Research

Funding: DAAD, DGHT

Project Details:
Die Pfeilgiftfrösche der Gattung Oophaga zeichnen sich durch ein komplexes Territorial-, Paarungs- und Brutpflegeverhalten aus. Aus diesem Grund sind sie Modellobjekte in vielen Studien zur Beantwortung evolutionsbiologischer Studien. Weiterhin sind die meisten dieser Arten polymorph, d.h. sie unterschieden sich in ihren bioakustischen Signalen, Farbmustern und anderen morphologischen Variablen zwischen den Populationen. Auf Grund dessen ist es häufig schwierig Arten klar abzugrenzen. Das Ziel dieses Projektes ist eine molekular-genetische Studie durchzuführen, in der Arten genetisch eindeutig zugeordnet werden können. Sobald dieses erfolgt ist, folgen weitere Untersuchungen, um herauszufinden in wie weit die Arten sich in ihren ökologischen Ansprüchen und ihrem Verhalten unterscheiden. Das Ziel des Projektes ist es Artbildungsmechamismen besser zu verstehen.

Results:

Galindo Uribe D, Sunyer J, Hauswaldt S, Amezquita A, Pröhl H, Vences M (2014) Color and pattern variation and Pleistocene phylogeographic origin of the strawberry poison frog, Oophaga pumilio, in Nicaragua. Salamandra, 50: 225-235

Brusa O, Bellati A, Meuche I, Mundy NI, Pröhl H (2013) Divergent evolution in the polymorphic granular poison-dart frog, Oophaga granulifera: genetics, colouration, advertisement calls and morphology. J Biogeogr 40:394-408

Hauswaldt JS, Ludewig A-K, Vences M, Pröhl H (2011) Widespread co-occurrence of divergent mitochondrial haplotype lineages in a Central American species of poison frog (Oophaga pumilio). J Biogeog 38: 711-726

Hagemann S, Pröhl H (2007) Mitochondrial paraphyly in a polymorphic poison frog species (Dendrobatidae; D. pumilio). Molecular Phylogenetics & Evolution 45: 740-747

Cooperation Partners:

Prof. Dr. Adolfo Amezquita, Universidad de los Andes

Dr. Diana Galindo, Universidad de los Andes

Prof. Dr. Miguel Vences, TU Braunschweig

Funding: Teile des Projektes Industrie, Gesellschaft für Kynologische Forschung, BMBF (Lichtenberg-Stipendium), Bruns-Stiftung, GKF, Boehringer-Ingelheim, 110.000 EUR

Project Details:
Hunde mit Krampfanfällen machen ungefähr 10% des neurologischen Patientengutes aus. Im Rahmen dieser Projekte wird versucht, die Diagnostik und Therapie zu verbessern. Magnetresonanzuntersuchungen (MRT) und spezielle EEG-Techniken werden derzeit auf ihre Bedeutung für die Diagnostik in der Praxis evaluiert. Neue Anästhesieprotokolle werden für die EEG Diagnostik untersucht. Die Häufigkeit der Entwicklung von Krampfanfällen nach Trauma soll bei Hund und Katze ermittelt werden. In einer multizentrischen Studie wird die Wirksamkeit neuer antikovulsiv wirkenden Substanzen bzw. neuer Therapiestrategien getestet. Der Einfluss von Endocannabinoiden auf den Krankheitsverlauf wird studiert. Biomarker für die Epileptogenese in Liquor cerebrospinalis und Serum/MRT werden gesucht. Derzeit wird die Th17 Antwort näher beleuchtet, bzw. werden volumetrische Untersuchungen durchgeführt und Therapiemassnahmen überprüft. In einer Studie in Zusammenarbeit mit dem Zuchtverband wird der Phänotyp der idiopathischen Epilepsie des Hundes beim großen Schweizer Sennenhund angesehen.

Cooperation Partners:

multizentrische Studien - mehrere Kleintierpraxen, Universität Bern, Universität München

Funding: Aarhus University, DK, 4.451 EUR

Project Details:
On behalf of Aarhus University (Denmark), data on abundance and distribution of marine mammals have been collected annually since 2012. Five Natura 2000 sites in the Danish North Sea and Skagerrak were surveyed in 2021. The main target species was the harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena). The flight surveys were conducted by Aarhus University and followed the line transect survey method. ITAW was commissioned to quality assure and evaluate the data collected.

Results:

For the individual study areas, densities and abundances of harbour porpoises could be estimated and the inaccuracies (95% confidence intervals and coefficient of variation (CV)) associated with the estimation were determined. The processed data and results were submitted to the client.

Funding: Bundesamt für Gewässerkunde, Koblenz, 29.583 EUR

Project Details:
Dietary analysis of otters found dead are the subject of this study. Relevant otters where dissected as part of a previous project that aimed at investigating anticoagulant rodenticides (rat poison) in predators. During necropsies, all stomachs and the intestinal content of otters was sampled, if available. Continuing, all remains found in the gastrointestinal tracts of the otters were specially prepared to allow identification of prey species. Two methods will be used therein: hard part analysis, which targets visible bones, scales etc., and metabarcoding, which identifies prey species genetically. In combination, both methods together will create a realistic overview of the prey spectrum of otters from Lower Saxony. All results will be presented as a short report.

Results:

The results of the hard component analysis confirm fish as the most frequently eaten prey class of otters in Lower Saxony. Furthermore, components of amphibians, plants, arthropods, and very sporadically of birds, mammals and molluscs were detected in the stomachs. The Cyprinidae family was the most frequently identified fish family. That otters are opportunistic predators that feed on a variety of fish species depending on availability in their range (Kruuk, 2006; Buglione et al., 2020) was confirmed by the metabarcoding results. The study was able to show that the combination of hard component analysis and metabarcoding is suitable to break down and describe the feeding ecology of otters in Lower Saxony. While metabarcoding could identify fish species that would otherwise have been overlooked, hard component analysis could provide estimates of the number of prey eaten.

Funding: Common Wadden Sea Secretariat (CWSS), 4.994 EUR

Project Details:
The Quality Status Report (QSR) is commissioned by the Common Wadden Sea Secretariat (CWSS). The report is published at regular intervals and provides information on the current status of the Wadden Sea. In order to be able to present the human impact on this sensitive ecosystem, the latest results from science and research are compiled. The authors are experts from different research disciplines from the three countries over which the Wadden Sea extends - Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands. There are different reports on the various main topics. ITAW coordinated the report for the state of marine mammals.

Results:

https://qsr.waddensea-worldheritage.org/reports/marine-mammals

Funding: Aarhus University, DK, 9.736 EUR

Project Details:
In 2021, data on the abundance and distribution of marine mammals were to be collected as part of an environmental impact assessment. The study area is located in the Kattegat near the Danish island of Hesselø. A new offshore wind farm is to be built there. The main target species of the present survey was the harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena).
The flight surveys were conducted by Aarhus University and followed the line transect method. In total, the area was surveyed three times in 2021. ITAW was commissioned by Aarhus University to accompany the planning and organisation of the new survey and to quality assure and evaluate the collected data.

Results:

For the three surveys of the study area, densities and abundances of harbour porpoises were estimated and the inaccuracies (95% confidence intervals and coefficient of variation (CV)) associated with the estimation were determined. The processed data and results were submitted to the client.

Funding: MELUND, 19.177 EUR

Project Details:
Since 2002, ITAW has been conducting flight-based surveys for harbour porpoises in the EEZ and the 12sm zone of the North Sea. A dedicated monitoring of harbour porpoises in the North Sea and Baltic Sea has been carried out in projects of the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN) since 2008. Within the framework of this survey and monitoring, valuable data series on the spatio-temporal occurrence and density of harbour porpoises could be collected including the area of the whale sanctuary in the Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea National Park.
ITAW also has proven expertise in bioacoustics and acoustic monitoring of cetaceans. Click Detectors (C-PODs) have already been used in numerous projects to study harbour porpoise habitat use and the effects of offshore wind farm construction and operation on harbour porpoises. The LKN POD monitoring has been operated by ITAW since 2011 and valuable data on acoustic harbour porpoise activity could also be collected in the area of the whale sanctuary in the Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea.
The aim of the project is to evaluate the whale sanctuary in terms of occurrence, abundance, seasonality and importance of the whale sanctuary as a habitat for harbour porpoises for feeding and as a calving and breeding area.
For this purpose, the following data sources are to be evaluated in depth:
a) Dedicated visual surveys to record harbour porpoise abundance in the German North Sea (12 nm plus EEZ);
b) Modelled density area maps to determine model-based abundance;
c) Acoustic monitoring of harbour porpoises using stationary click detectors (C-PODs) in the Wadden Sea.

Results:

Abschlußbericht im Auftrag des Landesbetriebes für Küstenschutz, Nationalpark und Meeresschutz Schleswig-

Holstein (LKN.SH) und des Ministeriums für Energiewende, Klimaschutz, Umwelt und Natur

(MEKUN)

https://www.tiho-hannover.de/fileadmin/57_79_terr_aqua_Wildtierforschung/79_Buesum/downloads/Berichte/Walschutzgebiet_Bericht_ITAW_20221012_final.pdf

Funding: Ministerium für Energiewende,Landwirtschaft, Umwelt, Natur und Digitalisierung des Landes Schleswig-Holstein, 62.000 EUR

Project Details:
The project carried out for the Ministry for Energy Transition, Agriculture, Environment, Nature and Digitalisation (MELUND) aims to record the development of the health status of wild harbour seals in Schleswig-Holstein. A distinction is made between live and dead monitoring.
In the course of the live monitoring, the State Agency for Coastal Protection, National Park and Marine Conservation (LKN) finances seal captures on the Lorenzensplate. Here, the seals are caught alive, fixed in tube nets and measured lengthwise for an approximate size reference. In addition, blood and swab samples are taken from the seals for further examination. After the examination and sampling, the animals are released.
For the monitoring of dead seals, seals found dead or killed for animal welfare reasons are brought from the North Sea and the Baltic Sea to the ITAW in Büsum, where they are autopsied. The autopsies serve to record data on morphometry and population structure as well as to examine the health status of the individuals. In addition, the causes of disease and, if possible, the causes of death are recorded. After the macroscopic examination, organ samples are also examined histopathologically. In addition, samples are taken for further examinations, which include bacteriology and virology, but also toxicology and screening for microplastic particles.
Since ITAW has been monitoring both live and dead seals for several years, the investigations described above provide a good overview of the current health of the seal populations in the North Sea and Baltic Sea and how it compares to previous years. In addition, the studies serve to address a wide range of other questions. For example, human influences on the marine mammals can be investigated or the occurrence of important infectious and potentially dangerous zoonotic pathogens can be monitored.
The cooperation of the ITAW staff with the so-called seal hunters is fundamental to the existence of the project. These work on a voluntary basis for the state of Schleswig-Holstein and are often the first people to contact when sick seals are found on the beach. They are trained by the ITAW in cooperation with the administration of the Wadden Sea National Park and the Friedrichskoog Seal Station so that they can decide independently whether the seals need help. If there is no prospect of recovery and a further life in the wild for the seals due to serious illness or injury, the seal hunters can release the animals from their suffering.

Results:

Untersuchungen zum Gesundheitszustand von Seehunden

in Schleswig-Holstein im Jahr 2021

Bericht an das Ministerium für Energiewende, Landwirtschaft, Umwelt, Natur und Digitalisierung des Landes Schleswig-Holstein und den Landesbetrieb für Küstenschutz, Nationalpark und Meeresschutz Schleswig-Holstein

https://www.schleswig-holstein.de/DE/fachinhalte/A/artenschutz/Downloads/seehundbericht2021.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v=2

Funding: Nationalparkstiftung Schleswig-Holstein, 22.500 EUR

Project Details:
The native harbor seal population has been severely depleted in the past, but rebounded after the end of hunting in the 1970s. Two seal distemper epidemics in 1988 and 2002 and an influenza epidemic drastically reduced the seal population in the Wadden Sea within a very short time. However, the population recovered each time, so that currently there are an estimated 40800 living in the Wadden Sea of the Netherlands, Germany and Denmark.
Despite the high profile of this species, some aspects of harbor seal ecology, such as precise movement patterns and habitat use in the Wadden Sea National Park and adjacent waters, as well as information on feeding ecology, are poorly studied. The few studies available suggest that harbor seals do make extended hunting excursions into the open North Sea. However, the ecological relevance of these excursions and the detailed, spatiotemporal resolution of foraging activity are based on purely theoretical approaches. Furthermore, it is not clear which prey organisms and prey size the seals prefer on their hunting trips and whether they show specific hunting tactics depending on prey size.
Therefore, this project aims to fill gaps in our knowledge about where, how often and what exactly seals feed on in the German North Sea.
A problem in this context is that seals spend most of their lives in the water, where it is very difficult to observe their movements. In this context, telemetry - i.e., the tagging of animals with small electronic devices - is an important method to obtain knowledge about habitat use and behavior of the animals. However, in terms of determining foraging and food acquisition, telemetry has a large element of uncertainty. While sensors can provide high-resolution movement data (geographic position, dive depth, dive length, dive distance, acceleration), a characterization of foraging behavior is usually based on a subjective assessment of theoretical assumptions. A direct observation of the feeding behavior can only be achieved by a camera directly on the animal. In the present project, seals will therefore be equipped with a special underwater camera ("CATS-Cam"). In the future, the knowledge gained can also serve as a basis for the optimization of management concepts, as well as for further studies, for example to validate data from conventionally used telemetry devices. Furthermore, the recorded videos can be used for public relations and environmental education.

Results:

In the present project, two seals were caught and equipped with special underwater cameras ("CATS-Cam"). As expected, the cameras detached from the animals after a few days and the stored video files could be read out and analysed. A first analysis showed that the concept was suitable for the study purposes. A total of 495 videos (total length of 21.8 hours) were recorded.

Further investigations will be carried out in the future to optimise the method, so that more data can be recorded and movement patterns that could be identified from the existing videos can be used as a template for further identifications in the movement data. Also, problems such as poor lighting conditions caused by high concentrations of suspended matter in the water are to be avoided through modifications to the device.

In the future, the further development of this method should also serve as a basis for optimising management concepts, for example to validate data from conventionally used telemetry devices.

https://www.tiho-hannover.de/universitaet/aktuelles-veroeffentlichungen/pressemitteilungen/detail/seehunden-ueber-die-schulter-schauen

Funding: Ministerium für Energiewende,Landwirtschaft, Umwelt, Natur und Digitalisierung des Landes Schleswig-Holstein, 53.000 EUR

Project Details:
Originally situated in east asia the racoon dog was introduced 1928 as a fur animal in the former soviet union. Since then the racoon dog spread continously west and inhabited new areas. In the late 1990 the first reproduction of racoon dogs in Schleswig- Holstein was recorded.

1927 racoons were released in the state of Hessen, in the following years other racoon dogs were set free or escaped form captivity in different parts of Germany. From this time on a free roaming population established. In 1975 the first reproduction of racoons was recorded in Schleswig- Holstein.

In our project we want to analyse the influence and the risk of these alien species on our native fauna. Therefore we want to asses the health status, especially the occurance of zoonotic and infectious diseases and the nutrition of the animals.

Shot animals or animals found dead are getting dissected at the institute for terrestrial and aquatic wildlife research of the TiHo Hannover. Samples for bacteriological, virological and parasitological diagnostics are taken and stomach content analysis and age determination is taking place. Based on the first results follow- up studies on the influence on native animal species and as a result of those a future long-term management can be developed

Results:

Malicious Mites?Sarcoptes scabiei in Raccoon Dogs (Nyctereutes procyonoides) in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany

https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/12/12/1379