Chair of Zoology, Wildlife Ecology and Entomology
Wild animals are important members of forest ecosystems from litter decomposition, over pollination to seed dispersal. From the biological basics of vertebrates and insects, we teach the organismic biology relevant to forests here. This is where the faunistic knowledge of species develops, that is required, for example, in the hunting licence, which is relevant for forest protection, or which acquires significance for forest educational tours. In addition, the students should learn at this point to think and act in populations. As forest and land managers, they should also be able to introduce aspects relevant to species conservation into forest management.
To support the content, the seminar series "Wildlife" has been taking place for almost two decades with external speakers on wildlife biology research topics from all over Europe.
Director
Research topics
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Faunistic Forest Ecology: Species Diversity - Structural Richness - Ecosystem Engineers
Which key structures play a special role in the biodiversity of forest ecosystems and how they can be preserved within the framework of forest management is a central research question. In this context, key species play an important role, especially ecosystem engineers such as woodpeckers or beavers. Modern technology is used to gain new insights, ranging from batcorders, over photo traps and resistographs to octocopters and thermal imaging cameras. We are committed to applied research in the field of faunistic forest ecology and forestry. The most important research areas are beech-oak and temperate riparian forests, but also beech primeval forests of the Western Carpathians as a reference object.
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Information Processing and Natural Sciences
Another field of work covers the area of humans and wildlife. One example of this is the Bird Pisa Study on pupils' knowledge of species. Strategies for biology didactics were derived from this. In this context, comparative studies on value attitudes between courses of study or countries (Germany / Australia) also took place.