Dr. Sarah Redlich
Dr. Sarah Redlich
Biocenter, University of Würzburg
Am Hubland
Social media:
ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Sarah_Redlich
Scopus ID: 57196057724
Bluesky: @sarahredlich.bsky.social
Professional memberships:
Member of the Ecological Society of Germany, Austria and Switzerland GfÖ
Member of the Executive Board of the Sustainability Lab WueLab
Member of the Management Committee of COST Action CA21134 - T0P-AGRI-Network (Towards zer0 Pesticide AGRIculture : European Network for sustainability)
- effects of biodiversity and management on ecosystem services (especially biological pest control) in agricultural landscapes
- applied ecology: how can ecosystem services improve agricultural production?
- interactions between above- and belowground ecosystem services
- the use of remote sensing data in ecological studies
- effects of global change on anthropogenic landscapes and biodiversity
- interdisciplinary approaches to ecosystem management based on social, economic and ecologial principles and values
- participatory research (e.g. living labs)
- public outreach and science dissemination
- spatial and landscape ecology in terrestrial and marine ecosystems
- conservation biology
Role: Researcher
Funder: FRB - Fondation pour la recherche sur la biodiversité
Start time: 2023
End time: 2026
MOTIVER proposes to quantify the moset influential factors on farmland biodiversity in European agroecosystems to improve local-to-landscape farming management and monitor their impact on biodiversity. The project will identify and map major metrics that allow evaluating the impact of each driving pressure on agricultural landscapes. One-dimensional indicators will be computed to model the multifactorial impacts of each driving pressure on landscape, the eco-landscapes, to predict the impacts on biodiversity of multifactorial eco-landscape indicators.
Role: Principal investigator, researcher
Funder: BioDivERSA/Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung
Start time: 01/03/2023
End time: 28/02/2026
Modern agriculture in Europe is the driving force behind the simplification of ecological networks and the loss of biodiversity in agricultural landscapes. ConservES aims to maintain biodiversity in intensive agro-ecosystems through flora enrichment (combined flower strips and hedgerows) and to promote associated ecosystem services, i.e. natural processes such as pest and weed control or pollination. For this purpose, ConservES uses Europe-wide climate and landscape gradients to gain better insights into potential interactions with the environment. Floral enrichment is planned and implemented using an innovative living lab approach, a cooperation with stakeholders from the academic, business, public, and civil society sectors. This promotes regional, effective and long-term solutions for the conservation of biodiversity and provided ecosystem services in agroecosystems. Within the project, the university of Würzburg is investigating the impact on biodiversity in German agricultural landscapes and the influence on production-relevant ecosystem services.
Social media: ConservES project: Beiträge | LinkedIn
Since 2022 COST Action CA21134 - Towards zer0 Pesticide AGRIculture : European Network for sustainability (T0P-AGRI-Network)
Role: Member of Management Committee
Funder: EU
Start time: 19/09/2022
End time: 18/09/2026
Current crop protection in EU agriculture is heavily reliant on chemical pesticides to suppress weeds, pests and pathogens. In view of the serious health and environmental consequences, European public authorities, consumers, and society at large are demanding drastically reduced use of chemical pesticides, in the context of a production of safe, high-quality and affordable food. Furthermore, farmers are calling for research and innovation solutions to protect crops with non-chemical means while maintaining a viable farm economy. A change of direction and paradigm is needed to foster this transition, emphasizing preventive crop protection based on agroecological practices that to prevent pest outbreaks and infestations. The proposed Cost Action T0P-AGRI-Network targets the transition “Towards zer0 Pesticide AGRIculture”, aiming at preparing the future of an agriculture free of synthetic pesticides and of nature-derived pesticides that negatively impact environment and human health. T0P-AGRI-Network tackles this challenge by create and organize a wide research community with the aim to form a European leading network with high and transdisciplinary expertise around the common objective of pesticide-free agriculture, with a particular focus on young scientists. To enable a redesign of the food system as a whole, T0P-AGRI-Network will promote a concerted mobilization of scientists, farmers, processing industries, public authorities and consumers by associating them closely with the activities that will be carried out in the Cost Action.
2018 - 2023 LandKlif - Effects of climate change on biodiversity and ecosystem services in natural, agricultural and urban landscapes, and strategies to management of climate change
Role: Project coordinator, researcher
Funder: Bayerische Staatsministerium für Bildung und Kultus, Wissenschaft und Kunst
Start time: May 2018
End time: Decembre 2023
Other members of the lab involved in project: Ingolf Steffan-Dewenter, Jie Zhang, Thomas Hovestadt, Jörg Müller, Ute Fricke, Cristina Ganuza
Climatic conditions and land use have a significant impact on habitats, biodiversity and ecosystem services. The transformation of semi-natural habitats into agricultural areas or settlement changes the species inventory, the provision of ecosystem services and the adaptation potential of ecosystems to changing climatic conditions. At the local level, there is often a positive correlation between biodiversity and ecosystem functions. However, until now, studies on the following aspects are still missing: (1) how climatic gradients and the landscape composition and configuration influence the biodiversity and the provision of ecosystem services, (2) which interactions exist between climatic conditions and land use, (3) whether biodiversity at population, species community and landscape level improves the resilience against climate change and extreme climatic events. The LandKlif Network investigates the biodiversity and multi-functionality of semi-natural, agricultural and urban landscapes in different climate zones of Bavaria, in order to answer these questions and to develop options for the mitigation of climate change as well as the adaptation to changing climatic conditions. The three landscape types differ fundamentally in the level of anthropogenic impact, biodiversity, and ecosystem services which they provide to the society. A better understanding of the interactions between landscape structure, regional climate change and ecosystem responses is an important basis for developing strategies to climate change mitigation and regional adaptation to its consequences.
2013 - 2018 EU project FP7 LIBERATION: Linking farmland biodiversity to ecosystem services for effective ecofunctional intensification
Role: Researcher
Other members from the lab involved in project: Emily Martin, Ingolf Steffan-Dewenter, Audrey St-Martin
The next few decades will witness a rapidly increasing demand for agricultural products. This growing demand needs to be met largely through intensification (produce more from the same land surface) because there is little scope for an increase in agricultural area. Ecological intensification has been proposed as a promising solution.
Ecological intensification is the optimization of all provisioning, regulating and supporting ecosystem services in the agricultural production process. LIBERATION aims to provide the evidence base for ecological intensification and demonstrate the concept in seven representative agricultural landscape types in Europe. Using existing datasets from past and on-going European-scale studies we will first identify general relationships between the configuration of semi-natural habitats, on-farm management and biodiversity in a range of European landscapes and farming systems. Using a modelling approach we will link biodiversity to ecosystem services, by determining relationships between biodiversity, the delivery of multiple ecosystem services and agronomic yield.
A novel aspect is that LIBERATION considers above- and below-ground ecosystem services simultaneously and analyses synergies and trade-offs between different ecosystem services. Using this modelling approach we will analyse which on-farm management practices and spatial configuration of semi-natural habitats optimizes yield and which optimizes farm income.
Examples of ongoing research within the Liberation framework
2) Importance of birds and crop diversity for biological control in cereal agroecosystems
3) Interactive effects of soil quality and landscape complexity on sunflower pollination.
Education
Since 2021: Akademische Rätin (Lecturer) in the Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, University of Würzburg, Germany
Since 2018: Postdoctoral researcher in project LandKlif, Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, University of Würzburg, Germany
2018: PhD in Biology, University of Würzburg, Germany. Thesis: "Opportunities and obstacles of ecological intensification: Biological pest control in arable cropping systems". Supervision: Prof. Dr. Ingolf Steffan-Dewenter
2015-2018: Doctoral student in project LIBERATION, Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, University of Würzburg, Germany
2013-2015: MSc in Biology, University of Würzburg, Germany. Thesis: "Effects of landscape composition and configuration on species richness, abundance and composition of bird communities in agricultural landscapes". Supervision: Prof. Dr. Ingolf Steffan-Dewenter and PD Dr. Andrea Holzschuh
2012: BSc with First Class Honours in Ecology, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand. Thesis: "Home or away? How mating strategies affect our ability to infer dispersal patterns in the diadromous fish Galaxias maculatus in New Zealand." Supervision: Dr. Sharyn Goldstien and Dr. Michael Hickford
2009 - 2011: BSc in Ecology, Canterbury University, Christchurch, New Zealand
Professional activities
09/2021 Session convenor at Landscape 2021 conference: "Climate-resilient agriculture: is multi-scale diversification and land use extensification the key?"
Since 09/2017 Qualification program in natural sciences, University of Würzburg
05/2017 Member of Advisory board "Autonomous agricultural machines", biodiversity expert. Thünen Institute, Braunschweig
06/2016 Planning and running two stakeholder workshops entitled "Integration of ecological processes in modern agriculture - opportunity or contradiction?" with farmers, government agencies, non-governmental organisations and farmer organisations. Including talks introducing research results obtained within the European research project "Liberation", a presenation by the owner of the host farm, support from a wildlife conservation specialist and a field trip.
06/2016 Public outreach activity at the German Agricultural Society field days in Mariaburghausen (three-day event). Introducing the concept of ecological intensification and results obtained within the European research project "Liberation".
09/2015 - 02/2017 Mentoring in natural sciences program, University of Würzburg
10/2014 Workshop participation:" Public outreach and Dissemination". Internal LIBERATION training in Poznan, Poland.
2012/13 Summer Research at University of Canterburg (UC): "The Plant Sentinel Project - Host-insect herbivore relationships". Supervisors: Dr. Eckehard Brockerhoff (Scion), Dr. John Clemens (Christchurch Botanic Gardens) and Dr. William Godsoe (UC).
2011/12 Summer Research at UC: "Post-earthquake ecology in the Avon-Heathcote estuary, Christchurch". Supervisor: Prof. Dr. David Schiel (UC)
02/2011 Science Outreach – demonstrator at the Agricultural and Pastoral Show in Christchurch, New Zealand (Topic: "Effects of the Christchurch earthquakes")
2010/11 Summer Research at UC: "Reproductive behaviour of the invasive tunicate Styela clava and assessment of the age structure of native sea-tulip Pyura pachydermatina populations around Banks Peninsula, New Zealand. Supervisor: Dr. Sharyn Goldstien (UC)
Presentations
Invited talks & seminars
07/2022 "Terrestrial Biodiversity and ecosystem services in a changing world: interactive effects of climate and land use", Conservation seminar, University of Marburg, DE (online)
03/2022 "Insect loss in Germany - Facts, causes, effects & looking beyond the horizon", Beekeeping Association Dreieich e.V., Dreieich, DE (online)
09/2021 "Insect loss in Germany - Facts, causes, effects & looking beyond the horizon", Joint meeting of the Association of Chambers of Agriculture (VLK) and the Federal Working Group on Fertilisation (BAD), Würzburg, DE
06/2021 "Climate vs land use drivers of (farmland) biodiversity and ecosystem services in a changing world", Ecology seminar, University of Göttingen, DE (online)
02/2017 "Influence of agricultural management practices on natural enemies and pests" Plant protection commission of the German Agricultural Association (DLG), Hannover, DE
01/2017 "Benefits of crop diversification for biodiversity and ecosystem services". Invited talk at internal seminar of the Swedish Agriculutural Society in Uppsala, SW.
Conference presentations
08/2022 "‘Terrestrial Biodiversity and ecosystem services in a changing world: interactive effects of climate and land use", INTECOL, Geneva, CH
10/2021 "LandKlif – Effects of climate and land use on biodiversity and ecosystem services." BayKlif Retreat, Tutzing, DE
07/2020 "Novel methods in macroecology: using an automated, data-driven selection process to assess the effects of climate change on biodiversity and ecosystem services on large spatial scales", Macroecology conference, Constance, DE
08/2018 "Ecological Pathways to High Yields in Conventional Cereal Systems". ESA15, Biannual conference of the European Society of Agronomy in Geneva, CH.
09/2016 "Diversified cropping systems benefit top-down regulation of aphid pests in winter wheat fields". ESA14, Biannual conference of the European Society of Agronomy in Edinburgh, GB.
11/2015 "Ecosystems: Supporting agriculture" (Poster) Symposium Microorganisms and invertebrates - essential service providers for crop and food production. Berlin, DE.
07/2015 "Effects of landscape heterogeneity and regional management on bird communities in agricultural landscapes" Zoology III Dept Seminar, University of Wuerzburg, DE
09/2015 "Birds like it chequered: Effects of landscape composition and configuration on bird diversity and community composition in agricultural landscapes" (Poster) Ecological Society of Germany, Austria and Switzerland. 45th Annual Meeting, Göttingen, Germany.
09/2012 "Genetic connectivity of a diadromoous fish, Galaxias maculatus (inanga)." Annual Biology Conference 2012, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, NZ.
Public outreach
2021 "Ecological intensification: pest control by predatory insects in agriculture" Article in Lumbrico magazine. Audience: farmers and stakeholders
2021 "‘Insect mortality - myths and facts" Article in DLG-Mitteilungen (German Agricultural Society). Audience: farmers and stakeholders
2021 ‘"Insect mortality - production target: biodiversity." Article in DLG-Mitteilungen (German Agricultural Society). Audience: farmers and stakeholders
01/2019 "Biodiversity – why does it matter?" Gustav-Woehrnitz secondary school (6th grade), Lohr, DE. Talk
01/2019 "Biodiversity – why does it matter?" Eco-region Waldsassengau, Helmstadt, DE. Talk
05/2018 "Natural helpers – ecological solutions for sustainable agriculture" Biosphere reserve Rhoen, DE. Talk
06/2016 "‘Integration of ecological processes in conventional agriculture – chance or contradiction?" Symposium during German Agricultural Association (DLG) Field Days in Mariaburghausen, DE. Talk and discussion
06/2016 "Integration of ecological processes in conventional agriculture – chance or contradiction?" Organisation and implementation of two stakeholder workshops. Participants: farmers, conservation agencies, government representatives, extension. Güntersleben, DE
09/2016 Radio interview: "Benefits of adopting ecological practices in conventional production systems" ("Öko-Maßnahmen lohnen"). SWR2 Impuls - Das Wissensmagazin.
03/2015 "Project Liberation: Biodiversity enhances ecosystem services for sustainable agriculture". Workshop title"Research meets practice - exchanging knowledge about conservation biology and agroecology". Meeting of researchers of the Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology (University of Würzburg) and government/extension agencies. Würzburg, DE
06/2012 Talk: "What marine biologists do". Public Outreach at Amberley High School, New Zealand.
Prizes/Scholarships
2019 Promotionspreis der Unterfränkischen Gedenkjahrstiftung für Wissenschaft
2019 BUND-Forschungspreis zur Nachhaltigkeit 2019
2018 DAAD conference travel grant to ESA15, Biannual conference of the European Society of Agronomy in Geneva, Switzerland
2018 BayInt funding for initiation of cooperation with Lincoln University, New Zealand
2017 Travel grant of the Commission of Equality (Biocentre, University of Würzburg) for travels to Uppsala, Sweden for scientific exchange
2015 Prize for excellent MSc thesis, University of Würzburg
2012/13 University of Canterburg (UC) Summer Research Scholarship
2012 UC Senior Scholarships
2011/2012 UC Summer Research Scholarship
2011 UC Foundation 2011 Earthquake Scholarship
2010/11 Summer Research Scholarship
2010 Percival Memorial Prize in Biological Science
Since 2010 Member of the Golden Key International Honours Society
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(2025) A shortcut to sample coverage standardization in metabarcoding data provides new insights into land-use effects on insect diversity. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 292: 20242927.
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(2025) Warmer temperatures reinforce negative land-use impacts on bees, but not on higher insect trophic levels. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 292: 20243053.
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(2024) Distance decay effects predominantly shape spider but not carabid community composition in crop fields in north-western Europe. Basic and Applied Ecology 79: 1–8.
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(2024) Joint environmental and social benefits from diversified agriculture. Science 384: 87–93.
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(2023) Inconsistent responses of carabid beetles and spiders to land-use intensity and landscape complexity in north-western Europe. Biological Conservation 283: 110128.
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(2023) Diverse Effects of Climate, Land Use, and Insects on Dung and Carrion Decomposition. Ecosystems 26: 397–411.
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(2023) Diversity and specialization responses to climate and land use differ between deadwood fungi and bacteria. Ecography 2023: e06807.
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(2023) Earlier and more uniform spring green-up linked to lower insect richness and biomass in temperate forests. Communications Biology 6: 1052.
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(2023) Earlier flowering of winter oilseed rape compensates for higher pest pressure in warmer climates. Journal of Applied Ecology 60: 365-375.
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(2023) Plant species composition and local habitat conditions as primary determinants of terrestrial arthropod assemblages. Oecologia 201: 813–825.
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(2023) Conservation-relevant plant species indicate arthropod richness across trophic levels: Habitat quality is more important than habitat amount. Ecological Indicators 148: 110039.
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(2023) Where and why is landscape considered valuable? Societal actors’ perceptions of ecosystem services across Bavaria (Germany). Ecosystems and People 19: 2192813.
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(2023) The road to integrate climate change projections with regional land‐use–biodiversity models. People and Nature 6: 1716–1741.
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(2022) Perceptions of ecosystem services: Comparing socio-cultural and environmental influences. PLOS ONE 17: 1-20.
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(2022) Disentangling effects of climate and land use on biodiversity and ecosystem services - A multi-scale experimental design. Methods in Ecology and Evolution 13: 514–527.
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(2022) Modelling the Relative Abundance of Roe Deer (Capreolus capreolus L.) along a Climate and Land-Use Gradient. Animals 12: 222.
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(2022) Landscape diversity and local temperature, but not climate, affect arthropod predation among habitat types. PLOS ONE 17: 1-15.
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(2022) Interactive effects of climate and land use on pollinator diversity differ among taxa and scales. Science Advances 8: eabm9359.
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(2022) Plant richness, land use and temperature differently shape invertebrate leaf-chewing herbivory on plant functional groups. Oecologia 199: 407-417.
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(2022) Dung-visiting beetle diversity is mainly affected by land use, while community specialization is driven by climate. Ecology and Evolution 12: e9386.
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(2022) Temperature drives variation in flying insect biomass across a German malaise trap network. Insect Conservation and Diversity 15: 168-180.
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(2021) Sustainable landscape, soil and crop management practices enhance biodiversity and yield in conventional cereal systems. Journal of Applied Ecology 58: 507-517.
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(2021) Hover flies: An incomplete indicator of biodiversity. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 118: e2112619118.
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(2021) Relationship of insect biomass and richness with land use along a climate gradient. Nature Communications 12: 5946.
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(2019) Identifying new associations between invasive aphids and Pinaceae trees using plant sentinels in botanic gardens. Biological Invasions 21: 217-228.
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(2018) Enhancing Soil Organic Matter as a Route to the Ecological Intensification of European Arable Systems. Ecosystems 21: 1404-1415.
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(2018) Landscape-level crop diversity benefits biological pest control. Journal of Applied Ecology 55: 2419-2428.
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(2018) Landscape heterogeneity rather than crop diversity mediates bird diversity in agricultural landscapes. PLOS ONE 13: e0200438.
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(2017) Combined effects of agrochemicals and ecosystem services on crop yield across Europe. Ecology Letters 20: 1427-1436.
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Media and online
Redlich, S., Emmerich, R. "Ecological intensification of agriculture". Press release 2016. Published e.g. in MainPost, Science Daily.
"Benefits of adopting ecologcial practices in conventional production systems" - Radio Interview (in German)
„Wir wollen Bäuerinnen und Bauern dazu anregen, selbst aktiv zu werden“ - Interview für Wissenschaftskommunikation.de Link
Non-peer reviewed
Redlich, S., Martin, E., Dainese, M., Steffan-Dewenter, I. 2016. Diversified cropping systems benefit top-down regulation of aphid pests in winter wheat fields. Conference proceedings, ESA 14 in Scotland, Edinburgh.
Redlich, S., Fricke, U., Ganuza, C., Steffan-Dewenter, I. 2021. Klimawandel im Landschaftskontext: Auswirkungen auf Bestäubung und natürliche Schädlingsbekämpfung. Klima-Report Bayern 2021: 100.
