Research Projects

The identification of functional genes and regulatory mechanisms underlying variation in Darwinian fitness represents a central focus of Molecular Zoology. The research group investigates genome–environment interactions as well as the molecular foundations of phenotypic plasticity and local adaptation.

Functional genomics, transcriptomics, and epigenetics enable the analysis of immediate genomic responses to environmental gradients, climatic changes, and anthropogenic stressors. The aim is to mechanistically understand the functional relationships between gene expression, physiological regulation, behaviour, and individual fitness.

The research group combines population genetic and functional genomic approaches with modern bioinformatic methods to investigate adaptive responses of biological systems across multiple organizational and spatial scales. Particular emphasis is placed on the impacts of global environmental change on regulatory networks and the adaptive capacities of natural populations.

Key Concepts
Functional Genomics · Transcriptomics · Epigenetics · Gene Regulation · Phenotypic Plasticity

Physiological processes form the functional interface between the genome, the organism, and the environment, and play a central role in the adaptability and resilience of biological systems. The research group investigates evolutionary and ecophysiological mechanisms that govern organismal responses to natural and anthropogenic environmental change.

Research focuses on metabolic processes, energy balance, stress responses, immune function, and organismal performance under variable environmental conditions. Functional genomics, transcriptomics, and environmental physiology provide powerful tools to investigate the interactions between physiological regulation, environmental conditions, and individual fitness.

The integration of movement ecology and environmental monitoring opens new opportunities for analysing physiological processes within a spatial-ecological context. Animal movements, habitat use, and energetic landscapes are considered key drivers influencing physiological stress, energy fluxes, and adaptive processes in natural populations.

Key Concepts
Ecophysiology · Stress Physiology · Energetics · Oxidative Stress · Environmental Adaptation

The evolution of reproductive systems and sexual selection represents one of the central mechanisms of biological adaptation. The research group investigates how reproductive strategies, social systems, and genetic architecture influence the adaptive potential of natural populations as well as the rate of evolutionary processes.

Particular emphasis is placed on the interactions between genetic diversity, mate choice, individual fitness, and environmental conditions. Different reproductive strategies are analysed with regard to their effects on genetic variation, selection, and adaptive potential. Spatial movement patterns, dispersal strategies, and social interactions are considered important drivers shaping mating systems, gene flow, and sexual selection.

The integration of population genetic, genomic, and behavioural ecological approaches provides a mechanistic understanding of reproductive and social dynamics within the spatial-ecological context of natural populations and their responses to environmental change and anthropogenic stressors.

Key Concepts
Sexual Selection · Reproductive Strategies · Behavioural Ecology · Dispersal · Fitness Dynamics

The research group investigates micro- and macroevolutionary processes as dynamic interactions between genetic variation, environmental conditions, and spatial-ecological processes. Research focuses on adaptive and neutral processes and their importance for population dynamics, biodiversity patterns, and the evolutionary resilience of natural populations.

Modern approaches in landscape genetics and landscape genomics enable the analysis of genetic discontinuities in relation to environmental gradients, habitat fragmentation, and functional landscape connectivity. Animal movement, migration, and spatial dynamics are considered central mechanisms influencing gene flow, local adaptation, and eco-evolutionary processes.

The research group combines population genetic, phylogenetic, and genomic methods with high-resolution environmental and movement data to quantitatively assess spatial and temporal changes in biological systems. Additional focus is placed on anthropogenic influences such as habitat fragmentation, land-use change, and climate-driven environmental shifts and their effects on genetic diversity and adaptive capacity.

Key Concepts
Landscape Genetics · Local Adaptation · Connectivity · Eco-evolutionary Dynamics · Population Genomics

The research group investigates co-adaptive genome–genome interactions as central mechanisms of eco-evolutionary dynamics in natural systems. Research focuses on the functional interactions between organisms from different trophic levels, including host–parasite, predator–prey, and symbiotic systems.

Genome and gene expression profiles of interacting organisms allow the investigation of co-evolutionary processes, regulatory dynamics, and adaptive responses within complex biological interaction networks. This provides mechanistic insights into immune responses, physiological adaptation processes, and the stability of biological systems under variable environmental conditions.

The research group integrates functional genomics, transcriptomics, and population genetic approaches with modern ecology and environmental monitoring to analyse the effects of global environmental change on biological interaction networks and co-evolutionary processes.

Key Concepts
Co-evolution · Host-Parasite Dynamics · Multi-Omics · Interaction Networks · Community Genetics

Spatial dynamics and movement processes represent fundamental mechanisms of biological systems and influence ecological, evolutionary, and functional processes across multiple organizational and spatial scales. The research group investigates how organisms perceive their environment, utilize resources, and respond to spatially and temporally variable environmental conditions.

A particular focus lies on the analysis of animal movement as a central mechanism underlying resource use, habitat selection, connectivity, and fitness optimization. Migration, dispersal, collective movement, and spatial decision-making processes influence gene flow, trophic interactions, and the functional structure of ecosystems across landscape scales.

The research group combines high-resolution telemetry, biologging, remote sensing, and environmental monitoring with modern approaches in spatial and numerical ecology. Machine learning, AI-supported data analyses, and spatially explicit modelling enable the investigation of complex relationships between environmental gradients, movement behaviour, connectivity, and biological fitness. The overall aim is the development of mechanistic and predictive models of biological systems under variable environmental conditions.

Key Concepts
Movement Ecology · Spatial Dynamics · Numerical Ecology · Telemetry · AI-supported Modelling · Predictive Ecology