Thesis Topics

Available thesis topics at the Ecological Field Station Fabrikschleichach

The Ecological Field Station, the Bavarian Forest National Park (NP BW), and the Junior Professorship for Applied Biodiversity Science offer various topics in applied ecology for Bachelor's and Master's theses - based on literature research, field or laboratory work. Students who would like to do a project as part of their studies are always welcome to contact us! Below you will find a selection of possible projects. Each topic is supervised by a staff member (supervisor abbreviations are found at the end of the respective topics and contact information is at the bottom of the page). However, students are also welcome to suggest their own ideas.

Projects at the Ecological Field Station/Uniwald/Steigerwald/Bavarian Forest National Park:

Bachelor thesis topics:

Morphological Traits of Lucanidae determined by macroclimate – How does microclimate affect the traits of stag beetles globally? (JM)
Stability of bird communities over time – how stable are bird communities over years? (JM)
Stability of mammal communities over time – how stable are mammal populations over years? (JM)
Development of breeding bird populations using nest boxes in Bavaria: Longterm changes in nest box users in bavarian forests (JM, CF)
Comparing diversity of vertebrate scavengers at carrion sites between summer and winter – How does season affect the vertebrate community using carrion? (CvH, NPBW)
Using acoustic monitoring and AI to record frogs – Development of a CNN Model for the detection of vocalizing frogs (JR, WÜ)

Master's thesis topics:

Projects at the Junior Professorship for Applied Biodiversity Science:

Bachelor thesis topics:

Project: Greenspace management: How do timing of mowing and refugia promote insect diversity?
- Topic 1: Annual changes in the insect community and effect of greenspace management practices (NS, KW, WÜ)
- Topic 2: Effect of mowing on grasshoppers: Do grasshoppers use unmowed areas as refugia? When are mowed areas resettled? (NS, KW, WÜ)
Project: Walddiskurs: Synergies and conflicts between biodiversity and carbon storage in forests
- Topic 1: How do tree species composition and the health of forests affect the characteristics of beetles? (NS, JL, WÜ)
- Topic 2: How do different scenarios affect above-ground carbon storage in the Darmstadt forest? (NS, WÜ)
Comparison of different light trap types: Diversity and species composition of captured moths (BU, WÜ)
Multidiversity at bark beetle distubance sites in the Bavarian Forest: Does bark beetle disturbance positively affect the diveristy of different taxa? How does management of disturbed sites affect diversity? (BU)
Increasing fungus diversity through the addition of deadwood (BU, WÜ, NP BW)
Promoting endangered mosses and lichens with different types of deadwood (BU, WÜ, NP BW)