Department of Global Change Ecology -

Ecosystems in Transition

Humans are changing our planet in a multitude of different ways, with profound impacts on biological diversity and ecological systems.

Research

In our research, we aim to understand how biodiversity varies in space and time from local to global scales, and how interacting anthropogenic drivers, namely climate and land-use change, influence species and their interactions, ecological communities and biodiversity patterns. A key goal of our work is the interaction between science and society, therefore we actively engage in science communication and try to foster the exchange with the general public and with stakeholders from different societal sectors.

Teaching

We offer a broad teaching portfolio ranging from zoological excursions and ecological field courses via methodological tools such as statistics, modelling, experimental and conservation ecology to cutting-edge project-based modules in soil ecology, macroecology or global- change biology. Training a new generation of open-minded and well-equipped biodiversity scientists and ecological professionals is also at the heart of our mission.

Research Groups

Global Change Ecology and Macroecology

Prof. Dr. Christian Hof and his team studies patterns of taxonomic and functional biodiversity as well as the underlying processes across different temporal and spatial scales, species’ responses to changing environments, and potential futures of biological diversity under different scenarios of climate and land-use change.

Above-belowground Interaction Ecology

The team led by Prof. Dr. Malte Jochum studies global-change impacts on multitrophic, above-belowground communities, altered interaction networks, and ecosystem multifunctionality – typically in temperate grasslands and forests, but also involving boreal and tropical regions as well as aquatic ecosystems.

Secretariat

Eveline Schneider

Phone: 0931 31-88601

Email: eveline.schneider@uni-wuerzburg.de

Latest Publications

2025[ to top ]

When species are lost but functions persist: a trait-based perspective on Wadden Sea bird diversity dynamics. Kuczynski, Lucie; Bastidas-Urrutia, Ana Maria; Kalusche, Jan Bernhard; Hof, Christian; Scheiffarth, Gregor; Ryabov, Alexey; Hillebrand, Helmut. In Oikos, p. e11509. John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, 2025.
Species Traits and Island Biogeography: Wing Metrics Linked to Avian Dispersal Ability Predict Species Occurrence on Remote Islands Worldwide. Bastidas‐Urrutia, Ana Maria; Biber, Matthias F.; Böhning‐Gaese, Katrin; Fritz, Susanne A.; Kreft, Holger; Tobias, Joseph A.; Weigelt, Patrick; Hof, Christian. In Journal of Biogeography, 52(2), pp. 350–361. Wiley, 2025.
Myrmecophily is not a risk factor for long‐term occupancy trends of central European Lycaenidae butterflies. Engelhardt, Eva Katharina; Bowler, Diana E.; Dolek, Matthias; Opolka, Melvin Kenneth; Hof, Christian. In Insect Conservation and Diversity, 18(1), pp. 107–115. Wiley, 2025.
Local entomologists shine a light on moth communities: The value of amateur records in cataloguing long‐term change. Ashe‐Jepson, Esme; Driver, Louis M. B.; Mitford, Emily V.; Stebbings, Russell; Tait, Max E.; Wallis, Sky M.; Turner, Edgar C. In Insect Conservation and Diversity, 18(6), pp. 1120–1135. Wiley, 2025.