Previous research topics

Personality & Cognition

Animal personality has been documented for numerous animal species. In particular, risk-taking is a trait that varies among indviduals in natural populations and has far-reaching ecological consequences. In past projects, we have investigated the link between animal personality and various aspects of animal behavior, ranging from antipredatory behaviour, cognitive processes and learning to individual risk landscapes.

Projects

• Patterns and consequences of individual landscapes of risk (Dr. Dammhahn)
• HIREC: human-induced rapid environmental change: Adaptation of small mammals to an urban lifestyle (Dr. Valeria Mazza)
• Personality and associative learning (Dr. Valeria Mazza)
• Personality and cognition: A case study on spacial learing in bank voles (Stefanie Storch, Masterarbeit)
• Is risky behaviour during foraging a personality trait? (Pauline Lange, Masterarbeit)
• Slow explorers get further: An ecological validation of individual differences in exploratory behaviour in the bank vole  (Sophie Eden, Masterarbeit)
• Phenotypic plasticity in life history and personality (Antje Herde, PhD 2010-2015)
• Consistent individual differences in social behaviour of bank voles (Katharina Hurtienne, Masterarbeit)
• Is personality connected with risk behaviour, activity range and survival in the wild  (Remco Folkertsma, Masterarbeit)
• Indiviudual behaviour in common voles (Linda Jaworski, Masterarbeit)
• Age and sex specific differences in personality in common voles (Florian Spiegel, Diplomarbeit)
• Individuality and behaviour of small mammals: Interactions (Sebastian Spiegel, Diplomarbeit)
• The influende of personality, population density and weather on capturing success of common voles (Beatrice Kreiner, Masterarbeit)
• Antipredatory response of different vole species to a virtual bird of prey (Stephanie Niemeier, Masterarbeit; Stefanie Brandes, Bachelorarbeit)

Funding

DFG: Muster und Konsequenzen individueller Risikolandschaften (Dammhahn 2017-21)

BMBF: Bridgeing in Biodiversity Science (Rural- Urban coupling, u.a. Eccard 2015-2020)

DFG: Phänotypische Plastizität im Verhalten und der Lebensgeschichte in kurzlebigen, iteroparen Säugetieren (Eccard 2010-2013)

DFG (Eccard): Foraging in a risky world (2004-2010)

Publications

Mazza, V, Jacob, J, Dammhahn, M, Zaccaroni, M, Eccard, JA: Individual variation in cognitive styles affects foraging and anti-predatory strategies in a small mammal. (Submitted 1/18)

Mazza, V, Eccard JA, Zaccaroni, M, Jacob, J, Dammhahn M: (2018) The fast and the flexible: cognitive styles drieves individual variation in cognition in a small mammal. Animal Behaviour (in press)

Herde, A., Eccard, J. A. 2013. Consistency in boldness, activity and exploration at different stages of life. BMC Ecology, 13(1): 49. PDF

Eccard, J. A., Herde, A. 2013. Seasonal variation in the behaviour of a short-lived rodent. BMC Ecology, 13(1): 43. PDF

Eccard, J. A., Jokinen, E. I., Ylönen, H. 2011 Loss of density-dependence and incomplete control by dominant breeders in a territorial species with density outbreaks. BMCEcology 11:16 PDF

Eccard, J. A., Rödel, H. G. 2011 Optimizing temperament through litter size in short-lived, iteroparous mammals in seasonal environments. Developmental Psychobiology 53(6): 585-591 PDF

Antipredatory behaviour

Prey has developed specific and unspecific adaptive behavioural responses in order to stay alive. We investigate behavior of prey species in risk-uniform landcapes, where all locations are equally risky and foragers have to avoid risks by increasing their efficiency

Publications

Eccard JA, Meißner JK, Heurich M (2015) European Roe Deer Increase Vigilance When Faced with Immediate Predation Risk by Eurasian Lynx. Ethology 121:1-11. DOI:10.1111/eth.12420

Liesenjohann T, Liesenjohann M, Trebaticka L, Sundell J, Haapakoski M, Ylönen H, Eccard JA (2015) State-dependent foraging: lactating voles adjust their foraging behavior according to the presence of a potential nest predator and season. Behav Ecol Sociobiol. 69(5): 747–754.  doi:10.1007/s00265-015-1889-x

Eccard JA, Liesenjohann T (2014) The Importance of Predation Risk and Missed Opportunity Costs for Context-Dependent Foraging Patterns. PLoS ONE 9(5): e94107. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0094107

Eccard, J. A., Liesenjohann, T. 2008. Foraging Decisions in Risk-Uniform Landscapes. PLoS ONE 3(10): e3438. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0003438

Eccard, J. A., Pusenius, J., Sundell, J., Ylönen, H., Halle, S. 2008. Foraging patterns of voles at heterogeneous avian and uniform mustelid predation risk. Oecologia 157(4): 725-734. 10.1007/s00442-008-1100-4

Liesenjohann, T., Eccard, J. A. 2008. Foraging under uniform risk from different types of predators. BMC Ecology, 8:19,http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1472-6785-8-19

Ylönen, H., Eccard, J. A., Jokinen, I. E., Sundell, J. 2006. Is the antipredatory response in behaviour reflected in stress measured in faecal corticosteroids?  Behavioural Ecology and Sociobiology, 60(3): 350-358. PDF

Ylönen, H., Sundell, J., Eccard, J. A., Tiilikainen, R., Horne, T. 2003. Weasels' (Mustela nivalis nivalis) preference for olfactory cues of the vole (Clethrionomys glareolus). Ecology, 84(6): 1147-1152. PDF

Sundell, J., Eccard, J. A., Tiilikainen, R., Ylönen, H. 2003. Predation rate, prey preference and predator switching: experiments on voles and weasels. Oikos, 101(3): 615-623. 

Hanta Virus

Dr. Daniela Reil

Beech mast, vole population dynamics and the puumula virus (PUUV), a hanta virus are closely connected.

Current topics

• Forecasting rodent dynamics and zoonotic diseases

Collaborations

• Dr. Jens Jacob (Julius Kühn Institute Münster)
• Prof. Dr. Rainer G. Ulrich (Friedrich Löffler Institute)

Publications

Reil, D., Imholt, C., Drewes, S., Ulrich, R. G., Eccard, J. A., Jacob, J. (2015) Environmental conditions in favour of a hantavirus outbreak in 2015 in Germany? Zoonoses and Public Health. DOI: 10.1111/zph.12217

Reil, D., Imholt, C., Eccard, J.A., Jacob, J (2015) Beech fructification and bank vole population dynamics - combined analyses of promoters of human Puumala virus infections in Germany. Plos ONE, D-14-56977R2

Imholt, C., Reil, D., Eccard, J. A., Jacob, D., Hempelmann, N., Jacob, J. (2014) Quantifying the past and future impact of climate on outbreak patterns of bank voles (Myodes glareolus). Pest Management Science, Band: 71, Heft: 2, Seite(n):166-172, ISSN/ISBN: 1526-498

Immune system

Dr. Karin Schneeberger

An individuals immune system depends on various biotic and abiotic factors. In short-lived, fast-reproducing species, the immunocompetence to fight pathogens is strongly connected to survival and reproductive output, and thus to fitness. We aim at studying aspects of the immune system of small mammals during their entire life-span, as well as under different circumstances.

Projects

• Influence of repeated immune challenges on the life-span of short-lifed mammals
• Immunosenescence
• Influence on urban-rural gradients on blood parameters in humans and animals

Collaborations

Gábor Czirják (Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, IZW)

BioMove - Connecting movement ecology and biodiversity

The movement of organisms affects biodiversity affects movement affects biodiversity. Mechanisms, however, are poorly understood and may include mobile linkers and equalizing-stability mechanisms. In the BioMove Graduate School we will study these mechanisms and systems in a top-down (biodiversity to movement) and bottom-up (movement to biodiversity) approach, using observational and experimental field studies as well as modelling.

Projects

• Consistent individual differences in movement-related behaviour (Annika Schirmer, PhD project)
• Animal movement patterns across habitats: connecting biodiversity (Gabriele Kowalski, PhD project)

Collaborations

BioMove Team

Funding

DFG: Verknüpfung von Bewegungsökologie und Biodiversitätsforschung in dynamischen Agrarlandschaften (BioMove, 2015-2018)

Publications

Schirmer A, Hoffmann J, Eccard JA, Dammhahn M (2020) My niche: individual spatial niche specialization affects within- and between-species interactions. Proc. R. Soc. B 287: 20192211. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2019.2211

Schlägel U, Grimm V, Blaum N, Colangeli P, Dammhahn M, Eccard JA, Hausmann S, Herde A, Hofer H, Joshi J, Kramer-Schadt S, Litwin M, Lozada-Gobilard S, Müller M, Müller T, Nathan R, Petermann J, Pirhofer-Walzl K, Radchuk V, Jeltsch F(2019). Movement-mediated community assembly and coexistence. 10.32942/osf.io/d8a4m.

Kowalski GJ, Grimm V, Herde A, Guenther A, Eccard JA (2019) Does animal personality affect movement in habitat corridors? Experiments with common voles (Microtus arvalis) using different corridor widths.  Animals  9(6), 291, doi.org/10.3390/ani9060291

Schirmer A, Herde A, Eccard JA, Dammhahn M (2019) Individuals in space: Personality-dependent space use, movement and microhabitat use facilitate individual spatial niche spezialisation. Oecologia, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-019-04365-5

Interspecific interactions

Interspecific territoriality, aggressiveness, behavioural disturbance and even predation are mechanisms of interference between species, and occur in a wide range of animal communities. Interindividual differences within a species may facilitate coexistence with other species by creating individualized niches.

The project aims at investigating the inter-individual differences in movement-related behaviours of two small mammals, how they influence the spatial behaviour of individuals and the resulting impact on individual and ecological fitness. Therefore in a first step the natural variation in behavioural types in both coexisting species will be quantified using already established personality tests, as well as their spatial distribution within and space use of a heterogeneous habitat assessed using capture-mark-recapture and automatic radio-tracking. Furthermore fitness proxies will be measured. In a second step, an experimental approach will be taken in which the variation in behavioural types will be manipulated to assess its influence on the coexistence of the study species.

Projects

• Consistent individual differences in movement-related behaviour (Annika Schirmer, PhD project)
• Interaktionen von Kleinsäugern, Grabeverhalten in Hochterrarien (Franka Schultke)
• Artinteraktionen bei Wühlmäusen an Futterstellen (Christin Hoffmann, Bachelorthesis)
• From inference to predation (Monique Liesenjohann, PhD project)

Collaborations

Hannu Ylönen (Finland), Rupert Palme (Vienna)

Funding

• DFG (Dammhahn): Consistent individuel differences in movement-related behaviour (i.e. activity, exploration and risk-taking) as equaliting and stabilizing mechanisms influencing species persistence and coexistence in dynamic anthropogenic landscapes (P01 in BioMove GraKo, 2015-2018)
• DFG (Eccard): Separating effects of competrition, interference and predation (2008-2015)
• Academy of Finland Post-Doc Position (Eccard): From competition to interference (2002-2004)

Publications

Schirmer A, Hoffmann J, Eccard JA, Dammhahn M (2020) My niche: individual spatial niche specialization affects within- and between-species interactions. Proc. R. Soc. B 287: 20192211. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2019.2211

Liesenjohann, M., Liesenjohann, T., Trebaticka, L., Haapakoski, M., Sundell, J., Ylönen, H., Eccard, J. A. 2011. From interference to predation: type and effects of direct interspecific interactions of small mammals. Behavioural Ecology and Sociobiology 65(11): 2079-2089 PDF

Liesenjohann, M., Liesenjohann, T., Palme, R., Eccard, J. A. 2013. Differential behavioural and endocrine responses of common voles (Microtus arvalis) to nest predators and resource competitors. BMC Ecology, 13(1): 33. PDF

Liesenjohann M., Barber A., Eccard, J. A. Adjustments of the burrow system of semi-fossorial small mammals as response to nest predation and resource competition (submitted).

Eccard, J. A., Fey, K., Caspers, B., Ylönen, H.  2011. Breeding state and season affect interspecific interaction types: indirect resource competition and direct interference. Oecologia, 167(3): 623-633. PDF

Haupt, M., Eccard, J. A., Winter, Y. 2010. Does spatial learning ability of common voles (Microtus arvalis) and bank voles (Myodes glareolus) constrain foraging efficiency? Animal Cognition, 13(6): 783-91. PDF

Eccard, J. A., Ylönen, H. 2003. Who bears the costs of interspecific competition in an age structured population? Ecology, 84(12): 3284-3293. PDF

Eccard, J. A., Ylönen, H. 2002. Direct interference or indirect exploitation? An experimental study of fitness costs of interspecific competition in voles. Oikos, 99(3): 580-590. PDF

Eccard, J. A., Ylönen, H. 2007. Costs of coexistence along a gradient of competitor densities: an experiment with arvicoline rodents. JournalofAnimalEcology, 76(1): 65-71. PDF

Eccard, J. A., Ylönen, H. 2003. Interspecific competition in small rodents: from populations to individuals. Evolutionary Ecology, 17(4): 423-440. PDF

Eccard, J. A., Klemme, I., Horne, T., Ylönen, H. 2002. Effects of competition and season on survival and maturation of young bank vole females. Evolutionary Ecology, 16(2): 85-99. PDF