Water-Land Effects on Riparian Vegetation in Europe. As part of the DFG Research Training Group SystemLink, 14 interdisciplinary doctoral theses are investigating water-land effects on riparian habitats in several European countries. One subproject involves surveying riparian vegetation in forested and open-land areas: How do flooding and pollutants affect vascular plants? Several bachelor’s and master’s theses may be available in the summer of 2026. [Kai Riess, Annabell Moßgraber, Hannah Jansohn]
Bats in forest meadows in the Palatinate Forest. Forest meadows (e.g., wildlife feeding areas) are forest habitats characterized by a high diversity of plants and animals. But how do local habitat structure, prey availability, and topographic factors affect the diversity and activity of bats? Help answer these questions—theses (BSc and MSc) will be available starting in spring 2026! [Bernhard Eitzinger] [Monika Laux]
Colorful Meadow in Landau: Extensive Mowing and Biodiversity in an Urban Area. Most inner-city green spaces (e.g., Goethepark, Schillerpark) and private gardens are mowed too frequently, yet urban habitats are becoming increasingly important as agriculture intensifies. In light of insect decline and the biodiversity crisis, homogeneous lawns are botanically poor in species and offer animals little food or shelter. The “Colorful Meadow Landau” project, in cooperation with the city, is researching the impact of reduced mowing across several sites; in the summer of 2026, various groups of organisms—such as plants and insects—will be studied. [Kai Riess]
Plant mapping along the renaturalized Sulzbach. Long-term studies are being conducted on the EERES site to investigate the effects of renaturalization on standing and flowing water systems. As part of bachelor’s or master’s theses, qualitative and quantitative plant surveys can be conducted in the summer of 2026. The results can be incorporated into the evaluation of renaturation measures and taken into account in the development of water management strategies. [Kai Riess]
Species expansion in urban contexts and ecological consequences: Many (non-native) species are spreading as a result of changing environmental conditions and may benefit from urbanization. The ecological consequences are largely unknown and will be investigated as part of theses focusing on various grasshopper species (e.g., Phenaroptera nana, Meconema meridionale). [Jens Schirmel]
City – Countryside – Tree – Spider: Trees can provide valuable habitats. But how does the spider species community differ between urban and rural areas in Landau and the surrounding region, and which tree characteristics are particularly valuable? Thesis projects can be assigned to survey summer habitats (spring/summer) and overwintering refuges (winter). [Jo Reiff]
Biodiversity in the Palatinate Forest-Northern Vosges Biosphere Reserve: The MULTI.DIV project investigates various levels of biodiversity in the forests of the biosphere reserve and examines the influence of protection zoning as well as various environmental variables (e.g., forest management, area size, pollution) on biodiversity. Various thesis projects will be available starting in spring 2026 as part of MULTI.DIV! [Jens Schirmel]
Biodiversity on Sandstone Cliffs: What species communities inhabit the sandstone cliffs in the Palatinate Forest, and which trapping methods are best suited for recording spiders and insects in their microhabitats? Outdoor climbing experience required! [Jo Reiff]
How does artificial light at night (ALAN) influence the community structure of arthropods ( e.g., spiders, beetles) in mountainous stream-riparian zones in Switzerland? ALAN affects various arthropods, but very little research has focused on aquatic-terrestrial ecosystems. If you’d like to be part of this exciting experiment, please get in touch with us. Master’s theses are possible here in the summer and fall of 2026 [Alessandro Manfrin, Jens Schirmel, Martin Entling]
Effects of anthropogenic stress on spider morphometry: Opportunity to work on a hands-on project using Tetragnatha spiders collected during the SystemLink field study across 100 streams in Europe. This would involve lab work photographing spiders and landmarking their body structures to measure spider head size and fluctuating asymmetry. The lab work and landmarking would take approximately 2 to 4 months and would provide you with a unique and valuable dataset to investigate how anthropogenic impacts on rivers can affect the fitness of a top riparian predator. [Léa Fargette, Jens Schirmel]
Riparian arthropod communities in response to anthropogenic stress: An opportunity to work on a hands-on project using pitfall trap samples collected during the SystemLink field study across 100 streams in Europe. This would involve laboratory work counting and identifying arthropods (most likely carabids and/or spiders) from pitfall samples to assess the heterogeneity in community composition across different riparian sites. The dataset would be used to investigate how anthropogenic impacts on rivers can affect arthropod community structure and composition. [Léa Fargette, Jens Schirmel]