Prof. Dr. Christoph Scherber

Head of Centre for Biodiversity Monitoring (zbm)

Centre for Biodiversity Monitoring and Conservation Science (zbm)

Tel: +49 228 9122-450

Fax: +49 228 9122-212

Mail: c.scherber [at] leibniz-zfmk.de

Tabs

Profile

Field of work

I am heading the Centre for Biodiversity Monitoring, where we study biodiversity change along three major axes:

Experimental manipulation of drivers of biodiversity change
Methods development for biodiversity monitoring
Practical solutions for enhancing biodiversity

Research interests

A central theme in my research is the diversity of life on earth ("biodiversity"). In particular, I am interested in the effects of changes in biodiversity on ecosystem processes such as plant-insect interactions and herbivory, and how biodiversity loss can be counteracted.

In addition, I am studying anthropogenic environmental changes (climate and habitat changes) in a variety of ecosystems such as grassland, arable land/cropland, heathland, beech forests, and peat bog ecosystems.

In particular, theory-based smaller-scale experiments and applications in nature conservation on a landscape scale are combined.

Memberships

Editor at Ecology Letters, Editor at PCI Ecology, German Association of University Professors and Lecturers (DHV), British Ecological Society, Ecological Society of America, German Carnivorous Plant Society (GfP e.V.)

Awards

2011 Best Young Publication Award, University of Göttingen 2007 Horst Wiehe Award of the German Ecological Society (GfÖ) 2005 Sanofi Aventis Journalist prize “Heureka!” 2003 Voted among the 100 most important young Germans (Neon Magazine), 2002-2006 PhD scholarship by the Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes, 2001 Special scholarship by the Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes, 1998-2000 Scholarship by the Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes, 2001 2nd prize at Deutscher Studienpreis (Körber-Stiftung), 2000 1st prize at Deutscher Studienpreis (Körber Stiftung), 1997 Reception as, in the Bavarian Ministry of Culture and by the Bavarian Prime Minister, 1997 E.F. Bläse Foundation Gold Award and Badge of Honour for, 1997 Nationwide 1st prize (Biology) at German Contest for Young Scientists („Jugend forscht“)

Projects

2022

BioMonitor4CAP

The EU project "BioMonitor4CAP" develops a modern biodiversity monitoring system for a result-based and effective agricultural policy and transformation.

Unit:

Centre for Biodiversity Monitoring and Conservation Science (zbm), Metabarcoding, Visitor and Educational Research, Experimental and Applied Ecology, Administration

Project lead:

Prof. Dr. Christoph Scherber

Funding:

European Union

GIBBS (Biodiversity Management in the Building Materials Industry)

The extraction of bulk raw materials such as gravel, sand, clay and gypsum may have considerable effects on ecosystems. The project aims to preserve and promote biodiversity inextraction sites of the building materials industry. At the ZBM, a systematic biodiversity monitoring system will be established that can be applied in a corporate context of the building materials industry. Both traditional and technology-driven methods of biodiversity monitoring will be employed.

Unit:

Centre for Biodiversity Monitoring and Conservation Science (zbm), Conservation Ecology, Experimental and Applied Ecology

Project lead:

Prof. Dr. Christoph Scherber

FlowerBeet (Promoting pest control through in-field flowering strips in sugar beet).

In agricultural production systems, aphid-transmitted plant viruses may cause considerable yield losses. On conventional fields, insecticides are therefore often used to control aphids. The associated negative environmental impacts can be reduced if insecticide use is reduced.The "FlowerBeet" project is investigating whether aphid infestation in sugar beets can be controlled by enhancing natural enemy population densities. Early infestation with aphids, combined with the transmission of yellows viruses, leads to considerable yield losses in sugar beet.

Unit:

Centre for Biodiversity Monitoring and Conservation Science (zbm), Experimental and Applied Ecology

Project lead:

Prof. Dr. Christoph Scherber

NaPA (Nature-positive Agriculture) Projekt

Das NaPA (Nature-positive Agriculture) Projekt untersucht den Einfluss von Blühstreifen auf Arthopodendiverstität in Agrarlandschaften.

Unit:

Centre for Biodiversity Monitoring and Conservation Science (zbm), Experimental and Applied Ecology

Project lead:

Prof. Dr. Christoph Scherber

2021

DynaCom

In progress....

Unit:

Centre for Biodiversity Monitoring and Conservation Science (zbm), Experimental and Applied Ecology

Project lead:

Prof. Dr. Christoph Scherber

EU-Projekt DIVERSify

In the EU-H2020 project (2016-2021), we work to understand how to optimise the performance of crop species mixtures or ‘plant teams’ to improve yield stability, reduce losses to weeds, pests and diseases, and enhance resilience to environmental change.

Unit:

Centre for Biodiversity Monitoring and Conservation Science (zbm), Experimental and Applied Ecology

Project lead:

Prof. Dr. Christoph Scherber

BALIN: Insect conservation at railway stations

The project is located in the field of action of light pollution of the German Federal Government's insect protection action programme.

Unit:

Centre for Biodiversity Monitoring and Conservation Science (zbm), Experimental and Applied Ecology, Metabarcoding, Lepidoptera

Project lead:

Prof. Dr. Christoph Scherber

2020

FINKA

The FINKA project (Promotion of Insects in Arable Crops, 2020-2025) involves farmers, scientists and advisors in equal measure. The project, which is part of the Federal Programme on Biological Diversity, aims to increase biodiversity on arable land and to initiate a broad discussion in agriculture.

Unit:

Centre for Biodiversity Monitoring and Conservation Science (zbm), Experimental and Applied Ecology

Project lead:

Prof. Dr. Christoph Scherber

KennArt

The number of taxonomists decreases. Within project "KennArt - A nationwide initiative for the qualification of taxonomists" (2020-2026), the NABU-Naturschutzstation Münsterland and the Centre for Biodiversity Monitoring and Conservation Science of the Zoological Research Museum Alexander Koenig try to stop this trend. Over six years, a modul based system with basic, advanced and expert courses for various organism groups with a focus on insects will be developed and tested in Germany.

Unit:

Biobank, Experimental and Applied Ecology, Centre for Biodiversity Monitoring and Conservation Science (zbm)

Project lead:

Albia Consul

Funding:

Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety, Federal Agency for Natur Conservation

SPRINT

The biodiversity loss in terrestrial ecosystems is strongly associated with land-use intensification. The aim of the SPRINT-project (2020-2023) is to investigate consequences of land-use intensity and components of land-use on the diversity and functionality of arthropod communities in grasslands. The SPRINT-project is part of the Biodiversity Exploratories which are a research project funded by the German Science Foundation (DFG).

Unit:

Experimental and Applied Ecology, Centre for Biodiversity Monitoring and Conservation Science (zbm)

Project lead:

Dr. David Ott

Funding:

Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft

Insect diversity in forests

In this project, a better overview of the insect diversity in North Rhine-Westphalia's forests is to be gained on the basis of both old data and new studies. Both natural near-natural forests and commercial forests are included in the analysis. From this, key structures for insect diversity are to be determined and actions for forest management are to be given. The project is being carried out in cooperation with Wald und Holz NRW.In 2020, there is also the possibility of writing theses or completing research projects in this project.

Unit:

Centre for Biodiversity Monitoring and Conservation Science (zbm)

Project lead:

Prof. Dr. Christoph Scherber

Long-term crop rotation experiment Harste

The project is run in cooperation with the Institute for Zuckerrübenforschung in Göttingen. In a long-term crop rotation experiment, the impact of temporal diversity and individual crops on invertebrates, process rates and metabolic rates is being investigated. In recent years, the focus has been on soil-associated processes. Here we work closely with the AG Bodenökologie und Landnutzung.

Unit:

Centre for Biodiversity Monitoring and Conservation Science (zbm)

Project lead:

Prof. Dr. Christoph Scherber

2019

AMMOD: A "Weatherstation" counting species diversity

A "Weatherstation" counting species diversity (AMMOD = Automated Multisensor Station for Monitoring of Species Diversity).

Unit:

Centre for Biodiversity Monitoring and Conservation Science (zbm), Biodiversity Informatics, Metabarcoding

Project lead:

Prof. Dr. J. Wolfgang Wägele

Funding:

Federal Ministry of Education and Research

DINA – Diversity of Insects in Nature Protected Areas

In collaboration with the German NABU the ZFMK has been an active partner to initiate a large joint project to understand drivers of insect decline, the DINA project (2019-2022). The goal of the project is to assess and monitor the insect fauna in 21 selected Nature-protected areas using a Malaise trap transect approach. A particular goal of this project is to demonstrate the power of metabarcoding for the rapid and efficient assessment of the insect fauna relying on the GBOL database. Additionally to the insect fauna, landscape parameters including anthropogenic influence will be recorded.

Unit:

Conservation Ecology, Centre for Biodiversity Monitoring and Conservation Science (zbm), Directorate Staff, Administration, ZFMK International Graduate School, Metabarcoding, Herpetology, Experimental and Applied Ecology

Project lead:

Dr. Livia Schäffler

Funding:

Federal Ministry of Education and Research

Integrative Analysis of the influence of pesticides and land use on biodiversity in Germany (INPEDIV)

The interdisciplinary joint project INPEDIV is funded for 3 years by the Leibniz Competition (March 2019 – February 2022). The aim of this study is to investigate consequences of organic and conventional farming for biodiversity in protected areas. By use of traditional methods and new technologies, we will examine agricultural land use effects on a broad range of plant and animal taxa across trophic levels at study sites in the Rhineland and in Brandenburg.

Unit:

Directorate, Conservation Ecology, Research Networks, Centre for Biodiversity Monitoring and Conservation Science (zbm), Metabarcoding, Mammalogy, Bat Banding Centre, Myriapoda

Project lead:

Dr. Livia Schäffler

Funding:

Leibniz Association

Publications

Published in

2014

Ebeling A, Meyer ST, Abbas M, Eisenhauer N, Hillebrand H, Lange M, Scherber C, Vogel A, Weigelt A, Weisser WW (2014) Plant diversity impacts decomposition and herbivory via changes in aboveground arthropods. PLoS One 9(9): e106529.

[more]

Links:

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0106529

Everwand G, Rösch V, Tscharntke T & Scherber C (2014) Disentangling direct and indirect effects of experimental grassland management and plant functional-group manipulation on plant and leafhopper diversity. BMC Ecology 14:1

[more]

Links:

https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6785-14-1

Pfeifer M, Lefebvre V, Baeten L, Banks-Leite C, Betts M, Brunet J, Cerezo A, Cisneros L, Coomes D, D’Cruze N, Duguay S, Eigenbrod F, Hadley A, Hanson TR, Hawes J, Heartsill T, Klingbeil B, Kolb A, Kormann U, Lachat T, Lantschner V, Laurance B, Lens L, Lugo A, Marsh C, Medina-Rangel G.F., Melles S, Mezger D, Owen C, Phalan B, Pidgeon A, Possingham H, Raheem D, Ribeiro DB, Robinson D, Robinson R, Rytwinski T, Scherber C, Slade E, Somarriba E, Stouffer P, Struebig MJ, Tylianakis J, Tscharntke T, Urbina Cardona JN, Vasconcelos H, Wells K, Willig M, Wood E, Young RP, Bradley A, Ewers R (2014) BIOFRAG – A new database for analysing BIOdiversity responses to forest FRAGmentation. Ecology and Evolution 4: 1524-1537.

[more]

Links:

https://dx.doi.org/10.1002%2Fece3.1036

Liu Y, Rothenwöhrer C, Scherber C, Batáry P, Elek Z, Steckel J, Erasmi S, Tscharntke , Westphal C (2014) Functional beetle diversity in managed grasslands: effects of region, landscape context and land use intensity. Landscape Ecology 29: 529-540.

[more]

Links:

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-014-9987-0

Scherber C, Vockenhuber E, Stark A, Meyer H, Tscharntke T (2014) Effects of tree and herb biodiversity on Diptera, a hyperdiverse insect order. Oecologia 174: 1387-1400.

[more]

Links:

https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-013-2865-7

Steckel J, Westphal C, Peters MK, Bellach M, Rothenwöhrer C, Erasmi S, Scherber C et al. (2014) Landscape composition and configuration differently affect trap-nesting bee and wasp hosts and their antagonists. Biological Conservation 172: 56-64.

[more]

Links:

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2014.02.015

2013

Allan E, Bossdorf O, Dormann CF, Prati D, Gossner M, Tscharntke T, Blüthgen N, Bellach M, Birkhofer K, Boch S, Böhm S, Börschig C, Chatzinotas A, Christ S, Daniel R, Diekötter D, Fischer C, Friedl T, Glaser K, Hallman C, Hodac L, Hölzel N, Jung K, Klein AM, Klaus V, Kleinebecker T, Krauss J, Lange M, Morris EK, Müller J, Nacke H, Pašalic EK, Rillig M, Rothenwöhrer C, Schall P, Scherber C, et al. (2013) Inter-annual variation in land-use intensity enhances grassland multidiversity. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 111: 308-313.

[more]

Links:

https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1312213111

Allan E, Weisser W, Fischer M, Schulze E, Weigelt A, Roscher C, Baade J, Barnard RL, Beßler H, Buchmann N, Ebeling A, Eisenhauer N, Engels C, Fergus AJF, Gleixner G, Gubsch M, Halle S, Klein AM, Kertscher I, Kuu A, Lange M, Le Roux X, Meyer S, Migunova VD, Milcu A, Niklaus PA, Oelmann Y, Pašalić E, Petermann JS, Poly F, Rottstock T, Sabais A, Scherber C et al. (2013) A comparison of the strength of biodiversity effects across multiple functions. Oecologia 173: 223-237.

[more]

Links:

https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-012-2589-0

Everwand G, Scherber C, Tscharntke T (2013) Slug responses to grassland cutting and fertilization in a plant functional group removal experiment. Acta Oecologica 48: 62–68.

[more]

Links:

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.actao.2013.01.015

Milcu A, Allan E, Roscher C, Jenkins T, Bessler H, Buchmann N, Buscot F, Engels C, Flynn D, Gubsch M, Lipowsky A, Renker C, Scherber C, Schmid B, Schulze E.D., Thebault E, Weigelt A, Weisser W.W., Scheu S & Eisenhauer N (2013) Functionally and phylogenetically diverse plant communities key to soil biota. Ecology 94:1878–1885.

[more]

Links:

https://doi.org/10.1890/12-1936.1

Rösch V, Tscharntke T, Scherber C, Batáry P (2013) Landscape composition, connectivity and fragment size drive effects of grassland fragmentation on insect communities. Journal of Applied Ecology 50: 387-394

[more]

Links:

https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.12056

Rothenwöhrer C, Scherber C, Tscharntke T (2013) Grassland management for stem-boring insects: Abandoning small patches is better than reducing overall intensity. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 167: 38–42

[more]

Links:

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2013.01.005

Scherber C, Gladbach DJ, Stevnbak K, Karsten RJ, Schmidt IK, Michelsen A, Albert KR, Larsen KS, Mikkelsen TN, Beier C, Christensen S (2013) Multi-factor climate change effects on insect herbivore performance. Ecology and Evolution 3: 1449–1460. Highlighted by FACULTY of 1000.

[more]

Links:

https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.564

Seidel D, Leuschner C, Scherber C, Beyer F, Wommelsdorf T, Cashmand MJ, Fehrmann L (2013) The relationship between tree species richness, canopy space exploration and productivity in a temperate broad-leaf mixed forest. Forest Ecology and Management 310: 366–374.

[more]

Links:

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2013.08.058

Vockenhuber E, Kabouw P, Tscharntke T, Scherber C (2013) Plant-animal interactions in two forest herbs along a tree and herb diversity gradient. Plant Ecology and Diversity 6: 205-216.

[more]

Links:

https://doi.org/10.1080/17550874.2013.782368

2012

Blüthgen N, Dormann CF, Prati D, Klaus VH, Kleinebecker T, Hölzel N, Alt F, Boch S, Gockel S, Hemp A, Müller J, Nieschulze J, Renner SC, Schöning I, Schumacher U, Socher SA, Wells K, Birkhofer K, Buscot F, Oelmann Y, Rothenwöhrer C, Scherber C et al. (2012) A quantitative index of land-use intensity in grasslands: integrating mowing, grazing and fertilization. Basic and Applied Ecology 13: 207–220.

[more]

Links:

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.baae.2012.04.001

Brown G, Scherber C, Ramos P, Ebrahim EK (2012) The effects of harvester ant (Messor ebeninus Forel) nests on vegetation and soil properties in a desert dwarf shrub community in north-eastern Arabia. Flora 207: 503–511.

[more]

Links:

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.flora.2012.06.009

Gagic V, Hänke S, Thies C, Scherber C, Tomanovic Z, Tscharntke T (2012) Agricultural intensification and cereal aphid–parasitoid– hyperparasitoid food webs: network complexity, temporal variability and parasitism rates. Oecologia 170: 1099-109.

[more]

Links:

https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-012-2366-0

Hudewenz A, Klein AM, Scherber C, Stanke L, Tscharntke T, Vogel A, Weigelt A, Weisser WW, Ebeling A (2012) Herbivore and pollinator responses to grassland management intensity along experimental changes in plant species richness. Biological Conservation 150: 42-52.

[more]

Links:

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2012.02.024

Ludwig M, Schlinkert H, Holzschuh A, Fischer C, Scherber C, Trnka A, Tscharntke T, Batáry P (2012) Landscape-moderated bird nest predation in hedges and forest edges. Acta Oecologica 45: 50–56.

[more]

Links:

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actao.2012.08.008

Education

2012 Habilitation, Ecology, University of Göttingen

2002-2006 Dissertation (Dr. rer. nat.), University of Jena

2002 Diploma thesis, University of Rostock (conducted at Imperial College London)

1998-2002 Study of Biology (Diploma) at the Universities of Regensburg and Rostock

1996 Abitur, Max-Planck-Gymnasium München-Pasing

Academic activities

Oct. 2020 W3 Professor for Biodiversity Monitoring, University of Bonn / Leibniz Institute for Biodiversity of Animals

2015-2020 W2 Professor, Animal Ecology and multitrophic interactions, Institute of Landscape Ecology, Department of Geosciences, University of Münster, Germany

2006-2015 Postdoc at Agroecology, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of Göttingen, Germany

Committees

Head of the Equal Opportunities Commission of the Department of Geosciences, University if Münster (until 2020)

Head of examination board of the BSc and MSc program in Landscape Ecology at the University of Münster (2018-2020)

Deputy managing director of the Institute of Landscape Ecology at the University of Münster (2019-2020)

Member of the Rectorate Commission for Internationalization (2018-2020)
Member of faculty council, Department of Geosciences, University of Münster (2016-2018)

Expert activities

Reviewed scientific manuscripts for Agriculture Ecosystems and Environment, Annals of Botany, Basic and Applied Ecology, Ecological Entomology, Ecological Indicators, Ecology Letters, Ecology, Ecosystems, Environmental Modeling and Assessment, European Journal of Entomology, European Journal of Forest Research, European Journal of Wildlife Research, Field Crops Research, Functional Ecology, Global Change Biology, Insect Conservation and Diversity, Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, Journal of Animal Ecology, Journal of Applied Ecology, Journal of Ecology, Journal of Pest Science, Landscape Ecology, Nature Communications, Nature Ecology & Evolution, Nature, Oecologia, Pedobiologia, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, Plant and Soil, Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology, Science of the Total Environment, Scientific Reports, Soil Biology and Biochemistry.

Reviewed international scientific proposals for UK National Environmental Research Council (NERC), Swiss National Science foundation (SNF), Czech Science Foundation.

Reviewed national scientific proposals for DFG, Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt (DBU), Cusanuswerk, Heinrich Böll Stiftung, Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung, Freiburg FRIAS Junior fellowship.

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Prof. Dr. Christoph Scherber

Tabs

Field of work

Research interests

Memberships

Awards

2022

BioMonitor4CAP

GIBBS (Biodiversity Management in the Building Materials Industry)

FlowerBeet (Promoting pest control through in-field flowering strips in sugar beet).

NaPA (Nature-positive Agriculture) Projekt

2021

DynaCom

EU-Projekt DIVERSify

BALIN: Insect conservation at railway stations

2020

FINKA

KennArt

SPRINT

Insect diversity in forests

Long-term crop rotation experiment Harste

2019

AMMOD: A "Weatherstation" counting species diversity

DINA – Diversity of Insects in Nature Protected Areas

Integrative Analysis of the influence of pesticides and land use on biodiversity in Germany (INPEDIV)

2014

2013

2012

Pages

Education

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Committees

Expert activities

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Prof. Dr. Christoph Scherber

Tabs

Field of work

Research interests

Memberships

Awards

2022

2021

2020

2019

Pages

2014

2013

2012

Pages

Education

Academic activities

Committees

Expert activities

Staff search