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In seasonal environments populations of short lived animals can experience a reproductive season with multivoltine reproduction and a non-reproductive season. This pattern produces a bimodal distribution of distinct individual life histories (short-lived summer and long-lived winter animals) within genetic lineages. We hypothesize, that for distinct life history patterns also different behavioural syndromes are fitness increasing: summer animals should be bold, competitive, and aggressive to overcome competition with conspecifics, while winter animals should be shy, social and careful to save energy and avoid predation. Here we investigate, whether different behavioural syndromes are selected during summer and winter, or, alternatively, behavioural symptoms plastic, and is photoperiod triggering the fitness-enhancing behavioural syndromes in small mammals?
DFG: Muster und Konsequenzen individueller Risikolandschaften (Dammhahn 2017-21)
BMBF: Bridgeing in Biodiversity Science (Rural- Urban coupling, u.a. Eccard 2015-2020)
DFG: Phänotypische Plastizität im Verhalten und der Lebensgeschichte in kurzlebigen, iteroparen Säugetieren (Eccard 2010-2013)
DFG (Eccard): Foraging in a risky world (2004-2010)
Mazza, V, Jacob, J, Dammhahn, M, Zaccaroni, M, Eccard, JA: Individual variation in cognitive styles affects foraging and anti-predatory strategies in a small mammal. (Submitted 1/18)
Mazza, V, Eccard JA, Zaccaroni, M, Jacob, J, Dammhahn M: (2018) The fast and the flexible: cognitive styles drieves individual variation in cognition in a small mammal. Animal Behaviour (in press)
Herde, A., Eccard, J. A. 2013. Consistency in boldness, activity and exploration at different stages of life. BMC Ecology, 13(1): 49. PDF
Eccard, J. A., Herde, A. 2013. Seasonal variation in the behaviour of a short-lived rodent. BMC Ecology, 13(1): 43. PDF
Eccard, J. A., Jokinen, E. I., Ylönen, H. 2011 Loss of density-dependence and incomplete control by dominant breeders in a territorial species with density outbreaks. BMCEcology 11:16 PDF
Eccard, J. A., Rödel, H. G. 2011 Optimizing temperament through litter size in short-lived, iteroparous mammals in seasonal environments. Developmental Psychobiology 53(6): 585-591 PDF
Prey has developed specific and unspecific adaptive behavioural responses in order to stay alive. We investigate behavior of prey species in risk-uniform landcapes, where all locations are equally risky and foragers have to avoid risks by increasing their efficiency
Eccard JA, Meißner JK, Heurich M (2015) European Roe Deer Increase Vigilance When Faced with Immediate Predation Risk by Eurasian Lynx. Ethology 121:1-11. DOI:10.1111/eth.12420
Liesenjohann T, Liesenjohann M, Trebaticka L, Sundell J, Haapakoski M, Ylönen H, Eccard JA (2015) State-dependent foraging: lactating voles adjust their foraging behavior according to the presence of a potential nest predator and season. Behav Ecol Sociobiol. 69(5): 747–754. doi:10.1007/s00265-015-1889-x
Eccard JA, Liesenjohann T (2014) The Importance of Predation Risk and Missed Opportunity Costs for Context-Dependent Foraging Patterns. PLoS ONE 9(5): e94107. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0094107
Eccard, J. A., Liesenjohann, T. 2008. Foraging Decisions in Risk-Uniform Landscapes. PLoS ONE 3(10): e3438. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0003438
Eccard, J. A., Pusenius, J., Sundell, J., Ylönen, H., Halle, S. 2008. Foraging patterns of voles at heterogeneous avian and uniform mustelid predation risk. Oecologia 157(4): 725-734. 10.1007/s00442-008-1100-4
Liesenjohann, T., Eccard, J. A. 2008. Foraging under uniform risk from different types of predators. BMC Ecology, 8:19,http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1472-6785-8-19
Ylönen, H., Eccard, J. A., Jokinen, I. E., Sundell, J. 2006. Is the antipredatory response in behaviour reflected in stress measured in faecal corticosteroids? Behavioural Ecology and Sociobiology, 60(3): 350-358. PDF
Ylönen, H., Sundell, J., Eccard, J. A., Tiilikainen, R., Horne, T. 2003. Weasels' (Mustela nivalis nivalis) preference for olfactory cues of the vole (Clethrionomys glareolus). Ecology, 84(6): 1147-1152. PDF
Sundell, J., Eccard, J. A., Tiilikainen, R., Ylönen, H. 2003. Predation rate, prey preference and predator switching: experiments on voles and weasels. Oikos, 101(3): 615-623.
Polyandry, i.e. mating with multiple males within one reproductive event, is now accepted to be one of the most significant female reproductive behaviours. Its adaptive functions and its consequences on male reproductive success, however, are still not identified in most species. In collaboration with Ines Klemme in Finland we study causes and consequences of polyandry in a mammal species the bank vole (Myodes glareolus).
DFG: Reprodictione behaviour under predation risk: Do mothers trade-off safety of their nestlings against future reproduction?
Ines Klemme & Hannu Ylönen, Jyväskylä, Finland
Eccard, JA, Reil, D, Folkersma, R, Schirmer, A (2018) The scent of risk: Behavioural adaptations to current and future reproduction in response to infanticide risk by unfamiliar males. Under Revision 18/02
Eccard JA, Dammhahn M, & Ylönen H (2017) The Bruce effect revisited: is pregnancy termination in female rodents an adaptation to ensure breeding success in pairs in low density phases? Oecologia 185: 81-94. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5596041/
Klemme I, Bäumer J, Eccard J A and Ylönen H (2014), Polyandrous females produce sons that are successful at post-copulatory competition. Journal of Evolutionary Biology, 27: 457–465. doi: 10.1111/jeb.12334
Klemme, I., Kataja-aho. S., Eccard. J. A., Ylonen, H. 2012. Variable mode of estrus affects female decision for multiple mating. Behavioral Ecology 23(2):361-367 doi: 10.1093/beheco/arr193
Eccard, J. A., Wolf, J. B. W. 2009. Multipaternity rates: importance of litter size and confidence intervals. Animal Behaviour, 78: 563-571. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2009.04.008 - Supplemental Calculator for paternity share: R-script
Klemme, I., Eccard, J. A., Ylönen, H. 2006. Do female bank voles mate multiply to improve on prevoius mates? Behavioural Ecology and Sociobiolgy, 60(3): 415-421. PDF[E1]
Klemme, I., Eccard, J. A., Gerlach, G., Horne, T., Ylönen, H. 2006. Does it pay to be adominant male in a promiscuous species? Annales Zoologici Fennici, 43(3): 248–257. PDF[E2]
Klemme, I., Ylönen, H., Eccard, J. A. 2007. Why do female bank vole, Clethrionomys glareolus, mate multiply? Animal Behaviour, 73(4): 623-628. PDF
Klemme, I., Ylönen, H., Eccard, J. A. 2007. Reproductive success of male bank voles (Clethrionomys glareolus): the effect of operational sex ratio and body size. Behavioural Ecology and Sociobiology, 61(12): 1911-1918. PDF
Klemme, I., Ylönen, H., Eccard, J. A. 2008. Long term fitness benefits of polyandry in a small mammal, the bank vole Clethrionomys glareolus. Proceedings of the Royal Society, Series B. 27(1638)5: 1095-1100. PDF
Dr. Daniela Reil
Beech mast, vole population dynamics and the puumula virus (PUUV), a hanta virus are closely connected.
Reil, D., Imholt, C., Drewes, S., Ulrich, R. G., Eccard, J. A., Jacob, J. (2015) Environmental conditions in favour of a hantavirus outbreak in 2015 in Germany? Zoonoses and Public Health. DOI: 10.1111/zph.12217
Reil, D., Imholt, C., Eccard, J.A., Jacob, J (2015) Beech fructification and bank vole population dynamics - combined analyses of promoters of human Puumala virus infections in Germany. Plos ONE, D-14-56977R2
Imholt, C., Reil, D., Eccard, J. A., Jacob, D., Hempelmann, N., Jacob, J. (2014) Quantifying the past and future impact of climate on outbreak patterns of bank voles (Myodes glareolus). Pest Management Science, Band: 71, Heft: 2, Seite(n):166-172, ISSN/ISBN: 1526-498
Dr. Karin Schneeberger
An individuals immune system depends on various biotic and abiotic factors. In short-lived, fast-reproducing species, the immunocompetence to fight pathogens is strongly connected to survival and reproductive output, and thus to fitness. We aim at studying aspects of the immune system of small mammals during their entire life-span, as well as under different circumstances.
Gábor Czirják (Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, IZW)
These projects were aimed at identifying the key functional traits of individuals that meet the challenges created by urban environments. Individual variation can drive and constrain animals’ adaptations to human-induced rapid environmental changes (HIREC). Behavioural and cognitive adaptations are likely to play a major role in coping with anthropogenic change because behaviour largely determines how individuals interact with their surroundings. Also, behavioural responses typically occur faster, and are more rapidly reversible, than other responses to environmental change. Ongoing fast urbanisation provides a natural laboratory in which to improve our understanding of the functional role of behaviour for responses to HIREC, as well as the role humans play in eco-evolutionary dynamics. Characterizing traits that enable successful species to thrive in urban habitats might therefore help to illuminate the determinants of successful adaptation to human-altered environments and rapidly-changing conditions, as well as allowing more effective mitigation strategies of the impact on anthropogenic destruction.
Leibniz Institut for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW), Technische Universität Berlin
“Bridging in Biodiversity Science” (BIBS)
Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF)
Mazza V, Czyperreck I, Eccard J A, Dammhahn M (2021) Cross-context responses to novelty in rural and urban small mammals. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution 9:661971. https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2021.661971
Mazza V & Guenther A (2021) City mice and country mice: innovative problem-solving in rural and urban non-commensal rodents. Animal Behaviour 172(1). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2020.12.007
Mazza V, Dammhahn M, Lösche E, Eccard J A(2020) Small mammals in the big city: Behavioural adjustments of non‐commensal rodents to urban environments. Global Change Biology 26(11):6326-37. DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15304
Dammhahn M, Mazza V, Schirmer A, Göttsche C, Eccard J A. (2020) Of city and village mice: behavioural adjustments of striped field mice to urban environments. Scientific reports 2020 10(1):1-12. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-69998-6
Artificial light is affecting the behaviour and physiology of animals and people. With the advance of LED technology street lights and solar garden lights, artificial illumination will become even more abundant, but their effects on wildlife are not well understood.
Franz Hölker (IGB, Verlust der Nacht), Rupert Palme (Vet. Science, Vienna)
Deutsche Bundersstiftung Umwelt (DBU, for Julia Hoffmann)
Agricultural use of our landscapes strongly affects biodiversity, animal communities, animal movement in the landscape and eco health. Studies are part of the “AgroScapeLabs”, which aims to explore the landuse effects on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning across scales in an agriculturally used landscape.
University of Potsdam, Leibniz Institut for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Landscape Research
Heim O, Schröder A, Eccard JA, Jung K, Voig C (2016) Seasonal activity patterns of European bats above intensively used farmland. Agriculture Ecosystems & Environment. 233:130-139. doi: 10.1016/j.agee.2016.09.002
Heim O, Lorenz L, Kramer-Schadt S, Jung K, Voigt C, Eccard JA (2017) Landscape and scale dependent spatial niches of bats foraging above intensively used arable fields. Ecological Processes (accepted May 2017)
The movement of organisms affects biodiversity affects movement affects biodiversity. Mechanisms, however, are poorly understood and may include mobile linkers and equalizing-stability mechanisms. In the BioMove Graduate School we will study these mechanisms and systems in a top-down (biodiversity to movement) and bottom-up (movement to biodiversity) approach, using observational and experimental field studies as well as modelling.
BioMove Team
DFG: Verknüpfung von Bewegungsökologie und Biodiversitätsforschung in dynamischen Agrarlandschaften (BioMove, 2015-2018)
Schirmer A, Hoffmann J, Eccard JA, Dammhahn M (2020) My niche: individual spatial niche specialization affects within- and between-species interactions. Proc. R. Soc. B 287: 20192211. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2019.2211
Schlägel U, Grimm V, Blaum N, Colangeli P, Dammhahn M, Eccard JA, Hausmann S, Herde A, Hofer H, Joshi J, Kramer-Schadt S, Litwin M, Lozada-Gobilard S, Müller M, Müller T, Nathan R, Petermann J, Pirhofer-Walzl K, Radchuk V, Jeltsch F(2019). Movement-mediated community assembly and coexistence. 10.32942/osf.io/d8a4m.
Kowalski GJ, Grimm V, Herde A, Guenther A, Eccard JA (2019) Does animal personality affect movement in habitat corridors? Experiments with common voles (Microtus arvalis) using different corridor widths. Animals 9(6), 291, doi.org/10.3390/ani9060291
Schirmer A, Herde A, Eccard JA, Dammhahn M (2019) Individuals in space: Personality-dependent space use, movement and microhabitat use facilitate individual spatial niche spezialisation. Oecologia, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-019-04365-5
Interspecific territoriality, aggressiveness, behavioural disturbance and even predation are mechanisms of interference between species, and occur in a wide range of animal communities. Interindividual differences within a species may facilitate coexistence with other species by creating individualized niches.
The project aims at investigating the inter-individual differences in movement-related behaviours of two small mammals, how they influence the spatial behaviour of individuals and the resulting impact on individual and ecological fitness. Therefore in a first step the natural variation in behavioural types in both coexisting species will be quantified using already established personality tests, as well as their spatial distribution within and space use of a heterogeneous habitat assessed using capture-mark-recapture and automatic radio-tracking. Furthermore fitness proxies will be measured. In a second step, an experimental approach will be taken in which the variation in behavioural types will be manipulated to assess its influence on the coexistence of the study species.
Hannu Ylönen (Finland), Rupert Palme (Vienna)
Schirmer A, Hoffmann J, Eccard JA, Dammhahn M (2020) My niche: individual spatial niche specialization affects within- and between-species interactions. Proc. R. Soc. B 287: 20192211. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2019.2211
Liesenjohann, M., Liesenjohann, T., Trebaticka, L., Haapakoski, M., Sundell, J., Ylönen, H., Eccard, J. A. 2011. From interference to predation: type and effects of direct interspecific interactions of small mammals. Behavioural Ecology and Sociobiology 65(11): 2079-2089 PDF
Liesenjohann, M., Liesenjohann, T., Palme, R., Eccard, J. A. 2013. Differential behavioural and endocrine responses of common voles (Microtus arvalis) to nest predators and resource competitors. BMC Ecology, 13(1): 33. PDF
Liesenjohann M., Barber A., Eccard, J. A. Adjustments of the burrow system of semi-fossorial small mammals as response to nest predation and resource competition (submitted).
Eccard, J. A., Fey, K., Caspers, B., Ylönen, H. 2011. Breeding state and season affect interspecific interaction types: indirect resource competition and direct interference. Oecologia, 167(3): 623-633. PDF
Haupt, M., Eccard, J. A., Winter, Y. 2010. Does spatial learning ability of common voles (Microtus arvalis) and bank voles (Myodes glareolus) constrain foraging efficiency? Animal Cognition, 13(6): 783-91. PDF
Eccard, J. A., Ylönen, H. 2003. Who bears the costs of interspecific competition in an age structured population? Ecology, 84(12): 3284-3293. PDF
Eccard, J. A., Ylönen, H. 2002. Direct interference or indirect exploitation? An experimental study of fitness costs of interspecific competition in voles. Oikos, 99(3): 580-590. PDF
Eccard, J. A., Ylönen, H. 2007. Costs of coexistence along a gradient of competitor densities: an experiment with arvicoline rodents. JournalofAnimalEcology, 76(1): 65-71. PDF
Eccard, J. A., Ylönen, H. 2003. Interspecific competition in small rodents: from populations to individuals. Evolutionary Ecology, 17(4): 423-440. PDF
Eccard, J. A., Klemme, I., Horne, T., Ylönen, H. 2002. Effects of competition and season on survival and maturation of young bank vole females. Evolutionary Ecology, 16(2): 85-99. PDF
For any iteroparous animal in a seasonal environment, the timing of breeding is of essential importance. Surviving the harsh non-breeding season, entering breeding condition, and establishing a territory at the optimal time are important factors in determining subsequent breeding success. Onset of breeding depends on conspecific density and annual variation in food resources. Season on the other hand affects animals behavior and interaction with other species.
Eccard, J. A., Herde, A. 2013. Seasonal variation in the behaviour of a short-lived rodent. BMC Ecology, 13(1): 43. PDF
Eccard, J. A., Fey, K., Caspers, B. A., Ylönen, H. 2011. Breeding state and season affect interaction types: indirect resource competition and direct interference. Oecologia, 1-11 PDF
von Blanckenhagen, F., Eccard, J. A., Ylönen, H. 2007. Animal protein as a constraint in spring reproduction in the bank vole? Ecoscience, 14: 323-329. PDF
Eccard, J. A., Ylönen, H. 2006. Adaptive food choice of bank voles in a novel environment: choices benefit reproductive status during winter and spring. AnnalesZoologiciFennici, 43(1): 2-8. PDF
Ylönen, H., Eccard, J. A. 2004. Does quality of winter food affect female spring condition and breeding in the bank vole? Ecoscience, 11(1): 1-5. PDF
Eccard, J. A., Ylönen, H. 2001. Initiation of breeding after winter in Clethrionomys – the effects of food quality and population density. Canadian Journal of Zoology, 79(10): 1743-1753.
Global climate is changing rapidly and may impact species phenology and range distribution. Although evolutionary responses to climate change are thought to be widespread, so far there is little evidence in mammals. We want to uncover the genetic signatures of adaptation to climate in voles (Myodes glareolus and Microtus arvalis). We will be looking for covariation between climatic variables and genome wide variation in single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). The genomes from individuals from several populations across Europe will be sequenced using next generation sequencing. To reveal true signatures of adaptation to climate we will be probing across a temporal, latitudinal and altitudinal gradient.
Forschungsschwerpunktprogramm (Research Area), University of Potsdam
University of Potsdam
Animal Ecology
Maulbeerallee 1
14469 Potsdam
Tel.: +49 331 977-1914
E-Mail: animal-ecologyuuni-potsdampde