About the Seminar Series Environment & Biodiversity
In the seminar series “Environment & Biodiversity”, current research results from the fields of evolutionary biology, ecology, climate change effects and environment and biodiversity trends are presented. This seminar series is a public event and is suitable for both university staff and students, as well as for all interested non-university guests. We cordially invite you to participate!
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Winter term 2024.25
Missing details will be updated gradually
Friday, October 4, 2024
3 P.M., Room 435 (3rd floor)
The Plastisphere and Plastic Pollution
Linda Amaral-Zettler und Erik Zettler
Prof. Dr. Linda Amaral-Zettler und Dr. Erik Zettler
Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research – Department of Microbiology and Biogeochemistry / Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
The discovery that ~8 million metric tons of plastic litter finds its way from land to the ocean per year, with the largest measured concentrations ending up in the very remote reaches of the ocean’s “garbage patches”, has mobilized the scientific, citizen science, government, NGO, and media communities to action in search of solutions to prevent further waste mismanagement in the future. Attention has focused on the smallest of marine organisms – the microbes – some of which call this plastic pollution „home” as a potential solution to this growing global problem. Collectively, we refer to this collection of life on plastics as the „Plastisphere“. Broadening interest in the topic has extended to plastic debris in rivers and other freshwater environments. Our research team has been studying microbial interactions with PMD using a multiphasic approach including high-throughput amplicon and metagenomics sequencing, culturing, Scanning Electron Microscopy, and more recently Combinatorial Labelling and Spectral Imaging – Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization (CLASI-FISH). Over the past several years, our laboratory has been invested in understanding the relationship between microbial diversity and biodegradation in the marine environment, including performing respirometry experiments following established standard test methods. This lecture will review what is known about diversity in the „Plastisphere“ to date and discuss the advantages and disadvantages different technologies present in addressing some of the most urgent questions regarding this newest of marine habitats
Language: Englisch
To the profile of Linda Amaral-Zettler
To the profile of Erik Zettler
Host: Univ. Prof. Dr. Ulrike-Gabriele Berninger und Assoz. Prof. Dr. Stephen Wickham
Friday, November 8, 2024
2 P.M., Room 424 (2nd floor)
Interplay of micro- and macroclimate on different facets of biodiversity in the Bavarian Alps (Berchtesgaden National Park)
Dr. Sebastian König
Technical University of Munich/National Park Berchtesgaden – Department Life Science Systems
Abstract: With ongoing climate change, species face challenges such as altered temperature regimes. While this may interact with changes in land use, we can still learn a lot about these natural dynamics in protected areas. Throughout the last decades, we gathered information on butterflies, wildbees, and Orthoptera in the Berchtesgaden National Park, the only Alpine Park in Germany. Most recently, we established a network of research sites in our study area to observe and monitor changes in (multi-)diversity through time. I will present some case studies, which either highlight results from re-surveys and space-for-time designs, including field- and remote-sensing-based approaches, to assess the drivers of diversity in mountain forests and open habitats of the National Park Berchtesgaden. A focus will be on my work with Orthoptera, their interactions with plants, as well as assembly mechanisms along micro- and macroclimatic gradients.
Language: English
To the profile of Dr. Sebastian König
Host: Univ.-Prof. Dr. Jan Christian Habel
Friday, November 15, 2024
2 P.M., Room 436 (3rd floor)
Conservation measures to promote wild bees – Key results of the BienABest project
Dr. Hannah Burger
Universität Ulm – Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics
Abstract: Wild bees are amongst the most important pollinators of flowering plants, but have suffered severe declines in recent years. A major driver of the recent pollinator decline is the shortage of food plants. To counteract the lack of floral resources, the establishment of new habitat structures such as the establishing of flower strips have become a popular measure to support wild bees However, many seed mixtures for environmental focus areas promote only few abundant crop pollinators, as the conditions do not match the needs of diverse bee species. Besides floral nutrition, the availability of nesting resources influences the persistence and survival of bee populations. Nesting aids are regularly provided for aboveground-nesting but not for underground-nesting bees which form the majority of bee species. Beside local food and nesting resources, bee communities are driven by the quality of the surrounding landscape and climatic conditions.
To promote the species diversity and abundance of wild bees, the project “Standardisierte Erfassung von Wildbienen zur Evaluierung des Bestäuberpotenzials in der Agrarlandschaft” (BienABest) was initiated. Wild bee populations were examined by a systematic monitoring at 20 study locations in Germany for five consecutive years (2018-2022). In total, we recorded ca. 130,000 bee individuals of 390 species and their interactions with flowers.
The aim of the large monitoring initiative was to evaluate the established flower strips and nesting hills, identify key-plant species, reveal drivers of bee decline, and determine pollination success of wild bees. I will present the key results in the announced talk.
Language: English
To the profile of Dr. Hannah Burger
Host: Univ.-Prof. Dipl.-Biol. Dr. Stefan Dötterl
Friday, November 22, 2024
2 P.M., Room 414 (1st floor)
Sex roles in coucals – a unique model system to answer Tinbergen’s four questions
Dr. Wolfgang Goymann
Max Planck Institute Seewiesen – Behavioral Neurobiology
Abstract: Female-biased investment into zygote formation (anisogamy) often leads to ‘Darwinian sex roles’ with stronger male competition and larger female choice. Often, this also comes with larger female investment into parental care. In some species, however, these sex roles are ‘reversed’ with females competing more strongly, and males providing more care. In birds, this occurs in about 1% of all species, most of which are precocial, that is the young are covered with feathers at hatching and leave the nest, immediately. So far, the only known group of altricial birds (where young hatch naked and need to be warmed and fed in the nest) in which sex roles are reversed are coucals (Centropodinae). At least one species – the black coucal (Centropus grillii) – has evolved a classical polyandrous mating system with large females competing for access to small males. A female forms a ‘harem’ with up to five males, each of which tends his own nest and young without help from the female. In south-western Tanzania, black coucals share their habitat with white-browed coucals (C. superciliosus), which are socially and genetically monogamous and provide biparental care, allowing me to study close relatives with different mating systems in the same habitat. I ask how and why sex roles in coucals evolved, attempting to explore the phenomenon from all four angles of Tinbergen’s questions. Specifically, I wonder which mechanisms drive sex roles, how do sex roles develop during ontogeny, what are the benefits of reversed sex roles, and which life-history and ecological factors led to their evolution?
Language: Englisch
To the research website of Dr. Wolfgang Goymann
To the personal website of Dr. Wolgang Goymann
Host: Dr. Beate Anna Apfelbeck
Friday, November 29, 2024
2 P.M., Room C.3.006 (3rd floor)
The heartbeat of the forest: ecological drivers and consequences of mast-seeding
Mario Pesendorfer, Ph.D.
University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU) – Institute of Forest Ecology (IFE)
Abstract: In temperate forests, tree populations tend to show highly synchronized variation in annual seed production, so-called mast-seeding. The resulting bumper crops or years of crop failure, in turn, determine population dynamics of seed predators and dispersers, their predators, and parasites. This hearbeat of the forest even drives tick densities and the rate of zoonotic disease transmission to humans. In this talk, I will describe our search for the internal (resource dynamics, size) and external (weather, competition) drivers of seed production in trees and what we have learned about the effects of masting on seed fate and recruitment in old-growth forests. Finally, I will describe the ongoing breakdown in reproductive synchrony of beech and oaks, and how we try to use forecasting and other tools to help practitioners to use the forest’s heartbeat to their advantage.
Language: Englisch
To the profile of Mario Pesendorfer, Ph.D.
Host: Assoz. Prof. Dr. Jana Petermann
Friday, December 6, 2024
2 P.M., Room C.3006 (3rd floor)
From bytes to biodiversity: AI-driven tools for monitoring biological communities
PD Dr. Sebastian T. Meyer
Technische Universität München, Chair for Terrestrial Ecology
Abstract: Biodiversity is declining globally, affecting ecosystem functions and services. However, monitoring data and resolution limitations restrict understanding biodiversity decline drivers. Artificial intelligence (AI) enables new autonomous monitoring approaches for different organism groups and ecosystems that promise to close this data gap. I will showcase two current projects developing and using these emerging technologies to monitor insects and birds.
The AIforIBM project develops such a system integrating RGB cameras with non-lethal lure surfaces to automatically capture photos of insects and use AI to deduce insect activity and diversity. We have deployed prototypes across 30 grassland sites along land-use gradients within the Biodiversity Exploratories project across Germany, taking about one million photos. We have developed first AI models for insect identification based on manual annotations. I will share insights from our experience with an AI camera trap system deployed in the field and preliminary results on the impact of grassland management practices, such as mowing and weather, on insect communities.
The second showcase I present will be the acoustic monitoring of birds in an urban environment. BirdNET has become a leading AI for recognizing bird species in audio recordings. However, the effect of parameter settings on the algorithm’s performance is poorly understood, leaving questions about its applicability in ecological research. We have tested the use of BirdNET to monitor birds in Munich. I will share experiences and recommendations for using this technology and show how vegetation in Munich drives bird communities.
I will close by reflecting on ecological questions whose study will be enabled or facilitated by these new technologies in future.
Language: English
To the profile of PD Dr. Sebatian T. Meyer
Host: Univ.-Prof. Dr. Jan Christian Habel
Friday, December 13, 2024
2 P.M., Room 424 (2nd floor)
High-altitude research station Sonnblick Observatory
Dr. Elke Ludewig
Geosphere Austria, Salzburg – Head of the Sonnblick Observatory
Abstract: The Sonnblick Observatory is a high-tech climate and environmental research station at an altitude of over 3,000 meters. Data is collected 24/7 according to international standards for research, the international climate report IPCC, as well as for numerous monitoring programs. Established in 1886, the Sonnblick Observatory paved the way for modern meteorology and now has the world’s longest climatological time series at high altitudes. The director of the Sonnblick Observatory, Dr. Elke Ludewig, will highlight the international tasks and focal points of this fascinating research station and the state of the climate in the Alps. There will be room for discussion and exchange, especially with a focus on ecosystem research at Mt. Hoher Sonnblick.
Language: English
To the profile of Dr. Elke Ludewig
Host: Assoz.-Prof. Dr. Jana Petermann
Friday, January 10, 2025
2 P.M., Room 435 (3rd floor)
Biodiversity Monitoring – The Example of the Viel-Falter Butterfly Monitoring
Dr. Johannes Rüdisser
University of Innsbruck – Department of Ecology
Abstract:The advancing biodiversity crisis urgently requires more comprehensive and precise biodiversity data, particularly long-term information on population trends of selected animal groups. The Austrian butterfly monitoring program (viel-falter.at) aims to systematically record butterfly populations and document their distribution and population trends. Butterflies and moths (Lepidoptera), of which around 4,000 species are found in Austria, represent an important subgroup of the approximately 40,000 insect species – an animal group that makes up three – quarters of the total native fauna. Butterflies, in particular, are highly suitable as indicators for biodiversity monitoring in agricultural landscapes for several reasons and can be effectively observed through citizen science approaches.
The Viel-Falter monitoring program combines observations by volunteers (citizen science) with professional scientific surveys. This synergistic approach merges the strengths of both methods, enabling the collection of high-quality and reliable data. Based on over ten years of experience with butterfly monitoring, the lecture provides a comprehensive insight into the strengths, challenges, and future potential of this integrative approach, introduces current methodological developments, and presents key results from past monitoring years.
Language: English
To the profile of Dr. Johannes Rüdisser
Host: Univ.-Prof. Dr. Jan Christian Habel
Friday, January 17, 2025
Lecture will be postponed to summer semester 2025!
Thema 1: A multi-proxy analysis of lake sediments reveals plant and animal dynamics in the Eastern European Alps over the last 14.000 years
Thema 2: From myth to reason: Progress towards unravelling the mysteries of Indian Ocean Anguillid eels
Mag. Dr. Robert Schabetsberger
Paris Lodron University Salzburg – Department Environment & Biodiversity
To the profile of Mag. Dr. Robert Schabetsberger
Friday, January 24 2025, 1:30 P.M.,
Room C.3006 (3rd floor)
Pesticides and their impact on biodiversity with a focus on insects
apl. Prof. Dr. Carsten Brühl
RPTU Kaiserslautern Landau – Fachbereich Natur- und Umweltwissenschaften
Abastract: The decline of insects in agricultural landscapes is an alarming phenomenon that has been increasingly documented in recent years. The biomass reduction of insects poses a serious threat as insects provide a variety of ecosystem services that are crucial for maintaining a healthy environment and for agricultural production. Among other things, they are essential for crop pollination and biological pest control.
The intensification of agricultural production has led to a number of changes in landscape characteristics. This includes the widespread use of pesticides. This presentation will not only explain the different types of pesticides and their effects, but also analyze the spatial application patterns. Current measurements in various landscapes provide a detailed picture of the distribution of pesticides.
By combining data from laboratory and field studies, the potential impact of pesticides on the environment and biodiversity can be better assessed. This enables risk assessment to be considered and discussed in the context of existing regulatory procedures in the European Union. It is crucial to recognize the challenges associated with the use of pesticides and to take action to preserve biodiversity in agricultural landscapes in the long term.
Language: English
Zum Profil von apl. Prof. Dr. Carsten Brühl
Host: Univ.-Prof. Dr. Jan Christian Habel
Friday, January 24, 2025
9 A.M.-5 P.M., Room C3.006 (3rd floor)
Lecture program in the context of the doctoral seminar 796.300 (Ecology and Evolution) and the Master’s thesis seminar 230.340
We will make the detailed program available for download here.
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