Institute of Ecology
Organisational unit: Institute
Organisation profile
The Institute of Ecology is the biological and natural science department of Leuphana University of Lüneburg. Research focuses on the effects of global changes such as climate change and land use change on organisms and communities biodiversity loss as well as on biological and chemical processes. In cooperation with the human sciences, socio-economic factors of ecosystem research are considered.
Main research areas
Research foci at the Institute of Ecology are the effects of global change such as climate change and land use change on organisms and their communities and on biological functional and chemical processes. The focus is on the causes and effects of declining animal and plant populations as well as current biodiversity loss and the associated changes in abiotic and biotic ecosystem functions. In collaboration with human science research groups at Leuphana University, socio-economic factors of ecosystem research are also jointly considered.
Experimental research takes place both in laboratories, in greenhouses and in open spaces at Leuphana University. Further, many investigations take place in cultivated landscapes and in urban areas. The field studies are carried out in various countries of the temperate and Mediterranean latitudes and the tropics and sub-tropics, but also regionally, e.g. in Lüneburg and the Lüneburg Heath. Research cooperations exist with many different national and international universities and non-university institutions such as local nature conservation organizations and schools. Particularly noteworthy are the cooperations with the Alfred Töpfer Academy for Nature Conservation and the biosphere reserve administration Niedersächsische Elbtalaue.
The courses range from basic and advanced courses in various sub-fields of ecology and biology, including the performance of experiments in laboratory practicals and in the field, to interdisciplinary courses in the Bachelor's and Master's programs.
In interdisciplinary courses, contents from the fields of landscape ecology, botany, soil ecology, zoology, genetics and nature conservation are linked together, as well as courses that combine different disciplines of the natural sciences with those of the human sciences.
A biodiversity hotspot faces intensification of viticulture: the role of Fynbos remnants for the conservation of plants and butterflies
Loos, J. (Project manager, academic), Topp, E. (Project staff), Burghardt, S. (Project staff), Talanow, K. (Project staff), Martín-López, B. (Partner), Underhill, L. (Partner) & Edge, D. (Partner, non-academic)
01.04.18 → 30.06.20
Project: Research
Aboveground multitrophic plant-insect interactions in a Chinese subtropical forest (FOR 891 - Teilprojekt 09)
Klein, A.-M. (Project manager, academic), Blüthgen, N. (Project manager, academic) & Bruelheide, H. (Project manager, academic)
01.02.11 → 31.07.13
Project: Research
TM 1.3 C FuE-Projekt 12: Aktivierte Pflanzenkohle aus Elbauen - neue Wertschöpfungen durch die Entwicklung einer neuen Stoffstromstrategie für das Auengrünland der Elbe
Urban, B. (Project manager, academic) & Krüger, F. (Project staff)
Investitions- und Förderbank Niedersachsen – NBank
01.05.13 → 31.12.15
Project: Transfer (R&D project)
Altitudinal distribution of non-native plants: the effects of climate, habitat and introduction history
Haider, S. (Project manager, academic)
01.03.06 → 31.12.10
Project: Dissertation project
iCon: Analysing plant invasions in their environmental context
Haider, S. (Project manager, academic), Milanović, M. (Project staff) & Kühn, I. (Project manager, academic)
01.01.21 → 31.12.23
Project: Research
BELOW: Analysis of root traits to test for environmental filtering and niche complementarity in grassland communities
Haider, S. (Partner), Bruelheide, H. (Project manager, academic), Jandt, U. (Project manager, academic), Scheel, D. (Project manager, academic) & Herz, K. (Project staff)
01.01.14 → 31.12.17
Project: Research
Archäologisches Forschungsprojekt "Schöninger Speere"
Urban, B. (Project manager, academic)
Niedersächsisches Landesamt für Denkmalpflege
27.06.11 → 01.01.21
Project: Research
Biodiversity and its role in the ecosystem services and dis-services concept in agricultural landscapes in Israel
Klein, A.-M. (Project manager, academic) & Mandelik, Y. (Project manager, academic)
Ministry of Science and Culture of the State of Lower Saxony
01.12.10 → 31.12.12
Project: Research
Biodiversity and productivity in rangelands and their management
von Wehrden, H. (Project manager, academic) & Engler, J.-O. (Project manager, academic)
01.01.15 → 30.06.15
Project: Research
Biodiversity in Israel
Aßmann, T. (Project manager, academic) & Drees, C. (Project staff)
German-Israeli Foundation for Scientific Research and Development
01.11.05 → 09.11.11
Project: Research
BiodiWert II: Konzepte zur Wiederherstellung von artenreichem Grünland in Deutschland (Grassworks-2) - Koordination, Sozialökologie und Modellregion Nord
Temperton, V. (Project manager, academic), Kuhn, L. (Project staff), Cebrián-Piqueras, M. A. (Project staff), Twerski, A. (Project staff) & Patru-Duse, I. A. (Project staff)
Federal Ministry of Education and Research
01.11.21 → 30.04.25
Project: Research
Biosecurity in mountains and northern ecosystems: current status and future challenges
Haider, S. (Project staff), Milbau, A. (Project manager, academic), Albihn, A. (Project staff), Alexander, J. M. (Project staff), Burgess, T. I. (Project staff), Daehler, C. (Project staff), Essl, F. (Project staff), Evengård, B. (Project staff), Greenwood, G. B. (Project staff), Muths, E. (Project staff), Nuñez, M. A. (Project staff), Pauchard, A. (Project staff), Pellissier, L. (Project staff), Rabitsch, W. (Project staff), Robertson, M. (Project staff) & Sanders, N. J. (Project staff)
01.01.15 → 31.12.18
Project: Research
Bridging The Great Divide in Sustainability Science: Bridging The Great Divide in Sustainability Science: Linking High-Performance Modeling and Transition Experiments to Foster Transformational Change Towards Sustainability
Lang, D. J. (Project manager, academic), Kümmerer, K. (Project manager, academic), von Wehrden, H. (Project manager, academic), Forrest, N. (Project staff), Engler, J.-O. (Project staff), Zimmermann, H. (Project staff), Wiek, A. (Project manager, academic), Laubichler, M. (Project manager, academic), Ghosh, A. (Project staff), Reich, M. (Project staff), John, B. (Project staff) & Feller, R. L. (Project staff)
Ministry of Science and Culture of the State of Lower Saxony
01.06.16 → 30.09.19
Project: Research
Diptera Phenology: Changes in long term population dynamics of Diptera at Rothamsted, Harpenden
Grabener, S. (Project manager, academic), Harrington, R. (Project manager, academic), Shortall, C. R. (Project manager, academic) & Oldeland, J. (Partner)
01.11.14 → 31.05.15
Project: Research
Climate and Environmental Variability during the late Middle Pleistocene at the Paleolithic Sites of Schöningen, Northern Germany
Urban, B. (Project manager, academic)
01.04.17 → 01.07.22
Project: Research
CCEHN: Climate Change & Early Humans in the North
Urban, B. (Project manager, academic)
01.11.22 → 31.10.25
Project: Research
DIVERSA: Climate future lab DIVERSA - Forest disturbances under climate change in Lower Saxony: Understanding drivers and impacts to enhance forest adaptability
Haider, S. (Project manager, academic) & Fichtner, A. (Project manager, academic)
01.11.24 → 30.10.30
Project: Research
Combined effects of altitude, fire and biotic interactions on the regeneration of subtropical mountain forest species in Central Argentina
von Wehrden, H. (Project manager, academic), Hensen, I. (Project manager, academic), Renison, D. (Partner) & Marcora, P. I. (Project manager, academic)
01.01.16 → 05.10.20
Project: Research
Community-mediated mechanisms to stabilize pollination of agricultural production highly dependent on shrinking honey bee populations under global change
Klein, A.-M. (Project manager, academic)
01.02.10 → 17.06.15
Project: Research
Conservation of the endangered Danube Clouded Yellow butterfly (Colias myrmidone) in Natura 2000 sites of Romania
Loos, J. (Project manager, academic), Börsch, J. (Project staff), Gallersdörfer, J. (Project staff), Kortmann, E. (Project staff), Nippen, P. (Partner), Dolek, M. (Partner, non-academic), Kastal, A. (Partner, non-academic), Lengyel, P. (Partner, non-academic) & Vizauer, T.-C. (Partner, non-academic)
01.04.18 → 30.09.22
Project: Research
DANCE: DArwin's Naturalization Conundrum rEvisited (DANCE) – Darwin meets omics
Haider, S. (Project manager, academic), Galmán, A. (Partner), Neumann, S. (Partner), van Dam, N. M. (Partner), Uthe, H. (Partner), Winter, M. (Partner) & Daehler, C. (Project manager, academic)
01.01.20 → 31.12.23
Project: Research
KLAM: DAS: Klimaanpassung managen! Weiterbildung für Bildungsakteure, Naturschutzexpert_Innen, Umwelt-, Nachhaltigkeits- und Klimaschutzbeauftragte in Kommunen sowie Multiplikator_innen zu regionalen Klimaanpassungsmanager_Innen
Urban, B. (Project manager, academic), Fischer, K. (Project staff) & Katz, C. (Coordination)
01.06.16 → 31.03.19
Project: Transfer (professional training)
Die Nutzung ökologischer Potenziale von Buchenwäldern für eine multifunktionale Bewirtschaftung
Fichtner, A. (Project staff), Dolnik, C. (Project staff), Ellenberg, H. (Project staff), Fähser, L. (Project staff), Hampicke, U. (Project staff), Heeschen, G. (Project staff), Irmler, U. (Project staff), Lüderitz, M. (Project staff), Lütt, S. (Project staff), Rasran, L. (Project staff), Schäfer, A. (Project staff), Schrautzer, J. (Project staff), Sturm, K. (Project staff), Vahder, S. (Project manager, academic), Vogt, K. (Project staff) & Wagner, J. (Project manager, academic)
01.04.07 → 31.12.08
Project: Research
DigiTaL - Teilprojekt 04: Methoden-Wiki
von Wehrden, H. (Project manager, academic), Chauhan, N. (Project manager, academic) & Rau, A.-L. (Project manager, academic)
01.08.21 → 31.12.25
Project: Teaching
Dilationswachstum
Härdtle, W. (Project manager, academic)
15.06.08 → 28.08.09
Project: Transfer (R&D project)
Ecological entomology, plant-insect interactions, herbivore-predator interactions, multitrophic complexity, decomposition, biodiversity research
Aßmann, T. (Project manager, academic) & Schuldt, A. (Project staff)
01.02.11 → 24.09.14
Project: Research
Ecological function of semi-open corridors
Aßmann, T. (Project manager, academic), Härdtle, W. (Partner) & Nolte, D. (Project staff)
01.07.12 → 31.07.16
Project: Research
Ecological valuation of crop pollination in traditional indonesian homegardens
Klein, A.-M. (Project manager, academic)
01.05.11 → 09.09.13
Project: Research
Ecosystem services of temperate rainforests in the western US
von Wehrden, H. (Project manager, academic) & Brandt, P. (Project staff)
01.08.12 → 31.07.13
Project: Research
Effects of climate and land use on the functional composition of plant communities and their ecosystem services
Haider, S. (Project manager, academic) & Kühn, I. (Project manager, academic)
01.01.14 → 31.12.16
Project: Research
Effects of woody species diversity and composition on individual plant growth and demography
Härdtle, W. (Project manager, academic) & Fichtner, A. (Project manager, academic)
19.02.14 → 12.04.19
Project: Research
Ermittlung der "Critical Loads" von Stickstoffdepositionen in Calluna-dominierten Küstenheiden
Härdtle, W. (Project manager, academic) & Bähring, A. (Project manager, academic)
01.11.12 → 01.11.15
Project: Research
Experiment zur Ermittlung des Wirkungsschwellenwerts für den Stickstoffeintrag (empirischer Critical Load) in einem eutrophierungsgefährdeten Ökosystem
Härdtle, W. (Project manager, academic)
18.11.11 → 10.03.14
Project: Transfer (R&D project)
Exploring the interlinkages between specialty coffee farms’ biodiversity and farmers practices in Bolivia
Benavides Frias, C. (Coordination)
01.01.20 → …
Project: Research
Factors controlling plant invasion: community niche, vegetation structure and local adaptation
Haider, S. (Project manager, academic), Pahl, A. T. (Project manager, academic) & Kollmann, J. (Project manager, academic)
01.01.11 → 31.12.14
Project: Research
Faunistische und botanische Untersuchungen
Temperton, V. (Project manager, academic)
02.09.19 → 30.04.22
Project: Other
FLOWS: Flood Plain Land Use Optimising Workable Sustainability
Urban, B. (Project manager, academic)
01.01.04 → 09.11.09
Project: Research
FOR 5375 - SP8: Understorey plant assemblages and primary production
Fichtner, A. (Project manager, academic)
01.06.23 → 30.05.26
Project: Research
FOR5501: A social-ecological systems approach to inform ecosystem restoration in rural Africa. Subproject SP1: Biodiversity impacts-local-scale restoration effects in western Rwanda
Temperton, V. (Project manager, academic)
01.05.23 → 30.04.27
Project: Research
FOR 5501: A social-ecological systems approach to inform ecosystem restoration in rural Africa. Subprojekt SP3: Designing and implementing restoration governance for entvironmental justice
Loos, J. (Project manager, academic)
01.05.23 → 30.04.27
Project: Research
FOR5501: A social-ecological systems approach to inform ecosystem restoration in rural Africa. Subprojekt SP7: A living lab for social-ecological restoration in western Rwanda
Temperton, V. (Project manager, academic)
01.05.23 → 30.04.27
Project: Research
Förderung der Regelprofessur im Fach Ökosystemfunktionen im Rahmen des Professorinnenprogramms an der Leuphana Universität Lüneburg
van Riesen, K. (Coordination) & Klein, A.-M. (Project manager, academic)
Federal Ministry of Education and Research
01.04.10 → 31.05.13
Project: Individual grant
GCEF: Global Change Experimental Facility
Haider, S. (Project staff) & Auge, H. (Project manager, academic)
01.01.13 → …
Project: Research
GrassSyn - Biodiversity of Brazilian grasslands and savannas: patterns and drivers, ecosystem services, and strategies for conservation and restoration
Overbeck, G. E. (Project manager, academic), Temperton, V. (Partner), Anand, M. (Partner), Santiago, B. (Partner), Carlucci, M. (Partner), Dechoum, M. (Partner), Durigan, G. (Partner), Fidelis, A. (Partner), Guido, A. (Partner), Menezes, L. (Partner), Müller, S. (Partner), Rosenfield, M. F. (Partner), Sampaio, A. (Partner), Sosinski, E. (Partner), Staude, I. (Partner), Tornquist, C. G. (Partner), Turchetto, C. (Partner), Veldman, J. W. (Partner), Vélez-Martin, E. (Partner) & Wiesmeier, M. (Partner)
01.01.20 → 31.12.22
Project: Research
GrünlandVielfalt: Ökologische und gesellschaftliche Grünland-Transformation in der Ise-Niederung"
Petersen-Schlapkohl, U. (Project manager, academic), Temperton, V. (Partner) & Ernst, L. M. (Project staff)
01.10.22 → …
Project: Research
Halboffene Weidelandschaft Höltigbaum
Härdtle, W. (Project manager, academic)
10.03.00 → 26.03.09
Project: Research
SESyP: Identifying social-ecological System Properties benefiting Biodiversity and Food Security
Fischer, J. (Project manager, academic), Hanspach, J. (Coordination), Schultner, J. (Coordination), Dorresteijn, I. (Coordination), Collier, N. (Coordination), Dugo, G. S. (Project staff), Rodrigues, P. (Project staff), Jiren, T. S. (Project staff) & Manlosa, A. O. (Project staff)
01.06.14 → 31.05.19
Project: Research
PopGeneLand: Impact of contemporary and historical landscape structure an neutral and adaptive genetic markers in ground beetle populations
Aßmann, T. (Project manager, academic) & Drees, C. (Project staff)
01.03.11 → 30.04.18
Project: Research
Impacts of plant invasions on the taxonomic, phylogenetic and functional homogeni-zation of mountain ecosystems across a broad latitudinal gradient
Haider, S. (Project staff), Pauchard, A. (Project manager, academic), Cavieres, L. (Project manager, academic), Bustamante, R. (Project manager, academic), García, R. A. (Project manager, academic) & Marticorena, A. (Project manager, academic)
01.01.18 → 31.12.22
Project: Research
