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Biodiversity of animals, Hamburg

How species are connected and how biodiversity develops through evolution

How do species develop and how many actually exist? Alongside research fields such as climate change and environmental change, biodiversity and evolutionary research is one of the most important scientific fields of our time.

It combines biosystematic and evolutionary biology approaches: Both are intended to help understand how species and biodiversity develop over time in order to draw conclusions for the future of the earth's ecosystems.

Various research projects are currently being conducted in Hamburg, particularly on questions of evolutionary systematics, phylogeny and historical biogeography, especially of freshwater snails (limnic gastropods). The specimens studied come from Thailand and Africa, for example.

In our research, we combine classical methods with the latest approaches in molecular genetics: by sequencing mainly mitochondrial markers, we are able to uncover relationships and thus reconstruct the evolutionary history of the species.

From the largest dinosaurs on earth to the history of science

However, the focus of research is not only on small snails, but also on the largest animals that have ever lived: Long-necked dinosaurs (sauropods). They died out 66 million years ago - their fossils can now be found on all continents, in North America for example in the Morrison Formation.

Several fossils of animals of different ages come from there, which are also being analysed in Hamburg. The aim is to answer questions such as: Did the young animals live differently from the adult dinosaurs? And how were they able to feed and reach such gigantic body sizes?

Another area of research in the Department of Biodiversity is the scientific-historical contextualisation of natural history collections. We are primarily concerned with the zoological collection at the LIB, but also with the genesis of collections and the history of ideas in evolutionary theory.

International cooperation and teaching in Hamburg

For research into limnic gastropods, there have been several collaborations with institutions and universities in Thailand, Indonesia and Australia.

These include the Indonesian Academy of Sciences (Lembaga Ilmu Pengetahuan Indonesia; LIPI), the Department of Biology at Silpakorn University in Nakhon Pathom near Bangkok in Thailand and, in Australia, the Museum and Art Gallery Northern Territory in Darwin and the Australian Museum in Sydney.

In addition to research, the department is involved in teaching at the University of Hamburg in the field of animal biodiversity and evolutionary systematics. Various theses ranging from Bachelor of Science to doctoral theses can be completed here.

Contact person

Prof. Dr. Matthias Glaubrecht

  • Scientific Project Manager New Museum

Phone: +49 40 238317 595
E-Mail: matthias.glaubrecht@uni-hamburg.de

Projects

All projects

Publications

Employees

All employees

  • Dr. Simon Bober

    Bridging Professorship Animal Biodiversity Postdoctoral researcher

    Phone: +49 40 238317-711
    E-mail: simon.bober@uni-hamburg.de

  • Prof. Dr. Matthias Glaubrecht

    Project New Natural History Museum HH Bridging Professorship Animal Biodiversity Scientist

    Phone: +49 40 238317 595
    E-mail: matthias.glaubrecht@uni-hamburg.de

  • Dr. Emanuel Tschopp

    Bridging Professorship Animal Biodiversity Scientist, guest

    Phone: +49 40 238317-710
    E-mail: e.tschopp@leibniz-lib.de

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