Research

Funding: DFG, 299.200 EUR

Project Details:
Marked climatic oscillations between glacial and interglacial periods had worldwide consequences for vegetation as well as animal population dynamics. The importance of these shallow-time (on geological and evolutionary timescales) geographic dynamics for shaping current biodiversity and biogeography patterns is increasingly stressed, although rarely analyzed in an innovative integrated manner. One of the necessary steps in order to understand the drivers of biodiversity is to synergize the efforts from various research fields by, for example, reconstructing the interplay between the degree and frequency of historic forest cover changes and demographic changes of forest-dependent organisms. This study aims to integrate validated records of vegetation and climate dynamics with inferred population dynamics to reconstruct the dynamics of forest landscapes and of populations of forest dwelling species over space and time in a primate model endemic to Madagascar. Madagascar developed a unique biodiversity during its long isolated history. Despite the long-lasting interest in the natural history of the island, much is still unknown about the biodiversity dynamics and long-term ecology of this continental island. This multidisciplinary project aims to integrate demographic inferences based on molecular datasets of mouse lemurs with validated high resolution vegetation dynamics based on paleoecological reconstructions obtained from the same study sites reaching back to the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). To reach these goals, study sites in northwestern and northern Madagascar were visited for the joint collection of (paleo)ecological and population datasets and samples of mouse lemurs in direct vicinity to each other. For the paleoecological part sediment cores from lakes were drilled and complemented with samples of modern pollen rain and vegetation data. The sediment cores are subjected to temporal high-resolution pollen and charcoal analyses, radiocarbon dating and multivariate modelling of the vegetation and climate dynamics over time and space. The lemur samples are analyzed by applying RADSeq and NextSeq sequencing techniques on various subsets of samples. This study will contribute substantially to a deeper understanding of the evolutionary history and future prospects of lemur populations in view of ongoing habitat fragmentation and future climate change.

Results:

Montade, V.; Bremond, L.; Teixeira, H.; Kasper, T.; Daut, G.; Rasoamanana, E.; Pamavovolona, P.; Favier, C.; Arnaud, F., Radespiel, U.; Behling, H. (2024): Montane rain forest dynamics under changes in climate and human impact during the past millennia in northern Madagascar. R. Soc. Open Science, 11, 230930. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.230930.

 

Teixeira, H; Salmona, J; Arredondo, A.; Mourato, B; Manzi, S.; Rakotondravony, R.; Mazet, O; Chikhi, L.; Metzger, J; Radespiel, U. (2021): Impact of model assumptions on demographic inferences - the case study of two sympatric mouse lemurs in northwestern Madagascar. BMC Ecol. Evol. 21, 197. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12862-021-01929-z.

 

Teixeira, H.; Montade, V.; Salmona, J.; Metzger, J.; Bremond, L.; Kasper, T.; Daut, G.; Rouland, S.; Ranarilalatiana, S.; Rakotondravony, R.; Chikhi, L.; Behling, H.; Radespiel, U. (2021): Past environmental changes affected lemur population dynamics prior to human impact in Madagascar. Comm. Biol. 4, 1084. https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-021-02620-1.

Cooperation Partners:

Prof. Hermann Behling, Universität Göttingen

Dr. Vincent Montade, Universität Montpellier, Frankreich

Dr. Lounès Chikhi, IGC, Oeiras, Portugal

Dr. Jordi Salmona, Universität Toulouse, Frankreich

Prof. Solofonirina Rasoloharijaona, Universität Mahajanga, Madagaskar

Dr. Romule Rakotondravony, Universität Mahajanga, Madagaskar

Funding: GKF, Tübitak; FAZIT Stiftung, 100.000 EUR

Project Details:
Die Bedeutung von Th 17 Zellen wurde bei Steril-eitriger Meningitis-Arteritis untersucht. Derzeit wird diese Zellpopulation bei Hunden mit Epilepsie und Bandscheibenvorfällen evaluiert.

Funding: Bundesministerium für Gesundheit, 817.081 EUR

Project Details:
Mit Schreiben vom 15. Dezember 2015 hat die WHO unter der Referenznummer DEU-134 das Institut für Biometrie, Epidemiologie und Informationsverarbeitung an der Tierärztlichen Hochschule Hannover als "WHO Collaborating Centre for Rese-arch and Training for Health at the Human-Animal-Environment Interface" (WHO CC HAEI) designiert. Das WHO-Zentrum unterstützt auch weiterhin die WHO und ihre Mitgliedsstaaten. Die neue Designationperiode läuft nun für weitere zwei Jahre bis zum 17. Dezember 2023.
Der Aufgabenbereich (Terms of Reference, ToR) für das WHO CC HAEI wurde auf-grund der Umstrukturierung der AMR-Division neu formuliert. Seit dem 18. De-zember 2021 bis zum Ende der Designationperiode finden die Aufgabenbereiche TOR (i) und TOR (II) wie folgt Anwendung:
TOR (i) Unterstützung der WHO und ihrer Mitgliedsstaaten bei der Entwicklung und Umsetzung von GLASS ("Global Antimicrobial Surveillance System") unter der Lei-tung der WHO.
TOR (ii) Ausweitung des Konzepts für das "Tricycle"-Projekt zur Schließung der Übertragungslücke zwischen Antibiotikaresistenzen beim Menschen und beim Tier unter der Leitung der WHO.

Cooperation Partners:

AMR Division, World Health Organization (WHO), Genf, Schweiz (weitere Informationen siehe https://www.who.int/health-topics/antimicrobial-resistance)

Funding: VIPER

Project Details:
Die In-situ-Hybridisierung stellt eine wichtige Methode dar, um die Entdeckung neuartiger Viren mit histologischen Veränderungen im Gewebe zu korrelieren. Da verschiedene Protokolle der In-situ-Hybridisierung existieren, ist es wichtig zu untersuchen, ob diese Protokolle in Ihrer Spezifität und Sensitivität, möglicherweise Virus- und/ oder Gewebe-abhängig variieren, um auch gegebenenfalls eine sehr geringe Menge viraler Nukleinsäuren detektieren zu können.
Im Rahmen der vorliegenden Studien sollen verschiedene Erkrankungen, insbesondere des zentralen Nervensystems, die mit einer nicht-eitrigen Entzündung einhergehen, mittels Next Generation Sequencing und im Kontext mit in-situ-Hybridisierung bezüglich einer möglichen Virusätiologie, auch unter Einbeziehung von doppelschichtig RNA spezifischen Sonden entsprechend abgeklärt werden.

Project Details:
Das Tumormikromilieu stellt einen essentiellen Faktor sowohl beim Tumorwachstum als auch der Tumortherapie dar. Eine Komponente des Tumormikromilieus repräsentiert die Gefäßversorgung der Neoplasien, da Tumoren ohne vaskulären Anschluss ein limitiertes Größenwachstum bis zu einer kritischen Größe aufweisen, über die hinaus eine Versorgung der Zellen über Diffusion nicht mehr möglich ist. Des Weiteren weist das Tumormikromilieu infiltrierende Entzündungszellen auf, die sowohl wachstumsfördernde als auch -hemmende Effekte entfalten können. Das Tumormikromilieu stellt daher einen wesentlichen Angriffspunkt für neue therapeutische Interventionen dar. Histiozytäre Sarkome sind maligne Tumoren, die sowohl beim Hund als auch beim Menschen mit einer schlechten Prognose einhergehen und für die effektive Therapien oft nicht verfügbar sind. Daher stellt die virale Onkolyse einen faszinierenden Ansatzpunkt für die Erweiterung des Therapiespektrums dieser Neoplasie dar. Im vorliegenden Projekt soll der Einfluss einer kaninen Staupevirusinfektion auf kanine histiozytäre Sarkomzellen unter standardisierten in vitro Bedingungen als auch in einem murinen Xenotransplantationsmodell detailliert analysiert werden.

Project Details:
Im Rahmen der Dienstleistungen werden kontinuierlich Proben diverser Futtermittel (inkl. Tränkwasser) von Tierhaltern und Tierärzten auf ihre chemische Zusammensetzung, aber auch hinsichtlich ihrer hygienischen Qualität untersucht und bewertet. In entsprechenden Intervallen erfolgen dann Auswertungen, wobei die vorberichtlichen Informationen im Kontext zu den Untersuchungsergebnissen berücksichtigt werden. Auf diese Weise entstehen nicht zuletzt Kasuistiken, die für die Ausbildung der Studierenden, aber auch für die Fortbildung von Tierärzten, Tierhaltern oder auch Mischfutterherstellern von größtem Wert und Nutzen sind.

Funding: BMBF, DFG (Ra 502/7), DAAD, VolkswagenStiftung, Bundesamt für Naturschutz, BIOPAT e.V., private Spender, 292.450 EUR

Project Details:
The development of effective conservation measures for endangered species requires a detailed knowledge on the remaining individual numbers, the distribution of species and the factors causing potential threats to their survival. Moreover, it is important to understand the degree of intra-specific differentiation (e.g. phenotypic, ecological, genetic) that can be the result of rather recent (anthropogenic) or ancient evolutionary processes (barriers, landscape). The aim of this project is to understand the population structure of different lemur species across their distribution in view of drastic anthropogenic disturbances. Ancient and recent processes of genetic differentiation shall be identified in order to develop effective conservation measures. With this analysis, we will gain important insights into the evolutionarily significant units as well as and the management units of these threatened primates that will be needed to formulate long-term management plans.

Results:

e.g.

 

Van Elst, T.; Sgarlata, G.M.; Schüßler, D.; Tiley, G.P.; Poelstra, J.W.; Scheumann, M.; Blanco, M.B.; Aleixo-Pais, I.G.; Evasoa, M.R.; Ganzhorn, J.U.; Goodman, S.M.; Hasiniaina, H.F.; Hohenlohe, P.A.; Ibouroi, M.T.; Iribar-Poluzuelo, A.; Jan, F.; Kappeler, P.M.; Le Pors, B.; Manzi, S.; Olivieri, G.; Rakotonanahary, A.N.; Rakotondranary, S.J.; Rakotondravony, R.; Ranaivoarisoa, J.F.; Randrianambinina, B.; Rasoloarison, R.M.; Rasoloharijaona, S.; Rasolondraibe, E.; Teixeira, H.; Zaonarivelo, J.R.; Louis, E.E. Jr.; Yoder, A.D.; Chikhi, L.; Radespiel, U.; Salmona, J. (2024): Integrative taxonomy clarifies the evolution of a cryptic primate clade. Nature Ecology and Evolution, 9, 57-72. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-024-02547-w.

 

Schüßler, D.; Rabemananjara, N.R.; Radriarimanga, T.; Rafamantanantsoa, S.M.; Randimbiharinirina, R.D.; Radespiel, U.; Hending, D. (2024): Phaner furcifer - The ghost lemur of northeastern Madagascar? Lemur News, 24, 19-23.

 

Schüßler, D., Rafmantanantsoa, S.M.; Ratsimbazafy, J.H.; Richter, T.; Radespiel, U. (2023): Documentation of commercial and subsistence hunting of Critically Endangered Black-and-white Ruffed Lemurs (Varecia variegata) in northeastern Madagascar. Biodiversity and Conservation. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-023-02744-2.

 

Schüßler, D.; Rabemananjara, N.R.; Radriarimanga, T.; Rafamantanantsoa, S.M.; Randimbiharinirina, R.D.; Radespiel, U.; Hending, D. (2023): Extinct or elusive? New sightings of the Hairy-eared Dwarf Lemur (Allocebus trichotis), habitat characteristics and ecological niche modeling shed light on a small-bodied nocturnal lemur. Am. J. Primatol., 85(4), e23473. http://doi.org/10.1002/ajp.23473.

 

Ramilison, M.L.; Andriatsitohaina, B.; Chell, C.; Rakotondravony, R.; Radespiel, U.; Ramsay, M.S. (2021): Distribution of the critically endangered Coquerel?s Sifaka (Propithecus coquereli) in a fragmented landscape. Afr. J. of Ecology 59, 350-358. Doi:10.1111/aje.12844.

Cooperation Partners:

Prof. B. Randrianambinina, University of Mahajanga, Madagaskar

Dr. R. Rakotondravony, University of Mahajanga, Madagaskar

Prof. S. Rasoloharijaona, University of Mahajanga, Madagaskar

Dr. L. Chikhi, Universität Toulouse, Frankreich

Prof. M.W. Bruford, Cardiff University, UK

Dr. D. Rakotondravony, University of Antananarivo, Madagaskar

Dr. F. Ratsoavina, University of Antananarivo, Madagascar

Prof. J. Ratsimbazafy, University of Antananarivo, Madagascar

Groupe d'Étude et de Recherche sur les Primates de Madagascar, Madagaskar

Project Details:
Mouse lemurs are the smallest primates on earth. They are endemic to Madagascar, where they are increasingly endangered by anthropogenically caused habitat degradation. Mouse lemurs are unique primate models for evolutionary, aging and genomic research. They exhibit extraordinary species diversity with limited vs. broad ranges in the Malagasy tropical forests. They have a long longevity related to body size (up to 15 years in the laboratory, about 9 years in the field) which is, however, much shorter than for common anthropoid primate models. Furthermore, some, but not all, aging individuals develop an AD-like pathology as found in Alzheimer patients or show human-like aging-related diseases such as cancer or ocular pathologies (e.g. cataracts). Likewise mouse lemurs are one of the primate models, for which the full genome is published. In 1985, Elke Zimmermann founded the colony of gray mouse lemurs of the Institute of Zoology (IfZ), by two founder pairs coming from the University of Tübingen (Jörg Ganzhorn). Founder pairs stem from the Rotterdam Zoo and were tracked back to their origin in south-eastern Madagascar (Mandena). To increase the genetic diversity of the colony, the offspring of these founders (originally based at the University of Stuttgart-Hohenheim, moving later on to the University of Constance, the German Primate Centre and finally completely to the Institute of Zoology at the University of Veterinary Medicine in Hannover) were cross-bred with mouse lemurs coming from the Rotterdam Zoo, the Netherlands, in 1993 and the Parc Zoologique de Vincennes, France, in 1996. The colony is a self-sustaining breeding colony for which the life history of each individual mouse lemur is documented from birth to death in a mouse lemur database. Tissues from these individually known mouse lemurs are collected for veterinary purposes, or after the natural death of an animal. This colony of mouse lemurs is registered in the European and International Studbook of the Cheirogaleidae. Animals are used for non-invasive integrative and comparative research in the field of behaviour, physiology, reproduction, sensory biology, communication, cognition, genetics/genomics, aging, conservation biology and veterinary medicine. Furthermore, they are used for comparative research projects that are conducted together with several academic institutions studying the effect of different factors (e.g. general maintenance conditions, different photoperiod regimes, enrichment, group composition, genetic lineages) on the physiology, behaviour, communication, cognition, reproduction, longevity and health status of the colonies.

Results:

e.g.

 

Wittkowski, J.*; Klein, A.*; Kollikowski, A.*; Scheumann, M.*; Schmidtke, D.*; Zimmermann, E.?*; Radespiel, U.* (2024): The mouse lemurs. In: The UFAW Handbook on the Care and Management of Laboratory and Other Research Animals, 9th Edition. (H. Golledge, C. Richardson, eds.). John Wiley & Sons Ltd. (*: contributed equally to this chapter), pp. 662-682. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119555278.ch36.

 

Bleyer, M.; Radespiel, U.; Klein, A.; Kollikowski, A.; Ströbel, P.; Mätz-Rensing, K.; Gruber-Dujardin, E. (2024): Spontaneous soft tissue tumours in aged mouse lemurs. Journal of Comparative Pathology, 215, 47-54.

 

Liu, S.; Ezran, C.; Wang. M.F.Z; Li, Z.; The Tabula Microcebus Consortium*, Long, J.Z.; De Vlaminck, I.; Wang, S.; Kuo, C.; Epelbaum, J.; Terrien, J.; Krasnow, M.A.; Ferrell Jr., J.E. (2024): An organism-wide atlas of hormonal signaling based on the mouse lemur single-cell transcriptome. Nat. Commun., 15, 2188. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-46070-9 (* U.R. is member of the Tabula Microcebus Consortium).

 

Zhao, J.; Wang, G.; Ming, J.; Lin, Z.; Wang, Y.; The Tabula Microcebus Consortium; Wu, A.R.; Yang, C. (2022). Adversarial domain translation networks for integrating large-scale atlas-level single-cell datasets. Nature Computational Science, 2(5), 317-330. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43588-022-00251-y (*:U.R. is member of the Microcebus Consortium).

 

Fritz, R.; Zimmermann, E.; Meier, M.; Mestre-Francés, N.; Radespiel, U.; Schmidtke, D. (2020): Neurobiological substrates of animal personality and cognition in a nonhuman primate (Microcebus murinus). Brain and Behavior, e01752. https://doi.org/10.1002/brb3.1752.

Cooperation Partners:

Prof. Ingo Nolte, Klinik für kleine Haustiere

Prof. Fehr, Klinik für Heimtiere

Zoo Zürich, Schweiz; Zoo Frankfurt, Zoo Landau,

Zoo Vincennes, Frankreich; Zoo Pilsen, CZ

Prof. J.-M. Verdier, École Pratique des Hautes Études, Paris, Frankreich

Funding: BMBF, Conservation International, DFG, Operation Wallacea, Volkswagen-Stiftung, DAAD (PhD/reinvitation fellowship to BB, SR, RoR, AR RiR, AH) as well as to supervisors, Small Rufford Fund, private organisations

Project Details:
The Ankarafantsika National Park and the Mariarano forest contain different habitat types, including xerophytic forests, dry deciduous forests, semi-humid gallery forests along rivers or lake shores, coastal mangrove forests (Mariarano) and secondary vegetation formations that may develop after bushfires or selective wood extraction. This mosaic of habitat types offers many different ecological niches for lemurs and other forest dwelling organisms. Both forests are unique in northwestern Madagascar by harboring five endangered or critically endangered lemur species, one of which, the golden brown mouse lemur (Microcebus ravelobensis) was only recently described by our group in 1998. Moreover, the Ankarafantsika National Park comprises the largest remaining continuous patch of dry deciduous forest in northwestern Madagascar and is therefore of utmost importance for the longterm preservation of biodiversity in this biogeographic zone. Knowledge on the environmental flexibility of lemurs is still in its infancy, but urgently needed for conservation management. The aim of this longterm programme is to study the conservation biology of these lemur species, including their vulnerability towards diseases, at sites, for which we already have basic data. This knowledge will help to understand the environmental flexibility of species, how macrogeographic events such as climate change affect lemur?s life history and long-term survival and provide empirical data for long-term conservation management of lemurs in northwestern Madagascar.

Results:

e.g.

 

Klein, A.; Radespiel, U.; Springer, A.; Rakotondravony, R.; Strube, C. (2024): Temporal dynamics in gastrointestinal helminth infections of sympatric mouse lemur species (Microcebus murinus and Microcebus ravelobensis) in Northwestern Madagascar. International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife, 25, 100972. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijppaw.2024.100972.

 

Rasoloharijaona, S.; Randrianambinina, B.; Radespiel, U. (2024): Evidence for female dominance in the Milne-Edwards? Sportive lemur (Lepilemur edwardsi). American Journal of Primatology, e23658. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajp.23658.

 

Steffens, T.S.; Ramsay, M.S.; Andriatsitohaina, B.; Cosby, A.E.; Lehman, S.M.; Rakotondravony, R.; Razafitsalama, M.; Teixeira, H.; Radespiel, U. (2022): Shifting biogeographic patterns of Microcebus ravelobensis and M. murinus. Int. J. Prim., 43, 636-656. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10764-022-00304-z.

 

Wuesthoff, E.; Fuller T.K.; Sutherland, C.; Kamilar, J.M.; Ramanankirahina, R.; Rakotondravony, R.; Rouse, S.; Radespiel, U. (2021): Spatial partitioning of sympatric species of mouse lemurs across a mangrove-dry forest habitat gradient. J. Mammal. 102(5), 1266-1278. https://doi.org/10.1093/jmammal/gyab082.

 

Durden, L.A.; Kessler, S.E.; Radespiel, U.; Hasiniaina, A.F.; Stekolnikov, A.A.; Chalkowski, K.; Zohdy, S. (2021): Host associations of ectoparasites of the gray mouse lemur, Microcebus murinus, in northwestern Madagascar. J. of Parasitol. 107(1), 108-114. https://doi.org/10.1645/20-145.

Cooperation Partners:

Prof. Solofonirina Rasoloharijaona, University of Mahajanga, Madagascar

Prof. Blanchard Randrianambinina, University of Mahajanga, Madagascar

Dr. Romule Rakotondravony, University of Mahajanga, Madagascar

Dr. Rindra Ramanankirahina, University of Antananarivo, Madagascar

Dr. Hanta Razafindraibe, University of Antananarivo, Madagascar

Dr. Peter Long, Oxford University, U.K.

Prof. Shawn Lehman, Toronto University, Canada

Prof. Brooke Crowley, Univerisity of Cincinnati, USA

Prof. Hermann Behling, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen

Prof. Travis Steffens, University of Guelph, Canada; Planet Madagascar

Funding: Helmholtz-Zentrum hereon GmbH, Geesthacht, 16.660 EUR

Project Details:
The Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research, ITAW, will support Hereon in this project as a subcontractor in the execution of the following tasks with expert services on the impacts of large offshore wind farms on the overall ecological-economic context in the North and Baltic Seas.
-Overview of the obligations arising from the Marine Strategy Framework Directive and the status of the indicators.
-Large-scale shifts in marine mammal abundance as a result of avoidance responses to the presence of large-scale OWPs.
-Possible population effects for various marine mammals in the North Sea and Baltic Sea due to habitat loss and health risks from large-scale OWPs in Germany and neighboring countries.
-Effects of underwater noise on marine mammals from blasting, OWP construction and shipping.
-Increased human impact on marine mammals in OWP-free areas due to the accumulation of anthropogenic activities that cannot take place in OWP areas (e.g. fishing, shipping, sand and gravel extraction).
Identification of future research needs, in particular:
-Quantification of possible effects on the occurrence of various marine mammals in the OWP area (density effects).
-Effects of blasting, pile driving and construction and supply vessels on marine mammals.
-Research into possible effects and effect-reducing potentials of larger wind turbines and other wind turbine and OWP designs on marine mammals.

Cooperation Partners:

Helmholtz-Zentrum hereon GmbH, Geesthacht

Dachverband Deutscher Avifaunisten, Münster

Thünen-Institut für Seefischerei, Bremerhaven