(Dept. 5) Evolutionary and Integrative Ecology
The Department of Evolutionary and Integrative Ecology, which is located in both Friedrichshagen and Dahlem, advances the eco-evolutionary understanding of freshwater organisms in the Anthropocene. Our research has two overarching themes:
- Evolutionary ecology and eco-evolutionary dynamics
- Synthesis across scales, disciplines and actors
Within these themes, we address different research topics, varying from the ecological and evolutionary consequences of global change (e.g. biological invasions, climate change, pollution) to species interactions and long-term dynamics. Urban systems are of particular relevance here, as they integrate multiple dimensions of global change. Berlin is also a perfect place to study urbanisation! Species interactions we are investigating include competition, parasitism and predation, and interactions between species and different human actors are of high relevance as well.
We collaborate with researchers within and beyond IGB, nationally and internationally. Particularly strong connections are with Freie Universität Berlin and KU Leuven, as group leaders in the department hold professorships at these universities. We are active in the Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research (BBIB) and play a leading role in the Berlin Center for Genomics in Biodiversity Research (BeGenDiv), both of which involve extensive collaboration with other Leibniz institutes and universities. International initiatives that we are strongly engaged in include the Alliance for Freshwater Life, Future Earth and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Research groups
Department members
Selected publications
Interactions between climate change and urbanization will shape the future of biodiversity
The study shows how interactions between climate change and urbanisation affect biodiversity and ecosystem dynamics. The authors point out that the interactions between these two drivers of global change can have far-reaching effects, and how this knowledge can inform urban planning.
The potential of historical spy-satellite imagery to support research in ecology and conservation
This study evaluated the spatial, temporal, and seasonal coverage of over one million declassified images from 4 US spy-satellite programmes, showing that this data spans nearly the entire globe and all seasons. Their use could lead to better mapping of the historical extent and structure of ecosystems and human impacts, and help reconstruct past habitats and species distributions.
The shape of density dependence and the relationship between population growth, intraspecific competition and equilibrium population density
The authors focused on extensions of the logistic growth model, and how intrinsic rates of increase and equilibrium population densities are not independent, but instead are functions of the same underlying parameters. They highlight several options for modeling population growth, and provide a mechanistic understanding of how the model parameters of each model relate to one another.
Quantifying interspecific and intraspecific diversity effectson ecosystem functioning
The authors included effects of intraspecific variation to a variance partitioning method that allows quantifying effects of losses and gains of inter- and intraspecific groups to changes in ecosystem functioning. The method will also provide information on how biodiversity loss at different ecological levels changes ecosystem functioning.
Eco-evolution from deep time to contemporary dynamics: The role of timescales and rate modulators
The authors explored the occurrence of slow eco-evolution which allows conceptualizing biological systems along a continuum of various eco-evolutionary rates and suggests that eco-evolutionary systems are dynamic concerning ecological and evolutionary speeds. They highlight how environmental change can alter the speed of eco-evolution via affecting modulators of ecological and evolutionary rates.
