Professor, coordination committee of MERGE programme
Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology (Zoology III)
ORCID: 0000-0003-2304-9117

My research group “Spatial and Microbial Ecology” focuses mainly on research questions within the fields of agroecology, landscape ecology, climate change biology, chemical ecology and multi-trophic interactions. My favorite insect groups are lepidopterans, true bugs, aphids, carabid beetles and grasshoppers, but I am also interested in all other organism groups including vascular plants, spiders, birds and the European hamster. Thereby the identification and diversity of insects and other organisms play an important role in my research. A special focus of my research is on endophytic fungi, mainly of the genus (Epichloë), and the toxicity for invertebrates and grazing vertebrates.