Ecology in Science 2007, vol. 315:574: given the Smithsonian Institution's "2007 National Museum of Natural History Science Achievement Award")

Thorup, K, Tøttrup, A.P and Rahbek, C. 2007. Patterns of phenological changes in migratory birds. Oecologia 151: 697-703

Walther, B. A., Schaffer N., van Niekerk A., Thuiller W., Rahbek C., Chown S.L. Modelling the winter distribution of a rare and endangered migrant, the Aquatic Warbler Acrocephalus paludicola. The Ibis 149: 701-714

Wisz, M. S., Walther, B. A., and C. Rahbek. 2007. Using potential distributions to explore determinants of Western Palaearctic migrant songbird species richness in sub-Saharan Africa. Journal of Biogeography 34:828-841

Published, 2006

Araujo M.B. and C. Rahbek. 2006. How does climate affect biodiversity. Science 313:1396-1397

Borregaard, M.K. and C. Rahbek. Prevalence of intraspecific relationships between range size and abundance in Danish birds. 2006. Diversity and Distribution 12: 417-422

Fjeldså, J. and Rahbek, C. 2006. Diversification of Tanagers, a species rich bird group, from lowlands to montane regions in South America. Integrative and Comparative Zoology. 46:72-81

** Huntley, B., Collingham, Y. C., Green, R. E., Rahbek, C. and Willis, S.G. 2006. Potential impacts of climatic change upon birds. The Ibis. 148: 8-28

Schäffer, N, Walther B. A., Gutteridge, K., and Rahbek, C. 2006. The African migration and wintering grounds of the Aquatic Warbler Acrocephalus paludicola. Bird Conservation International 16: 33-56

Strange, N., Rahbek, C., Jepsen, J.K., Lund, M. P. 2006. Using farmland prices to evaluate cost-efficiency of national versus regional reserve selection in Denmark. Biological Conservation 128: 455-466

Thorup, K. and Rahbek, C. 2006. Rariteter: Værdien af usædvanlige fugleforekomster i moderne ornitologisk forskning. Dansk Ornitologisk Forenings Tidsskrift 100, 3-4

** Tøttrup, A.P., Thorup, K., and Rahbek, C. 2006a. Patterns of change in timing of spring migration in North European songbird populations. Journal of Avian Biology. 37:84-92

Tøttrup, A.P., Thorup, K., and Rahbek, C. 2006b. Changes in timing of autumn migration in North European songbird populations. Ardea. 94:527-536-92

Published, 2005

Colwell, R. K., Rahbek, C., and Gotelli, N. J. 2005. The Mid-Domain Effect: There's a baby in the bathwater. The American Naturalist. 166: E149-E154

Fjeldså, J. and Rahbek, C. 2005. Diversification of a speciose neotropical bird group lowlands to highlands. Integrative and Comparative Zoology 44: 553-533 (Congress abstract)

** Jetz,W., Rahbek, C., and Lichstein, J.W. 2005. Local and global approaches to spatial data analysis in ecology. Global Ecology and Biogeography 14:97-98

¶   Graves, G. R. and C. Rahbek. 2005.  Source pool geometry and the assembly of continental avifaunas. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA. 102: 7871-7876 (paper discussed exclusively in a "News & Views" article in Nature, 2005, vol. 436, pp. 635-636)

Larsen, F.W. and Rahbek, C. 2005. The influence of spatial grain size on the suitability of the higher-taxon approach in continental priority-setting. Animal Conservation 8: 389-396

** Rahbek, C. 2005. The role of spatial scale and the perception of large-scale species-richness patterns. Ecology Letters 8: 224-239

Romdal, T.S., Colwell, R.K. and Rahbek, C. 2005. The influence of band sum area, domain extent and range sizes on the latitudinal mid-domain effect. Ecology. 86: 235-244

Published, 2004

¶**   Colwell, R. K., C. Rahbek, and N. J. Gotelli. 2004. The mid-domain effect and species richness patterns: what have we learned so far? The American Naturalist 163: E1-E23

§**      Jetz, W., Rahbek, C, and R.K. Colwell. 2004. The coincidence of rarity and richness and the potential historical signature of centers of endemism. Ecology Letters 7: 1180-1191

Thorup, K. and Rahbek, C. 2004. How do geometric constraints influence migration patterns. Animal biodiversity and conservation. 27:319-329

Walther B.A., Wisz M.S., and Rahbek C.  2004. Known and predicted winter distributions and habitat use of the endangered Basra reed warbler (Acrocephalus griseldis) and the near-threatened cinereous bunting (Emberiza cineracea). Journal of Ornithology 145:287-299

Published, 2003

Larsen, F. W. and C. Rahbek. 2003. Influence of scale on conservation priority setting - a test on African mammals. Biodiversity & Conservation 12: 599-614

Moore, J. L., A. Balmford, T. Brooks, N. Burgess, L. A. Hansen, C. Rahbek, and P.Williams. 2003. The performance of sub-Saharan vertebrates as indicator groups for conservation priority setting. Conservation Biology 17: 207-218

Moore, J. L., M. Folkmann, A. Balmford, T. Brooks, N. Burgess, L., C. Rahbek, P. Williams, and J. Krarup. 2003. Heuristic and optimal solutions for set-covering problems in conservation biology. Ecography 26: 591-601

Williams, P.H., Moore, J.L., Brooks, T.M., Strand, H., D'Amico, J., Wisz, M., Burgess, N.D., Balmford, A & Rahbek, C. 2003. Integrating biodiversity priorities with conflicting socio-economic values in the Guinean-Congolian forest region. Biodiversity and Conservation 12: 1297-1320

Published, 2002

Burgess, N. D., C. Rahbek, P. Williams, F. W. Larsen, and A. Balmford. 2002. How much of the vertebrate diversity of sub-Saharan Africa is represented by recent conservation proposals? Biological Conservation 107: 327-339

**      Jetz, W., and C. Rahbek. 2002. Geographic range size and determinants of avian species richness. Science 297: 1548-1551

Lund, M. P. and C. Rahbek. 2002. Cross-taxon congruence in complementarity and conservation of temperate biodiversity. Animal Conservation 5: 163-171

Moore, J. L., L. Manne, T. Brooks, N. Burgess, R. Davies, C. Rahbek, P.Williams, and A. Balmford. 2002. The distribution of cultural and biological diversity in Africa. Proceedings of the Royal Society: Biological Sciences 269: 1645-1653

Rabøl, J., and C. Rahbek.  2002. Population trends in Baltic passerine migrants, elucidated by a combination of ringing data and point- and summer-count indices. Dansk Ornitologisk Forenings Tidsskrift 96: 15-38

Walther, B. A. and C. Rahbek. 2002. Where do Palaearctic migratory birds overwinter in Africa? Dansk Ornitologisk Forenings Tidsskrift 96: 4-8

Published, 2001

**      Balmford, A., J. L. Moore, T. Brooks, N. Burgess, L. A. Hansen, P. Williams, and C. Rahbek. 2001. Conservation conflicts across Africa. Science 291: 2616-2619

Balmford, A., J. Moore, T. Brooks, N. Burgess, L. A. Hansen, J. C. Lovett, S. Tokumine, P. Williams, F. I. Woodward, and C. Rahbek. 2001. People and biodiversity in Africa. Science 293: 1591-1592

Brooks, T., A. Balmford, N. Burgess, J. Fjeldså, L. A. Hansen, J. Moore, C. Rahbek, and P. Williams. Toward a blueprint for conservation in Africa. 2001. BioScience 51: 613-624 (including frontcover)

Brooks, T., A. Balmford, N. Burgess, L. A. Hansen, J. L. Moore, C. Rahbek, P. Williams, L. Bennun, A. Byaruhanga, P. Kasoma, P. Njoroge, D. Pomeroy, and M. Wendaerash. 2001. Conservation priorities for birds and biodiversity: do East African Important Bird Areas represent species diversity in other terrestrial vertebrate groups? Ostrich Supplement 15: 3-12

**      Jetz, W., and C. Rahbek. 2001. Geometric constraints explain much of the species richness pattern in African birds. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA 98: 5661-5666

Moore, J., A. Balmford, T. Brooks, N. Burgess, L. A. Hansen, P. Williams, and C. Rahbek. Complementarity Analyses Reveal Extent of Conservation Conflict in Africa. Science Online 21 November 2001

¶**   Rahbek, C. and G. R. Graves. 2001. Multiscale assessment of patterns of avian species richness. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA 98: 4534-4539. (selected as Editor's Choice in Ecology in Science 2001, vol 292:399)

Published, 2000

Romdal, T. and C. Rahbek. 2001.  Elevational zonation of bird communities in afrotropical forests. Ostrich Supplement 15: 130

Burgess, N. D., H. de Klerk, J. Fjeldså, T. M. Crowe, and C. Rahbek.  2000.  A preliminary assessments of congruence between biodiversity patterns in Afrotropical forest mammals and forest birds. Ostrich 71: 286-291

da Fonseca, G., A. Balmford, C. Bibby, L. Boitani, F. Corsi, T. Brooks, C. Gascon, S. Olivieri, A. Mittermeier, N. Burgess,  E. Dinerstein,  D. Olson, L. Hannah, J. Lovett, R., D. Moyer, C. Rahbek, S. Stuart and P. Williams. 2000. Following Africa's lead in setting priorities. Nature 405:393-394

Rahbek, C., and G. R. Graves. 2000.  Detection of macroecological patterns in South American hummingbirds is affected by spatial scale. Proceedings of the Royal Society: Biological Sciences 267: 2259-2265

Mace, G. M., A. Balmford, L Boitani, G. Cowlishaw, A. P. Dobson, D. P. Faith, K. J. Gaston, C. J. Humphries, R. I. Vane-Wright, P. H. Williams, J. H. Lawton, C. R. Murgules, R. M. May, A. O. Nicholls, H. P. Possingham, C. Rahbek, and A. S. van Jaarsveld. 2000. It's time to work together and stop duplicating conservation efforts Nature 205: 393

Williams, P. H., N. D. Burgess, and C. Rahbek.  2000. Assessing large 'flagship' species for representing the diversity of sub-Saharan mammals. Page 85-99 in A. Entwistle and N. Dunstone, editors. Has the Panda had its day? Future priorities for the conservation of mammalian biodiversity. Cambridge University Press

Williams, P. H., N. D. Burgess, and C. Rahbek.  2000.  Flagship species, ecological complementarity and conserving the diversity of mammals and birds in Sub-Saharan Africa. Animal Conservation 3:249-260

Williams, P. H., N. D. Burgess, and C. Rahbek.  2000.  Flagship species, ecological complementarity and conserving the diversity of mammals and birds in Sub-Saharan Africa (vol. 3, part 3, pg 258, 2000). Animal Conservation 3:365-365

Published, 1999

Fjeldså, J., N. Burgess, H. de Klerk, L. Hansen, and C. Rahbek.  1999.  Are Endemic Bird Areas the best targets for conservation? An assessment using all landbirds distributions of two continents. In Adams, N and R. Slotow (eds). Proceedings of the 22^nd International Ornithological Congress, BirdLife South Africa, Johannesburg

Rahbek, C. and J. J. Madsen.  1999. Zoological Museum's Bird Ringing Center and ringing in Denmark in the 100-year anniversary for the invention of ringing. Dansk Ornitologisk Forenings Tidsskrift 93:195-205. (In Danish)

Published, 1998

Burgess, N. D., J. Fjeldså, and C. Rahbek.  1998.  Mapping the distributions of Afrotropical vertebrate groups. Species 30:16-17

Fjeldså, J., and C. Rahbek.  1998-a.  Continent-wide conservation priorities and diversification processes. Pages 139-160 In G. M. Mace, A. Balmford and J. R. Ginsberg, editors. Conservation in a changing world. Integrating processes into priorities for action. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge

Fjeldså, J., and C. Rahbek.  1998-b.  Priorities for conservation in Bolivia, illustrated by a continent-wide analysis of bird distributions. Pages 313-327 In W. Barthlott and M. Winiger, editors. Biodiversity - a challenge for development research and policy. Springer Verlag, Heidelberg.