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.

  1. Journal articles › Research › Peer-reviewed
  2. 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 contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  3. 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 contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  4. 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 contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  5. 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 contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  6. Published
  7. 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 contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  8. 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 contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  9. 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 contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  10. 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 contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  11. 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 contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  12. 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 contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  13. 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 contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  14. 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 contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  15. 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 contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  16. 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 contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  17. 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 contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  18. 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 contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  19. 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 contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  20. 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 contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  21. 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 contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  22. 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 contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  23. 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 contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  24. 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 contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  25. 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 contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  26. 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 contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  27. 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 contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  28. 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 contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  29. 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 contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  30. Published
  31. 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 contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  32. 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 contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  33. 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 contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  34. 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 contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  35. 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 contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  36. 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 contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  37. 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 contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  38. 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 contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  39. 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 contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  40. 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 contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  41. 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 contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  42. 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 contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  43. 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 contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  44. 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 contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  45. 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 contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  46. 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 contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  47. 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 contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  48. 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 contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  49. 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 contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  50. 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 contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  51. 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 contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review