Biodiversity

Protection through species diversity

"One Health" describes the interdependence of humans, animals and the environment. Biodiversity or biological diversity plays a significant role in the "One Health" theme and in the aforementioned research foci. On the one hand, human-induced destruction and alteration of natural habitats leads to a steady change in the composition of animal populations and a loss of biodiversity (e.g., in insects). The problem is exacerbated by neozoa. The loss of biodiversity subsequently leads to an increase in individual adaptable species, among which infectious diseases can spread more easily. On the other hand, there is an increase in human-animal contact in reduced and altered habitats. The increasingly close coexistence of humans and animals in a shared ecosystem means that a large number of pathogens can be transmitted between them. This has implications for animal health, food safety and human infection.

The TiHo deals with many aspects of this seminal and essential topic such as:

• Processes and mechanisms of evolution and adaptation of animals to their environment and management of endangered wildlife
• Biodiversity research projects in model habitats
• Deciphering the evolution of evertebrates and vertebrates and studies on the conservation genetics of endangered animals, including the use of trait-based DNA barcoding to record "animal entities" (especially species)
• Occurrence and distribution of various tick species
• Habitat use and effects of interventions such as fishing, trash, chemical or acoustic pollution on the animal health of marine mammals seals, grey seals and harbor porpoises