Professorship for Ecology, especially Animal Ecology

Organisational unit: Professoship

Organisation profile

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.

Main research areas

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.

  1. Published

    Multitrophic diversity in a biodiverse forest is highly nonlinear across spatial scales

    Schuldt, A., Wubet, T., Buscot, F., Staab, M., Aßmann, T., Böhnke-Kammerlander, M., Both, S., Erfmeier, A., Klein, A.-M., Ma, K., Pietsch, K., Schultze, S., Wirth, C., Zhang, J., Zumstein, P. & Bruelheide, H., 10.12.2015, In: Nature Communications. 6, 8 p., 10169.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  2. Published

    Organic farming affects the biological control of hemipteran pests and yields in spring barley independent of landscape complexity

    Birkhofer, K., Arvidsson, F., Ehlers, D., Mader, V. L., Bengtsson, J. & Smith, H. G., 01.03.2016, In: Landscape Ecology. 31, 3, p. 567-579 13 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  3. Published

    Early positive effects of tree species richness on herbivory in a large-scale forest biodiversity experiment influence tree growth

    Schuldt, A., Bruelheide, H., Härdtle, W., Aßmann, T., Li, Y., Ma, K., Oheimb, G. & Zhang, J., 01.05.2015, In: Journal of Ecology. 103, 3, p. 563-571 9 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  4. Published

    The influence of leaf litter diversity and soil fauna on initial soil erosion in subtropical forests

    Seitz, S., Goebes, P., Zumstein, P., Aßmann, T., Kühn, P., Niklaus, P. A., Schuldt, A. & Scholten, T., 15.09.2015, In: Earth Surface Processes and Landforms. 40, 11, p. 1439-1447 9 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  5. Published

    Tree species richness strengthens relationships between ants and the functional composition of spider assemblages in a highly diverse forest

    Schuldt, A. & Staab, M., 01.05.2015, In: Biotropica. 47, 3, p. 339-346 8 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  6. Published

    Molecular analyses and species distribution models indicate cryptic northern mountain refugia for a forestdwelling ground beetle

    Drees, C., Husemann, M., Homburg, K., Brandt, P., Dieker, P., Habel, J. C., von Wehrden, H., Zumstein, P. & Assmann, T., 01.11.2016, In: Journal of Biogeography. 43, 11, p. 2223-2236 14 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  7. Published

    Ecosystem functions as indicators for heathland responses to nitrogen fertilisation

    Bähring, A., Fichtner, A., Ibe, K., Schütze, G., Temperton, V. M., Oheimb, G. & Härdtle, W., 01.01.2017, In: Ecological Indicators. 72, p. 185-193 9 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  8. Published

    Tree diversity promotes generalist herbivore community patterns in a young subtropical forest experiment

    Zhang, J., Bruelheide, H., Chen, X., Eichenberg, D., Kröber, W., Xu, X., Xu, L. & Schuldt, A., 01.02.2017, In: Oecologia. 183, 2, p. 455-467 13 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  9. Published

    Tree diversity increases levels of herbivore damage in a subtropical forest canopy: evidence for dietary mixing by arthropods?

    Brezzi, M., Schmid, B., Niklaus, P. A. & Schuldt, A., 01.02.2017, In: Journal of Plant Ecology. 10, 1, p. 13-27 15 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  10. 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