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Ein junger Star, der mit einem Forschungssender ausgestattet ist, sitzt auf der Hand eines Menschen

Reduced movement of starlings with parasite infections has a negative impact on their offspring

Press release // Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (Leibniz-IZW), Technische Universität Berlin & University of Potsdam

Infections with parasites often entail no recognisable signs in many wildlife species, but can have still negative effects across generations. …
Savanna vegetation in Southern Africa

Diversity as survival strategy – How plants adapt to extreme climates in drylands

In a large-scale international study under leadership of the French research organizations INRAE/CNRS and the King Abdullah University in Saudi Arabia …
Bank voles were introduced to Ireland from Central Europe in 1920 and have continued to spread across the island ever since. At several locations (black dots), the behavior of individual animals was studied. Individuals in the expansion zone (orange) are more careful and less active than animals in the established zones (green), but they also explore more extensively.

Careful Pioneers – How Animals Spread and How Their Behavior Changes in the Process

Invasive animal and plant species are a challenge for biodiversity all over the world. To better understand the actual expansion processes during a …
“The three phases of exceptional dynamics: (1) Predation on the unprotected bacteria by predators, (2) toxin formation as cooperative defence and recovery of the bacterial population, (3) filament formation as individual defence through evolution and stabilisation of densities”.

In the end, it’s the individual advantage that counts – Bacteria rely on cooperation and evolution in order to defend themselves against predatory protists

Eating and being eaten is a normal process in nature. These predator–prey dynamics help to stabilise ecosystems. It ensures that individual species do …
White storks in the field | Photo: Guillermo Fandos-Guzman

Flexible individuals - Seasonal climatic niche tracking in White Storks only emerges at population level

Individual migratory birds rather track short-term weather conditions, while a population adapts its migratory movements seasonally to both weather …
Mascarene paradise flycatcher. | Photo: Christophe Thebaud

Island birds – biologists develop model to explain bird diversity on islands

Biologists from the University of Potsdam are part of an international research team which succeeded in developing a model to explain the species …

Evolutionsbiologe Dr. Luis Valente erhält Postdoc-Preis 2015 des Landes Brandenburg

Dr. Luis Valente, derzeit als Humboldt-Stipendiat an der Universität Potsdam, erhält den Postdoc-Preis 2015 des Landes Brandenburg.  In einer viel …

Süßwasserhaie schwimmen auch im Salzwasser – Biologe an Veröffentlichung in PNAS beteiligt

Ein internationales Forscherteam, dem auch Prof. Dr. Michael Hofreiter von der Universität Potsdam angehört, ist es gelungen, mit Hilfe von …
Smog over Hong Kong. Picture: Fotolia.com/Stripped Pixel

Post-carbon futures – Making the City of Tomorrow

About two thirds of all Europeans and over three quarters of Germans now live in cities…and their number is continuously increasing. Urbanization is a …
Bees find ample forage in the Petzow orchards at Schwielowsee lake. Picture: Karla Fritze

Under Stress – Ecological models to help protect endangered bees

Their industriousness is legendary. Without them there would be no fruit. Of all plants dependent on insects over 85% are pollinated by bees. Their …