Research Focus
Understanding biological systems requires the integration of molecular, organismal, ecological, and evolutionary processes across spatial and temporal scales. The research focus of the Molecular Zoology group is centred on the mechanistic understanding of how organisms interact with their environment, adapt to changing conditions, and contribute to the dynamics, resilience, and functional stability of natural ecosystems.
The Molecular Zoology research group investigates the functional interactions between genomes, organisms, populations, and the environment across multiple biological organizational as well as spatial and temporal scales. At the core of our research lies an integrative framework at the interface of ecology, evolutionary biology, developmental biology, and functional genomics (Eco-Evo-Devo) aimed at understanding the mechanisms underlying biological adaptation, plasticity, and biodiversity dynamics under conditions of global change.
A particular focus is placed on genome-environment interactions as a central link between molecular processes and ecological-evolutionary dynamics in natural systems. Key research areas include phenotypic plasticity, epigenetics, local adaptation, functional genomics, landscape genetics, and community genetics, with the aim of understanding how organisms and biological communities respond to environmental change and which mechanisms determine the resilience of biological systems.
The research group integrates molecular, physiological, and organismal data with large-scale ecology, landscape dynamics, and spatial-temporal processes. Modern approaches in movement ecology, spatial ecology, and numerical ecology enable the investigation of animal movement, connectivity, resource use, behavioural dynamics, and eco-evolutionary processes across landscape scales.
High-resolution telemetry, environmental monitoring, remote sensing, and AI-supported big-data analyses are integrated with genomics, transcriptomics, and bioinformatics within comprehensive analytical frameworks.
Bioinformatics and data-driven systems analysis provide the methodological foundation for linking complex biological information systems across multiple organizational and spatial scales. The overall aim is the development of mechanistic and predictive models of biological systems that generate new insights into the dynamics, adaptive capacity, and stability of natural ecosystems.
The research conducted by the group bridges fundamental biological research with applied biodiversity science and provides scientific foundations for evidence-based conservation, sustainable biodiversity management, and the understanding and preservation of ecosystem functions and ecosystem services in a rapidly changing world.