Dr. Benjamin Delory

Biography

Benjamin Delory is an Assistant Professor at Utrecht University, focused on functional, chemical, and community ecology, particularly fascinated by plant-plant and plant-soil interactions. His research aims to understand the mechanisms that moderate these interactions in both natural and managed ecosystems, especially in the context of species coexistence, assembly, and biodiversity amid global change. He employs experiments to investigate how various interacting factors, particularly nutrient enrichment, influence biodiversity and the underlying mechanisms driving plant-soil interactions. Delory believes that understanding these processes is crucial for developing effective strategies to protect and restore biodiversity. His specific interests in grassland ecosystems include examining the roles of soil chemical compounds in mediating belowground interactions among neighboring plants and soil organisms. He is currently leading a research project that tests a functional trait-based framework to predict how plant species alter the soil metabolome in response to soil metabolites, known as ChemLEGACY. Delory has also explored how the order of plant arrival influences the structure and functioning of grassland communities, with a strong focus on root distribution through the POEM experiment. His research methodology includes a variety of approaches, such as experimental manipulations in both field and controlled environments, as well as plant phenotyping and metabolomic analyses. Additionally, he is interested in functional-structural plant modeling to complement experimental approaches and enhance the understanding of species interactions. Delory serves as a section editor for Plant and Soil and as an associate editor for the Journal of Ecology.

Research Interests