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.
Konkurrenz und Ressourcennutzung der Europäischen Honigbiene und Wildbienen in Bezug zur Lüneburger Heide
Hudewenz, A. (Project manager, academic)
01.12.11 → 30.11.13
Project: Dissertation project
Land-use responses of dung beetle communities and their ecosystem services
Aßmann, T. (Project manager, academic), Blüthgen, N. (Project manager, academic) & Schmitt, T. (Project manager, academic)
11.04.14 → 10.08.18
Project: Research
Leverage Points for Sustainability Transformation: Institutions, People and Knowledge
Vilsmaier, U. (Project manager, academic), Lang, D. J. (Project manager, academic), Newig, J. (Project manager, academic), Fischer, J. (Project manager, academic), Schomerus, T. (Project manager, academic), von Wehrden, H. (Project manager, academic), Sieveking, A. (Project staff), Klaniecki, K. T. (Project staff), Dorninger, C. (Project staff), Clarke, E. A. (Project staff), Horcea-Milcu, A. I. (Project staff), Lam, D. (Project staff), Patru-Duse, I. A. (Project staff), Jager, N. W. (Project staff), Derwort, P. (Project staff), Patru-Duse, I. A. (Project staff), Apetrei, C.-I. (Project staff), Freeth, R. C. (Project staff), Engbers, M. (Project staff), Peukert, D. (Project staff), Berkau, A. J. (Project staff), Lutz, L. M. (Coordination), Leventon, J. (Project manager, academic) & Abson, D. (Project manager, academic)
Ministry of Science and Culture of the State of Lower Saxony
01.04.15 → 31.03.21
Project: Research
Linkages between plant diversity, microbial diversity and ecosystem functioning in subtropical forest
Haider, S. (Partner), Bruelheide, H. (Partner), Ma, K. (Partner), Erfmeier, A. (Partner), Liang, Y. (Partner), Liu, X. (Partner), Trogisch, S. (Project manager, academic), Wubet, T. (Partner) & Zhang, N. (Partner)
01.01.15 → 31.12.19
Project: Research
Linking soil chemical legacies with root economics to improve the predictability of plant-soil feedbacks
Delory, B. (Project manager, academic)
01.01.22 → 31.12.24
Project: Research
Literaturstudie zu empirischen, ökologischen Wirkungsschwellen (empirische Critical Loads - ClempN) für den Stickstoffeintrag in natürliche und naturnahe Ökosysteme
Härdtle, W. (Project manager, academic)
10.10.11 → 03.12.12
Project: Research
BIOTA Maroc: Long term vegetation monitoring in Southern Morocco
Jürgens, N. (Project manager, academic), Finckh, M. (Project manager, academic), Oldeland, J. (Partner) & Grabener, S. (Partner)
01.01.01 → …
Project: Research
Machbarkeitsstudie zur Operationalisierung einer interaktiven, virtuell unterstützten Lernumgebung zur Stärkung von Nachhaltigkeitskompetenzen
von Wehrden, H. (Project manager, academic)
German Federal Environmental Foundation
01.11.21 → 28.02.23
Project: Research
Mechanisms of soil erosion, soil properties and Ecoscape analysis as a function of species richness and species composition in subtropical forests
Aßmann, T. (Project manager, academic), Kühn, P. (Project manager, academic), Scholten, T. (Project manager, academic) & Schmidt, K. (Project manager, academic)
19.02.14 → 12.04.19
Project: Research
RangeX: Mechanisms underlying the success and impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning of range-expanding species under climate change
Haider, S. (Project manager, academic), Buhaly, M. (Project staff), Alexander, J. M. (Coordination), Clark, V. R. (Partner), Høye, T. T. (Partner), Kardol, P. (Partner) & Vandvik, V. (Partner)
01.04.21 → 31.03.25
Project: Research
Minderung der Barrierewirkung von Agrarflächen mittels halboffener Verbundkorridore
Härdtle, W. (Project manager, academic), Aßmann, T. (Project manager, academic), Drees, C. (Partner), Hein, S. (Project staff) & Grabener, S. (Project staff)
01.09.16 → 30.04.22
Project: Research
Minderung diffuser Einträge in Kleinkläranlagen
Urban, B. (Project manager, academic)
Ministry of Science and Culture of the State of Lower Saxony
01.12.06 → 24.06.09
Project: Research
MonViA: Monitoring der biologischen Vielfalt in Agrarlandschaften
Dauber, J. (Project manager, academic), Dieker, P. (Coordination) & Grabener, S. (Project staff)
01.03.19 → …
Project: Research
MIREN: Mountain Invasion Research Network
Haider, S. (Project manager, academic), Seipel, T. (Partner), Alexander, J. M. (Partner), Arévalo, J. R. (Partner), Küffer, C. (Partner), Lembrechts, J. J. (Partner), McDougall, K. (Partner), Pauchard, A. (Partner) & Rew, L. J. (Partner)
01.01.06 → …
Project: Research
Moving to the real world: Testing biodiversity and priority effects for restoring multifunctional grasslands
Temperton, V. (Project manager, academic) & Ernst, L. M. (Project staff)
01.10.20 → 30.09.23
Project: Research
Multi-trophic interactions of butterflies along a gradient of management intensity in grasslands and forest (BATMAN)
Klein, A.-M. (Project manager, academic)
01.01.08 → 31.12.12
Project: Research
Multi-trophic plant-insect networks in a tree diversity experiment in China
Aßmann, T. (Project manager, academic)
19.02.14 → 11.06.19
Project: Research
Mycorrhizae in tree diversity effects on ecosystem functioning
Eisenhauer, N. (Project manager, academic), Ferlian, O. (Project manager, academic), Haider, S. (Partner), Bruelheide, H. (Project manager, academic) & Heklau, H. (Project manager, academic)
01.01.17 → …
Project: Research
Natur-Wissenschaft-Nachhaltigkeit. Die Bedeutung ökologischer Wissenschaften im Nachhaltigkeitsdiskurs sowie deren Zusammenhang mit gesellschaftlichen Natur- und Geschlechtervorstellungen
Katz, C. (Project manager, academic)
01.08.00 → 31.07.01
Project: Research
Near-infrared spectra of leaves as predictors for forest ecosystem functions
Haider, S. (Project manager, academic), Proß, T. (Project manager, academic), Bruelheide, H. (Partner), Potvin, C. (Project manager, academic) & Auge, H. (Partner)
01.01.17 → …
Project: Research