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.
- Journal articles › Research › Peer-reviewed
- Published
Highly reduced genetic diversity of Rosa rubiginosa L. populations in the invasive range
Zimmermann, H., Ritz, C., Hirsch, H., Renison, D., Wesche, K. & Hensen, I., 01.05.2010, In: International Journal of Plant Sciences. 171, 4, p. 435-446 12 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- Published
High trees increase sunflower seed predation by birds in an agricultural landscape of Israel
Schäckermann, J., Weiss, N., von Wehrden, H. & Klein, A. M., 16.07.2014, In: Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution. 2, 9 p., 35.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- Published
High Trophic Similarity in the Sympatric North European Trawling Bat Species Myotis daubentonii and Myotis dasycneme
Krüger, F., Harms, I., Fichtner, A., Wolz, I. & Sommer, R. S., 12.2012, In: Acta Chiropterologica. 14, 2, p. 347-356 10 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- Published
Hill–Chao numbers allow decomposing gamma multifunctionality into alpha and beta components
Chao, A., Chiu, C.-H., Hu, K.-H., van der Plas, F., Cadotte, M. W., Mitesser, O., Thorn, S., Mori, A. S., Scherer-Lorenzen, M., Eisenhauer, N., Bässler, C., Delory, B., Feldhaar, H., Fichtner, A., Hothorn, T., Peters, M. K., Pierick, K., von Oheimb, G. & Müller, J., 01.2024, In: Ecology Letters. 27, 1, 14 p., e14336.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- Published
Historical ecology meets conservation and evolutionary genetics: a secondary contact zone between Carabus violaceus (Coleoptera: Carabidae) populations inhabiting ancient and recent woodlands in north-western Germany
Matern, A., Drees, C., Härdtle, W., Oheimb, G. & Aßmann, T., 20.05.2011, In: ZooKeys. 100, SPEC. ISSUE, p. 545-563 19 p., 1546.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- Published
Home range size and resource use of breeding and non-breeding white storks along a land use gradient
Zurell, D., von Wehrden, H., Rotics, S., Kaatz, M., Groß, H., Schlag, L., Schäfer, M., Sapir, N., Turjeman, S., Wikelski, M., Nathan, R. & Jeltsch, F., 12.06.2018, In: Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution. 6, JUN, 11 p., 79.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- Published
Home ranges of Sand Lizards, Lacerta agilis (Squamata: Sauria: Lacertidae), along railway tracks
Janssen, A., Staab, M. & Rödel, M.-O., 15.05.2025, In: Salamandra. 61, 2, p. 240-255 16 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- Published
Homo sapiens reached the higher latitudes of Europe by 45,000 years ago
Mylopotamitaki, D., Weiss, M., Fewlass, H., Zavala, E. I., Rougier, H., Sümer, A. P., Hajdinjak, M., Smith, G. M., Ruebens, K., Sinet-Mathiot, V., Pederzani, S., Essel, E., Harking, F. S., Xia, H., Hansen, J., Kirchner, A., Lauer, T., Stahlschmidt, M., Hein, M., Talamo, S., Wacker, L., Meller, H., Dietl, H., Orschiedt, J., Olsen, J. V., Zeberg, H., Prüfer, K., Krause, J., Meyer, M., Welker, F., McPherron, S. P., Schüler, T. & Hublin, J. J., 08.02.2024, In: Nature. 626, 7998, p. 341-346 6 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- Published
Horizontal, but not vertical canopy structure is related to stand functional diversity in a subtropical slope forest
Lang, A. C., Härdtle, W., Bruelheide, H., Kröber, W., Schröter, M., von Wehrden, H. & Oheimb, G., 01.2012, In: Ecological Research. 27, 1, p. 181-189 9 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- Published
How to estimate carabid biomass?—an evaluation of size-weight models for ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) and perspectives for further improvement
Weiss, F. & Linde, A., 01.08.2022, In: Journal of Insect Conservation. 26, 4, p. 537-548 12 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- Published
How to promote spider diversity of heathlands: impact of management intensity
Matevski, D., Temperton, V. M., Walmsley, D., Haerdtle, W., Daniels, J. & Boutaud, E., 04.2025, In: Biodiversity and Conservation. 34, p. 1057-1070 14 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- Published
Human-carnivore coexistence in a traditional rural landscape
Dorresteijn, I., Hanspach, J., Kecskés, A., Latková, H., Mezey, Z., Sugár, S., von Wehrden, H. & Fischer, J., 08.2014, In: Landscape Ecology. 29, 7, p. 1145-1155 11 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- Published
Humanökologie und Urbanisierung: die DGH-Jahrestagung 2009 im Rahmen der Konferenz der Society for Human Ecology
Franz-Balsen, A., Glaeser, B., Katz, C., Serbser, W., Stoll-Kleemann, S., Teherani-Krönner, P., Tretter, F. & Vega-Leinert, C., 10.12.2009, In: GAIA. 18, 4, p. 346-348 3 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- Published
“Hunting Otherwise”: Women’s Hunting in Two Contemporary Forager-Horticulturalist Societies
Reyes-García, V., Díaz Reviriego, I., Duda, R., Fernández-Llamazares, Á. & Gallois, S., 11.09.2020, In: Human Nature. 31, 3, p. 203-221 19 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- Published
Hygrochastic capsule dehiscence in New Zealand alpine Veronica (Plantaginaceae)
Pufal, G., Ryan, K. G. & Garnock-Jones, P., 01.09.2010, In: American Journal of Botany. 97, 9, p. 1413-1423 11 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- Published
Hygrochastic capsule dehiscence supports safe site strategies in New Zealand alpine Veronica (Plantaginaceae)
Pufal, G. & Garnock-Jones, P., 01.09.2010, In: Annals of Botany. 106, 3, p. 405-412 8 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- Published
Impact of emission reductions between 1980 and 2020 on atmospheric benzo[a]pyrene concentrations over europe
Bieser, J., Aulinger, A., Matthias, V. & Quante, M., 03.2012, In: Water, Air, and Soil Pollution. 223, 3, p. 1393-1414 22 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- Published
Impact of high carbon amendments and pre-crops on soil bacterial communities
Kamau, C. W., van Duijnen, R., Schmid, C. A. O., Balàzs, H. E., Roy, J., Rillig, M., Schröder, P., Radl, V., Temperton, V. M. & Schloter, M., 01.02.2021, In: Biology and Fertility of Soils. 57, 2, p. 305-317 13 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- Published
Impact of land cover homogenization on the Corncrake (Crex crex) in traditional farmland
Dorresteijn, I., Teixeira, L., von Wehrden, H., Loos, J., Hanspach, J., Stein, J. A. R. & Fischer, J., 04.10.2015, In: Landscape Ecology. 30, 8, p. 1483-1495 13 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- Published
Impact of monsoon-driven surface ocean processes on a coral off Port Blair on the Andaman Islands and their link to North Atlantic climate variations
Rixen, T., Ramachandran, P., Lehnhoff, L., Dasbach, D., Gaye, B., Urban, B., Ramachandran, R. & Ittekkot, V., 01.01.2011, In: Global and Planetary Change. 75, 1-2, p. 1-13 13 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- Published
Impact of prescribed burning on a heathland inhabiting spider community
Krause, R. H. & Assmann, T., 01.04.2016, In: Arachnologische Mitteilungen. 2016, 51, p. 57-63 7 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- Published
Impact of sheep grazing on nutrient budgets of dry heathlands
Fottner, S., Härdtle, W., Niemeyer, M., Niemeyer, T., von Oheimb, G., Meyer, H. & Mockenhaupt, M., 12.2007, In: Applied Vegetation Science. 10, 3, p. 391-398 8 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- Published
Impact of sod-cutting and choppering on nutrient budgets of dry heathlands
Niemeyer, M., Niemeyer, T., Fottner, S., Haerdtle, W. & Mohamed, A., 01.01.2007, In: Biological Conservation. 134, 3, p. 344-353 10 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- Published
Impact of tree diversity and environmental conditions on the survival of shrub species in a forest biodiversity experiment in subtropical China
Yang, B., Li, Y., Ding, B.-Y., Both, S., Erfmeier, A., Härdtle, W., Ma, K., Schmid, B., Scholten, T., Seidler, G., von Oheimb, G., Yang, X. & Bruehlheide, H., 01.02.2017, In: Journal of Plant Ecology. 10, 1, p. 179-189 11 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- Published
Impact of tree saplings on the kinetic energy of rainfall: The importance of stand density, species identity and tree architecture in subtropical forests in China
Geißler, C., Lang, A. C., Oheimb, G., Härdtle, W., Baruffol, M. & Scholten, T., 15.04.2012, In: Agricultural and Forest Meteorology. 156, p. 31-40 10 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- Published
Impacts of a pesticide on pollinator species richness at different spatial scales
Brittain, C., Vighi, M., Bommarco, R., Settele, J. & Potts, S. G., 03.2010, In: Basic and Applied Ecology. 11, 2, p. 106-115 10 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- Published
Impacts of Multiple Environmental Change Drivers on Growth of European Beech (Fagus sylvatica): Forest History Matters
Mausolf, K., Härdtle, W., Hertel, D., Leuschner, C. & Fichtner, A., 01.04.2020, In: Ecosystems. 23, 3, p. 529-540 12 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- Published
Impacts of species richness on productivity in a large-scale subtropical forest experiment
Huang, Y., Chen, Y., Castro-Izaguirre, N., Baruffol, M., Brezzi, M., Lang, A., Li, Y., Härdtle, W., Von Oheimb, G., Yang, X., Liu, X., Pei, K., Both, S., Yang, B., Eichenberg, D., Assmann, T., Bauhus, J., Behrens, T., Buscot, F., Chen, X. Y., Chesters, D., Ding, B. Y., Durka, W., Erfmeier, A., Fang, J., Fischer, M., Guo, L. D., Guo, D., Gutknecht, J. L. M., He, J. S., He, C.-L., Hector, A., Hönig, L., Hu, R. Y., Klein, A. M., Kühn, P., Liang, Y., Li, S., Michalski, S., Scherer-Lorenzen, M., Schmidt, K., Scholten, T., Schuldt, A., Shi, X., Tan, M. Z., Tang, Z., Trogisch, S., Wang, Z., Welk, E., Wirth, C., Wubet, T., Xiang, W., Yu, M., Yu, X.-D., Zhang, J., Zhang, S., Zhang, N., Zhou, H.-Z., Zhu, C.-D., Zhu, L., Bruelheide, H., Ma, K., Niklaus, P. A. & Schmid, B., 05.10.2018, In: Science. 362, 6410, p. 80-83 4 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- Published
Importance of timing: Vulnerability of semi-arid rangeland systems to increased variability in temporal distribution of rainfall events as predicted by future climate change
Fust, P. & Schlecht, E., 01.06.2022, In: Ecological Modelling. 468, 109961.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- Published
Improving Flood Forecasting in a Developing Country: A Comparative Study of Stepwise Multiple Linear Regression and Artificial Neural Network
Latt, Z. Z. & Wittenberg, H., 06.2014, In: Water Resources Management. 28, 8, p. 2109-2128 20 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- Published
Indigenous and local knowledge in sustainability transformations research: a literature review
Lam, D., Hinz, E., Lang, D. J., Tengö, M., Wehrden, H. V. & Martín-López, B., 03.2020, In: Ecology and Society. 25, 1, 25 p., 3.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- Published
Individual-tree radial growth in a subtropical broad-leaved forest: The role of local neighbourhood competition
von Oheimb, G., Lang, A. C., Bruelheide, H., Forrester, D. I., Waesche, I., Yu, M. & Haerdtle, W., 01.02.2011, In: Forest Ecology and Management. 261, 3, p. 499-507 9 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- Published
Influence of altitude and longitude on vegetation in the dzungarian gobi and the south-western mongolian altai
Chuluunkhuyag, O., Chaoyan, L., Treiber, J., Batlai, O., von Wehrden, H., Feller, R. & Wesche, K., 08.07.2021, In: Phytocoenologia. 50, 4, p. 339-369 31 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- Published
Influence of rhizobacterial volatiles on the root system architecture and the production and allocation of biomass in the model grass Brachypodium distachyon (L.) P. Beauv
Delaplace, P., Delory, B. M., Baudson, C., Mendaluk-Saunier de Cazenave, M., Spaepen, S., Varin, S., Brostaux, Y. & du Jardin, P., 12.08.2015, In: BMC Plant Biology. 15, 1, 15 p., 195.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- Published
Inside honeybee hives: Impact of natural propolis on the ectoparasitic mite Varroa destructor and viruses
Drescher, N., Klein, A. M., Neumann, P., Yañez, O. & Leonhardt, S. D., 01.03.2017, In: Insects. 8, 1, 18 p., 15.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- Published
Inside-out sustainability: The neglect of inner worlds
Ives, C. D., Freeth, R. & Fischer, J., 01.01.2020, In: Ambio. 49, 1, p. 208-217 10 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- Published
Institutional rearrangements in the north Luangwa ecosystem: Implications of a shift to community based natural resource management for equity in protected area governance
Kachali, R. N., Dawson, N. M. & Loos, J., 15.07.2024, In: Heliyon. 10, 13, 12 p., e33549.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- Published
Integrating highly diverse invertebrates into broad-scale analyses of cross-taxon congruence across the Palaearctic
Schuldt, A., Wang, Z., Zhou, H. & Aßmann, T., 01.12.2009, In: Ecography. 32, 6, p. 1019-1030 12 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- Published
Integrating Life Stages into Ecological Niche Models: A Case Study on Tiger Beetles
Taboada Palomares, A., von Wehrden, H. & Assmann, T., 23.07.2013, In: PLoS ONE. 8, 7, 13 p., e70038.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- Published
Integrating rural development and biodiversity conservation in Central Romania
Newig, J., Milcu, A. I., Hartel, T., Mikulcak, F. & Fischer, J., 06.2013, In: Environmental Conservation. 40, 2, p. 129-137 9 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- Published
Integrating the underlying structure of stochasticity into community ecology
Shoemaker, L. G., Sullivan, L. L., Donohue, I., Cabral, J. S., Williams, R. J., Mayfield, M. M., Chase, J. M., Chu, C., Harpole, W. S., Huth, A., HilleRisLambers, J., James, A. R. M., Kraft, N. J. B., May, F., Muthukrishnan, R., Satterlee, S., Taubert, F., Wang, X., Wiegand, T., Yang, Q. & Abbott, K. C., 01.02.2020, In: Ecology. 101, 2, 17 p., e02922.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- Published
Interacting effects of pollination, water and nutrients on fruit tree performance
Klein, A.-M., Hendrix, S. D., Clough, Y., Scofield, A. & Kremen, C., 01.01.2015, In: Plant Biology. 17, 1, p. 201-208 8 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- Published
Interaction between the barley allelochemical compounds gramine and hordenine and artificial lipid bilayers mimicking the plant plasma membrane
Lebecque, S., Crowet, J. M., Lins, L., Delory, B. M., Du Jardin, P., Fauconnier, M. L. & Deleu, M., 28.06.2018, In: Scientific Reports. 8, 1, 13 p., 9784.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- Published
Interactions between species richness, herbivory and precipitation affect standing biomass in Mongolian rangelands
Ahlborn, J., Wesche, K., Lang, B., Oyunbileg, M., Oyuntsetseg, B., Römermann, C., French Collier, N. & von Wehrden, H., 01.04.2021, In: Applied Vegetation Science. 24, 2, 12 p., e12581.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- Published
Interactive effects among ecosystem services and management practices on crop production: Pollination in coffee agroforestry systems
Boreux, V., Kushalappa, C. G., Vaast, P. & Ghazoul, J., 21.05.2013, In: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (USA). 110, 21, p. 8387-8392 6 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- Published
Interactive effects of nitrogen deposition and climate change on a globally rare forest geophyte
Ohse, B., Jansen, D., Härdtle, W. & Fichtner, A., 03.2025, In: Plant Biology. 27, 2, p. 297-309 13 p.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
Interactive priming effect of labile carbon and crop residues on SOM depends on residue decomposition stage: Three-source partitioning to evaluate mechanisms
Shahbaz, M., Kumar, A., Kuzyakov, Y., Börjesson, G. & Blagodatskaya, E., 01.11.2018, In: Soil Biology and Biochemistry. 126, p. 179-190 12 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- Published
Interannual variation in land-use intensity enhances grassland multidiversity
Allan, E., Bossdorf, O., Dormann, C. F., Prati, D., Gossner, M. M., Tscharntke, T., Blüthgen, N., Bellach, M., Birkhofer, K., Boch, S., Böhm, S., Börschig, C., Chatzinotas, A., Christ, S., Daniel, R., Diekötter, T., Fischer, C., Friedl, T., Glaser, K., Hallmann, C., Hodac, L., Hölzel, N., Jung, K., Klein, A. M., Klaus, V. H., Kleinebecker, T., Krauss, J., Lange, M., Morris, E. K., Müller, J., Nacke, H., Pašalić, E., Rillig, M. C., Rothenwöhrer, C., Schall, P., Scherber, C., Schulze, W., Socher, S. A., Steckel, J., Steffan-Dewenter, I., Türke, M., Weiner, C. N., Werner, M., Westphal, C., Wolters, V., Wubet, T., Gockel, S., Gorke, M., Hemp, A., Renner, S. C., Schöning, I., Pfeiffer, S., König-Ries, B., Buscot, F., Linsenmair, K. E., Schulze, E. D., Weisser, W. W. & Fischer, M., 07.01.2014, In: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (USA). 111, 1, p. 308-313 6 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- 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