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.
- 2019
- Published
Fragmented Landscape, Fragmented Knowledge: A Synthesis of Renosterveld Ecology and Conservation
Topp, E. N. & Loos, J., 01.06.2019, In: Environmental Conservation. 46, 2, p. 171-179 9 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- Published
Land-sharing/-sparing connectivity landscapes for ecosystem services and biodiversity conservation
Grass, I., Loos, J., Baensch, S., Batáry, P., Librán-Embid, F., Ficiciyan, A., Klaus, F., Riechers, M., Rosa, J., Tiede, J., Udy, K., Westphal, C., Wurz, A. & Tscharntke, T., 01.06.2019, In: People and Nature. 1, 2, p. 262-272 11 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- Published
Living on the edge: Rapid assessment of the mammal community in a coffee forest in south-western Ethiopia
Rodrigues, P., Dorresteijn, I., Senbeta, F. & Fischer, J., 06.2019, In: African Journal of Ecology. 57, 2, p. 279-285 7 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Comments / Debate / Reports › Research
- Published
Interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research: finding the common ground of multi-faceted concepts
von Wehrden, H., Guimarães, M. H., Bina, O., Varanda, M., Lang, D. J., John, B., Gralla, F., Alexander, D., Raines, D., White, A. & Lawrence, R. J., 07.05.2019, In: Sustainability Science. 14, 3, p. 875-888 14 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- Published
Privatizing the commons: New approaches need broader evaluative criteria for sustainability
Partelow, S., Abson, D. J., Schlueter, A., Fernandez-Gimenez, M., von Wehrden, H. & Collier, N., 03.05.2019, In: International Journal of the Commons. 13, 1, p. 747-776 30 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- Published
Intraspecific trait variation patterns along a precipitation gradient in Mongolian rangelands
Lang, B., Geiger, A., Oyunbileg, M., Ahlborn, J., von Wehrden, H., Wesche, K., Oyuntsetseg, B. & Römermann, C., 01.05.2019, In: Flora: Morphology, Distribution, Functional Ecology of Plants. 254, p. 135-146 12 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- Published
Landscape-scale biodiversity governance: Scenarios for reshaping spaces of governance
Leventon, J., Schaal, T., Velten, S., Loos, J., Fischer, J. & Newig, J., 01.05.2019, In: Environmental Policy and Governance. 29, 3, p. 170-184 15 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- Published
Socioecological Interactions amid Global Change
Almekinders, C. J. M., Stone, G. D., Baranski, M., Carney, J. A., Hanspach, J., Krishna, V. V., Ramirez-Villegas, J., Etten, J. V. & Zimmerer, K. S., 30.04.2019, Agrobiodiversity: Integrating knowledge for a sustainable future. Zimmerer, K. S. & Haan, S. D. (eds.). Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press, p. 117-143 27 p. (Strüngmann Forum Reports).Research output: Contributions to collected editions/works › Article in conference proceedings › Research › peer-review
- Published
Habitat specialization, distribution range size and body size drive extinction risk in carabid beetles
Nolte, D., Boutaud, E., Kotze, D. J., Schuldt, A. & Assmann, T., 15.04.2019, In: Biodiversity and Conservation. 28, 5, p. 1267-1283 17 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- Published
Local and landscape level variables influence butterfly diversity in critically endangered South African renosterveld
Topp, E. & Loos, J., 15.04.2019, In: Journal of Insect Conservation. 23, 2, p. 225-237 13 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- Published
Fast response of groundwater to heavy rainfall
Wittenberg, H., Aksoy, H. & Miegel, K., 01.04.2019, In: Journal of Hydrology. 571, p. 837-842 6 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- Published
Research on the social perception of invasive species: a systematic literature review
Kapitza, K., Zimmermann, H., Martín-López, B. & Wehrden, H. V., 14.03.2019, In: NeoBiota. 43, p. 47-68 22 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- Published
Just a small bunch of flowers: The botanical knowledge of students and the positive effects of courses in plant identification at German universities
Buck, T., Bruchmann, I., Zumstein, P. & Drees, C., 13.03.2019, In: PeerJ. 7, 3, 23 p., e6581.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- Published
Interactive influence of livestock grazing and manipulated rainfall on soil properties in a humid tropical savanna
Okach, D. O., Ondier, J. O., Kumar, A., Rambold, G., Tenhunen, J., Huwe, B. & Otieno, D., 11.03.2019, In: Journal of Soils and Sediments. 19, 3, p. 1088-1098 11 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- Published
sPlot – A new tool for global vegetation analyses
Bruelheide, H., Dengler, J., Jiménez-Alfaro, B., Purschke, O., Hennekens, S. M., Chytrý, M., Pillar, V. D., Jansen, F., Kattge, J., Sandel, B., Aubin, I., Biurrun, I., Field, R., Haider, S., Jandt, U., Lenoir, J., Peet, R. K., Peyre, G., Sabatini, F. M., Schmidt, M., Schrodt, F., Winter, M., Aćić, S., Agrillo, E., Alvarez, M., Ambarlı, D., Angelini, P., Apostolova, I., Arfin Khan, M. A. S., Arnst, E., Attorre, F., Baraloto, C., Beckmann, M., Berg, C., Bergeron, Y., Bergmeier, E., Bjorkman, A. D., Bondareva, V., Borchardt, P., Botta-Dukát, Z., Boyle, B., Breen, A., Brisse, H., Byun, C., Cabido, M. R., Casella, L., Cayuela, L., Černý, T., Chepinoga, V., Csiky, J., Curran, M., Ćušterevska, R., Dajić Stevanović, Z., De Bie, E., de Ruffray, P., De Sanctis, M., Dimopoulos, P., Dressler, S., Ejrnæs, R., El-Sheikh, M. A. E. R. M., Enquist, B., Ewald, J., Fagúndez, J., Finckh, M., Font, X., Forey, E., Fotiadis, G., García-Mijangos, I., de Gasper, A. L., Golub, V., Gutierrez, A. G., Hatim, M. Z., He, T., Higuchi, P., Holubová, D., Hölzel, N., Homeier, J., Indreica, A., Işık Gürsoy, D., Jansen, S., Janssen, J., Jedrzejek, B., Jiroušek, M., Jürgens, N., Kącki, Z., Kavgacı, A., Kearsley, E., Kessler, M., Knollová, I., Kolomiychuk, V., Korolyuk, A., Kozhevnikova, M., Kozub, Ł., Krstonošić, D., Kühl, H., Kühn, I., Kuzemko, A., Küzmič, F., Landucci, F., Lee, M. T., Levesley, A., Li, C. F., Liu, H., Lopez-Gonzalez, G., Lysenko, T., Macanović, A., Mahdavi, P., Manning, P., Marcenò, C., Martynenko, V., Mencuccini, M., Minden, V., Moeslund, J. E., Moretti, M., Müller, J. V., Munzinger, J., Niinemets, Ü., Nobis, M., Noroozi, J., Nowak, A., Onyshchenko, V., Overbeck, G. E., Ozinga, W. A., Pauchard, A., Pedashenko, H., Peñuelas, J., Pérez-Haase, A., Peterka, T., Petřík, P., Phillips, O. L., Prokhorov, V., Rašomavičius, V., Revermann, R., Rodwell, J., Ruprecht, E., Rūsiņa, S., Samimi, C., Schaminée, J. H. J., Schmiedel, U., Šibík, J., Šilc, U., Škvorc, Ž., Smyth, A., Sop, T., Sopotlieva, D., Sparrow, B., Stančić, Z., Svenning, J. C., Swacha, G., Tang, Z., Tsiripidis, I., Turtureanu, P. D., Uğurlu, E., Uogintas, D., Valachovič, M., Vanselow, K. A., Vashenyak, Y., Vassilev, K., Vélez-Martin, E., Venanzoni, R., Vibrans, A. C., Violle, C., Virtanen, R., von Wehrden, H., Wagner, V., Walker, D. A., Wana, D., Weiher, E., Wesche, K., Whitfeld, T., Willner, W., Wiser, S., Wohlgemuth, T., Yamalov, S., Zizka, G. & Zverev, A., 01.03.2019, In: Journal of Vegetation Science. 30, 2, p. 161-186 26 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- Published
Toward Sustainable Urban Metabolisms: From System Understanding to System Transformation
John, B., Luederitz, C., Lang, D. J. & von Wehrden, H., 01.03.2019, In: Ecological Economics. 157, p. 402-414 13 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- Published
Litter quality, land-use history, and nitrogen deposition effects on topsoil conditions across European temperate deciduous forests
Maes, S. L., Blondeel, H., Perring, M. P., Depauw, L., Brūmelis, G., Brunet, J., Decocq, G., den Ouden, J., Härdtle, W., Hédl, R., Heinken, T., Heinrichs, S., Jaroszewicz, B., Kirby, K., Kopecký, M., Máliš, F., Wulf, M. & Verheyen, K., 15.02.2019, In: Forest Ecology and Management. 433, p. 405-418 14 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- Published
A clue on bee glue: New insight into the sources and factors driving resin intake in honeybees (Apis mellifera)
Drescher, N., Klein, A. M., Schmitt, T. & Leonhardt, S. D., 06.02.2019, In: PLoS ONE. 14, 2, 20 p., e0210594.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- Published
Determinants of farm size and stocking rate in Namibian commercial cattle farming
Engler, J.-O., Wehrden, H. & Baumgärtner, S., 01.02.2019, In: Land Use Policy. 81, p. 232-246 15 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- Published
Nitrogen fixation and carbon assimilation of the desert legume Tephrosia apollinea under PEG-induced osmotic stress
Hussain, M. I., El-Keblawy, A., Aljabi, A. E., Aljabi, D. E., Hafez, M., Al Jasmi, A., Schampoel, T. & Temperton, V. M., 02.2019, In: Flora. 251, p. 105-113 9 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review