Vertebrate Ecology

Abstract

The course explores the ecology of birds and mammals, integrating key concepts such as nutrition, physiology, behavioral ecology, population biology, biogeography, and community ecology with practical applications in conservation and management. While providing a global perspective, the course will also emphasize the dynamics of Central European fauna.

Objective

The students are familiar with important topics in animal ecology of vertebrates, with an emphasis on birds and mammals. They possess the ability to link theoretical concepts with ecological phenomena, considering these within an evolutionary context. As a result, the students can evaluate applied aspects of conservation and the management of animal populations. This includes understanding the influence of body size on energy demand and nutrition, the relationships between resource availability and habitat use among birds and mammals, as well as interactions between predators and prey species, and the impact of herbivores on vegetation. Additionally, students are aware of the effects of hunting and environmental changes on animal populations. They understand the biogeographical characteristics of the Central European vertebrate fauna and its temporal and spatial dynamics.

Content

The course covers a variety of topics, including feeding and resource use, spatial behaviour and migration, reproduction, population dynamics, competition and predation, parasites and diseases, biodiversity and distributions, as well as the dynamics of the Central European fauna. A key emphasis is placed on linking theoretical concepts with practical management issues in the conservation of wildlife populations. In the first half of the course, examples will be drawn from a global context, while the second half will focus more specifically on the European fauna, particularly that of the Alpine region. Although the course is not designed to teach species knowledge and identification, examples will cover much of the taxonomic range of the European fauna. The lecture series will be complemented with a field trip, with dates to be announced at the beginning of the semester. Program (Lecturers: Kurt Bollmann (KB), Urs Kormann (UK)): 21.09.26 Birds and mammals: similarities & differences, endothermy & body isolation, moult in birds (KB) 28.09.26 Nutrition I: Food, metabolism (KB) 05.10.26 Nutrition II: Energetic needs, foraging, digestion (KB) 12.10.26 Distribution and habitat use, migration (UK) 19.10.26 Reproduction, litter and clutch size, breeding systems (UK) 26.10.26 Population dynamics (KB) 02.11.26 Predation, predator-prey-cycles (KB) 09.11.26 Competition (UK), Parasitism and diseases (self-study) 16.11.26 Biogeography of central European birds and mammals, return of ungulates and large predators (KB) 23.11.26 Ecology of vertebrates: Guest lecturers present case studies. Moderation UK 30.11.26 Exploitation of wild birds and mammals (KB) 07.12.26 Threats and conservation biology of selected species (UK) 14.12.26 Mammals and climate change (case study on roe deer) + questions and pilot test (KB)

Resources