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.
- 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 contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- 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 contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- 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 contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- 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 contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- 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 contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- 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 contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- 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 contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- 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 contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- 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 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