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Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology

Press release

Honeybees at a beehive.

For honeybees to overwinter successfully, several factors must work together. Researchers at the University of Würzburg have now identified a crucial one: The more diverse the diet, the greater the chances of survival.

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Among the animal and plant species studied: carabids (top left), the sac spider (bottom left), common sickle grasshopper (top right), the rare vinegar-rose soft bug and the vinegar rose.

Shrub fringes on the edges of forests and fields protect animal species and have a positive effect on biodiversity: This was reported by a research team from the University of Würzburg.

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What measures are suitable for providing better living conditions for insects in typical Franconian landscapes? This question was investigated by a research team from the University of Würzburg. The results are now available.

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 The common carder bee (Bombus pascuorum) feeding on the large-flowered hemp-nettle (Galeopsis speciosa) in the Austrian Alps. If it gets too hot, the insects can hardly detect the scents of the flowers.

It's not just us humans who suffer from heatwaves. Researchers at the University of Würzburg discovered that hot temperatures rob bumblebees of their sense of smell – and makes them struggle when searching for food.

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A DFG research group led by the University of Würzburg has developed a method that makes it possible to analyse the relationship between biodiversity within and between ecosystems and the multifunctionality of entire landscapes.

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For a cacao plant to bear such rich fruit, it needs effective pollination. A research group, in which JMU was involved, has investigated how this can best be achieved.

How can the cultivation of cacao be improved by using the right pollination technique? This has now been investigated by a research team including Ingolf Steffan-Dewenter's Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology.

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Sarah Redlich is investigating how climate change affects biodiversity in ecosystems and how these effects can be minimised.

The Biocenter of the University of Würzburg awards the Marcella Boveri Prize 2023 to ecologist Sarah Redlich, a researcher in Professor Ingolf Steffan-Dewenter's Chair of Zoology III.

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Horned mason bees like to use nest boxes to raise their brood.

How do solitary bees and wasps recognize their homes? Biologists Dr. Sylvie Vandenabeele and Professor Thomas Schmitt investigated this question. They were able to demonstrate the importance of olfactory markers.

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