Dahlem Centre of Plant Sciences (DCPS)
The Dahlem Centre of Plant Sciences (DCPS) is a research focus area of the Freie Universität Berlin, implemented in June 2009. The goal is to establish in Berlin-Dahlem, a site with a strong history in plant science research, an internationally visible plant science centre, including one of the world´s largest botanical gardens and collections. The DCPS covers a wide spectrum of plant science disciplines, provides a platform for interdisciplinary collaborative research initiatives and supports a variety of outreach activities. Members of the DCPS are involved in teaching plant biology at different levels including programs for the general public.
Plants are the basis for life on earth. They perceive and transform solar energy, they consume carbon dioxide and produce oxygen, and they provide mankind with food, raw materials and medicine. Today plant life is threatened by extinction of species and rapid climate change. Therefore, understanding, preserving and using plants is of increasing relevance. In the past, progress has been achieved independently by different plant research disciplines with different traditions. The DCPS aims to use an integrative approach with the goal to achieve a comprehensive understanding of diverse aspects of plant life. To this end, DCPS unites experts from diverse fields of plant sciences, including genetics, molecular biology, biochemistry, plant physiology, cell biology, developmental biology, ecology, systematics and taxonomy, pharmaceutical biology, plant geography, and history of botany. Research of these groups focuses on two thematical leitmotifs : “Diversity and Function” and “Plant and Environment”.
Read more about DCPS, what we do, who we are and where we are rooted in the DCPS-brochure.
