Curriculum Vitae

• 1987-1993 studies of biology at the University of Tübingen (zoology, paleontology, botany and parasitology); Diplom thesis: "Spawning strategies and aggregation behavior of Phrynomantis microps (PETERS, 1875) (Anura: Microhylidae: Phrynomerinae) in Comoé-Nationalpark, Côte d'Ivoire" (Department of Zoology; head: Prof. Dr. W. Maier)
• 1995-1996 doctoral scholarship from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD)
• 1994-1998 Doctoral thesis at Würzburg University (Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology; head: Prof. Dr. K.E. Linsenmair) "Tadpole communities in ephemeral savannah ponds in West Africa"
• 1999-2000 Post-Doc scholarship from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD); topic: "West African anuran communities as bio-indicators"
• January 2000 winner of the „R.J.H. Hintelmann scientific price for Systematic Zoology", awarded by the „Freunde der Zoologischen Staatssammlung München"
• January 2001 to April 2005 employed at the University of Mainz (Institute of Zoology, Department of Ecology; head: Prof. Dr. A. Seitz), as senior researcher within the BIOTA West Project: "Measuring and monitoring amphibian diversity in West Africa: separating global from regional and local causes" (see also the Global Amphibian Diversity Analysis Group [GADAG])
• since 1986 zoological field work in Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republique, Ecuador, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Madagascar, Portugal, Slovenia, and Spain
• since October 2004 Chair of the "monitoring working group"  of the Declining Amphibian Populations Task Force
• May 2005 to Aug 2007 employed at the University of Würzburg (Dep. of Animal Ecology & Tropical Biology) and since June 2006 Professor at the same Department
• since Sep. 2007 employed as Curator for Herpetology at the Natural History Museum Berlin

Current Research

Establishing of an Amphibian-indicatorsystem and capacity building in Westafrica as basis for a sustainable management of biodiversity - The BIOTA W08 [LINK] project investigates amphibian diversity patterns along natural habitat and anthropogenic disturbance gradients, thus providing data of a group of organisms, known to be of especially high environmental sensitivity. These data will be used for direct comparisons of diversity changes in other organisms (BIOTA West) and in amphibians of other regions (BIOTA East) thus aiming to separate local from, regional and continental/global factors that cause diversity changes and erosion. In the BIOTA pre-phase we a) compiled data of local and regional amphibian community composition in West Africa, b) resolved taxonomic problems and analyzed cryptic species diversity, c) characterized West African frog species ecologically, d) selected suitable species and populations for a long term monitoring program, e) established a suitable monitoring routine, f) documented the current state of the demographic and genetic situation of selected species and g) started a long term monitoring program.

In the main phase we continue and intensify to compare amphibian communities in altered and pristine habitats (savannah and forest regions). The comparisons of these results with those obtained by other BIOTA West projects (i.e. W02, W04, W07, W09, W11); will allow to develop concepts for the conservation of organism diversity in general, including the establishment of habitat and dispersal models for critical endangered species. We will provide local conservationists with results and concepts that are directly applicable, e.g. for the control and evaluation of forest protection and management projects. On the basis of species-specific and habitat-specific assemblage models, we will be able to model and predict changes in amphibian diversity due to ongoing land use like logging and fragmentation as well as to long term climate changes. With the input of W01, W02, W04 and W09 our results will be applicable for forest management and the control of agricultural techniques in the savanna harea, i.e. use of insecticides, pesticides etc.

Research Interests

• Community ecology
• Conservation biology
• Ecology, ethology and biology of amphibians and reptiles
• Systematics and taxonomy of African amphibians and reptiles (see also scientific report, BIOTA)
• standardization of bio-monitoring methods for tropical anuran communities

Regions of Interest

• Africa (main emphasis on West Africa), Germany

Professional Memberships

• American Society for Ichthyologists and Herpetologists
• American Tropical Society
• Amphibien und Reptilien Biotop Sofortschutz Baden-Württemberg
• Deutsche Gesellschaft für Herpetologie und Terrarienkunde
• Gesellschaft für Tropenökologie
• Herpetological Association of Africa
• Herpetologists League
• Internationaler Entomologischer Verein, Frankfurt/M.
• International Society for the Study and Conservation of Amphibians
• Österreichische Gesellschaft für Herpetologie
• Societas Europaea Herpetologica
• Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles