Forschung

Projektverantwortliche: Dr. Matthias Lüpke; TÄ Ines Thiem

Laufzeit: Anfang 2000 bis Ende 2004

Projektverantwortliche: Prof. Dr. K.-H. Waldmann

Laufzeit: 1997 bis 2000

Projektverantwortliche: Aposematic warning coloration is primarily associated with deterring potential predators. However, only limited knowledge exists regarding the role of such visual signals in intraspecific communication. The aim of this study is to enhance the color intensity of a group of dorsally yellow Dendrobates tinctorius from the locality "Citronella"" through dietary supplementation with carotenoids, such as &#946

Laufzeit: -carotene and lutein derivatives. The underlying assumption of this experiment is that coloration can be modified through carotenoid supplementation to a degree that allows supplemented individuals to be distinguished from unsupplemented ones by the naked eye, as well as through measurable shifts in reflectance spectra. Individuals exhibiting different levels of pigmentation (supplemented and supplemented = control) will be put together in a test arena for mate-choice experiments and the assessment of territorial behavior. There is reason to assume that particularly intense coloration confers selective advantages in terms of mate choice or dominance behavior, as has been suggested in previous studies on strawberry poison frogs. Such selective advantages, including increased attractiveness or greater competitive ability, are of particular interest in the context of the evolutionary mechanisms underlying warning coloration and the pronounced phenotypic variation observed among different local populations. The study will examine whether the color differences are perceptible to the frogs themselves and how individuals from the two experimental groups respond behaviorally to differently colored conspecifics. Previous studies further suggest that carotenoids may have a stimulatory effect on clutch production. To test this assumption, the reproductive performance of the separately housed experimental groups will be analyzed. The insights gained from this work may contribute to improved amphibian husbandry, provide new perspectives on intraspecific communication, and shed light on the mechanisms driving the evolution of aposematic coloration."

Projektverantwortliche: Dr. Elisabeth Schaper

Laufzeit: Januar 2022 bis Dezember 2022

Projektverantwortliche: Tagging wild animals is important to investigate their behaviour and habitat use. The project "Realising a game changer in tagging wild animals

Laufzeit: stress-free instrumentation"" is part of the funding initiative ?Experiment? of the Volkswagen Foundation. Its goal is to achieve a less stressful tagging experience for wild animals. To this end, so-called self-affixing smart tags are under development. For this, animals do not need to be caught and immobilized, but they can nevertheless be equipped with new hi-tech devices that inform researchers about their habits. Smart tags are undergoing testing in, and customisation for, several different species. The goal is to reduce any stress experienced by animals while being outfitted with transmitters to make this process more animal-friendly. Another advantage is that data recorded after tagging are immediately usable, rather than researchers having to discard initial data because the animal is behaving aberrantly following capture. Indeed, after attaching the types of transmitters used to date, animals usually display abnormal behaviour, which can lead to considerable deviations in measured data and even to the tagged animal leaving its usual habitat. Animal tagging is employed in many research projects worldwide. The collected data provide information about how animals live, their use of space, energy expenditure, behaviour, and even emotional states. Thus, they provide important information for protection and management. Indeed, such is the power of the approach that it has progressed to a distinct discipline called biologging."

Projektverantwortliche: Im Auftrag der Universität Aarhus (Dänemark) wurden, seit 2012, jährlich im Juli, Daten zu Abundanz und Verteilung von marinen Säugetieren erhoben. Untersucht wurden zwei Natura 2000 Gebiete in der dänischen südlichen Nordsee, "Sydlige Nordsø"" und ""Vadehavet med Ribe Å,Tved Å og Varde Å vest for Varde"". Hauptzielart war der Schweinswal ( Phocoena phocoena). Das ITAW führte einen fluggestützten Survey durch

Laufzeit: der Methode der Linientransekterfassung folgend. Als Beobachtungsplattform kam ein zweimotoriges Flugzeug vom Typ Partenavia 68 zum Einsatz. Die Fluggeschwindigkeit während der Datenaufnahme betrug 90-100 Kn (167-186 km/h) auf einer Flughöhe von 600 Fuß (183 m). Das Untersuchungsgebiet konnte an einem Flugtag unter überwiegend guten und moderaten Sichtungsbedingungen abgedeckt werden."

Projektverantwortliche: Unser langjähriges Forschungsinteresse im Bereich "kasuale Biodiversitätsforschung"" gilt der Untersuchung der frühen Evolution der Biodiversität in diploblastischen Tieren (Placozoen, Schwämme und Hohltiere). Wir studieren auf verschiedenen Ebenen die Entstehung von Formenreichtümern mit dem Fernziel, die reale Artendiversität und ihre systematische Einbettung zuverlässig zu erfassen, schützenswerte Einheiten zu definieren, und das ökologische Wechselspiel zwischen Diversitätsdynamiken und Umweltfaktoren zu modellieren. Hierbei bedienen wir uns der experimentellen Feldforschung ebenso wie der Entwicklung und Anwendung neuer molekulargenetischer Arbeitstechniken. Auch die mathematische Entwicklung eines neuen DNA-Barcoding-Algorithmus sowie die Genomsequenzierung (aktuell für das Placozoon Trichoplax adhaerens

Laufzeit: www.jgi.doe.gov/sequencing/why/CSP2005/trichoplax.html) gehören zu unseren Arbeitstechniken, um den Anforderungen der Zukunft zu genügen."

Projektverantwortliche: On behalf of the University of Aarhus (Denmark), data on abundance and distribution of marine mammals have been collected annually since 2012. Three Natura 2000 sites in the Danish North Sea, "Sydlige Nordsø"" and ""Vadehavet med Ribe Å,Tved Å og Varde Å vest for Varde"" and ""Skagens Gren og Skagerrak"" were surveyed in August 2018. The main target species was the harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena). ITAW, together with Aarhus University, conducted two flight-based surveys

Laufzeit: following the line transect method. A twin-engine Partenavia 68 aircraft was used as the observation platform. The airspeed during data collection was 90-100 kn (167-186 km/h) at an altitude of 600 feet (183 m). The survey areas could be covered on one flight day each under predominantly good sighting conditions."

Projektverantwortliche: Prof. Dr. J. Rehage; T?" A. Haschke

Laufzeit: T?"" S. Janßen

Projektverantwortliche: Prof. Dr. C. Visscher; Dr. J. B. Lingens; T?" A. Godglück

Laufzeit: Dr. F. Spieß