Biodiversity Research

Biodiversity Research in the Leibniz Association A National Responsibility

Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Volker MosbruggerProf. Dr. Heribert Hofer

Imprint

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Leibniz AssociationEduard-Pflüger-Straße 55 · 53113 BonnTel.: (0228) 308 15-0 · Fax: (0228) 308 [email protected]

Bonn officePostfach 12 01 6953043 BonnTel.: +49 (0)228 30 [email protected]

Berlin officeSchützenstraße 6a10117 BerlinTel. +49 (0)30 20 60 49 40 [email protected]

Text & editing by Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Volker Mosbrugger (SGN)Prof. Dr. Heribert Hofer (IZW)

Translated by Dr. Lynda Lich-Knight (ResearchComm Ltd.)

Senckenberg Nature Research Society (SGN)

Senckenberganlage 2560325 Frankfurt am MainTelefon: +49 (0)69 75 42 0Fax: +49 (0)69 746 [email protected]

Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW)

Alfred-Kowalke-Str. 1710315 BerlinTelefon: +49 (0)30 51 68 100Fax: +49 (0)30 51 26 [email protected]

Assisted byDr. Tobias Schneck (SGN)Steven Seet (IZW)Silke Ehle (IZW)

Utilising texts and images provided by the biodiversity representatives of numerous Leibniz Institutes, assisted by the Working Group on Press and Public Relations in the Leibniz Association under the direction of Josef Zens

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Printed by Druckpunkt Berlin

Cover photo by© E. Flückinger, Pixelio.de

Copyright Leibniz Association 2009

Biodiversity Research in the Leibniz Association A National Responsibility (third edition)

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Contents

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1. Diversity of Life – a valuable resource

1.1 Loss of biodiversity and its consequences

1.2 Ecosystem goods and services

1.3 The value of biodiversity for the economy as a whole

1.4 Biodiversity research in the Leibniz Association

2. Surveying and Recording Biodiversity

2.1 Taxonomy and systematics

2.2 Collections

2.3 DNA banks and Noah’s Arc projects

2.4 Museums and the public

2.5 The prospects

3. Ecosystem Goods

3.1 Food

3.2 Agrobiodiversity – agrofuel – forestry

3.3 Medicinal plants and health products of animal origin

3.4 Active agents and natural products derived from microorganisms

3.5 Pathogens, carriers (vectors) and controlling them (pest control)

3.6 Bionics and other ecosystem goods

4. Ecosystem Services

4.1 Cycles of materials

4.2 If it were all as simple as that …

4.3 Quantifying complex systems

4.4 No end of services yet to be understood

4.5 Conservation programmes and protected areas

4.6 Anthropogenic habitats and cultural landscapes

4.7 Ecosystem services and climate change

5. The Major Challenges

5.1 Knowledge

5.2 Understanding

5.3 Evaluation/value

5.4 Use

5.5 Management

5.6 Biodiversity research – a national and international responsibility

6. The Biodiversity Research Themes at Individual Leibniz Institutes

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The President’s Preface

Dear Readers,

Our brochure on biodiversity research in the Leibniz Association seems to have touched a nerve with peo-ple: none of our publications has ever been snapped up as quickly as this one. Which is why we have decided to run a reprint – after all, the issue is just as topical and urgent as ever. Biodiversity and related research have long since ceased to be peripheral themes and are now occupying all levels of society. Decision-makers in small rural communities are under exactly the same obligation to keep an eye on conserving ecosystems as heads of government in large countries. And to this end they need scientific advice, i.e. political consultan-

cy based on intimate knowledge of the field. The com-mitment to preserve the diversity of nature is nothing less than a commitment to our own future. This is why we consciously chose the sub-title we did: Biodiversity is a national responsibility.

In Germany, for many years, the institutes in the Leib-niz Association have been unrivalled by other German research organisations in their approach to the mani-fold facets of this issue, by which I do not just mean our institutes in Section C (Life Sciences) and E (Envi-ronmental Sciences) but also the economics institutes, research museums and many other institutions. If you are going to address biodiversity, you are also deal-ing with climate change and global change, with wa-ter, soil and air, with business and education as well as with new pathogens, urban planning and scientific collections. And the Leibniz Association combines all these thematic fields in a unique way: our scientists and scholars do not investigate these themes in iso-lation but employ an interdisciplinary and transdisci-plinary approach.

We want to enhance the networking within this diver-sity and have thus bundled our expertise in the field of biodiversity. The Leibniz Network on Biodiversity has been formed and already started work. It is coor-dinated by Professor Klement Tockner, the Director of the Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB) in Berlin. The Leibniz Association at-taches great importance to this initiative which origi-nated in the institutes themselves, and we are espe-cially grateful to Professor Tockner who has agreed to be spokesperson for the network. The Executive Board explicitly supports the network and has appointed Pro-fessor Volker Mosbrugger of the Senckenberg Gesell-schaft für Naturforschung (SGN) in Frankfurt/Main as the Board’s representative on biodiversity. A number of

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Greeting

very active thematic groups have already been formed within the Leibniz Network on Biodiversity, dealing in-depth with various aspects of the research field. If you turn to page 24 of this brochure you will find a list of the institutes in the Leibniz Association conducting biodiversity research.

There are some areas of research like health, climate and energy, in which public outreach is exceptionally important; in a very special way, biodiversity is one of them. It is often human behaviour – be it in the field of tourism, industrial production, road traffic or settlement activity – that leads to a loss of biodiversity. Carving up habitats, incipient pollution and overex-ploitation are but a few examples. So in addition to political consultancy, we attach great importance to disseminating information to the public.

And this is the reason why our institutes decided to hold the Leibniz Biodiversity Week in September 2009. Special programmes and guided tours were organised in seven German towns to demonstrate to the public just how exciting and important biodiversity research is. One focus was the scientific meeting point in Dres-den where the “Science Express” stopped on its “Re-search Expedition” around Germany during the Re-search Theme Year.

I am especially grateful to the coordinators of this brochure: Professor Volker Mosbrugger of the Senck-enberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung (SGN) and Pro-fessor Heribert Hofer of the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW) in Berlin. Without them, this review would not have been possible.

This brochure is designed as an introduction to the di-versity of our institutes involved in the field of biodi-versity and all the issues immediately relating to it. I am sure that you will be astounded at the diversity of our biodiversity research.

Happy, informative reading!

Sincerely,

Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Ernst Th. Rietschel,Präsident der Leibniz-Gemeinschaft

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The research field of “biodiversity” (biological diver-sity) is currently developing into a mega-topic. This became particularly clear at the 9th UN Confer-

ence on Biological Diversity (Convention on Biological Diversity) in Bonn in May 2008 which was attended by environment ministers and delegations from more than 190 countries. The aim of the conference was to make significant advances in driving forward international ef-forts to protect biological diversity. Media reporting in the major daily newspapers and weekly magazines as well as on radio and television was duly extensive. And national, European and international research funding organisations are also showing growing interest in the issue. In Germany, biodiversity is one of the topics pin-pointed by the Alliance of German Science Organisa-tions which comprises the National Academy of Science Leopoldina, the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, German Academic Exchange Service, German Council of Science and Humanities, German Research Founda-tion, Fraunhofer Gesellschaft, Helmholtz Association, German Rectors’ Conference, Leibniz Association and Max Planck Society.

1.1 Loss of biodiversity and its consequencesGrowing interest in the topic of “biodiversity” is cer-tainly legitimate because biodiversity – the diversity of life in its entirety, from the diversity of genes via the diversity of species and ecosystems to the diversity of habitats (biomes) and the interaction between them – is currently being degraded at an astounding rate at all levels in the hierarchy:

1. Diversity of Life – a valuable resource

Every year, an area of some 13 million ha. is subject ·to deforestation.Important ecosystems are threatened: roughly 6 mil- ·lion ha. of the remaining virgin forests are wiped out annually; nearly 80% of coral reefs have been de-stroyed; more than 30% of mangroves have been razed in the last 20 years.The rate at which species are becoming extinct is a ·hundred to a thousand times greater than normal; nearly 40% of all known species are threatened by extinction, whereby we probably only know about 2%-10% of all the species that actually exist – im-portant habitats such as the deep sea are still largely unexplored.Since the 19th century, 75% of the cultured varieties ·of crop plant have died out.

The most important question is: how necessary is it to prevent the further degradation of biodiversity? Often, ethical and romantically idealised arguments are used as the main reason for conserving biological diversity: human beings do not have the right to destroy life that has developed over millions of years; the diversity of organisms and habitats must be preserved. Leaving aside the arguments for or against the soundness of this position in scientific and philosophical terms, an-other purely utilitarian argument wins through at this point: biodiversity has to be conserved because hu-mans depend on it. The fact that the biosphere merits protection is thus an immediate result of its relative, i.e. conditional and limited “value” as a resource for hu-man purposes, which comprises two components.

1.2 Ecosystem goods and servicesOn the one hand, biodiversity has an immediate util-ity value for human beings in terms of its products (“ecosystem goods”). Numerous plants are used for foodstuffs, the wood from the trees for construction material or paper production, as well as plant and ani-mal substances for medical-pharmaceutical or chemical products. Thus the degradation of agrobiodiversity is a serious cause for concern: the disappearance of poten-tially important useful plants and animals as well as the extinction of as yet unknown and unexamined species which might contain substances or genetic information of importance to medical or technical applications.

In addition to this, there is an indirect utility value in-herent in biodiversity which is a product of its “service effects.” These figurative services include the pollina-tion of useful plants, natural pest control, the regulation and stabilisation of major materials cycles, like those of

Regenerative “value” of

near-natural ecosystems

(© Mandy Kretschel,

Pixelio.de)

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water and carbon, the minimisation of erosion and the influence on climate, air, soil and water quality. The aes-thetic or regenerative “value” of near-natural ecosys-tems (also in the sense of health care) is yet another of the “services” provided by biodiversity. All these service effects are common goods and, as such, are extremely important, indeed vitally important. However, they are usually ignored, or at least underestimated. To this day, their economic relevance has barely been investigated.

1.3 The value of biodiversity for the economy as a wholeAs a result, the total value and yield of biodiversity for the economy as a whole have hardly been quantified. A comprehensive study conducted in 1997 (Nature, Vol. 387) puts the figure for the amount we extract from the biosphere every year at about $33 trillion – most of it outside the marketplace. Other estimates (by Lord Robert May, for example, the former President of the Royal Society in the UK) put the figure even higher. Quite apart from correct quantification, it is certainly now quite clear that the affluence and well-being of the human race are both directly and indirectly depen-dent on the ecosystem products and services.

Any attempt to predict the ecological and economic damage potential inherent in the loss of biodiversity, which has already occurred and will probably continue to occur, faces a major problem: It is generally known that biodiversity, the “hard disc of life”, is gradually being deleted, but it is impossible to assess the conse-

quences this might have with any degree of reliability. The gradual degradation of biodiversity is like remov-ing random bricks from a perfectly sound building. As long as the statics are not affected the building remains standing and can be lived in. But, in contrast to a build-ing, nowadays, no-one is able to name all the “structur-ally” relevant parts of the ecosystem; smaller or larger parts, or indeed the whole system might collapse at any time. The development of processes and measures to predict and prevent such problems is one of the debts modern biodiversity research is required to pay.

1.4 Biodiversity research in the Leibniz AssociationThe Leibniz Association has accepted this significant global challenge and sees it as a national responsibility. Biodiversity research is one of the most important fea-tures in its scientific portfolio: at 13 Leibniz institutes it is biodiversity research that shapes the profile, at a fur-ther 16 institutes substantial contributions are made to investigating biodiversity and its ecological, economic and social significance. This brochure outlines the major challenges facing biodiversity research and provides an overview of the burning issues being addressed by the Leibniz Association today.

Extinct in the wild since 2008: Southern White Rhinoceros

(Ceratotherium simum simum); Northern White Rhinoce-

ros (Ceratotherium simum cottoni)

A virus reservoir: the cassava plant [German Collection of

Microorganisms and Cell Cultures (DSMZ)]

Attaching a satellite-

based necklace trans-

mitter to an African

elephant (Loxodonta

africana) [Leibniz

Institute for Zoo and

Wildlife Research

(IZW)]

8

There are currently some 1.8 million known species of which approximately one million are just spe-cies of insect; another 300,000 are plants. Vastly

more species of plants and animals do actually live on earth: estimates based primarily on the natural corre-lation between area and diversity of species suggest there are 20 to 100 million species. Thus the task of merely surveying the species alive today is monumen-tal. Whilst several thousand species are discovered ev-ery year – the Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforsc-hung (SGN) in Frankfurt/Main records about 50-100 new species annually; the German Collection of Micro-organisms and Cell Cultures (DSMZ) more than 80 new species, strains and genera of microorganism – this is actually just a drop in the proverbial ocean. Investiga-tions have shown that it takes a scientist roughly a year to record a new species. If we work on the assumption that there are about 50 million as yet unknown species of organism, it would approximately 50 million years for one scientist to survey and record them all, or 50 years if one million taxonomists across the globe all de-voted themselves to the task.

2.1 Taxonomy and systematics However, taxonomists and systematicians, who deal with recording and classifying organisms, are them-selves something of an endangered species amongst bi-ologists. This particular specialisation is (hardly) taught at universities any more, and there is now a lack of specialists for many groups of organisms both at home and abroad. As a result, the shortage of taxonomists will increasingly become a limiting factor in advanc-ing research projects like the ecology of evolution or the investigation of natural substances. Ultimately, any valorisation of biodiversity (see below) is based on tax-onomy.

Of all the major science organisations in Germany the Leibniz Association, with its research institutes, natural history museums and research collections, has the most comprehensive expertise in the field of taxonomy and plays a decisive role in training junior researchers – in-deed, this is one of the ways in which it is already dem-onstrating its national responsibility. To achieve this, it has to overcome a classic prejudice close to the heart of many biologists and science managers: taxonomy is not

“old-fashioned biology” but an extremely sophisticated high-tech undertaking. 3D and 4D imaging processes (like computer tomography, laser scanning etc.) ultra-structuring, molecular genetics, multivariate statistics and modelling, laboratory and field experimentation are all tools of the trade for today’s taxonomists in addi-

2. Surveying and Recording Biodiversity

tion to extensive expeditions, wide-ranging field work and field investigations.

2.2CollectionsOne of the most important but frequently underrated aspects of taxonomic work is the recording of species in the form of collections: collections are the archives of life and also the “prototype metre” for biodiversity. Exactly what makes Bellis perennis a daisy, Pan troglo-dytes a chimpanzee or any of the other 1.8 known spe-cies exactly what they are is determined by the holo-type, i.e. the original specimen that was classified when the species was first recorded and is kept in one of the collections for general reference. In the three major col-lections alone – the Zoological Research Museum Al-exander Koenig (ZFMK) in Bonn, the Berlin Museum of Natural History (MfN) and the Senckenberg Gesell-schaft für Naturforschung (SGN) in Frankfurt – more than 70 million objects are stored. The institutes amal-gamated in the “German Natural History Research Collections” (DNFS) consortium together have more than 100 million objects including tens of thousands of holotypes; the DSMZ with its collections of 30,000 microorganisms and cell cultures and its facilities for despatching biological materials around the globe in accordance with the strictest security standards is inter-nationally unique.

It goes without saying that the value of the collections increases with time and every new specimen. They are archives of life and, as such, a central research infra-structure in biodiversity research; they not only provide insights into the passage of evolution but also into the changes in the environment, pollution, or the causes of extinction. By comparison with plants preserved in herbaria since the 18th and 19th centuries, we can observe that today, many plants have adapted to the significant increase in the carbon dioxide content in the atmosphere by greatly reduced stomatal density, which improves their water usage efficiency; stomata are little pores on the leaves which terrestrial plants use for gas exchange.

The value of the collections is further enhanced by cur-rent mass anthropogenic extinction which is 100 to 1,000 times greater than normal background extinction. It is caused, above all, by changes in land use, non-native invasive species (neubiota), pathogens and cli-mate change. In future, many of the species wiped out by humans will only continue to exist in collections: the Quagga, the Great Auk and Steller’s Sea Cow are just a few famous examples.

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2.3DNA banks and Noah’s Arc projectsThe loss of important biological resources and ecosys-tem functions go hand in hand with the extinction of species. An example that became popular recently was that of the two gastric brooding frogs, Rheobatrachus silus and Rhe¬obatrachus vitellinus. It was hoped that these species would help to develop an efficient rem-edy for gastric infections because the gastric brooding frog broods its young in its stomach without digesting them – however, all the relevant species have now died out. Collections can provide certain opportunities to use the biological resources of extinct or largely extinct organisms. This is one of the reasons, though not the only one, why DNA and tissue banks (with special col-lections of sperm, ejaculates, egg cells or reproductive organs) are fast becoming so important. Apart from the major museums, ZFMK, MfN, Senckenberg, the Leib-niz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK) in Gatersleben, the Leibniz Institute of Plant Bio-chemistry (IPB) in Halle and the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW) in Berlin also hold internationally significant stocks. Indeed, in the use of these stocks to assist reproduction amongst threatened species of wildlife the IZW is a world leader. The provi-sion of genetic material for further investigation in basic and applied research is developing into a commercial growth area for the natural history collections; the rel-evant institutes in the Leibniz Association are national leaders in the field.

The rapid disappearance of useful animal and useful plant species could have fatal effects on humankind. Currently, 60% of global nutrition is based on a few types of plants and animals; many of the useful animals and plants originally cultivated and used have already disappeared or are quickly being lost. Every fifth species of fern and flowering plant is a medicinal plant and of the 80,000 species in existence, roughly 15,000 are en-dangered or threatened by extinction. Without doubt, there is an urgent need for action if we are not going to lose these vital resources for ever. The relevant insti-tutes in the Leibniz Association are responding to this challenge with groundbreaking proposals. An exempla-ry “Noah’s Arc Project” is the international sperm bank in Longyearbyen on Spitsbergen which the Leibniz In-stitute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK) in Gatersleben has been instrumental in setting up; it will store and sustainably conserve more than 150,000 of IPK’s gene bank specimens for future generations.

2.4 Museums and the publicUnless there is broadly-based knowledge about how important and how endangered biological diversity ac-tually is, it will be impossible to exploit and protect bio-diversity sustainably and adequately. Apart from public outreach activities by universities, research institutes, public authorities, associations and non-government organisations (NGOs), natural history museums have a particularly major role to play in this: it is here that biological diversity, evolution and extinction are imme-diately accessible.

Laboratory for molecu-

lar evolution research

[Senckenberg Gesell-

schaft für Naturfor-

schung (SGN)]

10

The Leibniz Association is a prominent player in the field of communicating biodiversity research, too. The research institutes with affiliated museums, the Zoo-logical Research Museum Alexander Koenig (ZFMK) in Bonn, the Berlin Museum of Natural History (MfN) and the Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung (SGN) in Frankfurt as well as other institutes and mu-seums, the Senckenberg Natural History Collections in Dresden (SNSD) and the Senckenberg Natural History Museum in Görlitz (SMNG) attract more than a million visitors every year. These institutions do, indeed, offer a unique opportunity to present research firsthand, to champion biodiversity and to promote public under-standing of science and research.

2.5 The prospectsSurveying and recording biological diversity is un-doubtedly one of the main responsibilities of biodiver-sity research today, and there are a number of reasons why it is necessary: so far we have only classified be-tween 2% and 10% of existing ecosystems whilst, at the same time, we are losing more than 100 species every day. No less important is the problem of bad tax-onomy – recent studies have clearly demonstrated that too many biological and ecological studies are based on completely unsatisfactory taxonomic data and are thus inaccurate and non-reproducible. The phenomenon of

“cryptic species”, whereby organisms which appear to be morphologically identical actually belong to several different species, is also becoming a major biodiversity research issue.

As a consequence, the challenges to be faced in future are particularly diverse. On the one hand, we need to develop fast and reliable techniques for species classifi-

cation and taxonomy: barcoding, imaging technologies, internationally accessible collections and databases are just a few of the necessary developments. On the other hand, the classification of species should go well beyond the process of straightforward identification. The focus would then be placed on knowledge of the characteristics, adaptations and the relevant genetic basis with which organisms react to anthropogenic factors like degradation of habitat, disturbance caused by humans or human activity, environmental pollution caused by chemical substances, noise, light, non-native invasive competitors or pathogens (neobiota), or global climate change. Several Leibniz institutes are leaders in this field including the Leibniz Institute of Fresh Water Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), the Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry (IPB), the Research Institute for the Biology of Farm Animals (FBN), the Leibniz Insti-tute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW), the Leibniz Institute of Vegetable and Ornamental Crops (IGZ), the Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Ecology (ZMT) and the Berlin Museum of Natural History (MfN).

Just as important as this is the investigation of the major unknown biotopes and groups of organisms. The deep sea is the largest habitat still to be researched, and deep sea expeditions are constantly coming up with more new than known organisms, especially in the case of small organisms like copepods. Tropical climate zones as well as soils still contain a wealth of secrets. Even our own domestic beech forests have not been investigat-ed as thoroughly as we might imagine. In the context of the “All Species Inventory,” for example, scientists from the Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung (SGN) were able to record twice as many species in the Hessen beech forests as had previously been assumed.

The deep sea habitat is

still largely unexplored:

mussels at a depth of

3,000 metres [Leibniz

Institute of Marine Sci-

ences (IFM-GEOMAR)]

11

Even if the diversity of life has only been partially recorded so far, it has already provided us with a diversity of “products” which are of immediate

use to humans. These “ecosystem goods” range from genes via natural products to parts of an organism or the entire organism itself. The products are gathered or hunted in their natural environment or specially culti-vated, reared, bred or “harvested” for use.

In the following sections specific examples of ecosys-tem goods will be presented. However, there are sev-eral important, major habitats which, so far, have only been partially investigated in this respect, and we are in danger of losing vast numbers of goods before we even know what they are.

3.1 Food Ever since humans have existed they have used fungi, plants, animals and the products thereof as a source of food, gathering and hunting naturally occurring stocks. All over the world people are engaged in the business of gathering as well as hunting wild animals on land and at sea. The impact on biodiversity is enormous. On the one hand, in many places dreaded enemies and food competitors, particularly predators and birds of prey, have been wiped out – Western and Central Eu-rope have thus become largely devoid of big predators like wolves, brown bears and lynx; Africa and Southern Asia of lions and cheetahs; Southern and Eastern Asia of tigers. And in the course of hunting for human food resources and other purposes, particularly trophies, the stocks of prey animals hunted in the savannahs, rain forests and oceans have often been reduced and eventually threatened (many species of whale, dolphin, predator and ungulate) or even wiped out altogether (Steller’s Sea Cow, Dodo) – and still are. This is not only true of particular historical epochs – hunting by hu-mans may have been responsible for the extinction of whole natural communities of large mammals in South America anything between 12,000 and 14,000 years ago. On the other hand, in some places, the system-atic farming of wild animals for the purpose of hunting made it possible to secure the stocks of wild animals and the habitats they required (the Bialowieza Forest in Poland and Belarus as well as in Germany and else-where). In some cases this produced high stand density. One of the main tasks of the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW) in Berlin is to provide the scientific basis for preserving the stocks of wild animals that are so important for humankind.

The advent of “agriculture” with its targeted cultivation of useful plants and livestock farming brought about a

3. Ecosystem Goods

significant change for the human race. Modern human nutrition is largely based on a few plants (rice, maize, wheat, oats, rye, barley, millet etc.) and five species of animals (cattle, pigs, chickens, sheep and goats). They have been domesticated over the last 8,000 to 12,000 years and bred to create a vast number of local breeds. Not wanting to be restricted to the plants and animals originally domesticated, which largely came from the Near and Middle East, in the last few centuries, other plants and animals have been investigated to determine their potential as domestic sources of nutrition. Taking a world view, they include a wealth of fruit- and leaf-bearing or tuber herbs, shrubs, bushes and trees, fresh and salt water organisms, like fish and crustaceans, as well as birds like the turkey in America, and mammals like the guinea pig in South America, or the reindeer in Europe. To increase yields and to make cultivation or livestock breeding easier and more reliable, in the course of time, farmers concentrated on certain aspects of breeding and cultivation (growth rate, yield, biomass production), selected the most suitable breeds and types and developed them into a high-performance product. This led to a considerable increase in the use of fertilisers, the cultivation of fodder plants and the utilisation of additional “natural” resources like fish-meal, a by-product of deep sea fishing which is used for feed in fish and crustacean farming.

Now, a large proportion of (old) varieties of useful plants and breeds of domestic animals are in danger of being eliminated for ever; many are in acute danger of extinction. And this despite the fact that many breeds

Cave paining of a

hunting scene. [Leibniz

Institute for Natural

Product Research and

Infection Biology, Hans

Knöll Institute (HKI)]

12

of domestic animals have enormous advantages if they are considered less in terms of high performance yields and more in the light of the challenges posed by the fu-ture: their frugality, for example, and extreme flexibility with regard to the choice and use of “inferior” fodder plants, their great tolerance of extreme, changeable en-vironmental conditions, including climate fluctuations, their high resistance to pathogens and the fact that they require very little care, which means a concomi-tantly low use of energy and resources. In order to gain a more comprehensive understanding of these prob-lems and of breed-specific performance it is essential to understand the genomic and physiological diversity of domestic animals and useful plants as well as the varia-tion in performance parameters associated with them. Internationally significant work in these fields is con-ducted by the Leibniz Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN) in Dummerstorf, the Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK) in Gatersleben and the Leibniz Institute of Vegetable and Ornamental Crops (IGZ) in Großbeeren/Erfurt.

It is impossible to carry out intensive crop and animal farming for human and animal foodstuffs without re-shaping the environment. Consequently, a consider-able proportion of natural habitats have been trans-formed into agricultural landscapes. In Germany the figure is 47.7%, in Europe as a whole 43% and even in global terms it is 37%. One important issue is the reshaping of European agricultural landscapes to pro-duce high yields or high added value on the one hand, while guarding environmental sustainability on the other, that is, to ensure that biodiversity is maintained or reintroduced at a high level in rural areas. Apart from targeted measures to improve the ecosystem in conventional farming there are other options such as organic farming and the growing use of extensive deer farming – red deer, fallow deer and other hunt-able animals – in hot, arid agricultural landscapes with llow levels of nutrients. These and similar themes are addressed by the Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Land-scape Research (ZALF) in Müncheberg and the Leibniz Institute of Agricultural Development in Central and Eastern Europe (IAMO) in Halle.

3.2 Agrobiodiversity – agrofuel – forestryAgrobiodiversity is the term used for the diversity of domesticated animals and plants in an agricultural landscape. Against the backdrop of rapidly disappear-ing ancient varieties and breeds of domestic animals and useful plants, we have already drawn attention to the fact that it is one of our responsibilities vis-à-vis the future to ensure that this agrobiodiversity is preserved and used sustainably. As indicated above, several Leib-niz institutes are addressing this issue. Both in the west-ern world and in the Tropics and Subtropics natural and planted forests are exploited as sources of energy and building materials as well as for producing paper and top quality furniture. The differences between agricul-tural landscapes and forests, which once seemed so obvious, are now disappearing as a result of biodiver-sity as a whole being under threat in these ecosystems. An aggravating factor is a parallel development that is transforming relatively low-yield natural systems rich in biodiversity into oligo- and monocultures in the form of plantations where diversity is degraded.

Additional links between agricultural landscapes and forests also ensue from other relationships. “Double” use is a known practice both in many tropical savannahs and rain forests, where it takes the form of traditional slash and burn, as well as in Germany where forests were traditionally used as grazing land. Development projects also intensify the links between agricultural landscapes and forests. Here, the particular strengths of agriculture and forestry are amalgamated to regulate and promote the microclimate, improve nutrient cycles, enhance land use as well as for mechanical storm pro-tection – a combination known as agroforesty.

And agricultural landscapes and forests are especially predestined to be linked together in areas like the Trop-ics and Subtropics where natural forests and savannahs are cleared to make way for grazing land for beef and dairy cattle or additional acreage for useful plants like sugar cane and maize to produce agrofuels for vehicles. However, technological progress now means that we can use the by-products of agriculture and forestry (straw, wood shavings and so on) to produce second-generation agrofuels, making it totally unnecessary to destroy natural habitats in this way. The evaluation of agrofuel sources to determine their ecological sustain-ability, climate compatibility and economic efficiency is an important research topic being addressed, for example, by the Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW). In a further development, the Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering (ATB) in Potsdam-Bornim

Diversity of squash

varieties. [Leibniz

Institute of Plant

Genetics and Crop

Plant Research (IPK)]

13

is intensively investigating the use of ecological com-munities of microorganisms to develop biogas reactors as a future source of energy.

3.3Medicinal plants and health products of animal originMany fungi, plants, animals and their products contain ingredients that promote human (as well as plant and animal) health and can be used to treat disease. The use of special plants to treat illnesses has precursors in the animal kingdom – from apes to elephants there are a number of species of wild animals that self-medicate by specifically eating special plants or substances.

So far, only a few of the traditionally used species of plants have been investigated to determine th e chemi-cal identity of the substances, their effect and dose dependence. And there is every evidence to suggest that other plants not traditionally used contain impor-tant ingredients, too. Star Anis (Illicium verum), for example, a frost-sensitive evergreen native to Vietnam and China, is the only known source of shikimic acid, an effective neuraminidase inhibitor for fighting influ-enza viruses. And who would have thought that the Madagascar periwinkle (Catharanthus roseus) would produce an active ingredient which can be used to

fight several kinds of cancer? The Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry (IPB) in Halle, which is involved in isolating and characterising the active biological ingre-dients (natural products) in traditionally used medicinal plants from Africa, Asia and South America, as well as Europe’s Agaricomycotina, is a leader in this field.

Many animal species also produce extremely interest-ing substances. Frogs and amphibians, in particular, are thought to be especially “inventive” when it comes to creating natural products or special biochemical processes which, in the course of evolution, have al-lowed them to adapt in order to ward off enemies, hunt prey or successfully hibernate, procreate or survive the dry season. Whether potential inhibitors of acidic gas-tric juices from Australia (the extinct Gastric Brooding Frogs already mentioned), analgesics from Ecuador (the Phantasmal Poison Frog, Epipedobates tricolor), antibiotics from South Africa (the African Clawed Frog, Xe¬nopus laevis) or remedies for heart conditions from Panama (the Strawberry Poison Frog, Dendrobates pumilio) – they all originate in species of the globally most threatened class of vertebrates, amphibians. Oth-er vertebrates, too, like bony fish and sharks or insects and other invertebrates are rich sources of interesting ingredients. And some species of mammals are charac-

Due to its diuretic

properties the Common

Juniper (Juniperus

communis) has long

been used as a remedy

for rheumatic pain

(© SueSchi, Pixelio.de)

14

terised by particular medical achievements which have not yet been investigated – like the immune system of the East African Dwarf Mongoose (Helogale par¬vula) which is able to survive the bite of the African Puff Ad-der unharmed, an experience that would be fatal for humans. Another form of “applying ingredients” is the popular traditional use of extracts from the organs of various predators and ungulates to increase male po-tency or female fertility. Its medical effectiveness has not been proven to this day but, just as in the case of many medicinal plants, the relevant species have be-come seriously endangered due to intensive poaching, ruthless exploitation and excessive harvesting. Knowl-edge about the (medicinal) effects of biodiversity often only exists in the form of traditional knowledge within individual ethnic groups; but access to this local exper-tise is the precondition for using these products. Con-sequently, fair remuneration for producer countries and their ethnic groups, particularly developing countries, is one of the major themes in the use of ecosystem goods when private companies, state or non-state organisa-tions wish to utilise this knowledge or export organisms or parts of organisms for pharmaceutical research (c.f.

“biopiracy”).

3.4 Active agents and natural products derived from microorganismsMicroorganisms are a rich source of natural products and active agents as well as biochemical processes that have evolved into adaptations for processing specific raw materials or as a defence against unwelcome com-petition or natural enemies. Recently, incredible ex-amples of survival in hostile environments, like the hot vents in the deep sea, have been discovered again and again. But other habitats, from large and small bodies of water to soil, also provide interesting insights. One of the fields of work at the Leibniz Institute of Marine Sciences (IFM-GEOMAR) at Kiel University is the classi-fication of active agents deriving from microorganisms living in such habitats. By comparison with chemical, synthetic ingredients, natural products have the advantage that they have been optimised for their “task” by millions of years of evolution. These kinds of products or biochemical processes are of particular interest in connection with the gentle removal of environmentally harmful sub-stances (tar, oil). The combination of natural product research with infection biology – an approach that is being taken at the Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology (Hans Knöll Institute) in Jena, for example – seems to have great potential for

fighting pathogens (antibiotics, antifungals). Against the backdrop of continually evolving resistance, the development of ever more natural therapeutic products is essential. 3.5 Pathogens, carriers (vectors) and controlling them (pest control)Pathogens are one of the elements of biodiversity that, at first sight, appear at best superfluous, at worst positively harmful. In the last few decades, however, evolutionary theory, ecology and infection research have come to see that pathogens have a complex role. Pathogens are a driving force in evolution that have produced selection pressure to develop highly effective, efficient agents and innumerable other adaptations in host organisms which we now, in turn, value as ecosystem goods. Pathogens probably also contributed to the speciation of host or-ganisms, an issue that has only been touched on so far. And in many species of plants and animals they are also responsible for limiting and regulating stocks and indi-rectly facilitate the coexistence of many similar species in the same habitat.

Enormous species splitting amongst host organisms (including carriers of pathogens) has meant that, in most cases, the action of pathogens is extremely spe-cies-specific. As a result, the species richness in natural ecosystems has produced barriers which limit the prolif-eration of pathogens and which only a few pathogens manage to break down. Exactly how these limitations function is being investigated in numerous places; the Heinrich Pette Institute for Experimental Virology and Immunology (HPI) in Hamburg has received interna-tional acclaim for its work on (zoonotic) pathogens that can be transmitted to humans, as well as on human pathogens.

One example of the dreaded exceptions is the rabies vi-rus and related lyssaviruses which cause rabies in nearly all mammals. But even these dangerous pathogens – and others like the Ebola virus which to this day cause incur-able, usually fatal diseases – are not invincible. There are certain species of mammals that are able to survive the infection completely unharmed: the African Soft-Furred Rat (Praomys natalensis) can cope with rabies, while three types of fruit bats from Gabon (Hypsignathus monstrosus, Epomops franqueti, Myonycteris torquata) remain unaffected by the Ebola virus. We do not as yet know how their immune systems function.

An acute issue that has not so far been understood and that poses immensely important public health problems

15

is the rapid rise in the number of new pathogens, the increase in their dissemination and the host-changing that has been observed between wild animals, use-ful and domestic animals and the human population. Cutting-edge research in this field is being conducted at the Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine (BNI) in Hamburg and the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW) in Berlin. Apart from increasing population density and the growth in the total stocks of useful animals, factors like global climate change and the degradation of natural habitats certainly play a role in the disappearance of the pathogen carriers’ natural enemies.

The one-sided focus on fighting pathogens and their carriers (vectors) has led to eradication programmes with consequences which illustrate the phrase “the road to hell is paved with good intentions.” In the 1970s and 1980s, for example, the EU financed a campaign to eradicate the Tsetse fly in Southern and Eastern Africa, because Tsetse are carriers of trypanosomes, the cause of sleeping sickness in useful animals and people. The blanket dispersal of dangerous insecticides over large natural landscapes destroyed part of the natural eco-system in the habitats affected and left behind residues which create issues for the population and their animals to this day. In retrospect, it becomes clear that the ma-jor consequence of programmes of this kind is that they destroy biodiversity; targeted species-specific measures in the form of biological pest control are often much more successful and efficient and have fewer uninten-tional side-effects, not least on the ecosystem.

Different pathogens have developed efficient prolifera-tion, packaging and infiltration techniques for genetic material which is already frequently being used in med-ical research.

3.6Bionics and other ecosystem goodsNatural organisms are becoming ever more frequent objects of investigation. Their natural products, con-struction principles and efficient production techniques are examined in order to generate new ideas and mod-els for new materials or solutions to technical problems. This academic discipline, which is known as bionics or biomimetics, uses the almost inexhaustible innovative potential of evolution for applications in technology. Impressive examples include the aerodynamic and hy-drodynamic optimisation of body surfaces during move-ment (ships, submarines, vehicles, aeroplanes, rockets), the famous Lotus Effect, whereby specially prepared surfaces repel dirt and water; or building techniques

that borrow from the principles on which the bones of mammals and bodies of insects are constructed.

Some species supply special kinds of ecosystem goods in the form of highly specialised services for human be-ings. This is particularly true of the highly developed sensory systems of some species whose performance is even better than that of comparable technical equip-ment or – and this is particularly important for devel-oping countries – can be provided much cheaper as an appropriate technology. Traditionally, for example, the sensory capabilities of canaries were used down mines to test for the presence of carbon monoxide. The sudden death of the canaries warned the min-ers that the atmosphere was being infiltrated by the dreaded respiratory poison. The African Giant Pouched Rat (Cricetomys gambianus) was successfully trained to detect landmines in Mozambique – a highly efficient and cost-effective application. Hunting dogs and police dogs, which follow a scent or track down the presence of drugs and other substances, also belong in this cate-gory. Various ethnic groups in the Near and Middle East traditionally use the services of easily trained predators like cheetahs and falcons to kill huntable animals.

The examples of ecosystem goods derived from bionics or special organismic services are legion, and we cannot begin to imagine what treasures are yet to be uncov-ered in the species that have not even been discovered yet. The kind of schemes to protect species and biodi-versity that are being developed and driven forward at numerous Leibniz institutes make a decisive contribu-tion to ensuring that this inexhaustible potential will be conserved for future generations.

16

No less important than ecosystem goods, but far less well researched and understood are the numerous general services we have bio-

diversity to thank for. They are the great unknowns in biodiversity research because we are actually only just beginning to realise how dependent we are on these ecosystem services – pollination, pest control, health, abatement of natural and anthropogenic environmen-tal changes, cycles of materials are but a few examples of an almost endless list.

4.1Cycles of materialsAll the major, vital cycles of materials, like those of car-bon, water, nitrogen and phosphorus are significantly influenced by the biosphere. Today, for example, al-most 600 Gt (gigatonnes = billion tonnes) of carbon are stored in vegetation, that is almost as much as in the entire atmosphere with its carbon reservoir of some

4. Ecosystem Services

750 GtC. Furthermore, every year, vegetation absorbs roughly 110 Gt of carbon from the atmosphere by photosynthesis so that, in effect, in less than ten years the atmosphere’s entire carbon reservoir is channelled through vegetation.

However, anyone who thinks that the carbon cycle – which also means the cycle of one of the most impor-tant greenhouse gases – is a known quantity, has got it wrong. Today, we still do not know the final destination of all the additional carbon emitted by human beings every year, which totals some 7 Gt: just under half is stored in the atmosphere, another part in the oceans, but what exactly happens to the other 1-2 Gt of carbon emitted annually is still something of a mystery – it may be that plants and soils play a central role in this. We know, for example, that many plants conduct photo-synthesis and thus also carbon absorption and growth subject to the climate, water availability and the con-centration of CO2 in the atmosphere.

4.2If it were all as simple as that …In qualitative terms, the case is fairly clear: plants in-fluence the carbon cycle and hence the climate. And vice versa: changes in the climate and the CO2 con-centration in the atmosphere affect plant growth and the carbon cycle. However, in quantitative terms the interaction is anything but clear. Nevertheless, we are already making serious efforts to employ the services of plants for the purpose of climate protection – although given the gaps in our knowledge about these relation-ships we are not always particularly successful.

In the context of the Kyoto Protocol on the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions it has become common practice to compensate for additional CO2 emissions by increasing afforestation: as growing forests draw carbon from the atmosphere they should contribute to reducing the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, which they do indeed do – although they can also cause warming and thus have an undesirable effect on the climate. Plants do not only play a role in the carbon cycle but in the earth’s radiation budget and in the water cycle, too. Whilst expanses of water and evergreen forests absorb 90% and 80% respectively of the energy radiated by the sun, the values for snow and sand are 10% and 35%. Models constructed at insti-tutes like the Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforsc-hung (SGN) have shown that afforestation, depending on where and to what extent it is implemented, can therefore lead to significant warming with regional in-creases in temperature of several degrees.

The earth’s atmosphere

(© Katrin Schulze,

Pixelio.de)

17

4.3Quantifying complex systemsThis example is paradigmatic: we have a lot of basic and qualitative knowledge about ecosystems and bio-diversity services; but in order to capitalise on it sustain-ably and consistently, to valorise and thus to harness it for developing management strategies, we simply do not have a quantitative understanding of the system, i.e. comprehensive knowledge of all the process rela-tionships. The water cycle is a pertinent example. In densely forested regions a large proportion of local pre-cipitation is caused by plant evaporation; in the Amazon Basin the figure is 50%. As a result, forest clearance has a significant influence on the regional water cycle, the formation of clouds, the regeneration of groundwater, as well as on soils, erosion and temperature. Further-more, so-called teleconnections mean that the effects may be felt in distant regions and other continents. So far, quantitative modelling and prediction of all these complex consequences of clearing large areas of forest have proved to be an impossible challenge.

As such, it has also been difficult to evaluate the ecos-ervices provided by forests. We know that forests are important, but we do not know how important they are. However, more of the pieces of the puzzle are beginning to be found. The importance of soil and its organisms, for instance, is still seriously underesti-mated – after all, soil organisms are responsible for 2/3 of entire on-shore biomass conversion. And evidence is increasing to suggest that forests could really be an important producer of methane, another of the impor-tant greenhouse gases, as well as organic molecules that impact on climate. Furthermore, one forest is not the same as another: ecosystem services, on the other hand, depend on the structure and composition of the forest – all in all, complexities we have hardly begun to comprehend.

It is precisely at this point that several Leibniz institutes have pitched their investigations. The Potsdam Insti-tute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), for example, uses global and regional approaches to investigate the interactions between terrestrial ecosystems and the cli-mate system. By including economic and social scientific components they are also trying to record the changes in ecosystem services brought about by climate change

– with no small success; they recently achieved an im-portant breakthrough, publishing a study which records the potential consequences for Europe of various dif-ferent climate change scenarios.

4.4No end of services yet to be understoodIn the final analysis, the problems illustrated by cycles of materials and forests apply to all ecosystems in the same sense: in many cases, we have a solid qualitative ba-sic understanding of the complexity and functioning of habitats and ecosystems, but are still in the dark when it comes to a comprehensive quantitative understand-ing of the process. Consequently, we have not been able to achieve reliable assessments or benchmarks for ecosystem services so far. However, this is where we will find one of the keys to containing the current loss of biodiversity, because not all ecosystem services can be provided free of charge for everyone and bypass market activity altogether. The appropriate evaluation of ecosystem services is one of the domains addressed by the Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW), the Leibniz Institute of Ecological and Regional Develop-ment (IOER), the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) and the Leibniz Centre for Tropical Ma-rine Ecology (ZMT).

One of the major challenges facing biodiversity re-search is, therefore, to achieve better understanding of the manifold ecosystem services provided by the various habitats and their (ecological and economic) relevance.

A whole host of Leibniz institutes are leading the way in tackling this enormous task worldwide and in the most diverse habitats. The research institutes and museums in Berlin (MfN), Bonn (ZFMK) and Frankfurt (Sencken-berg, together with the associated institutes in Görlitz and Dresden), for example, as well as the Leibniz Insti-tute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW) in Berlin, are investigating the biodiversity, functioning and services

Impact of the 2003

heat wave on biodiver-

sity in the agricultural

landscape of Lorraine

[Potsdam Institute

for Climate Impact

Research (PIK)]

18

of forest, savannah and grassland ecosystems from the Tropics to polar latitudes. The Leibniz Institute of Fresh-water Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB) conducts the same research with reference to lakes and rivers. And in the marine sector, the Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research (IOW) in Warnemünde monitors the Baltic Sea and investigates the impact of natural and anthro-pogenic change on marine communities and their ser-vices in the context of the Henlsinki Convention. Tropi-cal reefs and coastal ecosystems, including mangroves which are so important for coastal protection, are the focus of attention at the Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Ecology (ZMT); the Wadden Sea, North Sea and deep sea are the subject of Senckenberg marine research; the major cycles of materials in the oceans, particularly the North Atlantic and the North Pacific are priorities in the research portfolio of the Leibniz Insti-tute of Marine Sciences (IFM-GEOMAR).

The services they investigate are no less diverse. Cycles of materials, the quality of environmental goods like

air, water and soil, fish yields or pollination (whether by insects or bats) all belong in this category, together with coastal protection, pest control, health and stabil-ity of ecosystems in relation to anthropogenic or natu-ral “interference factors”. Here, too, many questions still remain unanswered. If we look at the service “eco-system stability,” for example, it is thought that only a structured and diverse natural community can act as a buffer against all the different impacts and attacks on the ecosystem and thus guarantee its stability in the context of the biological timeline. But there is, as yet, no firm evidence for a general rule of this kind. A num-ber of partial findings suggest that in most cases this assumption does hold true in practice even though, as far back as 1973, it was shown that on purely theoreti-cal grounds the stability of ecosystems is not necessarily increased by species diversity itself. One of these find-ings confirms the increased stability of natural, nutrient-poor, species-rich mown meadows by comparison with fertilised, nutrient-rich, species-poor meadows.

4.5Conservation programmes and protected areasAll the institutions mentioned are heavily involved in developing conservation programmes and protected areas. At European level examples include the EU Wa-ter Framework Directive, the Natura 2000 Directive, the national parks and biosphere reserves. And, in-ternationally, too, Leibniz institutes are playing an ac-

Ecosystem services

from the depths.

(© Hennie Kissling,

Fotolia.com)

Post-mining lands-

capes have specific

problems but also

considerable poten-

tial for developing

biodiversity – this is

why the Stiebsdorfer

See, a lake in the

Schlabendorfer Feld-

er area of Lusatia,

has been protected

by a conservati-

on order [Leibniz

Institute for Regional

Development and

Structural Planning

(IRS)]

19

tive role in major international conservation initiatives in Madagascar (German Primate Centre, DPZ) Africa (ZFMK, IZW, Senckenberg), Central and South America (Senckenberg, IZW), the deep sea, oceans and reefs (IFM-GEOMAR, MfN, ZMT, Senckenberg).

Just how important conservation programmes and protected areas are was made eminently clear at the 9th UN conference of the parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in Bonn. If they are well planned strategically, these measures facilitate the conservation of a given biodiversity and the preservation of impor-tant services of particular regional or global significance. But this will not solve all the problems related to the current loss of biodiversity, because human beings par-ticularly need ecosystem services in their own habitats, the towns, agricultural and cultural landscapes.

4.6Anthropogenic habitats and cultural landscapesThe extent to which anthropogenic habitats are directly shaped by humankind varies, but here we are much more immediately dependent on ecosystem services like pollination, air, water and soil quality or regional climate, which themselves are subject to particular changes brought about by the dynamic impact of humankind. The sustainable use and development of these anthropogenic habitats in the sense of improving quality of life is an important feature of the research portfolio at several institutions such as the Leibniz Insti-tute for Regional Development and Structural Planning (IRS) in Erkner, the Leibniz Institute of Ecological and Regional Development (IOER) in Dresden, the Leibniz Institute of Agricultural Development in Central and Eastern Europe (IAMO) in Halle, the Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF) in Müncheberg and the Academy for Spatial Research and Planning (ARL) in Hanover.

A seminal feature of this kind of research on biodiver-sity and ecosystem services in habitats dominated by humankind is that it integrates aspects of planning, agriculture, economics and social science. It is in these areas that the key to the future development of our nutrition and quality of life is to be found. Striking a

“balance between economy and ecology” is a particular challenge in which recording and evaluating ecosystem services may have an important role to play.

4.7Ecosystem services and climate changeWithout doubt, ecosystem services are essential, not only for our quality of life but also for our survival as human beings. These services are in danger. What is es-pecially threatening about the rapid loss of biodiversity is the fact that we hardly even understand the function of these species in their habitats. Climate change cre-ates an additional problem because it causes consid-erable species shifts. Every decade, many thermophile species are currently extending their area 6 km north-wards and, in mountain regions, 6 metres upwards. But this also leads to a complex new restructuring of nearly all the ecosystems. One of the findings of palaeonto-logical studies is that during climate change it is not ac-tually entire ecosystems that move but individual spe-cies, meaning that the ecosystems themselves change and cease to be stable. Even though this has been recognised in principle, we are still unable to predict very extensively how any ecosystem will be altered as a result of climate change and what the consequences for ecosystem services will be.

Perennial garden

[Leibniz Institute of

Plant Genetics and

Crop Plant Research

(IPK)]

20

The seminal question posed at the outset was: How essential is it to prevent the loss of biodiversity? The sections presented so far reveal that even our

current state of knowledge makes it unequivocally clear that humankind is extremely dependent on biodiversity

– and that the “value” of biodiversity as a resource for human purposes is enormous. These sections also dem-onstrate that we still do not know anything like enough about biodiversity, ecosystem goods and the effects of ecosystem services to be able to value, conserve and use them sustainably for the good of us all. Our lack of knowledge poses major challenges to research, soci-ety and policy-makers. The research issues immediately seeking to be addressed focus on five aspects of bio-diversity: knowledge, understanding, evaluation/value, use and management.

5.1KnowledgeTo this day, we have still not established the basic principles of biodiversity research: classifications of preferably all species (on easy open access) and their interaction, or at least a list of all known species; then documentation on the availability and accessibility of reference examples (holotypes), ideally including speci-fications of the biological properties of each species: special features (e.g. adaptations in behaviour, bauplan, physiology, particular ingredients), life history, biotopes, habitat claims, distribution, total population, relations

5. The Major Challenges

with other species as well as matter cycling and matter flows; in addition, a definition of potential as an ecosys-tem good and contribution to the effects of ecosystem services; furthermore, key information on the state of the respective population and its predicted develop-ment as well as a definition of the factors particularly endangering or enhancing the sustainable development of a population. A database of this kind would allow us to extrapolate comprehensive knowledge about par-ticularly important species, habitats, ecosystem goods and the effects of ecosystem services and identify those that are worthy of protection. This is the realm of tax-onomy and systematics, functional morphology, eco-logical and genomic physiology, behavioural ecology, immune genetics, reproductive biology, reproductive and wild animal medicine and drug research.

5.2UnderstandingWith the exception of artificial, microcosmic experi-mental ecosystems (chemostats) we do not have a single natural ecosystem that has been fully classified either theoretically-analytically, by modelling or em-pirically in respect of its biotic community, food chains, pathogen-host dynamics, matter flows, resilience to natural or anthropogenic disturbance, that is, in respect of its entire constituent parts and process dynamics. However, only when we have this will it be possible to predict accurately the consequences of biodiversity loss, meaning the removal of certain species (building bricks) and their interactions and functions from the statistics of the ecosystem (building).

It is, therefore, essential to classify the vulnerability of individual species (building bricks) and the quality, degree and type of networking with other species in an ecosystem as well as the way in which they impact on each other. This requisite is closely followed by the need to develop an understanding of the processes involved in the dynamics of species communities and ecosystems over short or longer biological (and geolog-ical) timelines. The starting point is an understanding of how to predict the degree of threat to populations, species and habitats as a function of clearly identified anthropogenic factors like loss of habitat, environmen-tal pollution and climate change, extraction (harvesting, gathering, fishing, hunting), introduction of invasive competitors (neobiota), and pathogens. Ideally, all this should flow into a properly substantiated “stress theo-ry” encompassing evolutionary, ecological and physi-ological factors, i.e. a theory that can predict the abil-ity of organisms and species to meet these challenges through specific adaptations.

The Iberian lynx (Lynx

pardinus) is the world’s

most threatened spe-

cies of wild cat. Less

than 200 are still to be

found in the wild in

Southern Spain [Leibniz

Institute for Zoo and

Wildlife Research

(IZW)]

21

The resulting predictions on the population dynamics of individual species would facilitate our ability to foresee cases of extinction. And it would become much easier to predict the impact of individual species on the net-working and dynamics of species communities and the ecosystems as a whole. Closely related to this is a better understanding of fundamental evolutionary processes such as population differentiation and speciation which will continue unchanged even in anthropogenically impacted or even dominated landscapes, although in ways no-one would ever have thought could be pre-dicted.

Apart from perspective centring on the organism, if we are to understand the dynamics of biotic communities, it is important to have an understanding of global and local matter cycles and matter flows. To this day, they have not been satisfactorily explained; similarly, the de-gree to which local and regional habitats are dependent on matter input from and interactions with other re-gions of the planet (teleconnections) is still unclear.

5.3Evaluation/valueAn appropriate, fair evaluation of ecosystem goods and ecosystem services comprises social, political and eco-nomic (both private and public) perspectives, takes ac-count of producer countries’ particular interests, man-ages the tension caused by the fact that the effects of ecosystem services transgress national borders, and compares the conflicts of interest along the value chain. In this context, important aspects include changes and losses, the costs of alternative “ways of production”, the goal to achieve sustainable development in devel-oping, emerging and industrialised countries, and the ideal scenario in which agricultural and industrial policy is oriented both towards ecological sustainability and economic success.

To this day, there is not one single ecosystem good or ecosystem service which has been appropriately evaluated in this way. And this is not just because of the immensity of the challenges a scientifically-based evaluation of ecosystem goods and ecosystem services poses for spatial sciences, social science, economics and political science.

5.4UseIdeally, wise use of ecosystem goods and services is ecologically sustainable, meaning that they can be used without endangering species diversity, notice-ably restricting their functioning in the ecosystem or substantially changing materials cycles. In most cases

we neither know what goods and services are actu-ally available, nor what the optimum proportion would be to ensure sustainable harvesting. The massive drop in world fish stocks is a case in point. It illustrates just how complex it can be to align particular local and national fishing interests with the vision of moderate, sustainable long-term use which is forced to transcend national boundaries if it is going to be successful. The challenge here is to develop stable, successful institu-tions and governance approaches.

From the point of view of rapidly increasing biodiversity loss, the most important factor is habitat and biosphere destruction, transformation and degradation. The con-servation of biodiversity, its goods and services is thus in competition with the other land-use demands. Land-use competition and the conflicts which arise from it are one of the seminal themes in biodiversity research in the broadest sense. It encompasses the research and development of institutions and governance approach-es to solve conflicts of use as well as the development of alternative negotiating options. Examples include modelling and analysing land-use competition in con-nection with bioenergy, or safeguarding biodiversity during conservation planning procedures or NATURA 2000 areas in case of land-use conflicts.

5.5ManagementSince the impact of humankind on the planet has now become all-embracing, even the largest primary habitats and ecosystems are no longer untouched by anthropogenic influences. So even in natural habitats, preserving biodiversity requires more than just a sign saying “Keep off”; rather, it means positive action to prevent, minimise and – as far as possible – compen-sate for the loss of biodiversity.

Activated sludge

in a biogas reactor,

one of the many

ecosystem goods

[Leibniz Institute for

Agricultural Enginee-

ring Potsdam-Bornim

(ATB)]

22

The first step on this path is to develop appropriate tools. These include models reproducing local, regional or global changes in biodiversity, land-use and climate which can help to set management priorities to avoid or minimise the losses predicted. Tools of this kind can also be of use in political consultancy. However, with the exception of climate change models, they are still in their infancy. And even today’s state-of-the-art cli-mate system models are not able to factor in the de-fined feedback effects between biodiversity and global, regional or local climate in their entirety.

When dealing with threatened species of animals and plants as well as ecosystem goods and ecosystem ser-vices that have come under pressure, short-term emer-gency action and long-term safeguards are essential. This initially means setting-up and extending gene banks and continues with tissue banks (with reproduc-tive organs, gametes and sperm) and the extension of biological collections. Then comes the development of assisted reproduction for threatened species of wild animals and scientific support for zoos and botanical gardens to expedite their development into nature con-servation and breeding centres. One important aspect of research is the issue of whether spatial sciences can provide suitable tools for conserving and re-establish-ing a high level of biodiversity. Examples include the way we deal with urban fallow land or develop tools for proactive local environmental planning that cham-pions the conservation of biodiversity in agricultural landscapes.

5.6 Biodiversity research –a national and international responsibilityAgainst the backdrop of the global threat to biodiversity and its central importance for the future of humankind, international as well as national efforts are required. Safeguards and economic approaches to fair access and benefit sharing are not sufficient; rather, we urgently need a broadly-based research initiative to close the fa-tal gaps in our knowledge. It is true that a number of important research programmes do already exist, such as the major international DIVER¬SITAS, ESSP (Earth System Science Partnership), and GTI (Global Taxo-nomic Initiative) programmes; the ALARM Network at European level and the German national “DIVERSITAS Deutschland” or the Biodiversity Exploratories funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG). These proj-ects are important and good but they all have their own focus, and in terms of scope and theme do not really address the breadth and significance of the biodiversity issue as described here. In the infighting for publicity between environmental policy and nature conservation, biodiversity research has not yet received the attention it deserves in the interests of us all.

4D scan of a living

Rhesus Monkey

(Macaca mulatta)

foetus. [Leibniz

Institute for Zoo and

Wildlife Research

(IZW)]

Picture right:

Biodiversity and

evolution exhibition

[Berlin Museum

of Natural History

(MfN)]

23

The following overview presents firstly the Leibniz institutes at which biodiversity research is one of the areas shaping the profile of the institu-

tion. This is followed by short profiles of the institutes which also conduct biodiversity research, though not as a high-profile focus area. The overview is based on the institutes’ own updated profiles and includes the names of the people to contact about biodiversity re-

6. The Biodiversity Research Themes atIndividual Leibniz Institutes

search. The list is not restricted to institutes that con-duct research into biodiversity in the narrow, traditional sense, i.e. classifying species, their adaptation and in-teraction with other species, but also includes institutes that address the evaluation or the effects of biodiversity in political, social and economic terms or for which bio-diversity forms the basis of their research activity – in connection with natural products, for example.

Leibniz institutes at which biodiversity shapes the profile of research

24

Computer-generated

3D image of a

dolphin foetus in

the uterus [Leibniz

Institute for Zoo and

Wildlife Research

(IZW)]

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Leibniz Institute for Farm Animal Biology Dummerstorf (FBN)

Institute profileFarm animal biology; functional biodiversity; animal breeding; resource- and eco-friendly animal reproduc-tion; animal health; animal behaviour; food production

Role in biodiversity research Conserving the biological diversity of farm animals has enormous potential for ensuring long-term global nu-trition. Genome analysis shows that even in high-per-formance populations of farm animals quite different genome regions are responsible for one and the same high performance. Elucidating the functional genomic aspects of farm animal biodiversity is an important pre-condition for conserving the biodiversity of farm ani-mals as “raw material” for breeding and for designing livestock-friendly keeping conditions. Conserving the biodiversity of our farm animals holds the greatest po-tential for efficient future use of the biological resource “useful animal” in the context of the new demands placed on farm animals in relation to nutrition, land-scape management and the development of rural areas under changing environmental and production condi-tions.

Forschungsinstitut für die Biologie landwirtschaftli-cher Nutztiere Dummerstorf (FBN) Wilhelm-Stahl-Allee 218196 Dummerstorfwww.fbn-dummerstorf.de

Contact on biodiversityProf. Dr. Manfred SchwerinTel.: +49 (0)38208 68 600 [email protected]

German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures (DSMZ)

Institute profileDiversity and hosting of prokaryotes, yeasts and fungi, plant viruses, human, animal and plant cell lines; mo-lecular and phenotypical systematics; genome analysis

Role in biodiversity researchDSMZ is the only collection of biological resources in the world with the following combined portfolio: cur-rently some 30,000 excellently classified cultures, in-ternationally recognised collection-related research including an identification service, deposits for the purpose of patenting, a broad spectrum of high-quality material and rapid supply. DSMZ is the only leading centre for biological resources in Europe able to receive and conserve microorganisms that are not only diverse but difficult to cultivate. From 2002-2004, DSMZ was recognised by the EU as a centre of excellence for re-source management. Since 2007, DSMZ has been the only institute to supply material to the Joint Genome Institute for the completion of genome sequencing. DSMZ staff are leading participants in the OECD ini-tiative to define Biological Resource Centres and other bioinformation networking initiatives. Annually, they publish more than 80 new species, strains and families of prokaryotes and conduct ecological investigations in diverse habitats to determine the population structure and species diversity.

Deutsche Sammlung für Mikroorganismen und Zellkulturen (DSMZ)Inhoffenstr. 7B38124 Braunschweigwww.dsmz.de

Contact on biodiversity:Prof. Dr. Jörg OvermannTel.: +49 (0)531 2616 [email protected]

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Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB)

Institute profileBiodiversity, lakes, rivers, floodplains; ecological service; fish, aquaculture, sustainability, ecosystem

Role in biodiversity researchThe Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB) is the largest German centre for ecosys-tem research into limnic systems. IGB combines pure research with conservation research as a basis for sus-tainable water management and focuses on biodiversity in lakes, rivers and groundwater. Nowhere else in the country is there another institute addressing biodiver-sity research into inland waters on a scale comparable to that at IGB. The long-term data for the Müggelsee and Stechlinsee (lakes) as well as for the Spree (river), for example, are unique in Germany. In the context of the Rivers of Europe project the biological diversity of Europe’s inshore waters is being documented. At the same time, IGB is investigating the evolutionary and functional consequences of the rapid changes in bio-diversity – from microbes to fish. IGB’s programme to reintroduce the sturgeon is seen as a lighthouse project in the German National Strategy on Biodiversity.

Leibniz-Institut für Gewässerökologie und Binnenfischerei (IGB)Müggelseedamm 31012587 Berlinwww.igb-berlin.de

Contact on biodiversityProf. Dr. Klement TocknerPhone: +49 (0)30 641 81 [email protected]. Hans-Peter GrossartTel.: +49 (0)33082 699 [email protected]

Leibniz Institute of Ecological and Regional Development (IOER)

Institute profileSustainable and environmentally compatible spatial development; landscape development and manage-ment of landscape, landscape change and biodiversity; spatial planning and environmental planning, ecosys-tem services, environmental risks and risk prevention; geodata and remote sensing; climate change, European spatial development

Role in biodiversity researchIOER investigates the impact of land-use and changes in land-use on the various elements of biodiversity, es-pecially landscape diversity (diversity of habitats and ecosystems). Projects address the effects of settlement development, especially suburbanisation, traffic devel-opment and the concomitant landscape fragmentation, changes in open spaces and their structure, large-scale, cross-border habitat connectivity and the effects of climate change on ecological diversity in towns. One important aspect of research focuses on the question of how spatial science can contribute appropriate tools for conserving and restoring a high level of biodiversity. Examples of this include the treatment of fallow land in urban areas and the development of tools for proactive local environmental planning that champions the con-servation of biodiversity.

Leibniz-Institut für ökologische Raumentwicklung (IÖR)Weberplatz 101217 Dresdenwww.ioer.de

Contact on biodiversity Prof. Dr.-Ing. Wolfgang WendeTel.: +49 (0) 351 [email protected]

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Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung (SGN)Director General: Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Volker MosbruggerSenckenberganlage 2560325 Frankfurt am Mainwww.senckenberg.deSenckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung (SGN)Senckenberg Natural History Collections in Dresden (SNSD)Senckenberg Natural History Museum in Görlitz (SMNG)Senckenberg German Entomological Institute (SDEI) in MünchebergSenckenberg by the Sea in Wilhelmshaven

Contact on biodiversityProf. Dr.Georg ZizkaTel.: +49 (0)69 75 42 [email protected]

Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturfor-schung (SGN)

Institute profileSystematic phylogenetic and taxonomic research; phy-logeography; fossil, marine and terrestrial systems in-cluding expertise in soil zoology; DNA and tissue banks; research collections accessible online; specialist libraries; nature conservation, eco- and earth-system research; ecosystem services; geology, paleontology, meteorite research; scientific services; education programmes (ex-hibitions, museum educational service).Natural history museums in Frankfurt/Main, Görlitz and Dresden.

Role in biodiversity reserachSGN has its headquarters in Frankfurt/Main and branches in Messel, Gelnhausen and Weimar as well as an institute in Wilhelmshaven which focuses on coastal and marine research. In 2009, the research institutes in Dresden, Görlitz and Müncheberg joined the Sencken-berg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung. The collections, including DNA and tissue samples, are available to visit-ing researchers, on international loan and as an online database. Since 2008, SGN has taken on a leading role in the Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (BiK-F) in the context of the Hesse State Offensive for the For-mation of Scientific and Economic Excellence (LOEWE), together with other partners such as Frankfurt Univer-sity.

The institute address three major research themes: (1) taxonomy, systematics and phylogeny of marine, terrestrial and fossil organisms;(2) ecofaunistics, ecosystems goods and ecosystem ser-vices of important habitats with different regional focus areas (central European forests and river systems, tropi-cal/sub-tropical forests and savannahs in South East Asia, Africa, Central and South America, coastal, reef and terrestrial ecosystems in the Arab region, the Wad-den Sea, the North Sea, the Mediterranean Sea and the deep sea); (3) earth system dynamics focussing on Devonian and tertiary research as well as climate-bioshere interac-tions

Against the backdrop of this research profile, SGN is involved in numerous national and international biodi-versity conservation programmes. The comprehensive collections (including DNA and tissue preparations) as well as the natural history museums in Frankfurt and Görlitz are of central importance.

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Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK)

Institute profileBiodiversity, gene bank, molecular genetics, cell biol-ogy, physiology, bioinformatics, taxonomy, systemic biology, biotechnology, genomics

Role in biodiversity researchIPK is the location of the federal ex situ gene bank of agricultural and horticultural plants. This is one of the largest facilities of its kind in the world and makes an important contribution to conserving the genetic diver-sity of our useful plants. Diversity research into crop plants is a major focus area at the institute. Collection related research focuses on the continued improvement of conservation management, addressing taxonomic issues, as well as explaining speciation processes and adaptations to different environmental conditions of-ten closely related to them. Applied research addresses the development of strategies to improve the use of plant genetic resources for cultivation. With the help of genome research and systemic biology approaches, for example, genes are specifically identified in order to elucidate the processes driving evolution on the mo-lecular level and to identify new alleles by systematic DNA sequencing of collection samples. In coordination with other institutes IPK is involved in implementing the National Programme for the Conservation and Sustain-able Utilisation of Plant Genetic Resources of Agricul-tural and Horticultural Crops.

Leibniz-Institut für Pflanzengenetik und Kulturpflanzenforschung (IPK)Corrensstr. 306466 Gaterslebenwww.ipk-gatersleben.de

Contact on biodiversityProf. Dr. Andreas GranerTel.: +49 (0)39482 [email protected]

Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research Warnemünde (IOW)

Institute profileInterdisciplinary marine research in coastal oceans and marginal seas with a focus on the Baltic Sea ecosystem

Role in biodiversity research A focus of IOW’s research profile is the change in diver-sity amongst marine life communities caused by anthro-pogenic and natural influences and how they impact on important ecosystem functions. In the context of the Henlsinki Convention, IOW took on the task of moni-toring the Baltic Sea. This involves regular monitoring cruises to the western and central Baltic Sea not only to record chemical, physical and geological data, but the diversity of planctic and benthic communities, too. This data can be used to determine trends in changes to the biocoenoses and ecosystem structure and relate them to external factors. Currently, intensive investigations are underway into the relationship between biodiver-sity and ecosystem functions and how, for example, climate change impacts on them. For this purpose mi-croorganism diversity (bacteria, protozoa) is also being considered as microorganisms have a direct relationship to important biogeochemical matter cycles.

Leibniz-Institut für Ostseeforschung Warnemünde (IOW)Seestr. 1518119 Rostockwww.io-warnemuende.de

Contact on biodiversity Prof. Dr. Klaus JürgensTel.: +49 (0)381 5197 [email protected]

29

Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Re-search (IZW)

Institute profileAdaptations and adaptability of wild animals (resistance to disease, reproduction, social behaviour and mating system, nutritional physiology); species diversity and niche differentiation; evolutionary conflicts; diversity of pathogens; non-invasive monitoring of well-being and fertility; threatened mammals and large birds; causes of mortality; land-use conflicts, assisted reproduction.

Role in biodiversity researchIZW researches into the life history, ecology, nutritional and reproduction physiology, behaviour, diseases and immunity of wild animals, applying the concepts and methods of evolutionary ecology and genetics, nutri-tional physiology, reproduction biology, veterinary and reproductive medicine. The focus is on threatened, long-living or large mammals and birds in zoos, the wild, savannahs and forest ecosystems in Europe, Af-rica and South America. They pose a particularly big challenge to nature and species conservation and, be-ing key species, play a part in shaping ecosystems. IZW documents both the threat to these groups from and their ability to adapt to various human influences in dia-logue with representatives of the stakeholders involved, and develops the fundamentals for new methods and concepts for active conservation. It is a global leader in methods of non-invasive monitoring and assisted reproduction. IZW’s work is supported by four interna-tionally respected collections (pathological-anatomical reference collection; morphological collection; gamete, blood and tissue banks of threatened species; compara-tive video and ultrasonography documentation of re-productive organs).

Leibniz-Institut für Zoo- und Wildtierforschung (IZW)Alfred-Kowalke-Str. 1710315 Berlinwww.izw-berlin.de

Contact on biodiversityProf. Dr. Heribert HoferTel.: +49 (0)30 5168 [email protected]

Berlin Museum of Natural History (MfN)

Institute profileNatural history collections; mechanisms of evolution; biodiversity classification; biodiversity dynamics in space and time, evolutionary ecology, palaeontology; results of climate change; meteorite research and im-pact geology; scientific services; education programmes (exhibitions, museum education)

Role in biodiversity researchThe Berlin Museum of Natural History engages in the space-time classification of biodiversity at local, region-al and global level, as well as from the molecular scale right up to whole ecosystems. It investigates the ef-fective mechanisms involved in the emergence of new species and the restructuring of biological systems in palaeontological studies of the animal and plant king-doms of earlier geological eras, in “natural laborato-ries” like large old lakes, oceanic islands or coral reefs, as well as in it own natural history collections. To gain a better understanding of the reaction patterns of living nature to climate and environmental changes itt is also essential to examine the tolerance levels and adaptabil-ity of organisms and ecosystems.To this end, the museum conducts research projects in natural habitats throughout the world, collects or-ganisms, classifies new species and maintains a natural history collection of extinct and living organisms (in-cluding their genetic material) comprising more than 30 million objects. In its role as a “memory of life” the col-lection offers scientists from all over the world a com-prehensive research infrastructure. The museum is also actively involved in evaluating and communicating the importance of biological diversity to society through science-based exhibitions, many other public activities, contributions to communication research and political consultancy.

Museum für Naturkunde Berlin (MfN) – Leibniz-Institut für Evolutions- und Biodiversitäts-forschung an der Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (MfN) Invalidenstraße 4310115 Berlinwww.naturkundemuseum-berlin.de

Contact on biodiversity Prof. Dr. Reinhold LeinfelderTel.: +49 (0)30 2093 [email protected]

EVOLUTIONARY WILDLIFE RESEARCH FOR CONSERVATION

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Zoological Research Museum Alexander Koenig (ZFMK)

Leibniz Institute for Terrestrial Biodiversity

Institute profileTaxonomy, systematics, faunistics, terrestrial animal world; Africa, Asia, South America; molecular biodiver-sity research, DNA barcoding, phylogenetics

Role in biodiversity researchZFMK records the animal world both in tropical coun-tries and in Europe, particularly with regard to inven-torying and conserving biodiversity. The current focus areas include the development of measures to protect forests in East Africa, the analysis of climate impact and the preparation of recommendations, the analysis of the avian world (ecology, migration patterns, distribution) in South America, Africa and Europe, the discovery and protection of reptiles in South East Asia, the classifica-tion of insect fauna including new species, as well as the development of techniques to expedite the evalua-tion of species diversity in complex habitats. ZFMK has an outstanding molecular laboratory for investigating phylogenesis, evolutionary processes and for genetic species classification. One of its special strengths is the development of algorithms for data analysis in this re-search field. In its role as a research museum the insti-tute has exhibitions and efficient public outreach serv-ing the extracurricular communication of biodiversity research results.

Zoologisches Forschungsmuseum Alexander Koenig (ZFMK) – Leibniz-Institut für terrestrische BiodiversitätAdenauerallee 16053113 Bonnwww.zfmk.de

Contact on biodiversityProf. Dr. J. Wolfgang WägeleTel.: +49 (0)228 9122 [email protected]

Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF)

Institute profileBiodiversity indicators, insects, taxonomy; microbial diversity in agricultural landscapes; agricultural food webs; soils as habitats; biotic diversity in forest eco-systems; land-use, agriculture; forestry; biotic integrity, amphibian reproduction centres; fallow land conserva-tion and site-related management; landscape devel-opment; technology development; land-use change; habitat modelling; use impact

Role in biodiversity researchLand-use influences the space-time dynamics of the oc-currence and quality of species’ habitats. Biodiversity research at ZALF seeks to elucidate fundamental land-scape ecology processes impacting on the components of biodiversity as well as to develop concepts for design-ing and using habitats in cultural landscapes used for agriculture. The findings are integrated and generalised on different space-time scales in the form of landscape models compatible with the scenario. As a first step to solving conflicts in the area of biodiversity, the project-ed effects of humans on biodiversity are identified and compared with the ecological demands of species and the technical potential for land-use. The relevant mod-ern techniques developed by ZALF are highly effective in terms of species and habitat conservation whilst limiting the loss and expense incurred by land users.

Leibniz-Zentrum für Agrarlandschaftsforschung (ZALF)Eberswalder Str. 8415374 Münchebergwww.zalf.deInstitut für Landnutzungssysteme (LSE)www.zalf.de/home_zalf/institute /lse/lse/index.html

Contact on biodiversityDr. agr. Armin WernerTel.: +49 (0)33432 82 [email protected]

Summer school for children

[Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung (SGN)]

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Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medi-cine (BNI)

Diversity and genetics of tropical pathogens, reference stocks of parasites, viruses, bacteria; gene banks, ge-nome research; host genetics and host diversity, vec-tors and transmission as well as their control; reservoirs and zoonoses; clinical research, tourism; significance of tropical infectious diseases for developing countries; epidemiology and prognosis

Bernhard-Nocht-Institut für Tropenmedizin (BNI)Bernhard-Nocht-Str. 7420359 Hamburgwww.bni-hamburg.de

Contact on biodiversityDr. Eleonora SetiadiTel.: +49 (0) 40 4 28 18 [email protected]

German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbrücke (DIFE)

Significance of biodiversity for taste perception (evolu-tionary theory; bitter taste receptor genes in primates, including humans; comparative classification and docu-mentation of population differentiation and genetic diversity of these genes); biological diversity and iden-tification of diabetes genes (significance of the biodi-versity of different mouse species and mouse strains; comparative classification and documentation of ge-netic diversity); classification of microbiota diversity (gut flora); social utility (health)

Deutsches Institut für Ernährungsforschung Potsdam-Rehbrücke (DIfE)Arthur-Scheunert-Allee 114-11614558 Nuthetalwww.dife.de

Contact on biodiversityDr. Gisela OliasTel.: +49 (0)33200 882 [email protected]

Academy for Spatial Research and Planning (ARL)

Analysis of potential for sustainable spatial develop-ment; research and knowledge transfer to secure nat-ural resources by spatial planning (including securing biodiversity through conservation areas, sustainable land-use in rural, suburban and urban areas); future-compliant handling of natural resources, opportuni-ties for conserving and designing cultural landscapes, resource-efficient spatial development

Akademie für Raumforschung und Landesplanung (ARL)Leibniz-Forum für Raumwissenschaften Hohenzollernstr. 1130161 Hannoverwww.ARL-net.de

Contact on biodiversityDr. Gerhard OverbeckTel.: +49 (0)511 34842 [email protected]

Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering Potsdam-Bornim (ATB)

Agrobiodiversity in energy and raw materials produc-tion; recording microbial biodiversity in biogas reactors using microbiological and molecular genetic procedures; development of efficient systems for the economic pro-duction of biogas using stable microbial life communi-ties with high rates of conversion; investigation of the impact of the construction and operating mode of the facilities on the structure and composition of microbial life communities

Leibniz-Institut für Agrartechnik Potsdam-Bornim (ATB)Max-Eyth-Allee 10014469 Potsdamwww.atb-potsdam.de

Contact on biodiversityDr. Michael KlockeTel.: +49 (0)331 5699 [email protected]

Leibniz institutes also conducting biodiversity research

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German Primate Centre – Leibniz Institute for Primate Research (DPZ)

The institute’s internal “Primate Biodiversity” network co-ordinates research projects on the classification, origins and conservation of selected species. Expertise and interests focus on the classification of taxa by genetic characteristics and vocalisation, geographical distribution, hybridisation and speciation, ecological role of primates as seed dis-persers and development of conservation programmes. In this context, DPZ maintains its own field stations in Peru, Madagascar, Indonesia and Senegal

Deutsches Primatenzentrum – Leibniz-Institut für Primatenforschung (DPZ)Kellnerweg 437077 Göttingenhttp://dpz.eu Contact on biodiversityProf. Dr. Peter Kappeler • Tel.: +49 (0)551 385 12 [email protected]

Research Center Borstel Leibniz-Center for Medicine and Biosciences

The mission of the Research Center Borstel is comprehen-sive health and biomedical research in pneumology focusing on infection biology, allergology and inflammatory diseases. The Center’s activities are characterised by an interdisciplin-ary approach combining basic sciences (immunology, bio-chemistry, molecular cell biology, etc.) with clinical research and trials, and an emphasis on much-needed translational research. On this basis, the Research Center Borstel works towards promoting our understanding of the molecular and cellular basis of infection, allergy and inflammation as it re-lates to the lung in health and disease. With this approach, the Center ultimately makes important contributions to the development of innovate and more effective therapeutic and preventive regimens in pneumology.

Research Center BorstelLeibniz-Center for Medicine and BiosciencesParkallee1-40, D-23845 Borstel

contact / biodiversity projects:Dr. Sabine Rüsch-Gerdes • Tel.: 04537-188.213National Reference Center for [email protected]

Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology – Hans Knöll Institute

Natural product research; search for new natural prod-ucts in previously uninvestigated habitats; structural elucidation of natural products; biotechnological pro-duction of natural products; the role of natural products as mediators in biological communication; prevention of infectious diseases caused by resistant pathogens us-ing new natural products; infection biology of human-pathogenic fungi

Leibniz-Institut für Naturstoff-Forschung und Infektionsbiologie – Hans-Knöll-Institut Beutenbergstraße 11a • 07745 Jenawww.hki-jena.de

Contact on biodiversityProf. Dr. Christian HertweckTel.: +49 (0)3641 532 1101 [email protected]

Heinrich Pette Institute for Experimental Virology and Immunology (HPI)

Basic research into hepatitis virus infection in ducks, cranes etc. as a model system (viral pathogenesis) and comparison with human infection; viral transmission and infection mechanisms (animal-human); molecular biological and biochemical analysis and modification of viruses and their ultrastructural analysis; immune modu-lation by non-primary human pathogenic viruses; viral adaptation mechanisms (animal-human); analysis of all viruses or parts of viruses traceable in tissue; model sys-tems for animal- and human-specific viruses; studies on the pathogenesis of viral diseases in cell model systems

Heinrich-Pette-Institut für Experimentelle Virologie und Immunologie (HPI)Martinistr. 52 • 20251 Hamburgwww.hpi-hamburg.de

Contact on biodiversity Dr. Dipl.-Ing. Heinrich HohenbergTel.:+49 (0)40 48051 [email protected]

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Leibniz Institute of Vegetable and Orna-mental Crops (IGZ)

Soil, plants, bacteria and archaea; arbuscular mycor-rhizae; diversity; symbiosis; molecular analysis; nutri-ent cycles; interaction between microbial diversity and plant nutrition/plant health

Leibniz-Institut für Gemüse- und Zierpflanzenbau (IGZ)Theodor-Echtermeyer-Weg 114979 Großbeerenwww.igzev.de

Contact on biodiversity Dr. Silke RuppelTel.: +49 (0)33701 78 [email protected]

Kiel Institute for the World Economy(IfW)

Certification and evaluation of biofuels (analysis of ecological effectiveness, efficiency, potential, market chances and general conditions for the utilisation of biofuels); biofuel policy recommendations; modelling and analysis of land-use competition in relation to bioenergy; analysis of the relationship between food prices and agrofuel demand; explanation of differences in wellbeing in 80 countries by differences in species diversity; conservation of crop genetic diversity by on-farm conservation programmes.

Institut für Weltwirtschaft an der Universität Kiel (IfW)Düsternbrooker Weg 12024105 Kielwww.ifw-kiel.de/forschung/umwelt-und-naturliche-ressourcenwww.ifw-kiel.de/forschung/armuts minderung-und-entwicklung

Contact on biodiversityProf. Gernot Klepper Ph.D.Tel.: +49 (0)431 8814 485 [email protected]

Leibniz Institute of Agricultural Develop-ment in Central and Eastern Europe (IAMO)

Land-use and changes in land-use; agricultural land-scapes; agricultural multifunctionality; option values, socio-economic general conditions for structural change in agriculture and impact on species selection and agro-biodiversity; governance structures for the use of natu-ral resources; safeguarding agrobiodiversity in the agri-cultural sector and rural areas

Leibniz-Institut für Agrarentwicklung in Mittel- und Osteuropa (IAMO)Theodor-Lieser-Str. 2 • 06120 Halle (Saale)www.iamo.de

Contact on biodiversityDr. Daniel Müller • Tel.: +49 (0)345 29 28 [email protected]

Leibniz Institute of Marine Sciences at the University of Kiel (IFM-GEOMAR)

Recording and documenting biodiversity (collection of marine microorganism strains); identification of active agents in marine microorganisms; significance of ge-netic diversity within species for population stabilisation; significance of species diversity for carbon and nutrient retention; significance of species diversity for ecosystem stability; model experiments on diversity-conservation factors; evolutive adaptations to global change

Leibniz-Institut für Meereswissenschaften an der Universität Kiel (IFM-GEOMAR)Wischhofstr. 1-3 • 24148 KielDüsternbrooker Weg 20 • 24105 Kielwww.ifm-geomar.de

Contact on biodiversityProf. Dr. Johannes F. Imhoff • Tel.: +49 (0)431 600 [email protected]. Dr. Ulrich Sommer • Tel.: +49 (0)431 600 [email protected]. Birte Matthiessen • Phone: +49 (0)431 600 [email protected]

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Leibniz Institute for Regional Development and Structural Planning (IRS)

Cultural landscapes as regional common goods; cultural landscapes as action sites for cooperative regional de-velopment to secure sustainability and biodiversity; in-stitutions and governance approaches to integrating the conservation and development of cultural landscapes and solving conflicts of use; regional development and regional planning for sustainable conservation of biodi-versity in relation to global change

Leibniz-Institut für Regionalentwicklung und Strukturplanung (IRS)Flakenstr. 28-3115537 Erknerwww.irs-net.de

Contact on biodiversityAndreas RöhringTel.: +49 (0)3362 793 [email protected]

Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry (IPB)

Evolution, natural products, medicinal plants, screening, metabolomics, proteomics, transcriptomics; significance of the evolutive development of metabolic diversity in medicinal plants; abiotic and biotic functional aspects of diversity; isolation and classification of the biologically active substances (natural products) in traditionally used medicinal plants in Africa, Asia and South America, as well as the Agaricomycotina of Europe

Leibniz-Institut für Pflanzenbiochemie (IPB)Weinberg 306120 Hallewww.ipb-halle.de

Contact on biodiversity Norbert ArnoldTel.: +49 (0)345 5582 1310 [email protected]. Dr. Dieter StrackTel.: +49 (0)345 5582 1500 • [email protected]

Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Re-search (PIK)

Modelling the impact of global climate change on eco-system goods and ecosystem services; biodiversity and its value for nature conservation, functioning cultural landscapes and sustainable use in developing countries; macroscale biodiversity, ecosystem functions and cli-mate and land-use change in Europe; the social scien-tific dimensions of biodiversity; risks and opportunities for Germany’s conservation areas under climate change; sensitivity analyses for European organisms and ecosys-tems with regard to climate and land-use change and in relation to invasive species; global biodiversity analyses on the basis of biome shifts and their significance for the global economy taking into account increased use of biomass energy

Potsdam-Institut für Klimafolgenforschung (PIK)Telegraphenberg A 3114473 Potsdamwww.pik-potsdam.de

Contact on biodiversityProf. Dr. Wolfgang CramerTel.: +49 (0)331 288 2521 [email protected]. Katrin VohlandTel.: +49 (0)30 2093 [email protected]

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Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Ecology (ZMT)

Survey of species in tropical coastal ecosystems (coral reefs, mangroves, sea grass meadows, coastal waters); resilience of tropical coastal ecosystems to environmen-tal changes; management recommendations based on research findings; conflicts of use in tropical coastal ecosystems; survey of ecosystems goods in mangroves and coral reefs and the significance for the local popu-lation; significance of tropical coastal ecosystems for materials cycles (carbon, nitrogen); function of tropical coastal ecosystems as protection against natural disas-ters; characterisation of new species (e.g. new species of giant mussel from the Red Sea); investigation of breeding conditions of coral reef ornaments

Leibniz-Zentrum für Marine Tropenökologie Bremen (ZMT)Fahrenheitstr. 628359 Bremenwww.zmt-bremen.de

Contact on biodiversityProf. Dr. Ulrich Saint-PaulTel.: +49 (0)421 23800 [email protected]

Lichen research in the Antarctic

[Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung (SGN)]

Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW)

Analysis of energy and climate policies (recommenda-tions for sustainable energy and climate policy measures to protect the environment and biodiversity, land-use competition in the management of natural resources, economic effects of integrating rain forest conservation in international emissions trading); survey of consumer preferences (genetic innovations, genetically modified food, biofuels); economic analysis of biofuels (factors determining decision to purchase vehicles with alterna-tive engines, employment effects of biofuels); compari-son of methods utilised in biodiversity research (such as economic experiments, econometric methods, particu-larly discrete decision models and regression models, technology-based economic simulation models, for ex-ample, computable general equilibrium (CGE) models, real options)

Zentrum für Europäische Wirtschaftsforschung (ZEW)L7,168161 Mannheim www.zew.de Contact on biodiversityPD Dr. Andreas LöschelTel.: +49 (0)621 1235 [email protected]. Klaus RenningsTel.: +49 (0)621 1235 [email protected]

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The Institutions of theLeibniz Association

Section A The Humanities and Educational Research

DBM Deutsches Bergbau-Museum Bochum DMT-Research Institute for Mining History and Mining Museum

DIE German Institute for Adult Education – Leibniz Centre for Lifelong Learning Bonn

DIPF German Institute for International Educational Research

DM Deutsches Museum Munich

DSM Deutsches Schiffahrtsmuseum, Bremerhaven

GEI Georg Eckert Institute for International Textbook Research

GNM Germanisches Nationalmuseum Nuremberg

HI Herder-Institut – Centre for Historical Research on East Central Europe Marburg

IDS Institute for the German Language, Mannheim

KMRC Knowledge Media Research Center Tübingen

IfZ Institute of Contemporary History Munich-Berlin

IPN Leibniz Institute for Science and Mathematics Education at the

University of Kiel

RGZM Römisch-Germanisches Zentralmuseum Mainz Forschungsinsti-tut für Vor- und Frühgeschichte

ZPID Leibniz-Institute for Psychology Information Trier

ZZF The Center for Contemporary History Potsdam

Section B Economics, Social Sciences, RegionalInfrastructure Research

ARL Academy for Spatial Research and Planning – Leibniz Forum for Spatial Sciences Hannover

DIW German Institute for Economic Research Berlin

FÖV German Research Institute for Public Administration Spey

GESIS GESIS - Leibniz-Institute for Social Sciences

GIGA German Institute of Global and Area Studies

PRIF Peace Research Institute Frankfurt

IAMO Leibniz Institute of Agricultural Development in Central and Eastern Europe Halle

IfL Leibniz Institute for Regional Geography Leipzig

ifo Ifo Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich

IfW Kiel Institute for the World Economy

ILS ILS - Research Institute for Regional and Urban Development German Company [Associated member]

IÖR Leibniz Institute of Ecological and Regional Development Dresden

IRS Leibniz Institute for Regional Development and Structural Planning Erkner

IWH Halle Institute for Economic Research

RWI Rheinisch-Westfälisches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung Essen

WZB Social Science Research Center Berlin

ZBW German National Library of Economics – Leibniz Information Centre for Economics Kiel / Hamburg

ZEW Centre for European Economic Research Mannheim

Section C Life Sciences

BIPS Bremen Institute for Prevention Research and Social Medicine [Associated member]

BNI Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg

DDZ German Diabetes Center – Leibniz- Center for Diabetes Re-search at the Heinrich-Heine-University Duesseldorf

DFA German Research Centre for Food Chemistry Garching

DIfE German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam

DPZ German Primate Centre – Leibniz Institute for Primate Research Göttingen

DRFZ German Rheumatism Research Center Berlin

DSMZ German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures Brunswick

FBN Leibniz Institute for Farm Animal Biology Dummerstorf

FLI Leibniz Institute for Age Research Fritz Lipmann Institute Jena

FMP Leibniz-Institut für Molekulare Pharmakologie, Berlin

FZB Forschungszentrum Borstel Leibniz Center for Medicine and

Biosciences

HKI Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology – Hans Knöll Institute Jena

HPI Heinrich Pette Institute for Experimental Virology and Immuno-logy at the University of Hamburg

IfADo Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human

Factors

IfN Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology Magdeburg Center for Learning and Memory Research

IPB Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry Halle

IPK Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research Gatersleben

IUF Institut für umwelmedizinische Forschung an der Heinrich-Heine Universität Düsseldorf gGmbH [Associated member]

IZW Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research Berlin

LIFA Leibniz Institute of Arteriosclerosis Research

MfN The Museum für Naturkunde - Leibniz Institute for Research on Evolution and Biodiversity at the Humboldt University Berlin

SGN Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung

ZB MED German National Library of Medicine Cologne and Bonn

ZFMK Zoologisches Forschungsmuseum Alexander Koenig, Bonn

Section D Mathematics, Natural Sciences, Engineering

AIP Astrophysical Institute Potsdam

FBH Ferdinand-Braun-Institut, Leibniz-Institut für Höchstfrequenz-technik Berlin

FCH FIZ CHEMIE Berlin – The Chemistry Information Centre

FIZ KA FIZ Karlsruhe – Leibniz Institute for Information Infrastructure

FZD Forschungszentrum Dresden - Rossendorf

IAP Leibniz-Institut für Atmosphärenphysik an der Universität Rostock, Kühlungsborn

IFW Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research Dresden

IHP IHP GmbH - Innovations for High Performance Microelectro-nics Frankfurt Oder

IKZ Leibniz Institute for Crystal Growth

INM Leibniz Institute for New Materials Saarbrücken

INP Leibniz Institute for Plasma Science and Technology Greifswald

IOM Leibniz Institute of Surface Modification Leipzig

IPF Leibniz-Institut für Polymerforschung Dresden e.V. Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research Dresden

ISAS Leibniz-Institute for Analytical Sciences – ISAS – e.V.

KIS Kiepenheuer-Institut für Sonnenphysik, Freiburg

LIKAT Leibniz Institute for Catalysis at the University of Rostock

LCI Schloss Dagstuhl - Leibniz Center for Informatics GmbH

MBI Max Born Institute for Nonlinear Optics and Short Pulse Spect-roscopy Berlin

MFO Mathematisches Forschungsinstitut Oberwolfach

PDI Paul Drude Institute for Solid State Electronics Berlin

TIB German National Library of Science and Technology Hannover

WIAS Weierstrass Institute for Applied Analysis and Stochastics Berlin

Section E Environmental Research

ATB Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering Potsdam-Bornim

IFM-GEOMAR

Leibniz Institute of Marine Sciences, Kiel

IfT Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research Leipzig

IGB Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries

IGZ Leibniz Institute of Vegetable and Ornamental Crops Großbee-ren and Erfurt

IOW Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research Warnemünde

LIAG Leibniz Institute for Applied Geophysics, Hannover

PIK Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research

ZALF Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research Müncheberg

ZMT Leibniz Center for Tropical Marine Ecology Bremen38

39

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