Applied Animal Ecology
@apanec-lab.bsky.social
From cities to farmland to the ocean, we study animals in changing landscapes/seascapes. Using molecular tools and fieldwork, we aim to understand biodiversity and develop solutions for conservation and sustainability.
🐝🌾 Welcome Georg Teischinger to our group! His PhD will use eDNA to study insect networks in Austrian farmland, aiming to design better flowering strips, support wild bees, manage pests, and boost sustainable agriculture while protecting local biodiversity.
February 4, 2026 at 10:22 AM
🐝🌾 Welcome Georg Teischinger to our group! His PhD will use eDNA to study insect networks in Austrian farmland, aiming to design better flowering strips, support wild bees, manage pests, and boost sustainable agriculture while protecting local biodiversity.
Reposted by Applied Animal Ecology
📢 Upcoming #EcologySeminar!
Dr. Alina Twerski
will give a talk about grasslands’ multifunctionality and it's restoration 🌾
📅 Wed 4. Feb at 10:15 AM
📩 DM for webinar link
@hsanhalt.bsky.social
@agrarunigoe.bsky.social
@uni-goettingen.de
Dr. Alina Twerski
will give a talk about grasslands’ multifunctionality and it's restoration 🌾
📅 Wed 4. Feb at 10:15 AM
📩 DM for webinar link
@hsanhalt.bsky.social
@agrarunigoe.bsky.social
@uni-goettingen.de
February 2, 2026 at 7:01 AM
📢 Upcoming #EcologySeminar!
Dr. Alina Twerski
will give a talk about grasslands’ multifunctionality and it's restoration 🌾
📅 Wed 4. Feb at 10:15 AM
📩 DM for webinar link
@hsanhalt.bsky.social
@agrarunigoe.bsky.social
@uni-goettingen.de
Dr. Alina Twerski
will give a talk about grasslands’ multifunctionality and it's restoration 🌾
📅 Wed 4. Feb at 10:15 AM
📩 DM for webinar link
@hsanhalt.bsky.social
@agrarunigoe.bsky.social
@uni-goettingen.de
🍯🌼 New project funded! A joint initiative on honey DNA pollen analytics brings together the UIBK, the Tyrolean Beekeepers’ Association & Sinsoma, supported by the Land Tirol Innovation Programme. Congrats to Daniela Sint on leading this exciting science–practice collaboration!
January 28, 2026 at 10:18 AM
🍯🌼 New project funded! A joint initiative on honey DNA pollen analytics brings together the UIBK, the Tyrolean Beekeepers’ Association & Sinsoma, supported by the Land Tirol Innovation Programme. Congrats to Daniela Sint on leading this exciting science–practice collaboration!
🐋New paper! Integrating eDNA sampling into whale-watching tours boosts awareness & willingness to support marine conservation. Survey across Italy, Azores & Iceland shows citizen science + eDNA is a scalable, cost-effective way to engage the public in biodiversity protection. doi.org/10.1038/s415...
January 14, 2026 at 7:51 AM
🐋New paper! Integrating eDNA sampling into whale-watching tours boosts awareness & willingness to support marine conservation. Survey across Italy, Azores & Iceland shows citizen science + eDNA is a scalable, cost-effective way to engage the public in biodiversity protection. doi.org/10.1038/s415...
Reposted by Applied Animal Ecology
🧬 New year, new job! 🧬
I have started a position as Group Leader at #WasserCluster #Lunz (Austria). Stay tuned for job openings at all levels in the TRIDENT group @trident-wcl.bsky.social and collaboration opportunities in upcoming national and international #eDNA Projects.
I have started a position as Group Leader at #WasserCluster #Lunz (Austria). Stay tuned for job openings at all levels in the TRIDENT group @trident-wcl.bsky.social and collaboration opportunities in upcoming national and international #eDNA Projects.
January 12, 2026 at 9:25 PM
🧬 New year, new job! 🧬
I have started a position as Group Leader at #WasserCluster #Lunz (Austria). Stay tuned for job openings at all levels in the TRIDENT group @trident-wcl.bsky.social and collaboration opportunities in upcoming national and international #eDNA Projects.
I have started a position as Group Leader at #WasserCluster #Lunz (Austria). Stay tuned for job openings at all levels in the TRIDENT group @trident-wcl.bsky.social and collaboration opportunities in upcoming national and international #eDNA Projects.
Happy to welcome Marina Sperling as a new Master’s student! She’ll study how bird feeding affects pathogen prevalence in great & blue tits, opening our work on disease transmission linked to feeding 🐦🦠
www.uibk.ac.at/de/zoology/f...
www.uibk.ac.at/de/zoology/f...
January 8, 2026 at 8:45 AM
Happy to welcome Marina Sperling as a new Master’s student! She’ll study how bird feeding affects pathogen prevalence in great & blue tits, opening our work on disease transmission linked to feeding 🐦🦠
www.uibk.ac.at/de/zoology/f...
www.uibk.ac.at/de/zoology/f...
🌆🐦 New paper! DNA metabarcoding of 370 tit droppings across Innsbruck urban mosaic shows urbanisation drives habitat-linked diet shifts shaped by vegetation & feeders, likely underlying urban–rural differences in reproduction and informing bird-friendly city design. doi.org/10.1016/j.la...
December 17, 2025 at 7:26 AM
🌆🐦 New paper! DNA metabarcoding of 370 tit droppings across Innsbruck urban mosaic shows urbanisation drives habitat-linked diet shifts shaped by vegetation & feeders, likely underlying urban–rural differences in reproduction and informing bird-friendly city design. doi.org/10.1016/j.la...
A big farewell to @bettinathal.bsky.social as she leaves our group to start her own Applied Biodiversity Research & Molecular Ecology team at WasserCluster Lunz (@trident-wcl.bsky.social)! 🚀Congrats Bettina — we will miss you, but we can’t wait to follow the great science coming from your team! 🧬🐟
December 10, 2025 at 3:03 PM
A big farewell to @bettinathal.bsky.social as she leaves our group to start her own Applied Biodiversity Research & Molecular Ecology team at WasserCluster Lunz (@trident-wcl.bsky.social)! 🚀Congrats Bettina — we will miss you, but we can’t wait to follow the great science coming from your team! 🧬🐟
Reposted by Applied Animal Ecology
The joint meeting of NSO and GFÖ, September 2026, Odense, Denmark (for which I'm leading the science programming group) is now open for workshop and thematic session proposals! Please share. Details here: nordicsocietyoikos.glueup.com/event/nordic...
Nordic Oikos 2026 | Nordic Society Oikos
Join us for one of Europe’s leading ecological conferences, where scientists, students, and professionals from across the Nordic countries, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland come together to explore t...
nordicsocietyoikos.glueup.com
November 26, 2025 at 11:13 AM
The joint meeting of NSO and GFÖ, September 2026, Odense, Denmark (for which I'm leading the science programming group) is now open for workshop and thematic session proposals! Please share. Details here: nordicsocietyoikos.glueup.com/event/nordic...
Reposted by Applied Animal Ecology
📢 Upcoming #EcologySeminar!
Kyra Zembold
will share novel insights from #ProjectKOOPERATIV on how landscape diversity + flower fields togehter effect natural pest control at the landscape scale.
📅 Wed 10.Dec. at 10:15 AM
📩 DM for webinar link
@agrarunigoe.bsky.social
Kyra Zembold
will share novel insights from #ProjectKOOPERATIV on how landscape diversity + flower fields togehter effect natural pest control at the landscape scale.
📅 Wed 10.Dec. at 10:15 AM
📩 DM for webinar link
@agrarunigoe.bsky.social
December 8, 2025 at 7:00 AM
📢 Upcoming #EcologySeminar!
Kyra Zembold
will share novel insights from #ProjectKOOPERATIV on how landscape diversity + flower fields togehter effect natural pest control at the landscape scale.
📅 Wed 10.Dec. at 10:15 AM
📩 DM for webinar link
@agrarunigoe.bsky.social
Kyra Zembold
will share novel insights from #ProjectKOOPERATIV on how landscape diversity + flower fields togehter effect natural pest control at the landscape scale.
📅 Wed 10.Dec. at 10:15 AM
📩 DM for webinar link
@agrarunigoe.bsky.social
Reposted by Applied Animal Ecology
🌡️ New publication alert! 🐠🌿 Herbivorous reef fish kept feeding during marine heatwaves—but still lost body mass due to a mismatch between energy intake and demand. As oceans warm, their ability to control invasive algae may be under threat.
🔗 dx.doi.org/10.1111/gcb....
#ClimateChange #CoralReefs
🔗 dx.doi.org/10.1111/gcb....
#ClimateChange #CoralReefs
Outlasting the Heat: Collapse of Herbivorous Fish Control of Invasive Algae During Marine Heatwaves
Marine heatwaves (MHWs) and eutrophication are driving coral reefs toward algal dominance. Herbivorous fishes are thought to help slow this shift by feeding on fast-growing and often invasive, herbiv...
dx.doi.org
August 20, 2025 at 12:57 PM
🌡️ New publication alert! 🐠🌿 Herbivorous reef fish kept feeding during marine heatwaves—but still lost body mass due to a mismatch between energy intake and demand. As oceans warm, their ability to control invasive algae may be under threat.
🔗 dx.doi.org/10.1111/gcb....
#ClimateChange #CoralReefs
🔗 dx.doi.org/10.1111/gcb....
#ClimateChange #CoralReefs
📃 New paper out! Our high-frequency sampling in barley fields shows food webs shift rapidly, with connectance, community makeup & predator–prey links changing over weeks and between years. Snapshot sampling can misjudge ecosystem functioning. 🕷️🐞🌾 rdcu.be/eSI9G
The dynamic nature of cereal food webs challenges the suitability of snapshot sampling for assessing ecosystem services
Scientific Reports - The dynamic nature of cereal food webs challenges the suitability of snapshot sampling for assessing ecosystem services
rdcu.be
December 2, 2025 at 9:18 AM
📃 New paper out! Our high-frequency sampling in barley fields shows food webs shift rapidly, with connectance, community makeup & predator–prey links changing over weeks and between years. Snapshot sampling can misjudge ecosystem functioning. 🕷️🐞🌾 rdcu.be/eSI9G
Reposted by Applied Animal Ecology
📃Call for Papers! Scientific Reports: "Burden of air pollution on biodiversity & habitat loss". Submit by 1 Jul 2026. We welcome research on direct & indirect effects of NOx, O₃, PM on individuals, populations, communities & species interactions 😶🌫️🐞🌿 Mitigation studies also welcome!
December 1, 2025 at 10:35 AM
📃Call for Papers! Scientific Reports: "Burden of air pollution on biodiversity & habitat loss". Submit by 1 Jul 2026. We welcome research on direct & indirect effects of NOx, O₃, PM on individuals, populations, communities & species interactions 😶🌫️🐞🌿 Mitigation studies also welcome!
Antonia from our eRNAmaris project visited Le Croisic, France, to collect water samples with our partners at Ifremer 🌊! Sampling over time will reveal how fish eRNA degrades 🐠🧬. Big thanks to the Océarium for making this possible!
November 26, 2025 at 10:17 AM
Antonia from our eRNAmaris project visited Le Croisic, France, to collect water samples with our partners at Ifremer 🌊! Sampling over time will reveal how fish eRNA degrades 🐠🧬. Big thanks to the Océarium for making this possible!
Reposted by Applied Animal Ecology
Sadly, we have seen a big increase in avian flu cases in the UK - particularly in waterfowl
Whilst the risk to the public remains assessed as very low, Government advice is not to touch any visibly sick or dead birds, and to keep pets away
Read on for ways to help:
📷Ben Andrew
Whilst the risk to the public remains assessed as very low, Government advice is not to touch any visibly sick or dead birds, and to keep pets away
Read on for ways to help:
📷Ben Andrew
November 19, 2025 at 8:58 AM
Sadly, we have seen a big increase in avian flu cases in the UK - particularly in waterfowl
Whilst the risk to the public remains assessed as very low, Government advice is not to touch any visibly sick or dead birds, and to keep pets away
Read on for ways to help:
📷Ben Andrew
Whilst the risk to the public remains assessed as very low, Government advice is not to touch any visibly sick or dead birds, and to keep pets away
Read on for ways to help:
📷Ben Andrew
New book chapter in Advances in Organic Farming! 🌱
Philippe Belliard examines the challenges and solutions of agroecological pest management in organic farming, emphasizing integrated pest management approaches for controlling arthropod pests in crop production.
doi.org/10.1079/9781...
Philippe Belliard examines the challenges and solutions of agroecological pest management in organic farming, emphasizing integrated pest management approaches for controlling arthropod pests in crop production.
doi.org/10.1079/9781...
Key Challenges and Solutions for Sustainable Pest Management in Organic Farming | Advances in Organic Farming
doi.org
November 19, 2025 at 1:22 PM
New book chapter in Advances in Organic Farming! 🌱
Philippe Belliard examines the challenges and solutions of agroecological pest management in organic farming, emphasizing integrated pest management approaches for controlling arthropod pests in crop production.
doi.org/10.1079/9781...
Philippe Belliard examines the challenges and solutions of agroecological pest management in organic farming, emphasizing integrated pest management approaches for controlling arthropod pests in crop production.
doi.org/10.1079/9781...
🎉 Exciting news! Our project Frog in the Waterdrop led by Corinna Wallinger received the Peter Petrich Award for Sustainability from Biotop, along with €1000 to support our work on amphibian biodiversity and pathogens. A big thanks to everyone involved! 🐸💧
November 12, 2025 at 12:55 PM
🎉 Exciting news! Our project Frog in the Waterdrop led by Corinna Wallinger received the Peter Petrich Award for Sustainability from Biotop, along with €1000 to support our work on amphibian biodiversity and pathogens. A big thanks to everyone involved! 🐸💧
Developing eDNA approaches to measure biodiversity is a key endeavour in our group! 🌿🧬
Join us tomorrow (Nov 6, 9–11 am, in German) on Zoom to discover three exciting projects on amphibians, forest wildlife & pollinators with C. Wallinger, M. Traugott & S. Gurten : haup-ac-at.zoom.us/j/88638709922
Join us tomorrow (Nov 6, 9–11 am, in German) on Zoom to discover three exciting projects on amphibians, forest wildlife & pollinators with C. Wallinger, M. Traugott & S. Gurten : haup-ac-at.zoom.us/j/88638709922
November 5, 2025 at 7:29 AM
Developing eDNA approaches to measure biodiversity is a key endeavour in our group! 🌿🧬
Join us tomorrow (Nov 6, 9–11 am, in German) on Zoom to discover three exciting projects on amphibians, forest wildlife & pollinators with C. Wallinger, M. Traugott & S. Gurten : haup-ac-at.zoom.us/j/88638709922
Join us tomorrow (Nov 6, 9–11 am, in German) on Zoom to discover three exciting projects on amphibians, forest wildlife & pollinators with C. Wallinger, M. Traugott & S. Gurten : haup-ac-at.zoom.us/j/88638709922
New funded project! 🎉 Led by Lauren Rodriguez (PI) and @bettinathal.bsky.social (Advisor), this study will push the boundaries of eDNA research by testing cutting-edge genomic tools to identify individual sperm whales from environmental samples — a major step for non-invasive marine monitoring! 🐋
October 29, 2025 at 7:59 AM
New funded project! 🎉 Led by Lauren Rodriguez (PI) and @bettinathal.bsky.social (Advisor), this study will push the boundaries of eDNA research by testing cutting-edge genomic tools to identify individual sperm whales from environmental samples — a major step for non-invasive marine monitoring! 🐋
Reposted by Applied Animal Ecology
🚨Turning air quality networks into a global #biodiversity monitoring system?
Air pollution filters were repurposed for #airborne #eDNA, enabling detection of #vertebrates, #invertebrates, #plants & #fungi at a national scale.🧬🌐🧪
📄Check out our new paper: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Air pollution filters were repurposed for #airborne #eDNA, enabling detection of #vertebrates, #invertebrates, #plants & #fungi at a national scale.🧬🌐🧪
📄Check out our new paper: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
First national survey of terrestrial biodiversity using airborne eDNA - Scientific Reports
Scientific Reports - First national survey of terrestrial biodiversity using airborne eDNA
www.nature.com
June 2, 2025 at 3:22 PM
🚨Turning air quality networks into a global #biodiversity monitoring system?
Air pollution filters were repurposed for #airborne #eDNA, enabling detection of #vertebrates, #invertebrates, #plants & #fungi at a national scale.🧬🌐🧪
📄Check out our new paper: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Air pollution filters were repurposed for #airborne #eDNA, enabling detection of #vertebrates, #invertebrates, #plants & #fungi at a national scale.🧬🌐🧪
📄Check out our new paper: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Applied Animal Ecology
🌿 #PostDoc Alert! PhD in #EnvironmentalSciences? Proficient in #bioinformatic, #EcologicalModelling and good knowledge of trait-based #ecology🦋? Our #ConservationBiology group offers a PostDoc position in biotic and trophic interactions🐜: apply.refline.ch/273855/1769/... #UrbanEcology #ScienceJobs
October 20, 2025 at 6:29 AM
🌿 #PostDoc Alert! PhD in #EnvironmentalSciences? Proficient in #bioinformatic, #EcologicalModelling and good knowledge of trait-based #ecology🦋? Our #ConservationBiology group offers a PostDoc position in biotic and trophic interactions🐜: apply.refline.ch/273855/1769/... #UrbanEcology #ScienceJobs
Congratulations to Marina Sperling on her bachelor’s thesis featured in the Uni Innsbruck Newsroom!
Marina studied bird diversity across five UIBK campuses, showing how green spaces attract rare species like hawfinches, while buildings offer nesting sites for swifts.
www.uibk.ac.at/de/newsroom/...
Marina studied bird diversity across five UIBK campuses, showing how green spaces attract rare species like hawfinches, while buildings offer nesting sites for swifts.
www.uibk.ac.at/de/newsroom/...
Zwischen Beton und Bäumen – Vögel an der Uni Innsbruck
Wer über den Campus der Universität Innsbruck geht, sieht vor allem Gebäude, Asphaltflächen und Fahrradständer. Doch zwischen Beton und Glas haben sich zahlreiche Vogelarten eingerichtet. Im Frühjahr ...
www.uibk.ac.at
October 22, 2025 at 9:20 AM
Congratulations to Marina Sperling on her bachelor’s thesis featured in the Uni Innsbruck Newsroom!
Marina studied bird diversity across five UIBK campuses, showing how green spaces attract rare species like hawfinches, while buildings offer nesting sites for swifts.
www.uibk.ac.at/de/newsroom/...
Marina studied bird diversity across five UIBK campuses, showing how green spaces attract rare species like hawfinches, while buildings offer nesting sites for swifts.
www.uibk.ac.at/de/newsroom/...
🌊 New paper out!
Our latest study in Environmental DNA shows how fish daily vertical migrations affect eDNA in the ocean. 🐟
For species like European hake, seafloor eDNA signals vary between morning and evening, showing that behavior must be considered in eDNA monitoring.
👉 doi.org/10.1002/edn3...
Our latest study in Environmental DNA shows how fish daily vertical migrations affect eDNA in the ocean. 🐟
For species like European hake, seafloor eDNA signals vary between morning and evening, showing that behavior must be considered in eDNA monitoring.
👉 doi.org/10.1002/edn3...
Environmental DNA for Aquatic Monitoring: Impact of Diel Vertical Migration
Environmental DNA concentrations are affected by animal behavior, such as diel vertical migration (DVM), which has repercussions for designing eDNA sampling strategies. The effect of DVM was identifi....
doi.org
October 15, 2025 at 6:42 AM
🌊 New paper out!
Our latest study in Environmental DNA shows how fish daily vertical migrations affect eDNA in the ocean. 🐟
For species like European hake, seafloor eDNA signals vary between morning and evening, showing that behavior must be considered in eDNA monitoring.
👉 doi.org/10.1002/edn3...
Our latest study in Environmental DNA shows how fish daily vertical migrations affect eDNA in the ocean. 🐟
For species like European hake, seafloor eDNA signals vary between morning and evening, showing that behavior must be considered in eDNA monitoring.
👉 doi.org/10.1002/edn3...
Reposted by Applied Animal Ecology
Feeding birds connects us to nature 🐦 but it may also expose them to pathogens or stress.
With our new FWF-funded project "Pathogens: From Feeders to Flocks", we will uncover how bird feeding shapes pathogen exposure and health in wild birds.
With Daniela Sint and Tina Weedman in Innsbruck!
With our new FWF-funded project "Pathogens: From Feeders to Flocks", we will uncover how bird feeding shapes pathogen exposure and health in wild birds.
With Daniela Sint and Tina Weedman in Innsbruck!
October 14, 2025 at 12:13 PM
Feeding birds connects us to nature 🐦 but it may also expose them to pathogens or stress.
With our new FWF-funded project "Pathogens: From Feeders to Flocks", we will uncover how bird feeding shapes pathogen exposure and health in wild birds.
With Daniela Sint and Tina Weedman in Innsbruck!
With our new FWF-funded project "Pathogens: From Feeders to Flocks", we will uncover how bird feeding shapes pathogen exposure and health in wild birds.
With Daniela Sint and Tina Weedman in Innsbruck!
Reposted by Applied Animal Ecology
We are offering a 2-year postdoctoral position to join the @valor-project.eu Horizon EU project: Values and dependence of society on pollinators bartomeuslab.com/joining-the-...
Joining the lab
2-year Postdoctoral position on VALOR EU-project: We are offering a 2-year postdoctoral position to join the Horizon EU project: Values and dependence of society on pollinators (VALOR; The candidat…
bartomeuslab.com
October 6, 2025 at 1:31 PM
We are offering a 2-year postdoctoral position to join the @valor-project.eu Horizon EU project: Values and dependence of society on pollinators bartomeuslab.com/joining-the-...