The Animal Ecology group is led by Prof. Dr. Thorsten Aßmann and is affiliated with the Institute of Ecology, Faculty of Sustainability at Leuphana University Lüneburg.

Research focuses on the influence of invertebrates on ecosystem functions (species as ecosystem engineers, herbivory, predation), large-scale distribution patterns of species and species groups (biodiversity) and their characteristics, in the Palaearctic and worldwide (macroecology), Molecular ecology (population genetics, phylogeography, conservation genetics and landscape genetics), conservation biology (conservation genetics, consequences of habitat fragmentation, restoration ecology) Biospeleology (biogeography, adaptive mechanisms), taxonomy and systematics of insects (especially ground beetles).

We teach the basics of ecology and other fields of biology. Lectures and seminars are supplemented by identification exercises and field trips.

The working group Animal Ecology focuses on

• the role of invertebrates in ecosystem functioning
  (including habitat engineering, herbivory, predation)
• large-scale distribution patterns of biodiversity and species traits in the Palaearctic and worldwide
  (macroecology)
• molecular ecology (population genetics, phylogeography, conservation genetics and landscape genetics)
• conservation biology (conservation genetics, fragmentation biology, restoration ecology)
• biospeleology (biogeography, adaptation)
• taxonomy and systematics of insects (especially carabids beetles)
  (classical and modern approaches: morphology, morphometry, DNA technics)

Projects are performed mainly in Germany, the Middle East (especially Israel), Spain, and China.