News and Media Releases

21.05.2019 | TOP NEWS, Media Release, iDiv

How gardeners help conserving biological diversity

From 24 May to 1 September the Botanical Garden of the University of Jena presents “Garten findet Stadt”, an exhibition on urban gardening. › more

The size ratio between predators like this leopard and their prey, Prof Ulrich Brose and his team identified as key parameter to determine how susceptible ecosystems are to dangers such as climate change. (picture: Bernd Adam)

Predators play key role in the stability of ecosystems › more

20.05.2019 | TOP NEWS, Theory in Biodiversity Science

Size is everything

Martin Quaas at his inaugural lecture. (picture: Sebastian Tilch)

Martin Quaas gave inaugural lecture for his new iDiv professorship › more

16.05.2019 | TOP NEWS, Biodiversity Economics

Economy meets ecology - Match or Clash?

The importance of climate change as a cause of global species loss is increasing steadily. The most threatened ecosystems are coral reefs. Image: Andrey Armyagov/Shutterstock.com

World Biodiversity Council IPBES presents long-awaited Global Assessment. › more

06.05.2019 | TOP NEWS, Media Release

Measures being taken to combat loss of biodiversity are insufficient

A prime example of a successful rewilding project in Germany is the Oder river delta (picture: Zolvin Zankl / Rewiling Europe).

Restoration success depends on regeneration potentials › more

26.04.2019 | TOP NEWS, Biodiversity Conservation

Helping ecosystems to sustain themselves

Amibeth Thompson (photo: Stefan Bernhardt/iDiv)

The prize, endowed with 1,000.00 euros ... › more

23.04.2019 | Spatial Interaction Ecology, SIE group news

Award of the Wilhelm-Amo Prize to Amibeth Thompson

The website of the data base is hosted at the MPI EVA (image: IUCN SSC A.P.E.S.).

Data bases often underfunded › more

17.04.2019 | TOP NEWS, Sustainability and Complexity in Ape Habitat

Taxon-specific databases are essential for filling biodiversity data gaps

The figure shows the 20,953 TRY measurement sites worldwide (blue) and the locations of contributing institutes (red; figure: Jens Kattge/TRY).

It has been published under a CC-BY license › more

11.04.2019 | TOP NEWS, iDiv Members

TRY plant trait database now publicly available

To determine the responses of species richness and yield to conventional land-use intensification, we conducted a global meta-analysis. Across all production systems (food, fodder, wood), intensification increases yield (+20.3% / red arrow), but also leads to a loss of species (-8.9% / blue arrow).

UFZ study reveals link between increasing yields and biodiversity › more

11.04.2019 | TOP NEWS, UFZ News, sDiv

How much nature is lost due to higher yields?

In the experiment, extensively managed grasslands were either moderately mown or grazed by sheep (photo: Julia Siebert).

Soil activity decreases nevertheless › more

11.04.2019 | TOP NEWS, Experimental Interaction Ecology, iDiv Members

Extensive grassland use is not sufficient to mitigate climate change

Arctia dejeani is a medium-sized macro-moth, which is only occurs on the Iberian peninsula. It is one of the spiecies investigated in the study (picture: Henrique Pereira).

New puzzle piece in scientific debate › more

10.04.2019 | TOP NEWS, Biodiversity Conservation

Biodiversity loss: habitat amount is the key, not fragmentation

In the BEF-China experiment, tree species richness varies across different subplots. (Picture: Helge Bruelheide)

Halle, Leipzig, Göttingen. The more plant species live in grasslands and forests, the more insect species find a habitat there. However, the presence of more plant species does not only increase… › more

09.04.2019 | Media Release, iDiv Members, TOP NEWS

Plant diversity increases insect diversity

Prof Ulrich Brose receives the award for outstanding achievements in research (photo: Myriam Hirt / iDiv).

For outstanding achievements in basic research › more

04.04.2019 | TOP NEWS, Theory in Biodiversity Science

Thuringian Research Prize for Ulrich Brose

The soda pans in the Seewinkel region (Austria) are extraordinarily precious habitats. (Picture: Zsófia Horváth)

Also in neighbouring habitat patches species are lost › more

02.04.2019 | TOP NEWS, Biodiversity Synthesis, Media Release, iDiv

Loss of habitat causes double damage to species richness

Birds that specialise on insect food have declined across Europe by 13%. This includes the meadow pipit (<em>Anthus pratensis</em>). (Picture: Mathias Schaef, living-nature.eu)

First Europe-wide study relating population trends of birds to their diet › more

27.03.2019 | Ecosystem Services, Media Release, TOP NEWS

Europe’s farmlands are losing their insect-eating birds

The global distribution of the match of biodiversity above the ground (mammals, birds, amphibians and plants) and below (soil invertebrates, fungi and bacteria). Dark areas have high biodiversity above and in the soil; light yellow areas have high above-ground biodiversity but low diversity in the soil; blue areas have low above-ground biodiversity, but species-rich soil communities; and light areas are species-poor above and below the soil surface. (Picture: Conservation Biology)

Research team evaluates global biodiversity data – with surprising resultsLeipzig. After conducting comprehensive studies, an international team of researchers led by Leipzig University and the iDiv… › more

13.03.2019 | iDiv Members, GEO BON, Biodiversity Conservation, Experimental Interaction Ecology, Media Release, sDiv, TOP NEWS