Research Projects
- Tree species for the forest of tomorrow in times of climate changeHide
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Extraction of a drill core from a Lebanon cedar in the ÖBG.
Tree species for the forest of tomorrow in times of climate change
Project management: PD Dr. Gregor Aas
In view of climate change, forestry is faced with the challenge that in order to maintain important forest functions on some sites in Central Europe, the cultivation of non-indigenous tree species must also be considered in the future. The species that come into question are those that grow sufficiently well despite global warming and can be integrated into our forest ecosystems easily and without major disadvantages. At the ÖBG studies on growth and population biology with selected non-native model species (e.g. the Lebanon cedar, Cedrus libani) are underway.
- Arthropod communities in tree hollows in a landscape contextHide
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Current PhD project (Prof. Feldhaar & ÖBG): Food relationships and dispersal distances of mulm cave arthropods in the northern Steigerwald
Arthropod communities in tree hollows in a landscape context
Project management: PD Dr. Elisabeth Obermaier, Prof. Dr. Heike Feldhaar
Project manager: Benjamin Henneberg, Doktorand ÖBG, TÖK IThe diversity of arthropod communities in tree hollows is investigated in connection with habitat quality and forest and landscape structure. The project analyses the influence of landscape metrics on species diversity and dispersal distances of tree hollow arthropods in managed forests. With the knowledge gained, predictions regarding species diversity in tree hollows and effective conservation measures for the largely endangered saproxylic species should be possible. A current PhD project is investigating the diversity and dispersal distances of tree hollow arthropods in the three BaySF managed forests at Ebrach (Steigerwald), Fichtelberg, and Kelheim. (Board of Trustees project L58, LWF)
- Diversity and multitrophic interactions of insects on cultivated apple(Malus domestica) and wild apple(Malus sylvestris)Hide
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Wild apples in the Ecological-Botanical Garden.
Diversity and multitrophic interactions of insects on cultivated apple(Malus domestica) and wild apple(Malus sylvestris)
Project management: PD Dr. Elisabeth Obermaier
Various groups of herbivorous insects which are potential pests in fruit cultivation (e.g. apple blossom weevil, aphids, etc.) and their natural predators, as well as fruit eating and pollinating species, are investigated regarding their preferences for certain tree properties in various cultivated apple varieties and wild apple genotypes(Malus sylvestris, Malus siversii). The aim is to identify relevant tree traits for resistance breeding towards future sustainable fruit production, as well as suggesting measures for the preservation of the native wild apple.
- Exotic Lulo fruit - Project "Lulo2020"Hide
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From the Andes to Upper Franconia: Lulo in Kleintettau (LK Kronach).
Exotic Lulo fruit - Project "Lulo2020"
Project management: Dr. Marianne Lauerer, Project manager: Dr. Jana Messinger, Judith Bieberich
The Lulo(Solanum quitoense) is an exotic tropical fruit from South America that is still largely unknown in Germany. Studies at the ÖBG have shown that these exotic fruits can be produced year-round in greenhouses in Germany and are appreciated by consumers for their sensory properties. Within the scope of the "Lulo2020” project, started in October 2017, several varieties of Lulo originating from Central and South America are currently being phenotypically characterized, their yield quantified and fruit properties analyzed, including their nutritionally relevant ingredients. In addition, suitable cultivation methods will be tested, and any phyto-medically relevant harmful organisms on Lulo described. The project is supported by special federal funds held with Landwirtschaftliche Rentenbank..
Research on diversity and ecology of native tree species
- Diversity and ecology of the genus Sorbus (Whitebeam, Rowan, and Service Tree)Hide
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Twig with fruits of the very rare Kordigast-mealberry, endemic to the northern Frankenalb.
Diversity and ecology of the genus Sorbus (Whitebeam, Rowan, and Service Tree)
Project Leader: PD Dr. Gregor Aas
The genus Sorbus is very diverse due to hybridization, polyploidization and apomixis (asexual seed formation). This is especially true for the northern Franconian Jura, where many endemic microspecies occur, some of them in such small numbers as to be highly endangered. The project examines which families occur in our region, their ecology and population biology as well as the extent to which they are threatened, and the options for preserving them.
- Diversity and ecology of the genus Salix (Willow)Hide
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Tree species for the forest of tomorrow in times of the wild bee on the female inflorescence of the basket willow.
Diversity and ecology of the genus Salix (Willow)
Project management: PD Dr. Gregor Aas
Salix is the most biodiverse genus of woody plants in Central Europe. The morphological, genetic, and taxonomic differentiation of many species of the genus is insufficiently understood. Likewise, the question of what reproductive barriers there are between many potentially compatible willow species is not completely understood. The ÖBG is particularly interested in examining the reproductive biology of selected species.
- Distribution, ecology, and protection of the wild apple(Malus sylvestris)Hide
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Fruits of the wild apple.
Distribution, ecology, and protection of the wild apple(Malus sylvestris)
Project management: PD Dr. Gregor Aas
Malus sylvestris is a very rare native tree species, which is threatened by changes in the environment, but also by introgressive hybridization with the cultivated apple(Malus domestica). Studies at the ÖBG have shown that relatively many "pure" wild apples still occur in Upper Franconia. Future studies should examine under what ecological conditions the wild apple can remain viable here, to what extent it is endangered by introgressive hybridization with the cultivated apple, and what strategies will preserve and boost remaining populations.
Research on invasive species
- Invasive species - Investigations into Himalayan BalsamHide
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An example of an invasive species in our region: Indian balsam.
Invasive species - Investigations into Himalayan Balsam
Project management: Dr. Marianne Lauerer, Prof. Dr. Heike Feldhaar, Project manager: Judith Bieberich
Himalayan Balsam (Impatiens glandulifera) is considered potentially invasive in Germany. Although it often occurs spontaneously here, it is not yet completely clear whether or to what extent it causes ecosystem change, and influences any decline or change in biodiversity. In field and experimental studies, together with the Animal Ecology I research group at the University of Bayreuth, whether or in what way native species community vitality and composition change in the presence of the exotic balsam through competition and/or allelopathic potential is being investigated.
- Invasive species - Investigations into the cup plantHide
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Recording of the Silphie spontaneous occurrences around a Silphie field.
Invasive species - Investigations into the cup plant
Project management: Dr. Marianne Lauerer, Project manager: Marie Ende
Nordamerikas und ist eine vielversprechende Energiepflanze, die anstelle von Mais zunehmend auf unseren Äckern angebaut wird. Sie hat viele Vorteile gegenüber dem Mais (viele Insekten als Blütenbesucher, mehrjährige Kultur, weniger Nitrat-Auswaschung..), aber über ihr Ausbreitungs- oder invasives Potenzial ist bislang noch wenig bekannt. Auch weiß man wenig über ihre Standortansprüche, bezüglich der Bodenfeuchte und der Konkurrenzkraft. In Feld- und experimentellen Studien werden solche Fragestellungen am ÖBG untersucht.