Our group covers three main lines of research, all united by the interest in understanding population-level biodiversity and its consequences for intra- und inter-species population dynamics. (i) trophic interactions and community dynamisc are the focus of Community Population Ecology line of research. (ii) Local adaptation, temporal population dynamics and behavioural ecology are the focus of Evolutionary Population Ecology line of resaerch. (iii) And the genomic architecture of genetic polymorphisms, speciation and hybridization are the focus of Molecular Population Ecology line of resarch. Furthermore, we are interested in (iv) ecological, evolutionary and startistical methods and therefore also cover the field that we call Population Ecology Methods.
Contemporary scientific work is often very collaborative. We are therefore involved in several large collaborative research project. This includes the long-running Jena Experiment that was established in 2002 and has been DFG-funded since then. More recently, we got engaged in a Collaborative Reserach Center (SFB-TRR 212) that is also funded by the DFG and studies the evolutionary ecology of individualized niches. Furthermore, we are participating in the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) in Halle-Jena-Leipzig, the Michael Stifel Center Jena (MSCJ) for Data-Driven & Simulation Science and the Interantional Max Planck Research School (IMPRS) run by Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology in Jena. Additionally, we are involved in more grass-roots projects such as the Nutrient Network (NutNet) and the team for the Statistical Quantification of Individual Differences (SQuID). And finally, there are always ongoing individually funded projects that are also important.
Image: Holger Schielzeth
We are a team of currently six postdoctal researchers, three PhD students, five technical assistants, and four gardeners. We will occasionally solicit applications for funded PhD student positions. Furthermore, if you are interested in joining the group with external funding or as part of your studies, you may contact us at popecol@uni-jena.de.
We offer a variety of classes for the BSc level in Biology and the MSc level in Ecology, Evolution and Systematics. The topics range from introduction to faunistic field methods, evolutionary, community and conservation ecology, via population genetics to scientific writing and presentations. We also continously offer a selection of topics for Bachelor or Master projects. The list of ongoing and completed projects gives an impression about the range of topcis that we offer. Please to not hesitate to contact us if you are interested and movitated to work in the field of evolutiony, molecular or community ecology.
Gaigher, A., Burri, R., San-Jose, L.M., Roulin, A. & Fumagalli, L. (2019). Lack of statistical power as a major limitation in understanding MHC‐mediated immunocompetence in wild vertebrate populations. Molecular Ecology 28: 5115-5132. doi: 10.1111/mec.15276
Köhler, G. & Schielzeth, H. (2019). Green-brown polymorphism in alpine grasshoppers affects body temperature. Ecology and Evolution doi: 10.1002/ece3.5908
Risch, A.C., Zimmermann, S., Ochoa-Hueso, R., Schütz, M., Frey, B., Firn, J.L., Fay, P.A., Hagedorn, F., Borer, E.T., Seabloom, E.W., Harpole, W.S., Knops, J.M.H., McCulley, R.L., Broadbent, A.A.D., Stevens, C.J., Silveira, M.L., Adler, P.B., Báez, S., Biederman, L.A., Blair, J.M., Brown, C.S., Caldeira, M.C., Collins, S.L., Daleo, P., di Virgilio, A., Ebeling, A., Eisenhauer, N., Esch, E., Eskelinen, A., Hagenah, N., Hautier, Y., Kirkman, K.P., MacDougall, A.S., Moore, J.L., Power, S.A., Prober, S.M., Roscher, C., Sankaran, M., Siebert, J., Speziale, K.L., Tognetti, P.M., Virtanen, R., Yahdjian, L. & Moser, B. (2019). Soil net nitrogen mineralisation across global grasslands. Nature Communications 10: 4981. doi: 10.1038/s41467-019-12948-2
Manning, P., Loos, J., Barnes, A.D., Batáry, P., Bianchi, F.J.J.A., Buchmann, N., De Deyn, G.B., Ebeling, A., Eisenhauer, N., Fischer, M., Fründ, J., Grass, I., Isselstein, J., Jochum, M., Klein, A.M., Klingenberg, E.O.F., Landis, D.A., Lepš, J., Lindborgs, R., Meyer, S.T., Temperton, V.M., Westphal, C. & Tscharntke, T. (2019). Transferring biodiversityecosystem function research to the management of ‘real-world’ ecosystems. Advances in Ecological Research doi: 10.1016/bs.aecr.2019.06.009
Barry, K.E., Weigelt, A., van Ruijven, J., de Kroon, H., Ebeling, A., Eisenhauer, N., Gessler, A., Ravenek, J.M., Scherer-Lorenzen, M., Oram, N.J., Vogel, A., Wagg, C. & Mommer, L. (2019). Above- and belowground overyielding are related at the community and species level in a grassland biodiversity experimen. Advances in Ecological Research doi: 10.1016/bs.aecr.2019.05.001
Chakrabarty, A. & Schielzeth, H. (2019). Comparative analysis of the multivariate genetic architecture of morphological traits in three species of Gomphocerine grasshoppers. Heredity doi: 10.1038/s41437-41019-40276-41431
Schweizer, M., Warmuth, V.M., Alaei Kakhki, N., Aliabadian, M., Förschler, M., Shirihai, H., Ewels, P., Gruselius, J., Olsen, R.A., Schielzeth, H., Suh, A. & Burri, R. (2019). Genome-wide evidence supports mitochondrial relationships and pervasive parallel phenotypic evolution in open-habitat chats. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 139: 106568. doi: 10.1016/j.ympev.2019.106568
González Macé, O., Ebeling, A., Eisenhauer, N., Cesarz, S. & Scheu, S. (2019). Variations in trophic niches of generalist predators with plant community composition as indicated by stable isotopes and fatty acids. Soil Organisms 91: 45-59. doi: 10.25674/so91204
Vogel, A., Ebeling, A., Gleixner, G., Roscher, C., Scheu, S., Ciobanu, M., Koller-France, E., Lange, M., Lochner, A., Meyer, S.T., Oelmann, Y., Wilcke, W., Schmid, B. & Eisenhauer, N. (2019). A new experimental approach to test why biodiversity effects strengthen as ecosystems age. Advances in Ecological Research: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/bs.aecr.2019.06.006
Vogel, A., Manning, P., W., C.M., Cowles, J., Isbell, F., Jousset, A.L.C., Kimmel, K., Meyer, S.T., Reich, P.B., Roscher, C., Scherer-Lorenzen, M., Tilman, D., Weigelt, A., Weight, A.J., Eisenhauer, N. & Wagg, C. (2019). Lost in trait space: Species-poor communities are inflexible in properties that drive ecosystem functioning. Advances in Ecological Research: doi: 10.1016/bs.aecr.2019.06.002
Beugnon, R., Steinauer, K., Barnes, A., Ebeling, A., Roscher, C. & Eisenhauer, N. (2019). Plant functional trait identity and diversity effects on soil meso- and macrofauna in an experimental grassland. Advances in Ecological Research (in press). http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/bs.aecr.2019.06.004 [Data availability:
Guimarães-Steinicke, C., Weigelt, A., Ebeling, A., Eisenhauer, N., Duque-Lazo, J., Reu, B., Roscher, C., Schumacher, J., Wagg, C. & Wirth, C. (2019). Terrestrial laser scanning reveals temporal changes in biodiversity mechanisms driving grassland productivity. Advances in Ecological Research: doi: 10.1016/bs.aecr.2019.06.003
Hines, J., Ebeling, A., Barnes, A., Brose, U., Scherber, C., Scheu, S., Tscharntke, T., Weisser, W.W., Giling, D.P., Klein, A. & Eisenhauer, N. (2019). Mapping change in biodiversity and ecosystem function research: Food webs foster integration of experiments and science policy. Advances in Ecological Research: doi: 10.1016/bs.aecr.2019.06.008
Eisenhauer, N., Schielzeth, H., Barnes, A.D., Barry, K., Bonn, A., Brose, U., Bruelheide, H., Buchmann, N., Buscot, F., Ebeling, A., Ferlian, O., Freschet, G.T., Giling, D.P., Hättenschwiler, S., Hillebrand, H., Hines, J., Isbell, F., Koller-France, E., König-Ries, B., de Kroon, H., Meyer, S.T., Milcu, A., Müller, J., Nock, C.A., Petermann, J.S., Roscher, C., Scherber, C., Scherer-Lorenzen, M., Schmid, B., Schnitzer, S.A., Schuldt, A., Tscharntke, T., Türke, M., van Dam, N.M., van der Plas, F., Vogel, A., Wagg, C., Wardle, D.A., Weigelt, A., Weisser, W.W., Wirth, C. & Jochum, M. (2019). A multitrophic, eco-evolutionary perspective on biodiversity-ecosystem functioning research. Advances in Ecological Research doi:10.1016/bs.aecr.2019.06.001
Ristok, C., Poeschl, Y., Dudenhöffer, J.H., Ebeling, A., Eisenhauer, N., Vergara, F., Wagg, C., van Dam, N.M. & Weinhold, A. (2019). Plant species richness elicits changes in the metabolome of grassland species via soil biotic legacy. Journal of Ecology doi:10.1111/1365-2745.13185
Hines, J., Giling, D.P., Rzanny, M., Voigt, W., Meyer, S.T., Weisser, W.W., Eisenhauer, N. & Ebeling, A. (2019). A meta food web for invertebrate species collected in a European grassland. Ecology 100: e02679. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ecy.2679
Shah, A., Hoffman, J.I. & Schielzeth, H. (2019). Transcriptome assembly for a colour-polymorphic grasshopper (Gomphocerus sibiricus) with a very large genome size. BMC Genomics 20: 370. doi: 10.1186/s12864-019-5756-4
Koshkina, A.I., Koshkin, A.V., Timoshenko, A.Y., Koshkin, A.A. & Schielzeth, H. (2019). White-headed Duck Oxyura leucocephala surveys in Kazakhstan suggest larger and apparently increasing Eastern population of an endangered wetland species. Bird Study 66: 111-120. doi: 10.1080/00063657.00062019.01618239.
Schuldt, A., Ebeling, A., Kunz, M., Staab, M., Guimaraes-Steinicke, C., Bachmann, D., Buchmann, N., Durka, W., Fichtner, A., Fornoff, F., Hardtle, W., Hertzog, L.R., Klein, A.M., Roscher, C., Schaller, J., von Oheimb, G., Weigelt, A., Weisser, W., Wirth, C., Zhang, J., Bruelheide, H. & Eisenhauer, N. (2019). Multiple plant diversity components drive consumer communities across ecosystems. Nature Communications 10: 1460. doi: 10.1038/s41467-019-09448-8
Giling, D.P., Ebeling, A., Eisenhauer, N., Meyer, S.T., Roscher, C., Rzanny, M., Voigt, W., Weisser, W.W. & Hines, J. (2019). Plant diversity alters the representation of motifs in food webs. Nature Communications 10: 1226. doi: 10.1038/s41467-019-08856-0
Harry, I., Höfer, H., Schielzeth, H. & Assmann, T. (2019). Protected habitats of Natura 2000 do not coincide with important diversity hotspots of arthropods in mountain grasslands. Insect Conservation and Diversity 12: 329-338. doi: 10.1111/icad.12349
Firn, J., McGree, J.M., Harvey, E., Flores-Moreno, H., Schütz, M., Buckley, Y.M., Borer, E.T., Seabloom, E.W., La Pierre, K.J., MacDougall, A.M., Prober, S.M., Stevens, C.J., Sullivan, L.L., Porter, E., Ladouceur, E., Allen, C., Moromizato, K.H., Morgan, J.W., Harpole, W.S., Hautier, Y., Eisenhauer, N., Wright, J.P., Adler, P.B., Arnillas, C.A., Bakker, J.D., Biederman, L., Broadbent, A.A.D., Brown, C.S., Bugalho, M.N., Caldeira, M.C., Cleland, E.E., Ebeling, A., Fay, P.A., Hagenah, N., Kleinhesselink, A.R., Mitchell, R., Moore, J.L., Nogueira, C., Peri, P.L., Roscher, C., Smith, M.D., Wragg, P.D. & Risch, A.C. (2019). Leaf nutrients, not specific leaf area, are consistent indicators of elevated nutrient inputs. Nature Ecology & Evolution doi: 10.1038/s41559-018-0790-1
Giling, D.P., Beaumelle, L., Phillips, H.R.P., Cesarz, S., Eisenhauer, N., Ferlian, O., Gottschall, F., Guerra, C., Hines, J., Sendek, A., Siebert, J., Thakur, M.P. & Barnes, A.D. (2018). A niche for ecosystem multifunctionality in global change research. Global Change Biology doi: 10.1111/gcb.14528
Chakrabarty, A., van Kronenberg, P., Toliopoulos, N. & Schielzeth, H. (2019). Direct and indirect genetic effects on reproductive investment in a grasshopper. Journal of Evolutionary Biology 32: 331-342. doi: 10.1111/jeb.13417
Schweizer, M., Warmuth, V., Alaei Kakhki, N., Aliabadian, M., Förschler, M., Shirihai, H., Suh, A. & Burri, R. (2019). Parallel plumage colour evolution and introgressive hybridization in wheatears. Journal of Evolutionary Biology 31: 100-110. doi: 10.1111/jeb.13401
