Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology (Zoology III)
@ecoresearchzoo3.bsky.social
Led by Prof. Ingolf Steffan-Dewenter, we’re the 🐝-hive of biodiversity research at the University of Würzburg’s Biocenter, Germany. From tropical forests to European farmlands, we decode how climate and land use changes shape the web of life.
Nice to see our #spider study featured on the AZ animals blog! 🕷🕸🌳🍁 @ecoresearchzoo3.bsky.social @cofeuniwue.bsky.social a-z-animals.com/articles/for...
Forest Spiders Reveal the Hidden Cost of “Helpful” Sunlight
Conservation efforts to let more sunlight into managed forests have proven remarkably effective at boosting biodiversity, but a new study reveals that at least one group of creatures pays a steep pric...
a-z-animals.com
Lava tube structures on Mauritius are quite hard to survey – tight, dark, and largely inaccessible to classical scanning equipment. As part of ongoing research by Dr. Kim Lea Holzmann (Chair of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, University of Würzburg), we’re excited to be collaborating on…
Mapping Lava Tubes on Mauritius with iPhone Pro LiDAR
Lava tube structures on Mauritius are quite hard to survey – tight, dark, and largely inaccessible to classical scanning equipment. As part of ongoing research by Dr. Kim Lea Holzmann (Chair of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, University of Würzburg), we’re excited to be collaborating on testing whether low-cost LiDAR-scanners, like the recent iPhone Pro […]
remote-sensing.org
First field tests completed! I spent the last 10 days in Mauritius, selecting suitable study caves. @ecoresearchzoo3.bsky.social
EORC - Earth Observation Research Cluster@earth-observation.org · 6d agoLava tube structures on Mauritius are quite hard to survey – tight, dark, and largely inaccessible to classical scanning equipment. As part of ongoing research by Dr. Kim Lea Holzmann (Chair of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, University of Würzburg), we’re excited to be collaborating on…
#Europe is hindering its own efforts to protect bees, butterflies and other #pollinators, say 135 researchers. @ecoresearchzoo3.bsky.social et al. warn of serious consequences for #biodiversity and food security. ➡️ www.uni-wuerzburg.de/en/news-and-...
Congrats to our PhD student Ronja Hausmann on her new publication! 🎉 Her study investigated whether official pest infestation signs are reliable indicators of the pest species #Agrilus_biguttatus 🪲 The answer: they are not! 📃 doi.org/10.1016/j.bi... #forest #ecology #pests
Redirecting
doi.org
📃🕸🕷 Check out this recent publication by our PhD candidate Jean-Léonard Stör and @juliarothacher.bsky.social from @cofeuniwue.bsky.social 🕷🕸! @betafor.bsky.social
Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg@uni-wuerzburg.de · last mo.Spiders prefer dense forests 🕷️🌲 A University of Würzburg study @animalecology.bsky.social shows: more forest gaps don’t mean more diversity—spider diversity actually drops. The reason: the missing canopy as key habitat. #forest #biodiversity 📷: Louis Puille ➡️ go.uniwue.de/animal-ecology
So greatful for this fantastic collaboration with @urban-sci.bsky.social @akkym.bsky.social @bayceer.bsky.social @ecoresearchzoo3.bsky.social @cofeuniwue.bsky.social ...and of course the amazing Anne Chao.
Fresh off the press @animalecology.bsky.social 📃 Compared to many other taxa #spiders do not profit from forest heterogenization, as gap cutting reduces important habitat in the canopy! 🍁🌳🕸🕷 ➡️ doi.org/10.1111/1365... @ecoresearchzoo3.bsky.social @cofeuniwue.bsky.social @betafor.bsky.social
Fresh off the press! 📄We find that crop fields and semi-natural grasslands support complementary #biodiversity across #Europe. Semi-natural habitats alone are insufficient to ensure farmland biodiversity - biodiversity-friendly management of crop fields is essential. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
🌿 Join our team! We're looking for an Administrative or Technical Assistant (part-time) with a commercial background at our chair. 📋💼 Help support research on biodiversity, conservation biology, and forest ecology. 🦋🪲 www.greenjobs.de/stellenanzei...
greenjobs.de - Umwelt macht Karriere
Auf greenjobs.de findet ihr Jobs im Bereich Agrarwende, Verkehrswende, Energiewende und dem klassischen Umweltschutz. Startet eure grüne Karriere hier!
greenjobs.de
Congrats to our PhD student Sophie Horlebein on the publication of her new paper! 🎉 🐭🦊Small and medium-sized carcasses support high landscape-scale diversity and contribute disproportionately to biodiversity conservation. 📃Check it out! www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Redirecting
doi.org
Come work with us and do research in Germany’s only national park in the Alps, iconic Berchtesgaden Nationalpark! We are looking to fill a PostDoc position in vegetation ecology (tinyurl.com/PostDocBerch...) and a PhD position in mountain forest dynamics (tinyurl.com/PhDBerchtesg...).
#Forests: Canopy gaps and deadwood increase diversity of #bats and #birds: New study @currentbiology.bsky.social. Bats benefit from variety between different forest patches, birds react strongly to local enrichment on-site. @betafor.bsky.social @cofeuniwue.bsky.social ➡️ go.uniwue.de/forest-div
🔍 We’re hiring! Our chair is looking for a motivated Researcher to join our team! 🌳 The aim of the project is to analyse the influence of canopy openings and deadwood management on insect communities. 🪲🦋 We’re looking forward to your application. 🌲📩 www.uni-wuerzburg.de/karriere/sin...
Stelle im wissenschaftlichen Dienst (w/m/d) am Lehrstuhl für Naturschutzbiologie und Waldökologie // Researcher Position (f/m/d) at the Chair of Conservation Biology and Forest Ecology
uni-wuerzburg.de
🎉 Congrats to @julian-lunow.bsky.social on his new publication! Promoting a mosaic of forest management types while reducing overall management intensity can foster positive relationships between carbon stocks and arthropod diversity. 📖 doi.org/10.1016/j.fe... #Biodiversity#CarbonStorage#Ecology
I’m looking for creative students for an exciting transdisciplinary project! Please share with potentially interested people 🎥🌴 @ecoresearchzoo3.bsky.social @biologie-uniwue.bsky.social
Meet #Licinus cassideus — a beetle that hunts snails, loves sun-scorched calcareous grasslands, and hadn't been seen in #Unterfranken since 1955. After being undetected for 71 years, we found it again in its typical habitat. #Carabidae #beetles #biodiversity #fieldwork @ecoresearchzoo3.bsky.social
First Agroecology Specialist Group meeting of 2026 🌱 Through icebreakers and discussions, we identified key agroecology topics, including mixed cropping and wider adoption of agroecological methods. We also had a keynote by Dr. Helen Hicks and planned workshops and publications. 🚜📚
Fieldwork season of project #CAVIN has started! Let’s investigate the hidden world 🕷️🕸️🪰 @ecoresearchzoo3.bsky.social @uni-wuerzburg.de
Today marks 3 years since I started my group @uni-wuerzburg.de. It's been a great time thanks to a wonderful team and the best collaborators in Würzburg, Germany, and abroad! Thanks to all of you! Very much looking forward to more joint adventures! www.biozentrum.uni-wuerzburg.de/en/gce/news/...
Successful first three years for Above-Belowground Interaction Ecology Group
Junior professor Malte Jochum and his Above-belowground interaction ecology group have just completed their third year at JMU Würzburg. After a positive mid-term evaluation of the junior professorship...
biozentrum.uni-wuerzburg.de
New paper out in @basicapplecol.bsky.social led by Ute Fricke @utefricke.bsky.social 📃 📊 Prey toughness - rather than size - limits predation. 🐛 Prey selection is therefore critical in REFA. 🪲🌾 Promoting carabids can strengthen control across diverse pest communities. doi.org/10.1016/j.ba...
Redirecting
doi.org
🪲🌾 New #BAAE article: Prey toughness shapes pest control in cereal fields 🌿 Hard-bodied pests face fewer attacks than soft prey, while abundant carabids drive most predation. Promoting predator diversity is key for stronger biological control. 🐛 DOI: doi.org/10.1016/j.ba... @gfoesoc.bsky.social
Invertebrate attack rates in crop fields are driven by prey toughness rather than size
Insect pests vary in size and toughness across species and life stages, and are attacked to varying degrees by different predators. Feeding experiment…
doi.org
New paper out in @jappliedecology.bsky.social 📃 Led by Blanca Iváñez-Ballesteros @bioivanezb.bsky.social who studied cacao agroforestry systems in Peru during her PhD 🌱
Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg@uni-wuerzburg.de · 4mo agoAnt trouble in cacao forests? 🐜 Researchers from @ecoresearchzoo3.bsky.social found a way to protect crops in Peru. Turns out, leaf-cutter ants prefer papaya over cacao! 🥭 Smart intercropping saves the harvest #Agroforestry #Sustainability 📷 Melvin Opolka ➡️ go.uniwue.de/leaf-cutter-...
New paper out by our PhD candidate Hanno Korten! 🌼🐝 "Droughts pose a major threat to bumblebee populations and the pollination services they provide, even in flower-rich protected areas" royalsocietypublishing.org/rspb/article...
Drought events reduce reproductive success of a long-tongued bumblebee species
Abstract. Climate change challenges pollinators through rising temperatures, altered precipitation regimes and an increased frequency of extreme weather ev
royalsocietypublishing.org
Zu trocken = zu wenig Nachwuchs 🐝 Eine Studie der Uni Würzburg zeigt: Bei Dürre entstehen kaum neue Hummelköniginnen. Ohne sie gibt es keine nächste Generation. Klimawandel trifft auch kleine Tiere. 👉 go.uniwue.de/hummel #Hummel #Klimawandel #Artenvielfalt 📷 Hanno Korten
Seems like spring finally arrived in Germany. Curruca curruca male singing from his favorite bush in @ecoresearchzoo3.bsky.social parking lot earlier today.
Check out the latest publication from our group in Functional Ecology 🐝 led by Cristina Ganuza
Functional Ecology@funecology.bsky.social · 4mo ago📰Published📰Bees and wasps adjust to warming—yet their climate of origin sets limits 🐝 buff.ly/QLY9uUF 🧪🌍️
New paper in Functional Ecology: Climatic origin and plasticity shape emergence timing and fitness in bees and wasps under experimental climate regimes. Check out HERE: www.biozentrum.uni-wuerzburg.de/en/zoo3/news....
Global warming is changing the hatching of bees and wasps
A large-scale experiment shows that warmth brings bees and wasps out of hibernation earlier – leaving some of them with poorer starting conditions. This is particularly true for species in cooler regi...
biozentrum.uni-wuerzburg.de
Fascinating new insights on the forest volatilome! 🍁🧪 Led by Lena Carlson we identify deadwood as a main driver of VOC beta-diversity, linked to the diversity of beetles. 🪲 @betafor.bsky.social @ecoresearchzoo3.bsky.social
The invisible heterogeneity of forests—β-diversity of volatiles - Landscape Ecology
Context Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) create invisible chemical landscapes that influence ecosystem processes. Yet whether VOC β-diversity (i.e., variability in VOC composition between patches) responds to structural heterogeneity and reflects silvicultural habitat management remains unclear. Objectives In a large field experiment, we quantified how enhanced structural beta complexity (ESBC) affects VOC β-diversity patterns and investigated potential drivers and ecological effects in temperate production forests. Methods We sampled VOCs in ambient forest air using Tenax/Carboxen adsorbent traps at forest floor and 1 m heights across 234 treatment and control forest patches in six German regions. We analyzed VOCs via thermal desorption-gas chromatography mass-spectrometry (TD-GCMS) and examined environmental drivers including deadwood characteristics, canopy cover, tree species dissimilarity, and herb layer dissimilarity. We tested potential ecological relevance by analyzing saproxylic beetle community responses. Results VOC β-diversity increased significantly at 1 m height in heterogeneous forests compared to homogeneous forests, but we found no significant change at the forest floor. Deadwood volume and deadwood structural diversity, rather than canopy openness, were identified as the main drivers of increasing VOC β-diversity. Dissimilarity in beetle community composition was associated with VOC β-diversity, but only for forest floor VOCs, suggesting these chemical patterns may correlate with variables beetles respond to. Conclusions Our findings suggest that volatile β-diversity represents an overlooked dimension of habitat heterogeneity, one that creates invisible chemical heterogeneity influencing inter- and intra-species interactions and ecosystem processes. We demonstrate that enhancing forest heterogeneity through deadwood retention increases both structural heterogeneity and volatile β-diversity.
link.springer.com
