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© Sarah Golüke
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Third party funding
Individualisiation in Changing Environments (InChangE)
In the joint project InChangE, the Universities of Münster and Bielefeld aim to explore causes, mechanisms and effects of individualisation in changing environments in an interdisciplinary discourse of natural and social sciences and humanities. The disciplines represented in InChangE are biology, philosophy, sociology, economics, psychology, geoinformatics, psychiatry and health sciences. InChange is funded by the Ministry of Culture and Science of the State of NRW from November 2021 to October 2024.
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Research group members
Kilian Topp, Barbara Caspers
Funding period
Nov 2021 - Oct 2024
Contact person
Kilian Topp
Collaborative Research Centre - Nice Choice, Niche Conformance, Niche Construction (NC3)
The collaborative research centre combines behaviour, ecology, evolution and philosophical concepts in an etho-eco-evo approach to develop a novel synthesis of individualisation. We want to gain a comprehensive understanding of how individual phenotypes interact with their environment and what the ensuing consequences for ecological and evolutionary processes are. We are happy to be part of this collaboration from the Westfalian Wilhelms-University Münster, the Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena and Bielefeld University.
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Research group members
Pia Oswald, Laura Schulte, Barbara Caspers
Funding period
Since 2018
Contact person
Pia Oswald
Chemical and ethological characterization of volatiles implicated in behavioural responses of songbird hatchlings to their parents' scent
DFG Project
There is increasing evidence that olfaction plays a hitherto neglected role in the social behaviour of songbirds, including parent-offspring interaction. This project aims at identifying and characterizing behaviourally active compounds in songbird chemical communication.
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Project Partner
Dr. Helene Loos, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Naturwissenschaftliche Fakultät, Department Chemie und Pharmazie, Erlangen, Germany
Funding period
Since 2020
Contact person
Barbara Caspers
Smelly plovers: communication, concealment and antisepsis
DFG Project
One of the well-known facts in avian biology is that the majority of birds possess a preen (or uropygial) gland on the dorsal side at the base of the tail. The waxy secretion of this gland has long been thought to aid waterproofing and the physical integrity of the feathers. However, recent research suggests that the function of these secretions is a lot more diverse and exciting than previously thought, with the chemical composition of the secretion as well as the size of the gland varying seasonally. Here we propose to test novel evolutionary hypotheses for preen gland use, including its impact on chemical communication, chemical camouflage and the protection of eggs against microbial infection, using state-of-the art chemical and microbiological analyses combined with detailed field experiments. Our work will not only provide new insights into the sensory ecology of avian scent, but will establish the significance of scent for survival and reproduction.
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Research group members
Marc Gilles, Barbara Caspers
Project Partner
Prof. Dr. Tamás Székely, University of Bath, Department of Biology and Biochemistry, Bath, UK
Prof. Dr. Innes Cuthill, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
Funding period
Since 2019
Contact person
Marc Gilles
Functions and mechanisms of olfactory kin recognition in a songbird
VolkswagenStiftung
Thanks to a Freigeist Fellowship of the VolkswagenFoundation we are investigating the function and mechanism of olfactory kin recognition in zebra finches, trying to understand how relatedness is signaled in body odours.
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Funding period
Since 2014
Contact person
Barbara Caspers