Molecular Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

• social evolution, human evolution, and sociobiology (N.N.)
• chemical ecology (Ruther)
• evolutionary ecology (Strohm)

• epigenetics, senescence, current topics in evolutionary biology (N.N.)
• chemical cues and signals in interactions between animals /plants and their environment (Ruther)
• interaction between animals and microorganisms (Strohm)

1. at least two lectures in the field of molecular ecology and evolutionary biology (for a selection see the course catalog at the university portal)
2. one seminar in the field of molecular ecology and evolutionary biology (for a selection see the course catalog at the university portal)

In the seminar a seminar presentation has to be held and registered in Flexnow as an ungraded study achievement (Studienleistung).

Note! If you are not sure what lectures and seminar to select, please contact the person in charge of the module.
The selection may depend on the examiner you choose for the module examination.

30 min oral examination (graded)

Examiner:

• Prof. Dr. Christoph Oberprieler
• PD Dr. Jan Oettler
• Prof. Dr. Christoph Reisch
• Prof. Dr. Joachim Ruther
• PD Dr. Eva Schultner
• Prof. Dr. Erhard Strohm

The student can choose one of the examiner.

Please get in contact with the examiner to arrange a date of the oral examination, than register the examination in flexnow.

• Individually supervised project on various aspects of social evolution
• Presentation and discussion of own experimental gained data

Laboratory course (6 weeks) with seminar: Molecular Ecology and Evolutionary Biology of social insects

Portfolio examination (graded)

• realisation of own projects on the communication of insects via chemical cues and signals
• development of hypotheses and experimental design
• computer-aided behavioural observations (The Observer XT)
• isolation and fractionation of natural products
• identification of behaviour modifying natural products in nanogram amounts by coupled gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS)
• statistical significance tests for the analysis of the acquired data
• adequate presentation and discussion of the own data

Laboratory course (6 weeks) with seminar: Chemical Ecology

Portfolio examination (graded)

• Interaction of insects with fungi and bacteria as competitors, pathogens or symbionts; for example external and internal immune defence, protection of larval food against microbial degradation
• Planning of the scientific approach, experimental design
• Isolation and identification of insect associated microorganisms using microbiological and molecular methods
• Extraction and isolation of bioactive/antimicrobial compounds
• Identification of bioactive/antimicrobial compounds by means of gas chromatography/mass spectrometry  (GC/MC)
• Characterisation of bioactive/antimicrobial compounds using various microbiological assays
• Statistical analysis of the data
• Consequences of insect-microbe interactions for survival
• Scientific essay, oral presentation and discussion of the results

Laboratory course (6 weeks) with seminar: Molecular Ecology of Insect-Microbe Interactions

Portfolio examination (graded)

Different aspects of evolutionary and behavioural ecology, for example: parental care, sexual selection, communication (e.g. males-females; host-parasite)

• Planning of scientific approach
• Design of behavioural observations and experiments
• GC/MS analyses, interpretation of mass spectra and characterisation of chemical compounds
• quantitative behavioural assays, video analyses
• statistical analysis of the data
• Scientific essay, oral presentation and discussion of the results

Laboratory course (6 weeks) with seminar: Molecular, Evolutionary and Behavioral Ecology

Portfolio examination (graded)

• Experimental design concepts
• Methods in behavioural ecology (bioassays, behavioural observations, animal handling)
• Independent data collection
• data managements basics
• basic statistical analysis
• Presentation and discussion of own experimental gained data

Laboratory course (6 weeks) with seminar: Individual and Collective Decision Making in Social Insects

Portfolio examination (graded)