The Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change

is a research museum of the Leibniz Association

News

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Please note:

For more up-to-date news about the LIB, please visit the new parent institute website as of 1/7/2021.

[read LIB news, german version]

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[02.07.2021] The puku antelope (Kobus vardonii) has made it onto the front page twice. The background for this is the worrying study by Vera Rduch and Thalia Jentke with current data on the bovids, the antelopes and the African buffalo, from Kasanka National Park in Zambia. The results of the study, published in Early View in January 2021, show an 84% decline in the population of pukus compared to an earlier study in 2009-2010.
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[30.04.2021] The Museum Koenig closes on Monday, 19th of April 2021, following government advice.
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[02.03.2021] With their election they also take the positions as Ph.D. representatives of ZFMK within the Leibniz community.
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[19.02.2021] Invasive species such as the African Clawed Frog, Xenopus laevis, are a main threat to global biodiversity. Xenopus is native to Southern Africa but was introduced to four other continents. In Europe, the species could establish populations in France, Italy and Portugal. In our recently published study, we provide a novel approach, which was used to reconstruct the invasion of this highly invasive frog for Portugal.Using satellite data, including data on elevation, vegetation and land cover, we found that this almost fully aquatic frog most likely used a terrestrial corridor with three golf course ponds next to Laje River to reach a second river.
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[25.01.2021] As part of the EU Horizon 2020 research project DIVERSify, researchers have been working on investigating the viability of species mixture cropping as an alternative to crop monoculture.During the project, we have created a video web series which explores the practical and theoretical considerations of mixed cropping and the ecosystem services that they can provide.
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[12.11.2020] A cooperation between Cameroonian and German researchers was started recently that aims at improving our knowledge concerning the status and the ecology of the Buffon’s kob antelope (Kobus kob kob, Erxleben 1777). A first outcome of the cooperation is this study now published conducted in Faro National Park, in Northern Cameroon. Located to the West of the Bénoué Complex, is very rich in biodiversity. It is considered a key site for the Cameroon’s protected area network. The results are remarkable: the population size decreased dramatically by 80%.
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[06.11.2020] More plant diversity, less pesticidesSpecies-rich plant communities help to naturally reduce herbivore impacts.Leipzig/Jena/Minnesota/Bonn. Increasing plant diversity enhances the natural control of insect herbivory in grasslands. Species-rich plant communities support natural predators and simultaneously provide less valuable food for herbivores. This was found by a team of researchers led by the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), who conducted two analogous experiments in Germany and the USA.
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[23.07.2020] Along rivers and streams around the world, mayflies are a rite of spring. The small insects lead double lives, with the young thriving in water and the adults emerging around June for just a few hours to mate and quickly die. Because of their sheer numbers, mayflies are important food for birds, fish, and mammals. They spend most of their lives underwater.
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[20.07.2020] One confirmed and 13 potential Angelshark nursery areas have been identified around the Canary Island archipelago, with data used to develop a Guidance Document to better protect important habitats of this Critically Endangered species. The study has just been published in Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems. The Guidance Document, released alongside the publication, can be downloaded from www.angelsharkproject.com/nurseryareas. Press Release: 12:00 midday (CET), 16 July 2020 Media Contact: Español: David Jiménez Alvarado, David.jimenezlavarado@gmail.com , tel.
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[21.06.2020] The Zoological Research Museum Alexander Koenig Leibniz Institute for Animal Biodiversity (ZFMK, Museum Koenig) presents a new exhibition of unique dinosaur skeletons from September 28, 2019 to June 21, 2020. For the first time ever, dinosaur skeltons from Europe will be shown in cooperation with the dinosaur museum Aahtal near Zurich. Highlight is the 27 m long original skeleton of the sauropod "Arapahoe", the longest original skeleton of a dinosaur in Europe.
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Press relations

Anna Margarethe Knopp
Ruth Moenikes-Peis

Tel.: +49 (0)228 9122 201
Fax: +49 (0)228 9122 202
E-Mail: secretary [at] leibniz-lib.de