E-mail: traunspurger@uni-bielefeld.de
Website Dept. Animal Ecology

• Species list of free-living nematodes in natural ecosystems (lakes, rivers, caves, volcano, soil, forests)
• Abundance of meio- and macrobenthic organisms (e.g. nematodes, copepods, annelids, chironomids, mollusks)
• Diversity of free-living nematodes in different habitats
• Local, regional and global distribution of fresh-water nematodes
• Characterisation of feeding-types
• Molecular taxonomy of nematodes

    Benthic Food-Web Ecology

• Feeding selectivity in meiofauna organisms and nematode species
• Stable isotope analyses of meiofauna and nematodes
• Fatty acids as biomarkers

    Life-cycle and Competition

• Life-cycle experiments with nematodes
• Nematode growth rate calculations
• Interspecific resource competition experiments

    Predator-Prey Interactions

• Nematodes as food for higher trophic levels
• Effects of macroinvertebrates and fish on meiofauna and nematode communities
• Nematode - bacteria interactions

    Ecotoxicology

• Biotests with C. elegans (Nematoda) to assess chemicals and other products
• C. elegans biotests to assess soils and sediments
• Mesocosm and laboratory experiments for xenobiotica assessment

    Environmental assessment

• Maturity index for aquatic habitats
• Multifactorial/multivariate analyses (nMDS, ANOSIM, CANOCO) of nematode communities
• Biomonitoring of lakes and streams

    Field Ecology of Nematodes and Meiobenthos
    (10 ECTS)

This course will provide a theoretical basis in the most relevant methods and parameters of aquatic ecology (chemical, physical and biological parameters), which will then be applied in a practical field course (lakes in Bavaria or Sweden). The course focuses on the practical applicability of the theoretical concepts taught in lectures including analyses of own data using specific statistical methods. This course will usually start at the beginning of April. Duration 5-6 weeks.

Theory

The theoretical part, will provide knowledge of lake ecosystems (chemical, physical & biological parameters - e.g. C:N:P, temperature, pH, distribution of organisms), including limnological methodology (e.g. depth related gradients - light, temperature, O₂). The lectures and literature seminars will provide the students with a theoretical framework enabling them to interpret ecological parameters such as eutrophication, disturbance, and distribution patterns.

Practical part

Emphasis in the practical part is on field work. The students will collect data of typical limnological parameters (depth profiles of temperature, O₂, pH, conductivity, nutrients, plankton and benthos analysis). In small groups, the students will work on relevant ecological questions on aquatic nematodes and other meiofauna, conducting small field or laboratory experiments or field samplings.

    Theoretical and Functional Ecology of Freshwater
    Nematodes (10 ECTS)

    Ecotoxicology (10 ECTS)

This course provides an introduction to basic as well as more advanced aspects of ecotoxicology with nematodes as target organisms. In this course the students will be introduced to ecotoxicological aspects of pollutants and their effects on freshwater organisms. This course is located in the 2nd year (3rd semester) and will usually start in the middle of December. Duration: 4-6 weeks

Contents

The course will provide the students with a theoretical (daily lectures and seminars) and practical (laboratory experiments) background of important aspects of ecotoxicology. Effects of chemicals (e.g. heavy metals, pesticides) on mortality, growth, and reproduction of aquatic organisms will be tested.

Theory

• Introduction into biotests and ecotoxicological parameters like EC, LC, NOEC, LOEC
• Bioavailability of heavy metals from the solid and liquid phase
• Biomonitoring and monitoring organisms
• Ecology of free-living nematodes
• Statistical analysis (regression, ANOVA)

Practical part

The main objective is acquiring the knowledge and ability (1) for correct realisation and interpretation of biotests (nematodes as well as e.g. algae, Daphnia, macrophytes), (2) to analyse and understand relationships between toxic effects and availability of chemicals (3) to carry out an exact life cycle test with nematodes (e.g. Caenorhabditis elegans, Acrobeloides spec) to assess the toxic effect on reproduction (4) to carry out behavioural experiments with food and contaminated food for free-living nematodes (5) to analyse and interpret the data (statistics).

   Research Projects Work (5/10 ECTS)

This course will provide the student with the possibility to progress their abilities for scientific work towards their master thesis. The course focuses on the development of scientific concepts/projects, their experimental practice and the processing and publication of data. This course takes place in the 2nd year (3rd semester) and will usually start in consultation with the lecturers between October and February. Duration 4-6 weeks (short: 2-3 WKs), anytime throughout the semester.

Contents

The course will extend the knowledge of the students acquired in previous courses in nematode ecology. The course will teach the students independent scientific research work attended by the researchers in the department of animal ecology in Bielefeld. At the beginning of the course the student will choose a research topic on nematodes. She/he will work on this specific topic from the initial idea to the final publication.