Oral Presentation Workshop

The participants will train oral scientific presentations. [more]

Animal Tracking Methods Seminar

Which tracking devises for which questions and which animals? [more]

Guided Analyses of Own Data

day1: workshop (short presentation of the project proposal by each participant, 3-4 lectures: topics depend on the participants’ projects; e.g. repetition mixed model or other aspects of linear models, extensions of linear models, spatial models, time series, zero-inflation models, multivariate methods, analyzing time to event data, compositional analyses, two-level ecological models, work individually or in groups on own projects); day 2 workshop (work individually or in groups on own projects, discussion of problems in plenum or in groups); day 3 workshop and presentations (work individually or in groups, presentation of projects and discussion) Requirements Modul 1, basic knowledge in statistics, linear regression, ANOVA, one of module 2 or 3 is recommended; A short proposal of the workshop project has to be sent to Fränzi Korner-Nivergelt three days before the start of the workshop [more]

Introduction of Scientific Paper-Writing

introduction in manuscript-writing course. Participants are expected to work on their own manuscripts during the course. [more]

Writing of Research Statements and Grant Proposals

Successful writing of research statements and grant proposals for the next career steps after the PhD [more]

Symposium "Grand Challenges in …" at the 105th Annual Meeting of the German Zoological Society

Grand Challenges in Evolutionary Ecology [more]

Teaching Week 2012

The Konstanz and Radolfzell based labs will present their labs, their research focus and methods. [more]

Coping with the Challenges of a PhD

This course provides in-depth guidelines on how to cope with the most common challenges involved in researching and writing a PhD. This training course equips you with the tools and techniques you need to complete your PhD successfully and on schedule. You learn how to work more efficiently, how to save time, and how to identify and focus on the essentials. You learn how to employ management tools to monitor your progress, as well as gaining a greater understanding of how to optimize supervision and how to get the support you need. You learn how to plan the thesis-writing process and how to incorporate writing tasks into your normal working day. You gain an increased awareness of the career choices open to you, and of what might be the best career options for you personally. This training course will help increase your satisfaction with life as a PhD student, and to become a fully professional academic. [more]

Introduction of basic statistics with R (Module 1)

day 1: introduction to R (work with console and editor, read in data, save data, basics in programming R, graphics, classical tests); day 2: basics in statistics (refreshing descriptive statistics (mean, sd, se, median, quartiles), introduction to different schools of statistics (frequentist, information theory, Bayes statistics), theory of statistical tests (example t-test and randomization test), classical tests (U-test, chi-test, binomial test, correlation, etc.); day 3: experimental design (basic theory in experimental design, presentation of an experimental design by each participant (own or prepared examples), discussion of experimental design, use R to plan experiments, power calculations) [more]

Scientific Integrity

This seminar is designed to assist PhD students in gaining a better awareness of the importance of ethics in science; to provide them with a set of criteria for assessing ethical dilemmas; to facilitate a room for free discussion on real and fictitious cases of scientific misconduct (mainly, fabrication and falsification of data), and to offer an overview of current MPS guidelines on scientific integrity. [more]

Outdoor First Aid

Four days of practical first aid training for being in a remote field-situation. Situations like: what to do if my leg is broken and the field station is 10km away and I cannot contact anyone? [more]

R for Biologists I: Introduction course in R programming language

This course will allow for one week of intense introduction in R a powerful opensource programming environment widely used in scientific research. We will begin with understanding how we can wrok with R to make our lifes as biologists from a wider range of subdisciplines easier. Consequently, we will want to undestand how data can be mined, rearranged and basic visualisations made. This is not a statistics course, it is intended to give a general all purpose introduction in R, from where further exploration can be achieved without the usually steep initial learning curve. [more]

Intensive German Class

German class for our new foreign IMPRS students [more]

Scientific Writing for Advanced Students

Intensive manuscript-writing course. Participants are expected to work on their own manuscripts during the course. Requirements: Participation in the Introduction in Scientific Paper-Writing course or experiences in manuscript writing. [more]

Partial migration in European blackbirds : a study on alternative phenotypes

PhD defense by Adam Fudickar
PhD with Jesko Partecke, Department of Migration and Immuno-Ecology, MPI for Ornithology Radolfzell [more]

Linear Models and Linear Mixed Models with R (Module 2)

day 1: LM (linear regression, multiple regression, ANOVA, ANCOVA, least-square method, parametrisation, interactions, tests (marginal and sequential), model selection, model assumptions, predictions); day 2: LME (linear mixed models, maximum likelihood, restricted maximum likelihood, random and fixed effects, likelihood ratio test / bootstrap, random slopes-random intercept models, depending on participants further model types); day 3 LME (Bayesian way of fitting a linear model, model matrix, simulating posterior distributions of model parameters, predictions, posterior probabilities of hypotheses, preparing data for work on own data); day 4: projects (work on own data and presentations) Requirements Modul 1, basic knowledge in statistics [more]

Generalized Linear and Generalized Linear Mixed Models with R (Module 3)

day 1: binominal model (repetition LM, logistic regression, binomial model, tests, model assumtions, overdispersion, predictions); day 2: poisson model (poisson model, tests, model assumptions, overdispersion, predictions, depending on participants: zero-inflation, mixture models); day 3 GLMM (including random effects, Bayesian way of fitting a model, glmer-function and MCMCglmm-finction, depending on participants: introduction to WinBUGS and further mixture models); day 4: projects (work on own data and presentations) Requirements Modul 1 and 2, basic knowledge in statistics, linear models (ANOVA) and linear mixed models [more]

Conference Presentation Techniques    

This is an activity-based workshop led by theatre professionals whose expertise is in helping the speaker effectively communicate the importance and relevance of the work and the core message in the talk. Repetition is a key aspect of the training so that participants can strengthen the narrative, the emotional tone, and the physicality of the talk in order to def ine and support the speaker’s own dynamic style. Description The seminar provides participants the opportunity to perfect their public-speaking skills. Constructive feedback from the trainer and group members as well as videotaping give the speaker a healthy amount of input while perfecting public-speaking skills. Participants will be required to prepare a 3 to 5 minute pitch or overview of their work incorporating also the use of a slide. This will provide a basis for applying the practical aims of the workshop. Throughout the three day workshop, participants will be guided through interactive exercises to improve nonverbal communication, improve the ability to listen and react generously, and to integrate focusing techniques which empower the speaker. There will be two videotaping sessions (on the second and third days) in this advanced workshop, as well as further in depth role play regarding the topic of dealing with challenging Q&A sessions. Contents in brief - Concisely introducing yourself: practice your “pitch” - Engaging the audience in one’s talk - Aff irming the strengths and individual style of the speaker - Improving body language - Effectively promoting oneself - Develop strong tactics for effective communication - Receiving video-feedback Methods - voice and body techniques - partner work/role-play - language practice and analysis - improvisation, videotaping and feedback [more]

Scientific Writing

This two-day workshop enables life scientists to communicate their research clearly and effectively. Through numerous writing examples and relevant exercises as well as class discussions, participants learn how to describe their work in a flowing narrative with a clear “take home message”. The interactive nature of the workshop means participants benefit not only from the experience of both instructors but also from the ideas of other participants. Additionally, writing samples from each participant are edited by the class instructors. The workshop teaches participants not only to tell the story of their research but also to direct their research using the writing process. [more]

Characterization of cryptic components of the ancestral vertebrate genome

PhD defense by Nathalie Feiner
PhD with Axel Meyer, Zoology and Evolutionary Biology lab, University of Konstanz [more]

Summer School AniMove

This Summer School is not an online course but a "real-world" course which includes hand-on exercises ranging from land cover and species distribution analysis to modeling of animal movement. Talks by conservationists and field work (GPS tracking) will be part of the Summer School as well. The analysis of remote sensing data, the linkages with in-situ (animal movement) data is complex but highly relevant. The required methods and approaches to combine animal movement with remote sensing data for conservation will be tought during the AniMove Summer School in August 2013 This applied Summer School focuses on addressing conservation issues using remote sensing and modelling. Only Open Source software will be used to allow participants to apply them after the Summer School as well. Programs learnt will be: R (raster, sp, dismo, rgdal etc.), GRASS (with add-ons like r.pi), QGIS. [more]

Effects of artificial light at night on daily and seasonal organization of European blackbirds (Turdus merula)

PhD defense by Davide Dominoni
PhD with Jesko Partecke, Department of Migration and Immuno-Ecology, MPI for Ornithology Radolfzell [more]

Ecology and Neurophysiology of Sleep in Wild Sloths

PhD defense by Bryson Voirin
PhD with Niels Rattenborg, Research Group Avian Sleep, and Martin Wikelski, Department of Migration and Immuno-Ecology, MPI for Ornithology [more]

Evaluation of the IMPRS

Evaluation of the IMPRS for Organismal Biology [more]

Grand Challenges in COMMUNICATION IN SOCIAL COMMUNITIES Symposium

The annual Grand Challenges in ... Symposium focus this year on Communication in Social Communities. [more]

Best Student Paper Award

Awarding the best IMPRS student paper of 2013 [more]

Teaching Week

The Seewiesen based labs will present their labs, their research focus and methods. [more]

CANCELED: Introduction of Scientific Paper-Writing

introduction in manuscript-writing course. Participants are expected to work on their own manuscripts during the course. [more]

Experimental Design

Day 1: Indroduction Introduction o experimental design theory (difference between experiment and observation, confounding, importance of randomisation, types of experimental designs, implications for data analysis, power; practical: randomization with the software R, simple power calculations); Day 2: Applications - Each participant is asked to send a description of one planned experiment (or one running experiment if none is planned) to steffi.vonfelten@oikostat.ch until 30. September 2013 (e.g., drawing of the spatial layout and text description, what measurements are taken and when?). Course participants will present the design of their own experiments. Each experimental design will be discussed in class and will also receive some feedback by the course teacher. Prerequisite for participation: basic knowledge of statistics and the software package R would be an advantage but is not absolutely required. [more]

At-sea movement and migration of the nocturnal swallow-tailed gull (Creagrus furcatus)

PhD defense by Sebastian Cruz
PhD with Martin Wikelski, Department of Migration and Immuno-Ecology, MPI for Ornithology Radolfzell [more]

R for Biologists I: Introduction course in R programming language

This course will allow for one week of intense introduction in R a powerful opensource programming environment widely used in scientific research. We will begin with understanding how we can wrok with R to make our lifes as biologists from a wider range of subdisciplines easier. Consequently, we will want to undestand how data can be mined, rearranged and basic visualisations made. This is not a statistics course, it is intended to give a general all purpose introduction in R, from where further exploration can be achieved without the usually steep initial learning curve. [more]

Student Retreat 2013

Communication and Leadership Skills in Academia [more]

Ecological and Evolutionary Consequences of Color- and Trophic Polymorphisms in Cichlid Fishes

PhD defense by Henrik Kusche
PhD with Axel Meyer, Zoology and Evolutionary Biology lab, University of Konstanz [more]

Conference presentation - Engaging the Listener in Your Talk

Concisely introducing yourself: practice your “pitch”, Engaging the audience in one’s talk, Affirming the strengths and individual style of the speaker, Improving body language, Effectively promoting oneself, Develop strong tactics for effective communication, Receiving video-feedback [more]

Generalized Linear and Generalized Linear Mixed Models with R (Module 3)

Day 1: Binomial model (refreshing LM and LMM, introduction Bayesian data analysis, logistic regression, binomial model, tests, model assumptions, overdispersion, predictions); Day 2: Poisson model (tests, model assumptions, overdispersion, predictions, depending on participants wishes: zero-inflation, mixture models); Day 3: GLMM (including random effects, glmer-function and MCMCglmm-function, depending on participants wishes: introduction to WinBUGS and further mixture models); Day 4: work on own data and presentations [more]

The Role of Parental Care in Shaping Personality-Related Variation in Reproductive Success in Free-living Passerines

PhD defense by Ariane Mutzel
PhD with Niels Dingemanse, Research Group Evolutionary Ecology of Variation, and Bart Kempenaers, Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, MPI for Ornithology Seewiesen [more]

Wing moult and movement behaviour of anatids, with focus on the European Gadwall (Anas strepera)

PhD defense by Andrea Gehrold
PhD with Martin Wikelski, Department of Migration and Immuno-Ecology, MPI for Ornithology Radolfzell [more]

Writing lab for Doctoral Candidates

Regular Writing Lab for interested IMPRS doctoral candidates! Take advantage and write on your manuscript / grant etc., discuss your problems and doubts with your peer or simply feel motivated by the writing atmosphere! It is only for doctoral candidates, no supervisors or instructors, no obligatory participation!at U KN:every Tuesday afternoon, from 14 to 18!room Z816at MPIO Seewiesen:every Friday afternoon, from 13 to 17!seminar room house 11 [more]

Scientific Writing for Advanced Students

Intensive manuscript-writing course. Participants are expected to work on their own manuscripts during the course. Requirements: Participation in the Introduction in Scientific Paper-Writing course or experiences in manuscript writing. [more]

Statistics Module 2: Linear Models and Linear Mixed Models with R

day 1: LM Linear Regression, multiple Regression ANOVA, ANCOVA (least-square method, parameterisation, interactions, tests (marginal and sequential), model selection, model assumptions, predictions, introduction to Bayesian data analysis); day 2: LME linear mixed models (maximum likelihood, restricted maximum likelihood, random and fixed effects, likelihood ratio test / bootstrap, random slopes-random intercept models, evt. further model types depending on the participants wishes); day 3: LME (model matrix, simulating posterior distributions of model parameters, predictions, posterior probabilities of hypotheses, preparing data for work on own data); day 4: work on own data and presentations. Prerequisite for participation: basic knowledge in statistics [more]

Effects of urbanization on animal behaviour : patterns, underlying mechanisms and ultimate causes

PhD defense by Catarina Miranda
PhD with Jesko Partecke, Department of Migration and Immuno-Ecology, MPI for Ornithology Radolfzell [more]

Scientific Writing

This two-day workshop enables life scientists to to write clearly and with impact! The participants learn how to construct a “take-home” message that tells the story of their research, choose words that communicate their science clearly, and structure their paper into a flowing narrative. [more]

Practical Computing + Data management for Biologists

This five-day course is aimed at Biologists (PhD students and Master students) who work with medium to large datasets. The course goal is to learn how to re-arrange and query the data and how to best manage data. This course will teach researchers how to use the Unix shell, Python programming language, what databases are for and how to use them, to become more efficient at the conduction of the common but often time-consuming scientific task to deal with data. We will spend two days learning different techniques, and then we will move on and deal with your own data sets for two days. We will develop solutions for individual problems in the group. If the time allows it, we will move on to relational databases on the last day. When signing up, please send an exemplary data file that you work with, and which you need to re-arrange or query on a regular basis, but that you find difficult or time-consuming to do in Excel. You do not need to send a complete dataset, what we need to know is the main structure of the dataset, and the task that needs doing. Incomplete or exemplary datasets are sufficient. This course will use the operating systems of OS X (on a Mac) or in a Linux environment. Windows users should be prepared to install Linux on a partition of their laptop, or to install a software that emulates Linux (both are free of charge). Requirements: None. This course aims at people who find using Excel for data management time-consuming, boring and inefficient, but do not know how to do better. No previous experience in scripting is required. After completing this course, you will be able to use the power of your computer to time-efficently handle your data, which will allow you to spend more time doing actual research and analyses. [more]

Selection Symposium

The IMPRS for Organismal Biology regularly accepts new PhD fellows once a year. We announce new open PhD projects in November. Application deadline for these positions is January 15. Shortlisted applicants will be invited to our Selection Symposium in March. Successful applicants start their PhD projects latest in September. [more]

Partial Altitudinal Migration of a Himalayan Forest Pheasant: First Insights and Conservation Implications

PhD defense by Nawang Norbu
PhD with Martin Wikelski, Department of Migration and Immuno-Ecology, MPI for Ornithology Radolfzell [more]

Bird ringing

Scientific bird ringing is a research method based on the individual marking of birds. Any record of a ringed bird, either through recapture and subsequent release, or on the occasion of its final recovery as a dead bird, will tell us something about its life. In addition, a series of measurements can be gained from the bird in the hand (morphometry, fat, muscle and moult scores etc.). Bird trapping and marking is one of the basic methods to study the biology, ecology, behaviour, movement, breeding productivity and population demography of birds. In this 4-day course you will learn the legal background as well as the basic principles on handling living wild songbirds, perform standard measurements, determination of species, age and sex, and of course how to attach a ring. The course will be held at the institute’s field station on Mettnau peninsula near Radolfzell. We will set up a series of 20-30 mistnets and do bird trapping all day round whenever weather allows. In between there is time for explanations, discussions and of course individual training of taking birds out of mistnets and of handling and measuring them. The field station offers very simple accommodation (6 beds in two rooms) and a very simple kitchen. Toilet facilities can be used in a house nearby. Self-catering has to be arranged. [more]

Start up your voice

A voice can be monotone or emotional, squeaky or impressive, weak or strong… But how can you improve your voice and find a relaxed and impressive way of vocalization? The course will provide some basic theory and practical exercise how you can improve your vocalization. The strong interplay of body, breath and voice provides the great opportunity to modulate your speech by manipulating “only” one of them. We will use some practical exercises from acting classes and voice training that you can do during daily routine and are also applicable short before a presentation. Become aware of your probably most powerful tool and start up your voice! Please register latest Jun 18! Maximal number of participants: 12 [more]

R for Biologists II: Visualisation and analysis of spatial information

In this course we will investigate the possibilities of using spatial information to produce maps, enrich data and in general visualise spatial data. Biological questions, particularly ecological questions are increasingly aware of space in geographic terms. But how can we deal with spatial information to associate locations with environmental conditions derived from satellite images or weather stations? A particular aspect will be macroecological analysis and movement ecological questions, two aspects of ecological research that deeply rely on association of biological and geographic data. Information und registration: kamran.safi@uni-konstanz.de [more]

Learn and Let Learn : Comparative Cognition and Social Learning in Bats

PhD defense by Theresa Clarin
PhD with Lutz Wiegrebe, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich + Holger Goerlitz, Acoustic and Functional Ecology lab, MPI for Ornithology Seewiesen [more]

Scientific Writing for Advanced Students

Intensive manuscript-writing course. Participants are expected to work on their own manuscripts during the course. Requirements: Participation in the Introduction in Scientific Paper-Writing course or equivalent experiences. [more]

Video-Workshop

The participants will learn how to conduct media interviews and get a detailed insight into professional video-production. They will actively participate in the production of a video and get to know the journalists view on how to communicate complex scientific information to the public. As a result of this 3-days workshop, a video portrait of our IMPRS with its diverse scientific projects will be produced during these days. Already produced videos with Christian Maier and Lukas Piechowski can be found at our YouTube channel 'IMPRSOrgBiol'.Program:25.08.: U KN (Z816)26.08.: MPIO Radolfzell (seminar room E 1.01)28.08.: MPIO Seewiesen (seminar room house 11)Deadline for registration: 01.06.2014! [more]

Cues of mosquito host finding and oviposition site selection

PhD defense by Ali Afify
PhD with Giovanni Galizia, Neurobiology, University of Konstanz [more]

Grand Challenges in Organismal Biology Symposium

5th Symposium of the International Max Planck Research School for Organismal Biology:Redouan Bshary (U Neuchatel): On the evolution of cooperation: how natural history provides the basis for theoretical modelsJaap van Schaik (MPIO): The interaction between host social system and parasite evolutionary potentialTim Clutton-Brock (U Cambridge): The Origins of SocietyMariëlle van Toor (MPIO): Using temporal segmentation of habitat use to identify series of behaviourally consistent distribution modelsLisa Gill (MPIO): Vocalisations, hormones and breeding stages in newly formed groups of zebra finchesWolfgang Forstmeier (MPIO): Researcher degrees of freedom and the reliability of scienceErica Stuber (MPIO): Patterns of sleep in great tits (Parus major) in the wild Iain Couzin (U Princeton): From Democratic Consensus to Cannibalistic Hordes: The Principles of Collective BehaviourRalf Schneider (U KN): Gene regulatory networks that shape developmental adaptive plasticity in a cichlid fish [more]

Teaching Week

The teaching week addresses the new IMPRS students to give an insight into the different labs and research groups, their research focus and methods, and to give the new students the opportunity to get to know each other, exchange experiences and to discuss possible collaboration with other labs. The teaching week is obligatory for all incoming graduate students, everybody else interested is warmly welcome to join! In 2014, research groups and labs from U KN and the MPIO Radolfzell will present their research topics and methods, in a mixture of lectures, experiments, and tours through their facilities: 20.09.14: day off21.09.14: IMPRS student excursion22.09.14: research group Wikelski (MPIO Radolfzell)23.09.14: research groups Meyer + Rothhaupt (U KN)24.09.14: research groups Thum + van Kleunen (U KN)25.09.14: research groups Galizia + Kleineidamm (U KN) [more]

Alternative Hypotheses and AIC Model Selection

Research workers in many fields are realizing the substantial limitations of statistical tests, test statistics, arbitrary α-levels, P-values, and dichotomous rulings concerning “statistical significance.” These traditional approaches were developed at the beginning of the last century and are being replaced by modern methods that are much more useful. These methods rely on the concept of information loss and formal evidence. They provide easy-to-compute quantities such at the probability of each hypothesis/model and evidence ratios. Furthermore, simple methods allow formal inference (e.g. prediction/forecasting) from all the models in an a priori set (“multimodel inference”). This course on the Information-Theoretic approaches to statistical inference focuses on the practical application of these new methods and is based on Kullback-Leibler information and Akaike’s information criterion (AIC). The material follows the recent textbook: Anderson, D. R. 2008. Model based inference in the life sciences: a primer on evidence. Springer, New York, NY. 184pp. A copy of this book, a reference sheet, and several handouts are included in the registration fee. These courses stress science and science philosophy as much as statistical methods. The focus is on quantification and qualification of formal evidence concerning alternative science hypotheses. The courses are informal and discussion and debate is encouraged.Registration deadline: September, 15. [more]

Akademische Feierstunde des Fachbereichs Biologie

Einführung und Begrüßung (Prof. Dr. Christof Hauck)Vergabe der Urkunden an die Absolventinnen / Absolventen des Studienjahres 2013 / 2014 und Verleihung der Preise des Vereins der Ehemaligen der Universität Konstanz (VEUK) e.V. (Prof. Dr. Thomas Brunner, Studiendekan und Dr. Susan Rößner)Aufnahme der Doktorandinnen und Doktoranden der Graduiertenschule Biological Sciences (Prof. Dr. Thomas Mayer)Aufnahme der Doktorandinnen und Doktoranden der International Max Planck Research School (IMPRS) for Organismal Biology (Prof. Dr. Christoph Kleineidam)Antrittsvorlesung: Prof. Dr. Christoph Kleineidam "A Metropolis run by Mini-Brains: The Life of Leaf-Cutting Ants"Anschliessend Stehempfang im Eingangsbereich R712. [more]

CANCELED! Practical Computing + Data management for Biologists

This five-day course is aimed at Biologists (PhD students and Master students) who work with medium to large datasets. The course goal is to learn how to re-arrange and query the data and how to best manage data. This course will teach researchers how to use the Unix shell, Python programming language, what databases are for and how to use them, to become more efficient at the conduction of the common but often time-consuming scientific task to deal with data. We will spend two days learning different techniques, and then we will move on and deal with your own data sets for two days. We will develop solutions for individual problems in the group. If the time allows it, we will move on to relational databases on the last day. When signing up, please send an exemplary data file that you work with, and which you need to re-arrange or query on a regular basis, but that you find difficult or time-consuming to do in Excel. You do not need to send a complete dataset, what we need to know is the main structure of the dataset, and the task that needs doing. Incomplete or exemplary datasets are sufficient. This course will use the operating systems of OS X (on a Mac) or in a Linux environment. Windows users should be prepared to install Linux on a partition of their laptop, or to install a software that emulates Linux (both are free of charge). Requirements: None. This course aims at people who find using Excel for data management time-consuming, boring and inefficient, but do not know how to do better. No previous experience in scripting is required. After completing this course, you will be able to use the power of your computer to time-efficently handle your data, which will allow you to spend more time doing actual research and analyses. [more]

Complexity of the olfactory system across and within Hymenoptera : The leaf-cutting ant Atta vollenweideri as a case study

PhD defense by Sarah Koch
PhD with Christoph Kleineidam, Neuroethology lab, University of Konstanz [more]

Conference Presentation: Engaging the Listener in Your Talk

This is an activity-based workshop led by theatre professionals whose expertise is in helping the speaker effectively communicate the importance and relevance of the work and the core message in the talk. Repetition is a key aspect of the training so that participants can strengthen the narrative, the emotional tone, and the physicality of the talk in order to def ine and support the speaker’s own dynamic style. Description The seminar provides participants the opportunity to perfect their public-speaking skills. Constructive feedback from the trainer and group members as well as videotaping give the speaker a healthy amount of input while perfecting public-speaking skills. Participants will be required to prepare a 3 to 5 minute pitch or overview of their work incorporating also the use of a slide. This will provide a basis for applying the practical aims of the workshop. Throughout the three day workshop, participants will be guided through interactive exercises to improve nonverbal communication, improve the ability to listen and react generously, and to integrate focusing techniques which empower the speaker. There will be two videotaping sessions (on the second and third days) in this advanced workshop, as well as further in depth role play regarding the topic of dealing with challenging Q&A sessions. Contents in brief - Concisely introducing yourself: practice your “pitch” - Engaging the audience in one’s talk - Aff irming the strengths and individual style of the speaker - Improving body language - Effectively promoting oneself - Develop strong tactics for effective communication - Receiving video-feedback Methods - voice and body techniques - partner work/role-play - language practice and analysis - improvisation, videotaping and feedback [more]

IMPRS Student Retreat

Annual retreat of the IMPRS PhD students2014 program: workshops offered by the PhD students for the PhD students!Attendance at this retreat is obligatory for all students. [more]

Molecular cloning, characterization and relevance for microcystin-kinetics of Organic anion transporting polypeptides in model and native fish species

PhD defense by Konstanze Steiner
PhD with Daniel Dietrich, Ecotoxicology, University of Konstanz [more]

Analysing animal movement in the environment

PhD defense by Bart Kranstauber
PhD with Kamran Safi, Department of Migration and Immuno-Ecology, MPI for Ornithology Radolfzell [more]

R for Biologists I: Introduction course in R programming language

This course will allow for one week of intense introduction in R a powerful opensource programming environment widely used in scientific research. We will begin with understanding how we can wrok with R to make our lifes as biologists from a wider range of subdisciplines easier. Consequently, we will want to undestand how data can be mined, rearranged and basic visualisations made. This is not a statistics course, it is intended to give a general all purpose introduction in R, from where further exploration can be achieved without the usually steep initial learning curve. Information and registration with kamran.safi@uni-konstanz.de. [more]

Data Visualisation Workshop

This two-day workshop enables life scientists to effectively create figures based on quantitative data that add impact to their publications. The workshop is divided into two one-day modules: Principles and Applications. On the first day, the Principles module focuses on understanding the purpose of a figure, choosing the most appropriate plot type, and the science of perception. The first day is primarily concerned with the art of visual communicaiton and integrates participants’ own examples into the teaching process. On the second day, the Applications module focuses on the practical implementation of the data visualisation principles discussed on the first day. This is done using the R statistical programming environment with the participants’ own data. Sample Submission Participants are asked to provide a sample visualisation of their own results that will be used as a teaching example on the first day. Requirements Participants should already be proficient with R. A detailed list of suggested R functions and concepts is provided in a pre-workshop self-assessment for participants. Participants are strongly encouraged to bring in their own data sets and computers for practical work on the second day and should have the following cross-platform software pre-installed:R – v3.0 or later (http://www.r-project.org/)RStudio – v0.97 or later (http://rstudio.org/download/desktop)JGR – v1.7-14 or later (http://rforge.net/JGR/index.html) [more]

Statistics Module 3: Generalised linear models and generalised linear mixed models

Day 1: Binomial model - refreshing LM and LMM - introduction Bayesian data analysis - logistic regression, binomial model - model assumptions, overdispersion - tests, predictions Day 2: Poisson model - Poisson model - model assumptions, overdispersion - tests, predictions - depending on participants wishes: zero-inflation Day 3: GLMM - including random effects - glmer-function - depending on participants wishes: introduction to WinBUGS and more complex models Day 4: projects - work on own data and presentationsPrerequisite for participationModul 1 and 2, basic knowledge in statistics, linear models (ANOVA) and linear mixed models [more]

Bat acoustics and sound analysis with Avisoft SASLab Pro

First afternoon: theoretical introduction in bat acoustics, echolocation and virtual echo-acoustic objects;Second afternoon: theoretical-practical introduction in SASLab Pro [more]

Statistic Module 4: Own data workshop

day 1: 2-3 Short inputs depending on participants projects short presentation of participants projects day 2 and 3: guided work on own project day 3: presentations of projects prerequisite for participation basic knowledge in statistics, participation in at least 2 of the Modules 1 – 3. Participants bring their own data. They are requested to send a short description of their projects to the teachers at least one week before the start of the workshop. [more]

Proxies of extra-pair behaviour: the influence of the spatial, temporal, and social setting on patterns of extra-pair paternity

PhD defense by Lotte Schlicht
PhD with Bart Kempenaers, Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, MPI for Ornithology Seewiesen [more]

Circadian biology of songbirds : endogenous and environmental components

PhD defense by Marina Lehmann
PhD with Barbara Helm, University of Glasgow + Martin Wikelski, Department of Migration and Immuno-Ecology, MPI for Ornithology / University of Konstanz [more]

Statistical and Conceptual Approaches towards Multivariate Phenotypes

Statistical and Conceptual Approaches towards Multivariate Phenotypes
Monday: Lectures and practical application Jon Wright: The conceptual context of characterizing multivariate phenotypes, genotypes and functional units Niels Dingemanse: The evolutionary ecology of multivariate phenotypes Dirk Metzel: A comparison of Bayesian vs Frequentist vs approaches in statistics Alastair Wilson: Multivariate quantitative genetics. Partitioning correlations within vs. between individuals, and between-individual correlations in G and PE. Implementation of exploratory factor analysis in multivariate mixed models. Modelling platform: ASREML/R or MCMCglmm Geir Bolstad: Demonstration of R-package “evolvability” - tools for understanding multivariate genetic variation and effects on rates and directions of evolution Tuesday: Lectures and practical application Yimen Araya-Ajoy: Multi-level multivariate phenotypic variation (i.e. within vs. between individuals) Geir Bolstad: Analyses of allometry; Random regressions in ontogenetic allometry, relationships between ontogenetic, static, and evolutionary allometry. Ned Dochtermann: Multivariate hypothesis testing: when to use confirmatory factor analysis vs. PCA, path analyses and Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) Wednesday: excursion Thursday: Student Introductory Presentations + Working on own data Friday: Working on own data + Student presentations of preliminary results Speaker Prof. Jonathan Wright, Dr. Geir Hysing Bolstad, Dr. Thor Harald Ringsby and Dr. Irja Ratikainen (Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics, Norwegian University of Science and Technology), Prof. Ned. A. Dochtermann (North Dakota State University), Dr. Alastair Wilson (University of Exeter), Prof. Dr. Dirk Metzler (Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich), Prof. Niels J. Dingemanse, PhD-candidate Yimen Araya-Ajoy (Max Planck Institute for Ornithology) [more]

Statistics Module 2: Linear Models and Linear Mixed Models with R

Statistics Module 2: Linear Models and Linear Mixed Models with R
day 1: LM Linear Regression, multiple Regression ANOVA, ANCOVA (least-square method, parameterisation, interactions, tests (marginal and sequential), model selection, model assumptions, predictions, introduction to Bayesian data analysis); day 2: LME linear mixed models (maximum likelihood, restricted maximum likelihood, random and fixed effects, likelihood ratio test / bootstrap, random slopes-random intercept models, evt. further model types depending on the participants wishes); day 3: LME (model matrix, simulating posterior distributions of model parameters, predictions, posterior probabilities of hypotheses, preparing data for work on own data); day 4: work on own data and presentations. Prerequisite for participation: Basic knowledge in R programming is required. Particularly, it is assumed that you are familiar with working with the R Console and an editor, reading the data and producing the most common graphics (histogram, scatterplot, boxplot). [more]

Scientific Writing for Advanced Students

Scientific Writing for Advanced Students
Being a scientist means one must have many skills and talents – intimidatingly so sometimes. And writing papers is one of the most important ones. It’s the currency into which we turn our research and also the most important means for the community to judge us by. Luckily, like most aspects of science it’s a skill that we can improve and this course will help you with this. We will spend a couple of very intensive days together, where we will use your own paper in progress, interspersed with other exercises, such as writing an abstract for a Nature paper, and lots of discussion to help you detect your own weaknesses and work on them in a peer review approach. Together we will identify what makes a paper good and how to structure it properly. We will think about the differences between scientific language compared to other forms of writing (with a mind on mistakes non-native speakers commonly make), as well as many important details such as citing literature, picking the right journal, cover letters and dealing with reviewers etc. Our aim is to have a solid draft of your paper by the end of the course meaning we write a section a day, so the more mature your draft is when you bring it to the course the better a foundation we have to work on. Requirements: This is an advanced course, we expect you to have taken a basic writing course before. Good English language skills are a requirement. We will NOT help you analyze your data. Please bring a fully analyzed dataset including what you think are going to be your main figures and tables (no more than 3 each). Please send us an outline (not a draft) of your paper, with a brief summary for each of the major sections introduction, methods, results and discussion in bullet points latest one week before the course. Bring a draft – the more advanced the better – with you to Hegne. We’ll be sending more information and reading material more shortly before the course. Find more info about us here: http://www.orn.mpg.de/641895/Sociality-and-Movement [more]

Mastering your PhD

Mastering your PhD
The workshop aims to support PhD students during their first big research project. Generally a PhD student is well adapted to conduct his/her research but encounters difficulties with i.e. time management, lack of coordination/cooperation with others, insecurities if and how to ask for support and is maybe also not prepared to fulfil the different roles which are expected by him/her. This workshop will strengthen the management and communication skills of the participants and help them to deal with unexpected and frustrating situations. Participants will learn management and communication skills by: - defining goals and objectives in a smart way - planning their workload with efficiency and effectiveness - being clear about their different roles during a PhD project - improving their collaboration ability - learning techniques for a successful delegation. First day: Planning a project: Setting goals + Time management Introduction to project management, Defining aims and objective according to SMART principle, Planning and Structuring the workload of a project, Using time management to be more efficient, Defining different roles Second day: Delegation and communication Dealing with the supervisor, Successful delegation, How to prevent and avoid risks, How to deal with stress and frustration, Communication exercises Dr. Valeska Russo holds a PhD in inorganic Chemistry. After 10 years as project manager and trainer at Siemens and Nokia Siemens Networks, she started to teach project management and science related soft skills for PhD students, Postdocs and young group leaders in 2009. She focuses on management, communication and presentation and also teaches methods of awareness and stress reduction to reach a good work-life balance. [more]

Compatibility benefits of social and extra-pair mate choice in the zebra finch

PhD defense by Malika Ihle
PhD with Wolfgang Forstmeier, Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, MPI for Ornithology Seewiesen [more]

Genomic sequence data handling and analysis

Genomic sequence data handling and analysis
This is an introductory course to students planning to analyse genomic sequence data. The course will familiarize with some tools and websites characteristically used in genome analyses with a focus on steps downstream computer-intense genome assembly and read mapping, e.g. extraction of information from a genome browser, read coverage and expression difference calculations, SNP calling and annotation, scans for selection signatures, Linux and R for txt-file manipulations, etc.. Far from being complete, the course aims to provide a starting point for own idiosyncratic sequence projects. Participants need to install Linux (e.g. in Virtualbox) and R (e.g. as R-studio) on their computers, but we will also provide a few installed computers in our seminar room. [more]

Writing Lab for Research Articles

Writing Lab for Research Articles
This writing event is a unique opportunity for young researchers who have already been taught the principles of scientific writing to put those principles to work in a stimulating and supportive writing atmosphere. During the writing lab you will develop the text of a research article with the aim of having a first draft in hand by the end of the week. You will receive guidance from two writing mentors who are native English speaking biologists, benefiting from their extensive experience in research, writing, journal editing and teaching. In addition, you will work together with a writing partner thus ensuring that you remain motivated and productive throughout the week. A morning class of 1-2 hours will prime each day's writing activities by reminding participants of the do's and don'ts when writing each section of a research article with the IMRaD format (Introduction, Materials & Methods, Results, and Discussion plus Abstract and Title). This will be followed by structured writing exercises and one-to-one feedback sessions with assigned mentors and writing partners. Completing a first draft by the end of the week is an ambitious but achievable aim. This task is made realistic by dividing it into several intermediate steps, each corresponding to a single IMRaD section. These steps come with strict deadlines thus maintaining writing momentum throughout the week. By the end of the week you will be significantly closer to having an article that can be submitted for publication. Preparation and requirements All participants should have already attended Science Craft's two-day workshop on Scientific Writing or an equivalent introductory writing course. Ideally, you should also have gathered sufficient results to form the basis of a research article with a clear narrative and "take home message" in mind. If you are not yet at this point then you should, as a minimum, have a completely analysed dataset in hand to use as a starting point for your writing. In advance of the writing lab, all participants should submit an abstract (max 250 words) as well as some additional material related to your planned research article. We strongly encourage you to keep a "lab book" detailing your experimental work in the months preceding the writing lab. The lab book should explain why each of your experiments was performed and contain a brief outline of experimental procedures as well as a concise statement of each result. Participants The writing lab is intended for 10 participants and will be led by two writing mentors: Dr. Adam Wilkins and Dr Brian Cusack. Adam holds a PhD in Genetics and was editor of Bioessays for nearly 20 years. He is currently an editor for the journal Genetics. Adam has published extensively in the fields of molecular, developmental and evolutionary biology. Adam has taught courses on Scientific Writing at a range of research institutes for the past 9 years. Brian holds a Ph.D. in Genetics and has performed postdoctoral research in the field of evolutionary genetics. He is the first author of several research articles published in top-tier journals and has been an instructor of Science Craft's Scientific Writing workshop since 2012. [more]

CANCELED!! Statistics Module 3: Generalised linear models and generalised linear mixed models

Day 1: Binomial model - refreshing LM and LMM - introduction Bayesian data analysis - logistic regression, binomial model - model assumptions, overdispersion - tests, predictions Day 2: Poisson model - Poisson model - model assumptions, overdispersion - tests, predictions - depending on participants wishes: zero-inflation Day 3: GLMM - including random effects - glmer-function - depending on participants wishes: introduction to WinBUGS and more complex models Day 4: projects - work on own data and presentationsPrerequisite for participationModul 1 and 2, basic knowledge in statistics, linear models (ANOVA) and linear mixed models [more]

A Metropolis run by Mini-Brains: The Life of Leaf-Cutting Ants

Talk Christoph Kleineidam, Möggingen
My work aims to better understand the neuronal basis of behavior and its consequences for social organization in insects. What are the proximate (neuronal) mechanisms for individual behavior, and how does individual behavior impact social decision-making? To approach this question, I work on two different sensory systems: odor recognition and temperature perception. More specifically, my group and I investigate the mechanisms of odor pattern recognition, especially trail following behavior in leaf-cutting ants and nestmate recognition in carpenter ants. Beside behavioral and neurophysiological investigations, we dissect the genetic basis of odor-guided behavior by identifying the differential expression of olfactory receptor coding genes. We also address the question how temperature is perceived, and how the sensory system gathers information that allows highly sensitive and fine-tuned temperature-guided behavior in social insects. In both systems, I am interested in inter-individual variability, its consequences for task-allocation and the emergence of division of labor. [more]

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
Day 1: Indroduction Introduction to experimental design theory (difference between experiment and observation, confounding, importance of randomisation, types of experimental designs, implications for data analysis); practical ( randomization with the software R, simple power calculations); Day 2: Introduction to experimental design theory (power); practical (simple power calculations) Exercise: students design an experiment based on a given research question. The proposed designs are discussed in class. Day 3: Applications - Each participant is asked to send a description of one planned experiment (or one running experiment if none is planned) to steffi.vonfelten@oikostat.ch until February 21st, 2015 (e.g., drawing of the spatial layout and text description, what measurements are taken and when?). Course participants will present the design of their own experiments. Each experimental design will be discussed in class and will also receive some feedback by the course teacher. Prerequisite for participation: basic knowledge of statistics and the software package R would be an advantage but is not absolutely required. [more]

Environmental and social modulation of hormones and behavior in a free living songbird, the black redstart

PhD defense by Camila Villavicencio
PhD with Wolfgang Goymann, Department of Behavioural Neurobiology, MPI for Ornithology Seewiesen [more]

Selection Symposium 2015

Selection Symposium 2015
At our annual selection symposium, all shortlisted applicants for the upcoming PhD projects are invited to present their most relevant research in 10 -15 min talks and get to know the IMPRS. Besides the public presentations and a 30 min interview, there also is plenty of time for informal exchanges among applicants, students and faculty during social evening events and site visits to all three locations. Sunday 22: Arrival and welcome dinner at MPIO Radolfzell Monday 23 + Tuesday 24: Presentations and interviews (U Konstanz, A703) Wednesday 25: Guided tours MPIO Radolfzell + Seewiesen, farewell dinner Thursday 26: Departure Successful applicants will be informed around Mid-April and are expected to start their PhD projects latest in September. [more]

From uni- to multimodal signaling: towards an integrative view on anuran communication

Talk Walter Hoedl, Seewiesen
Undeniably, acoustic signals are the predominant mode of communication in frogs and toads. Acoustically active species are found throughout the vast diversity of anuran families. However, additional or alternative signal modalities have gained increasing attention. In several anurans seismic, visual and chemical communication has convergently evolved due to ecological constraints such as noisy environments. The emphasis of a visual cue, such as the inevitably moving vocal sac of acoustically advertising males, is facilitated by conspicuously coloured throats. Striking visual signals independent of vocalizations are limb movements with the dynamic display of bright colours. In some multimodal anuran communication systems the acoustic component acts as an alert signal, which alters the receiver attention to the following visual display. Recent findings of colourful glands on vocal sacs, producing volatile species-specific scent bouquets suggest the integration of acoustic, visual and chemical cues in species recognition and mate choice. The combination of signal components allows for a broadened display repertoire in challenging environmental conditions. Thus, frogs and toads may possess more complex communications skills than science previously has given them credit for. [more]

Scope and Dimensions of Hormonal Maternal Effects

Talk Hubert Schwabl, Seewiesen
Maternal effects are ubiquitous generators of diverse phenotypic variation. Many maternal effects are based on hormonal signalling from mother to offspring and among other hormones steroids are critical signals. Since steroids play key roles in vertebrate reproduction and developmental differentiation their transmission from mother to embryo links generations, suggesting co-evolution of actions in mother and offspring. Birds have played a major role in generating knowledge about hormone-mediated maternal effects at the level of their functions and to a lesser extent their mechanisms. One of the classes of steroids that are transmitted from the ovary into the avian egg during yolk formation are androgens. The doses of androgens in eggs vary at multiple levels - within the eggs of a clutch, among clutches, among populations, and among species. Variation at these different levels has been addressed in relation to adaptive functions, such as parental favouritism, differential allocation, local adaptation, and life history strategies. However, only once we understand the integration of different maternal effect pathways and the mechanisms operating in mother and offspring will we fully understand the scope and limitations of maternal effects in evolutionary processes. I will review work on maternal effects conducted in my lab and in collaboration with others, refer to critical studies from other labs, and discuss basic developmental mechanisms of pleiotropic actions by which maternal steroids might influence offspring phenotype during the earliest embryo stages. [more]

Themes and variations in bird song at the within-individual, between-individual and between-population levels

Talk Láslzló Zsolt Garamszegi, Seewiesen
Bird song is known as the acoustic analogue of the peacock’s tail, and is often used as a model in sexual selection studies. Most research has focused on between-individual differences in song traits and investigated questions about how aspects of male quality can be signalled and how these can be translated into fitness benefits. However, bird song is a very special in a sense that it can also show a considerable variation within individuals, while spatio-temporal patters define biologically important patterns of variations at the between-population level. My research group has been studying the song of the collared flycatcher (Ficedula albicollis), which has a modestly complex system with males using 15-50 different syllable types in their individual-specific repertoires that they vary with high plasticity. In our earlier studies, by adopting the classical focus from behavioural ecology on between-individual variations, we determined the information content of male repertoires its relationship with mating success. More recently, we investigate how songs change within individuals across different temporal windows (within- and between days, and between years) and how such reaction norms differ among individuals and what are the fitness consequences of this variation. At a higher level, we study compositional changes in song at the between-population level, which open horizons for understanding the dynamics of cultural evolution. In my talk, I will provide examples from our model species to demonstrate the evolutionary relevance of the complex hierarchical organization of bird song. [more]

Statistics Module 4: Own Data Workshop

Statistics Module 4: Own Data Workshop
day 1: 2-3 Short inputs depending on participants projects short presentation of participants projects day 2 and 3: guided work on own project day 3: presentations of projects prerequisite for participation basic knowledge in statistics, participation in at least 2 of the Modules 1 – 3. Participants bring their own data. They are requested to send a short description of their projects to the teachers at least one week before the start of the workshop. [more]

Lakes as food sources for bats: evidence from stable isotopes and acoustic monitoring

PhD defense by Ioanna Salvarina
PhD with Karl-Otto Rothhaupt, Limnology, University of Konstanz [more]

Grants and Fellowships for Post-Docs in Horizon 2020

Grants and Fellowships for Post-Docs in Horizon 2020
The seminar “Grants and Fellowships for Post-Docs in Horizon 2020” aims to inform about funding opportunities for individuals within the European Research Framework Programme Horizon 2020, particularly about the Marie Sklodowska Curie Fellowships and the European Research Council Grants (ERC). The talk takes place at the following dates in your institute: Seewiesen: May, 5th at 11 am, seminar room in Haus 4 Radolfzell: May, 13th at 1 pm in the seminar room In case you prefer the date at the partner premises, just give us a short notice and we’ll try to get a video transmission from Seewiesen to Radolfzell or vice versa. If you are interested in an individual consultation regarding any question on European funding, just contact the speaker in order to make an appointment. [more]

Introduction in Scientific Writing

Introduction in Scientific Writing
This two-day workshop enables life scientists to to write clearly and with impact! The participants learn how to construct a “take-home” message that tells the story of their research, choose words that communicate their science clearly, and structure their paper into a flowing narrative. [more]

The Contributions of Seasonality, Song and Hormonal Regulation to the Evolution of Songbirds

PhD defense by Kim Mortega
PhD with Barbara Helm, University of Glasgow + Michaela Hau, Research Group Evolutionary physiology, MPI for Ornithology Seewiesen [more]

Phenotypic, environmental, and genetic variation as sources of intraspecific differences in behavioral sleep in wild great tits (Parus major)

PhD defense by Erica Stuber
PhD with Jakob Müller, Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, MPI for Ornithology Seewiesen [more]

Multi-level variation in labile characters: adaptive causes and evolutionary consequences

PhD defense by Yimen Araya-Ajoy
PhD with Jakob Müller, Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, MPI for Ornithology Seewiesen [more]

Diversity, Discrimination and Respect at Work

Talk Steffen Giessner
This talk will give a short overview of the latest insights into the promises and pitfalls of a diverse workforce on employee outcomes like respectful interactions at work, cooperation, creativity and conflict at work. First, I will define what diversity actually means and what types of diversity exists. Next, I will present two perspectives on diversity at work: the information/decision perspective and the categorization perspective. While the former argues that diversity offers lots of promises, the later one elaborates on the risks. Consequently, the talk will address these risks in more detail – mainly explaining how human information processing is based on stereotyping and under which conditions this can result in disrespectful treatment of other employees. The presentation will raise awareness of specific problems at work (e.g., unfair treatment of women at work) and offer ideas for potential solutions. [more]

R for Biologists II: Visualisation and analysis of spatial information

R for Biologists II: Visualisation and analysis of spatial information
This course is intended for the attendants of R for Biologists I or scholar familiar with R programming who want to go in depth in particular areas. The course will have a changing topic from a series of recurrent fields such as GIS in R, analysis and visualization of animal movement, comparative phylogenetic methods etc. The submission of a course reader is prerequisite for a successful attendance. Requirements: R programming skills. Information and registration with kamran.safi@uni-konstanz.de. Further information see https://lsf.uni-konstanz.de/qisserver/servlet/de.his.servlet.RequestDispatcherServlet?state=verpublish&status=init&vmfile=no&publishid=47473&moduleCall=webInfo&publishConfFile=webInfo&publishSubDir=veranstaltung. [more]

Niche partitioning in similar, closely related sympatric bat species? A morphological and mechanical approach

PhD defense by Daniela Schmieder
PhD with Tigga Kingston, Texas Tech University + Martin Wikelski, Department of Migration and Immuno-Ecology, MPI for Ornithology Radolfzell [more]

Bats and ambient noise : From chatty neighbours to disturbing humans

PhD defense by Jinhong Luo
PhD with Lutz Wiegrebe, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich + Holger Goerlitz, Acoustic and Functional Ecology lab, MPI for Ornithology Seewiesen [more]

Grand Challenges on SCIENTIFIC COMMUNICATION Symposium

Grand Challenges on SCIENTIFIC COMMUNICATION Symposium
Telmo Pievani (U Padova): Sharing Discoveries: New Frontiers and Projects in Communication of Science / Henning Krause (Helmholtz Association): Research Communication 2.0 / Carin Bondar (‘Biologist with a Twist’; independent writer & presenter): Sex, Science and Storytelling: The Art of Effective Communication / Kees Moeliker (Improbable Research / Natural History Museum Rotterdam): The Duck, his Mate and (other) Improbable Research / Daniel Mertens (Schillermertens): “Silent Post” - Scientific Communication / besides presentations from the IMPRS faculty and PhD candidates and award of the "Best Student Paper". [more]

Teaching Week

Teaching Week
The teaching week addresses the new IMPRS students to give an insight into the different labs and research groups, their research focus and methods, and to give the new students the opportunity to get to know each other, exchange experiences and to discuss possible collaboration with other labs. The teaching week is obligatory for all incoming graduate students, everybody else interested is warmly welcome to join! In 2015, research groups and labs from the MPIO Seewiesen will present their research topics and methods, in a mixture of lectures, experiments, and tours through their facilities. 26.09.15 "Intro in our IMPRS" by the IMPRS coordinator Mäggi Hieber Ruiz; 28-30.09.15 presentation of the research groups; 28.09.15 "Student life: hurdles and difficulties that can arise during a PhD", by the PhD candidates; 29.09.15 presentation of the Officers for Equal Opportunity + for Conflict Management; 29.09.15 workshop "Scientific Ethics + Integrity" by the MPIO Ombudsperson Henrik Brumm; 01-02.10.15 workshop "Mastering your PhD" by Valeska Russo, ProSciencia. [more]

Mastering your PhD

Mastering your PhD
The workshop aims to support PhD students during their first big research project. Generally a PhD student is well adapted to conduct his/her research but encounters difficulties with i.e. time management, lack of coordination/cooperation with others, insecurities if and how to ask for support and is maybe also not prepared to fulfil the different roles which are expected by him/her. This workshop will strengthen the management and communication skills of the participants and help them to deal with unexpected and frustrating situations. Participants will learn management and communication skills by: - defining goals and objectives in a smart way - planning their workload with efficiency and effectiveness - being clear about their different roles during a PhD project - improving their collaboration ability - learning techniques for a successful delegation. First day: Planning a project: Setting goals + Time management Introduction to project management, Defining aims and objective according to SMART principle, Planning and Structuring the workload of a project, Using time management to be more efficient, Defining different roles Second day: Delegation and communication Dealing with the supervisor, Successful delegation, How to prevent and avoid risks, How to deal with stress and frustration, Communication exercises Dr. Valeska Russo holds a PhD in inorganic Chemistry. After 10 years as project manager and trainer at Siemens and Nokia Siemens Networks, she started to teach project management and science related soft skills for PhD students, Postdocs and young group leaders in 2009. She focuses on management, communication and presentation and also teaches methods of awareness and stress reduction to reach a good work-life balance. [more]

Introduction to statistics using R

Introduction to statistics using R
Day 1: Introduction to R (work with console and editor, read data, save data, basics in programming R, graphics); Basics in statistics (refreshing descriptive statistics (mean, sd, se, median, quartiles), hypothesis testing, classical statistical tests using R) Day 2: Introduction to simple linear models using R (One-way/two-way ANOVA, simple linear regression, ANCOVA, R lm function / General Linear Models) [more]

Writing of Research Statements and Grant Proposals

Grant Proposals Writing
[more]

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
[more]

Conference Presentation: Engaging the Listener in Your Talk

Conference Presentation: Engaging the Listener in Your Talk
  • Start: Oct 26, 2015
  • End: Oct 28, 2015
  • Speaker: Julie Stearns
  • Impulsplus; Julie Stearns is a lecturer at the University of Duisburg-Essen and Folkwang University of the Arts and has been working for the Impulsplus team of qualified and dynamic trainers since 2011. Julie also works as a professional actress and director and produces theater and performance projects with international cooperation partners. She has several years of experience in teaching presentation skills, as well as voice and body training, self-marketing skills and performance skills. Julie offers workshops in the following subjects: “Scientific and Conference Presentation”, “Self-Marketing Skills”, “Storytelling Techniques for Scientists”, “Voice and Body Training”, “Fielding Questions: Preparing Your Audience for Discussion”, “Quick on Your Feet: Spontaneous Speaking Practice” and “One to One Training: Tailored Training for Individuals”
  • Location: Seewiesen
  • Room: Seminar Room House 4
  • Host: IMPRS for Organismal Biology
  • Contact: mhieber@orn.mpg.de
[more]

Follow-up - Conference Presentation: Engaging the Listener in Your Talk

Follow-up - Conference Presentation: Engaging the Listener in Your Talk
  • Date: Oct 29, 2015
  • Speaker: Julie Stearns
  • Impulsplus; Julie Stearns is a lecturer at the University of Duisburg-Essen and Folkwang University of the Arts and has been working for the Impulsplus team of qualified and dynamic trainers since 2011. Julie also works as a professional actress and director and produces theater and performance projects with international cooperation partners. She has several years of experience in teaching presentation skills, as well as voice and body training, self-marketing skills and performance skills. Julie offers workshops in the following subjects: “Scientific and Conference Presentation”, “Self-Marketing Skills”, “Storytelling Techniques for Scientists”, “Voice and Body Training”, “Fielding Questions: Preparing Your Audience for Discussion”, “Quick on Your Feet: Spontaneous Speaking Practice” and “One to One Training: Tailored Training for Individuals”.
  • Location: Seewiesen
  • Room: Seminar Room House 4
  • Host: IMPRS for Organismal Biology
  • Contact: mhieber@orn.mpg.de
TARGET GROUP: This workshop targets PhD students and Post-doctoral fellows who have taken Conference Presentation part I, and who wish to further improve their presentation skills and focus in particular on the context of conferences. OBJECTIVES: This is an activity-based training is led by a theatre professional whose expertise is in helping the speaker effectively communicate the importance and relevance of the work and the core message in the talk. This course aims to focus on further development and special focus of key communication skills in the context of conferences. DESCRIPTION: This one-day course provides a limited number of participants who have already taken the workshop “Conference Presentation”, the opportunity to deliver a typical conference presentation and focus on the key aspects of conference presentation challenges. Attention will also be given to structural elements and language dynamics for improving overall speech and communication. The session will also include dealing with question and answer sessions as well as other peripheral details involved in the overall conference experience. CONTENTS IN BRIEF: • Engaging the audience in one’s talk • Affirming the strengths and individual style of the speaker • Improving body language • Effectively promoting oneself • Develop strong tactics for effective communication • Dealing with challenging Q&A sessions. METHODS: • Voice and body techniques • Partner work/role-play • Language practice and analysis • Trainer PPT input • Improvisation, videotaping and feedback • Tailored training for individual participants needs. [more]

Effects of prenatal and postnatal environments on nestling and adult energy expenditure

Talk Gary Burness, Seewiesen
Within a population there exists variation among individuals in physiological traits. There is increasing recognition that the rearing environment, including that experienced prenatally, can affect the adult phenotype and contribute to this variation. Using captive Japanese quail, we have been exploring the role that temperature, experienced either pre- or post-natally, has on an individual’s growth rates and thermal physiology. To our surprise, we have found that effects can be long lasting, and influence adult energy expenditure. Using wild birds we have been testing whether maternally-derived antibodies, transferred to offspring via egg yolk, influence nestling metabolic rate and capacity to mount an immune response. Effects are detectable at the fledgling stage, although we cannot track effects in adults. These experimental systems highlight the role that early environmental effects have on an individual’s energy expenditure however direct links with fitness remain to be shown. [more]

Bat acoustics and sound analysis with Avisoft SASLab Pro

Bat acoustics and sound analysis with Avisoft SASLab Pro
In this three-day course we will give you a concise introduction on general acoustics and how to analyze sound. More specifically, we will focus on how bats perceive their world through echolocation and point out distinctive features of the ultrasound realm. You will apply your new knowledge using a very powerful sound analyses program, SASLab Pro. [more]

Introduction in Scientific Writing

Introduction in Scientific Writing
This two-day workshop enables life scientists to write clearly and with impact! The participants learn how to construct a “take-home” message that tells the story of their research, choose words that communicate their science clearly, and structure their paper into a flowing narrative. [more]

Social Network Analyses

Social Network Analyses
Social network analysis is becoming a widely used tool for studying social behaviour of animals. However, getting started with animal social networks is often challenging. This workshop will introduce the fundamental concepts that are central in using this method correctly, including: - How to define edges and construct networks - How to visualise networks - How to interpret network metrics - How to perform permutation tests - How to test hypotheses with network data - Outstanding questions and future directions in animal social networks The formal parts of the workshop will be mostly discussion-based. This will be followed by some worked examples, and plenty of time for students to work on their own data. By the end of this workshop, participants should have a better understanding of considerations and assumptions that arise from using social data, and how statistical methods can address issues such as non-independence and sampling bias. Damien Farine will be starting as a Primary Investigator at the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology in December. Damien specialises on using quantitative approaches for studying the evolution and maintenance of sociality. He has been involved both in the developed of quantitative tools and their application in a range of empirical studies. His research on birds (both in wild and in captive experiments) and wild baboons uses simultaneous tracking of animal groups to gain insight into mechanisms that underpin the formation of social networks and the evolutionary consequences of group living. [more]

The evolution of sweet taste perception in birds

Talk Maude Baldwin, Seewiesen
Taste is a crucial sense: it allows animals to select food that is nutritious, and to avoid potential toxins. Most mammals perceive and are attracted to (if not hooked on) sugars, yet the evolutionary history of sweet perception in vertebrates is not straightforward. Studying the sense of taste in a comparative framework can provide insight into questions about the evolution and function of sensory systems and shed light on basic mechanisms of the evolutionary process. Birds appear to taste sweet in a different way than mammals do. Following an early loss of the vertebrate sweet receptor, hummingbirds re-evolved a new carbohydrate sensor, using the savory, or umami receptor, instead. Multiple other radiations of birds are fruit- or nectar-feeding and are likely sensitive to sugar, yet how they detect carbohydrates is unknown. In our group we will examine the mechanisms by which birds perceive sweet and will investigate the extent of convergent evolution; in addition, we are looking at the origin of sweet taste in vertebrates in a broader phylogenetic context. We use an integrative approach, combining molecular and cell-culture techniques with behavioral studies. In addition, we will develop new tools to probe the function and evolution of the taste system in birds and to examine the effects of diet shifts on organismal ecology and physiology. [more]

R for Biologists I: Introduction course in R programming language

R for Biologists I: Introduction course in R programming language
This course will allow for one week of intense introduction in R a powerful opensource programming environment widely used in scientific research. We will begin with understanding how we can wrok with R to make our lifes as biologists from a wider range of subdisciplines easier. Consequently, we will want to undestand how data can be mined, rearranged and basic visualisations made. This is not a statistics course, it is intended to give a general all purpose introduction in R, from where further exploration can be achieved without the usually steep initial learning curve. [more]

IMPRS Student Retreat

IMPRS Student Retreat
Annual retreat of the IMPRS PhD students 2015 program: workshops offered by the PhD students for the PhD students! Attendance at this retreat is obligatory for all students. [more]

Scientific Writing for Advanced Students

Scientific Writing for Advanced Students
Being a scientist means one must have many skills and talents – intimidatingly so sometimes. And writing papers is one of the most important ones. It’s the currency into which we turn our research and also the most important means for the community to judge us by. Luckily, like most aspects of science it’s a skill that we can improve and this course will help you with this. We will spend a couple of very intensive days together, where we will use your own paper in progress, interspersed with other exercises and lots of discussion to help you detect your own weaknesses and work on them in a peer review approach. Together we will identify what makes a paper good and how to structure it properly. We will think about the differences between scientific language compared to other forms of writing (with a mind on mistakes non-native speakers commonly make), as well as many important details such as citing literature, picking the right journal, cover letters and dealing with reviewers etc. Our aim is to have a solid draft of your paper by the end of the course meaning we write a section a day, so the more mature your draft is when you bring it to the course the better a foundation we have to work on. Requirements: This is an advanced course, we expect you to have taken a basic writing course before. Good English language skills are a requirement. We will NOT help you analyze your data. Please bring a fully analyzed dataset including what you think are going to be your main figures and tables. Please send me an outline (not a draft) of your paper, with a brief summary for each of the major sections introduction, methods, results and discussion in bullet points latest one week before the course. Bring a draft – the more advanced the better – with you to the course. I’ll be sending more information and reading material more shortly before the course. [more]

Data Visualisation Workshop

Data Visualisation Workshop
This three-day workshop enables life scientists to effectively create figures based on quantitative data that add impact to their publications. The workshop is divided into two one-day modules: Principles and Applications. On the first day, the Principles module focuses on understanding the purpose of a figure, choosing the most appropriate plot type, and the science of perception. The first day is primarily concerned with the art of visual communicaiton and integrates participants’ own examples into the teaching process. On the second and third day, the Applications module focuses on the practical implementation of the data visualisation principles discussed on the first day. This is done using the R statistical programming environment with the participants’ own data. Sample Submission Participants are asked to provide a sample visualisation of their own results that will be used as a teaching example on the first day. Requirements Participants should already be proficient with R. A detailed list of suggested R functions and concepts is provided in a pre-workshop self-assessment for participants. Participants are strongly encouraged to bring in their own data sets and computers for practical work on the second day and should have the following cross-platform software pre-installed: R – v3.0 or later (http://www.r-project.org/) RStudio – v0.97 or later (http://rstudio.org/download/desktop) JGR – v1.7-14 or later (http://rforge.net/JGR/index.html) [more]

Statistics Module 2: Linear Models and Linear Mixed Models with R

Statistics Module 2: Linear Models and Linear Mixed Models with R
day 1: LM Linear Regression, multiple Regression ANOVA, ANCOVA (least-square method, parameterisation, interactions, tests (marginal and sequential), model selection, model assumptions, predictions, introduction to Bayesian data analysis); day 2: LME linear mixed models (maximum likelihood, restricted maximum likelihood, random and fixed effects, likelihood ratio test / bootstrap, random slopes-random intercept models, evt. further model types depending on the participants wishes); day 3: LME (model matrix, simulating posterior distributions of model parameters, predictions, posterior probabilities of hypotheses, preparing data for work on own data); day 4: work on own data and presentations. Prerequisite for participation: Basic knowledge in R programming is required. Particularly, it is assumed that you are familiar with working with the R Console and an editor, reading the data and producing the most common graphics (histogram, scatterplot, boxplot). [more]

Study design and sampling decisions in mixed-effect model analyses

Study design and sampling decisions in mixed-effect model analyses
  • Start: Dec 1, 2015
  • End: Dec 3, 2015
  • Speaker: Prof. Dr. Niels Dingemanse
  • The brain and eight arms of SQuID are: Hassan Allegue + Denis Réale (Université du Québec à Montréal, Canada), Yimen Araya-Ajoy + Niels Dingemanse (MPI for Ornithology), Ned Dochtermann (University of North Dakota, USA), Laszlo Garamszegi (Estación Biológica de Doñana, Spain), Shinichi Nakagawa (University of Otago, New Zealand), Holger Schielzeth (University of Bielefeld, Germany), and Dave Westneat (University of Kentucky, U.S.A.).
  • Location: Seewiesen
  • Room: Seminar Room House 5
  • Host: IMPRS for Organismal Biology
  • Contact: mhieber@orn.mpg.de
[more]

The secrets of infidelity and long living

Talk Shinichi Nakagawa
The talk has 2 parts: 1) stories on infidelity and 2) stories on long living. I present stories on interesting dynamics of extra-pair (group) mating in two species of sparrows: house sparrows and hedge sparrows (aka dunnocks). Both sparrow stories will challenge conventional views. Then, in the second part, which is completely unrelated to the first part (unfortunately), I present 3 metaanalyses which investigated how to live long. And I should be able to give my audience on some advice on long healthy living! [more]

Statistics Module 3: Generalised linear models and generalised linear mixed models

Statistics Module 3: Generalised linear models and generalised linear mixed models
Day 1: Binomial model - refreshing LM and LMM - introduction Bayesian data analysis - logistic regression, binomial model - model assumptions, overdispersion - tests, predictions Day 2: Poisson model - Poisson model - model assumptions, overdispersion - tests, predictions - depending on participants wishes: zero-inflation Day 3: GLMM - including random effects - glmer-function - depending on participants wishes: introduction to WinBUGS and more complex models Day 4: projects - work on own data and presentations Prerequisite for participation Modul 1 and 2, basic knowledge in statistics, linear models (ANOVA) and linear mixed models [more]

Quantitative and molecular genetics of phenotypic variation in the zebra finch

PhD defense by Ulrich Knief
PhD with Wolfgang Forstmeier, Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, MPI for Ornithology Seewiesen [more]

Learning to hear: development and plasticity in the deaf brain

Talk Andrej Karl, Seewiesen
Postnatal development includes progressive and regressive brain changes, some of them dependent on experience. Using a natural model of congenital deafness, the deaf white cat, our team has focused on effects of sensory experience on the structure and function of the auditory system. We use cochlear implant to test auditory function in deaf animals. Further, we provide deaf animals with a portable signal processor and a cochlear implant and induce hearing experience at different ages. We could demonstrate a delayed and altered cortical synaptic development in congenital deafness. Chronic electrical stimulation prevented many of the maturational deficits, provided stimulation was initiated within early sensitive periods. To investigate the reasons for sensitive periods, we studied visual function of the cortical auditory areas. We could demonstrate an areal-specific crossmodal reorganization in deafness. Although in the reorganized areas the auditory responsive neurons were not reduced in number, recruitment of even a limited number of neurons for visual tasks will reduce the computational capacity in the given area. Reduced feature sensitivity, as we have further shown, complicates the starting point for learning after restoration of hearing. Finally, corticocortical connections were studied both anatomically and functionally. Based on our layer-specific recordings in primary auditory cortex we previously suggested a corticocortical decoupling in deafness. Using tracer experiments and functional studies we find reduced bottom-up and top-down cortical information transfer in deafness. Such compromised top-down processing in the auditory cortex is likely participating on the closure of sensitive periods. [more]

Statistics Module 4: Own Data Workshop

Statistics Module 4: Own Data Workshop
Guided work on own data. [more]

Long non-coding RNAs in evolution and development

Talk Anamaria Necsulea
Mammalian genomes encode tens of thousands of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), which are long transcripts that do not give rise to proteins. To date, only a minuscule fraction of lncRNAs have been experimentally characterized and their functions remain uncertain. Evolutionary studies can provide important insights into the functionality of lncRNAs, by revealing the selective pressures that act on these genes. In this talk, I will present recent insights into the evolution of lncRNAs, stemming from large-scale comparative transcriptomics studies. To study the dynamics of lncRNAs in mammalian development and evolution, we generated and analyzed RNA-seq profile in a series of five developmental stages from mid-gestation embryo to aged individuals, for four major organs, in mouse and rat. We find that lncRNA repertoires, sequences and expression patterns evolve very rapidly. However, we show that there is increased functional constraint on lncRNAs expressed in somatic organs and early in development, and we identify several evolutionarily conserved lncRNAs with potential important roles in developmental processes. [more]

Adobe IllustratorCC 2015

Adobe Illustrator
AdobeIllustrator is the world’s most powerful toolset for vector art and illustrations and for many tasks in the creative industry this software is the preferred tool for logo design, sketching, image-tracing and vector arts etc. This training will give you basic and useful techniques to manage Illustrator: Preferences, Color-Management, file-format for export, working effectively with paths as basic foundation in using AdobeIllustrator successfully to create vector graphics, for image-tracing, in sketching and drawing. [more]

Adobe PhotoshopCC 2015

Adobe Photoshop
AdobePhotoshop is the focal point of the AdobeCreativeCloud and for many tasks in the creative industry this software is the preferred tool for developing templates, layouts, image-processing etc. This training will give you basic and useful techniques to manage Photoshop: Preferences, Color-Management, file-format for export, working effectively with layers, cropping and masking as basic foundation in using AdobePhotoshop successfully in retouching, image-processing and composing. [more]

Coping with change: The evolutionary ecology of stress

Talk Maren Vitousek
Why are some individuals, and some species, better able to cope with stress than others? When faced with an acute challenge – the attack of a predator, a severe storm, a major injury – hormones mediate changes in an enormous diversity of behavioral and physiological traits. Variation in these key mechanisms of phenotype can influence the ability to survive and reproduce. In this talk I will discuss how integrative research in free-living birds is providing fundamental insight into the capacity of individuals, populations, and species to persist in changing environments, and how selection shapes endocrine mediators of phenotype. [more]

Reproductive characteristics as drivers of alien plant naturalization and invasion

PhD defense by Mialy Razanajatovo
PhD with Mark van Kleunen, Ecology lab, University of Konstanz [more]

Singing in the city park – studying courtship displays, mating decisions, and life histories of common nightingales

Talk Silke Kipper
The complex song of the common nightingale (Luscinia megarhynchos) can be considered a vocal peacock tail. In order to understand the evolution, function, and mechanisms of such elaborate courtship signals it is mandatory to study three domains: the signal inventory itself, traits that the signals are reliably indicating, and the biological relevance of this relation to receivers. We collected a longterm data set to study these domains in the song, mating decisions, and breeding biology of nightingales, following individuals across breeding seasons and years. We were able to relate specific song characteristics to individual traits such as age, body condition, or parental effort. We studied how Melatonin might potentially regulate nocturnal song activity and how song might serve as a prezygotic barrier in a hybridizing zone of twin species. Finally, I will provide examples on how the long-term documentation of life histories of individuals in their natural surroundings yielded in results of importance far beyond the study of communication and mating systems. [more]

Introduction to GAM and GAMM with R

Introduction to GAM and GAMM with R
Commencing with a basic introduction to generalised additive models (GAM) to analyse continuous data, count data and binary/proportional data. In the second part of the course generalised additive mixed effects models (GAMM) are introduced to analyse nested data. During the course several case studies are presented, in which the statistical theory is integrated with applied analyses in a clear and understandable manner. [more]

Neuronal correlates of temperature guided behavior in ants

PhD defense by Manuel Nagel
PhD with Christoph Kleineidam, Neuroethology lab, University of Konstanz [more]

Speciation Genomics in Natural Populations

Talk Jochen Wolf
The view of species as entities amenable to evolutionary change elaborated by Charles Darwin laid the conceptual foundation for our current understanding of how biodiversity can be generated. Initially marred by a rudimental understanding of hereditary principles, evolutionists gained appreciation of the mechanistic underpinnings of adaptation and speciation following the merger of Mendelian genetic principles with Darwinian evolution. By the late 20th century a mature framework in theoretical and empirical evolutionary genetic research had been developed to investigate the genetic basis of species diversification. Spurred by a recent revolution in nano-sequencing technology speciation genetic research has become increasingly open to genetic non-model organisms. Genome-wide processes can now be investigated at unprecedented resolution in essentially any eco-evolutionary model species of interest. This development has expanded speciation research beyond the traditional boundaries and unveils the genetic basis of speciation from manifold perspectives and at various stages of the splitting process. In this talk I will give an overview on recent work in the growing field of ‘speciation genomics’ unraveling the genetic underpinnings of adaptation and speciation from a micro-evolutionary perspective. While providing examples from a variety of taxa, I will capitalize on own recent work in the Eurasian crow species complex. This system is characterized by parallel evolution of a sexually selected plumage phenotype and lends itself to studying population differentiation across the speciation continuum at different time points in the evolutionary trajectory. Population genomic analyses of >100 re-sequenced genomes from across the species’ range combined with transcriptome data and other functional assays provide first insight into processes underlying the built-up of genomic differentiation and its relationships to reproductive isolation. [more]

Genome-wide Patterns of Adaptation and Speciation and Demographic Histories of Young Radiations of Cichlids

PhD defense by Andreas Kautt
PhD with Axel Meyer, Zoology and Evolutionary Biology lab, University of Konstanz [more]

Modelling phytoplankton, passengers and drivers of lake ecosystems

PhD defense by Marieke Frassl
PhD with Karl-Otto Rothhaupt, Limnology , University of Konstanz [more]

Selection Symposium 2016

Selection Symposium
At our annual selection symposium, all shortlisted applicants for the upcoming PhD projects are invited to present their most relevant research in 10 min talks and get to know the IMPRS. Besides the public presentations and a 30 min interview, there also is plenty of time for informal exchanges among applicants, students and faculty during social evening events and site visits to all three locations. [more]

Radiating despite a lack of character: closely related, morphologically similar, co-occurring honeyeaters have diverged ecologically

Talk Eliot Miller
The 75 species of Australian honeyeaters (Meliphagidae) are morphologically and ecologically diverse, with species feeding on nectar, insects, fruit, and other resources. We investigated ecomorphology and community structure of honeyeaters across Australia. First, we asked to what degree morphology and ecology (foraging behavior) are concordant. Second, we estimated rates of trait evolution. Third, we compared phylogenetic and trait community structure across the broad environmental gradients of continental Australia. We found that morphology explained 37% of the variance in ecology (and 62% vice versa), and that recovered multivariate ecomorphological relationships incorporated well-known bivariate relationships. Clades of large-bodied species exhibited elevated rates of morphological trait evolution, while members of Melithreptus showed slightly faster rates of ecological trait evolution. Finally, ecological trait diversity did not decline in parallel with phylogenetic diversity along a gradient of decreasing precipitation. We employ a new method (trait fields) and extend another (phylogenetic fields) to show that while species from phylogenetically clustered assemblages co-occur with morphologically similar species, these species are as varied in foraging behavior as those from more diverse assemblages. Thus, although closely related, these arid-adapted species have diverged in ecological space to a similar degree as their mesic counterparts, perhaps mediated by competition. [more]

Foraging ecology of seabirds

Talk Henri Weimerskirch
During the first part of my talk I will briefly introduce my research interests over the past years, especially on the use of seabirds as sentinel of climate change in the Southern Ocean, and on the changes over lifetime in the foraging strategies of seabirds. During the second part, I will focus on recent findings on the flight of frigatebirds. The spatial scale at which animals respond to atmospheric conditions is critical to understanding the evolution of flight strategies and long distance migrations. We studied three dimensional movements and energetics of frigatebirds and showed that they can stay aloft for months, making multiple trans-oceanic flights. To achieve this performance at an ocean-wide scale frigatebirds track the edge of the doldrums to take advantage of favorable wind and strong convection. At a small scale they use a roller-coaster flight relying on thermals and wind to soar within a 50-600 m altitude band under cumulus clouds and then glide at low costs over kilometers. Birds regularly soar inside cumulus clouds to use strong updraft occurring, and reach altitudes of 4000m where freezing conditions occur. With their extreme movement strategy frigatebirds encounter several atmospheric challenges that make them very susceptible to climate variability. [more]

Causes and consequences of sociality in a neotropical bat

PhD defense by Yann Gager
PhD with Dina Dechmann, Department of Migration and Immuno-Ecology, MPI for Ornithology Radolfzell [more]

The interplay between individual idiosyncrasy and collective behavior in insect groups: lessons from cockroaches and bumblebees

Talk James Crall
Animals, from fruit flies and cockroaches to birds and humans, display consistent individual variation in behavior (i.e. animal personality). However, the role of individual variation in group behavior is not well understood in animals, particularly in insects where tracking many individuals simultaneously has traditionally been difficult or impossible. Recent technological developments, particularly in computer vision, are making this problem increasingly tractable, however, and are opening the door for understanding the nuances of individual variation and its role in collective behavior. Here, I use a low-cost, image-based automated tracking system (BEEtag) to investigate the extent, origins, and function of individual behavioral variation in two insects with varying level of social behavior: cockroaches (Blaberus discoidalis) and bumblebees (Bombus impatiens). In cockroaches, we find that individuals display strong and stable differences during collective light avoidance. These differences are robust to changes in group composition, but fascinatingly disappear when individuals are tested in isolation, suggesting that group context plays a key role in modulating personality in this species. In bumblebees, we find that individual workers vary substantially in both foraging activity and nest behavior. Interestingly, the distribution of behaviors appears to be regulated at the colony level, and behavioral idiosyncrasy plays an important role in determining patterns of task switching when colony labor demands shift. Finally, we use this trackingtechnology to examine the effects of individual pesticide exposure on social behavior in colonies. Overall, these studies underscore the importance of individual variation in social insects, but also highlight the complex interplay between behavior at the individual and the group level. [more]

Writing Lab for Research Articles

Writing Lab for Research Articles
This writing event is a unique opportunity for young researchers who have already been taught the principles of scientific writing to put those principles to work in a stimulating and supportive writing atmosphere. During the writing lab you will develop the text of a research article with the aim of having a first draft in hand by the end of the week. You will receive guidance from two writing mentors who are native English speaking biologists, benefiting from their extensive experience in research, writing, journal editing and teaching. In addition, you will work together with a writing partner thus ensuring that you remain motivated and productive throughout the week. [more]

Effects of light pollution on the timing of singing in songbirds

PhD defense by Arnaud Da Silva
PhD with Bart Kempenaers, Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, MPI for Ornithology Seewiesen [more]

Effects of perceived predation risk on individual great tit life history and behavior

PhD defense by Robin Abbey-Lee
PhD with Niels Dingemanse, Research Group Evolutionary Ecology of Variation, MPI for Ornithology Seewiesen [more]

Quantitative genetics in the wild, where are we now?

Talk Benoit Pujol
Do natural populations have the ability to adapt ? I will present quantitative genetic results and novel research tracks that seek to understand how the genetic background and environmental heterogeneity shape the evolutionary potential of natural populations. I will highlight what ecological and evolutionary mechanisms limit or improve population potential to respond to selection and the potential role played by non genetic inheritance in this matter. [more]

Communicative complexity and development in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) and bonobos (Pan paniscus) in the wild

PhD defense by Marlen Fröhlich
PhD with Simone Pika, Humboldt Research Group „Evolution of communication“, MPI for Ornithology Seewiesen [more]

Seasonal Plasticity of Singing Behavior Mechanisms in Temperate and Tropical Oscines Birds

PhD defense by René Quispe Valdés
PhD with Manfred Gahr, Department of Behavioural Neurobiology, MPI for Ornithology Seewiesen [more]

Introduction in Scientific Writing

Introduction in Scientific Writing
This two-day workshop enables life scientists to to write clearly and with impact! The participants learn how to construct a “take-home” message that tells the story of their research, choose words that communicate their science clearly, and structure their paper into a flowing narrative. [more]

Quantifying the ecological impact of the straw-coloured fruit bat (Eidolon helvum) in West Africa

PhD defense by Michael Abedi-Lartey
PhD with Dina Dechmann, Department of Migration and Immuno-Ecology, MPI for Ornithology Radolfzell [more]

Neuronal stimulus representations in Drosophila learning paradigms

PhD defense by Kristina Dylla
PhD with Paul Szyszka, Neurobiology, University of Konstanz [more]

Consequences of social interactions on the evolution of individual differences in behaviour

PhD defense by Francesca Santostefano
PhD with Niels Dingemanse, Research Group Evolutionary Ecology of Variation, MPI for Ornithology Seewiesen [more]

Context dependent signalling in birds

Talk Alexis Chaine, Seewiesen
We all like very simple explanations for what we observe – and in fact, much of science is based on the principal of parsimony where the simplest explanation is considered the best. But nature is messy, it runs many different ‘experiments’ where the details matter, and all of this gets even more complicated when you deal with social groups where both cooperation and conflict are a regular part of life. In this talk, I use my own work looking at the evolution of complex social signals in two species of songbird to illustrate the role of context dependent social behavior in the evolution of signals. These examples show how social selection can generate diversity and how relatively simple interactions can generate complexity. The good news is that by digging into the details of the system, we can actually decompose this complexity and start to understand it. The first story I will talk about (briefly) is how variation in social contexts during male-male competition and variation in environments across time for female mate choice can influence the evolution of sexual signals in the lark bunting (Calamospiza melanocorys). This example is informative in that it shows how selection pressures across contexts can counteract long term selection and preserve variation in sexual signalling traits. The second story I will talk about (in more detail) is how variation in social structure can favour the evolution of multiple social signals in wintering birds – golden crowned sparrows (Zonotrichia melanocorys). In this example we start with a basic question about badges of status and discover complex social structure in wintering birds and that this social structure has a profound impact on the evolution of social signals. [more]

The influence of host social system on hostparasite evolutionary dynamics

PhD defense by Jaap van Schaik
PhD with Gerald Kerth, University of Greifswald + Bart Kempenaers, Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, MPI for Ornithology Seewiesen [more]

Grand Challenges in “EVOLUTIONARY ECOLOGY OF INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES” Symposium

Grand Challenges Symposium
Our annual Grand Challenges Symposia focus each year on a specific area of interest in the wide range of topics from animal behavior, ecology, and evolution to physiology and neuro­biology, suggested by the PhD candidates of our IMPRS. The symposia consist of a series of talks by guest speakers, faculty and students of our program and represent the inaugural event for the latest student cohort. [more]

Statistics Module 4: Own Data Workshop

Statistics Module 4: Own Data Workshop
Guided work on own data. [more]

Teaching Week

Teaching Week
The teaching week addresses the new IMPRS students to give an insight into the different labs and research groups, their research focus and methods, and to give the new students the opportunity to get to know each other, exchange experiences and to discuss possible collaboration with other labs. The teaching week is obligatory for all incoming graduate students, everybody else interested is warmly welcome to join! [more]

Convergent evolution and genetics of red coloration in weaverbirds

Talk Staffan Andersson, Seewiesen
Red is arguably the most conspicuous color in terrestrial habitats, and commonly involved in sexual, social or interspecific colour signalling. In birds, highly chromatic (“bright”) red integument (skin, scales, feathers) is typically caused by C4-ketocarotenoids (C4KC), such as astaxanthin, which are metabolically derived (‘ketolated’) from dietary yellow carotenoids, such as lutein or zeaxanthin. While this has been known for many decades, the molecular mechanism (the “C4-ketolase”) underlying this key innovation behind avian ornamentation and sexual dichromatism has remained obscure. Here we outline our recent discovery of a gene – CYP2J19 - that is responsible for red coloration in passerines, including multiple lineages of African ploceids and estrildids. High expression of CYP2J19 is found in the liver of male ploceids with red coloration in plumage or beak, and in the red beak of male estrildids. Intriguingly, CYP2J19 is also expressed in the retina, for pigmenting the red oil droplets, in all species studied so far, and this is likely its original function from which it has been recruited for red integumentary coloration in some lineages. Finally, CYP2J19 is a member of the large group of cytochrome P450 enzymes, which may indicate new mechanisms of honest signalling. Most important, however, along with our results on receiver biases for red in Euplectes, is the illustration of how striking diversification may derive from differential constraints rather than differential selection. [more]

Academic Ceremony and official welcoming of thenew PhD students

Academic Ceremony
Official welcoming of thenew PhD students in the context of the Academic Ceremony. Following the ceremony, Olga Mayans will give her inaugural lecture on “Proteins in action: the molecular consequences of force in an active muscle“. Theevent takes place in room R 712 at U KN. [more]

Frontiers in Bioimaging – Super resolution and lightsheet microscopy

Frontiers in Bioimaging
This course will cover super resolution microscopy techniques (structured illumination, localization microscopy) and light sheet microscopy by lectures, demonstrations, and hands-on. Introductory lectures for the different topics are followed by demonstration and hands-on sessions at the instruments. Also sample preparation is introduced. [more]

The influence of melatonin on birdsong and its underlying neuronal correlates - integrating technical advances to address melatonin's role as an endocrine switch

PhD defense by Susanne Seltmann
PhD with Andries ter Maat, Department of Behavioural Neurobiology, MPI for Ornithology Seewiesen [more]

SCIENTISTS NEED MORE! – Getting Started

Scientists need more
This 3-day workshops is obligatory for the new phD students and offers a first overview on how to get started. AIM - The development of scientific competence of researchers at Max Planck institutes is a major goal. Ph.D. students improve their communication with the supervisor and colleagues, develop professional skills in team working, networking, planning and project management and know how to use feedback in order to deliver a successful performance. This will enhance their overall effectiveness as they pursue their research studies and maximize success of their future careers. METHOD - Participants will experience interactive lectures, moderated discussions and perform activities to learn from first-hand experience. We will safely move them outside their “comfort zone” to the “learning zone” (Gerald Hüther) to enhance acquisition of novel skills. The experienced challenges are discussed in carefully moderated and focused review sessions, using peer-to-peer feedback as a powerful tool. [more]

Writing of Research Statements

Writing of Research Statements
Research Statements are an important part of an application for a position in academia. They pin down the researcher’s background and current results and place future plans into the context of the organisation to which the application is addressed. The challenge in writing a research statement is to be clear and concise and to show the contribution to the mission of the target organisation. This workshop addresses the essential parts of a research statement: abstract, background, current research, research agenda (3 to 5 years) and relevance. Topics and exercises vary according to the participants’ preferences. [more]

Grant Proposal Writing

Grant Proposals Writing
Successful grant proposal writing is a fundamental basis to fund a career in research. There are plenty of national and international funding programmes with different funding schemes. Each scheme has its individual context and thematic focus, eligibility and funding rules, submission and evaluation process, and evaluation criteria. Thus, the detailed features and aspects of a successful proposal in one funding scheme are naturally differing from those of a successful proposal in another funding scheme. However, the process of how to work out these details is a common denominator to the different funding schemes. It requires skills way beyond the ability to work out a research idea in detail. The workshop covers the complete proposal process. Topics and exercises are detailed and chosen with respect to the duration of the workshop and the participants’ preferences. [more]

R for Biologists I: Introduction course in R programming language

R for Biologists I: Introduction course in R programming language
This course will allow for one week of intense introduction in R a powerful opensource programming environment widely used in scientific research. We will begin with understanding how we can work with R to make our lifes as biologists from a wider range of subdisciplines easier. Consequently, we will want to undestand how data can be mined, rearranged and basic visualisations made. The course's intention is to give a solid foundationin the programming language R (and Latex, but very basic). It is not astatistics course, but does not exclude stats. The idea is to be able to masterR as a programming language to do a wealth of different things that R allows todo, which includes, but also goes way beyond, stats. [more]

Conference Presentation: Engaging the Listener in Your Talk

Conference Presentation: Engaging the Listener in Your Talk
  • Start: Nov 14, 2016
  • End: Nov 16, 2016
  • Speaker: Julie Stearns
  • Impulsplus; Julie Stearns is a lecturer at the University of Duisburg-Essen and Folkwang University of the Arts and has been working for the Impulsplus team of qualified and dynamic trainers since 2011. Julie also works as a professional actress and director and produces theater and performance projects with international cooperation partners. She has several years of experience in teaching presentation skills, as well as voice and body training, self-marketing skills and performance skills. Julie offers workshops in the following subjects: “Scientific and Conference Presentation”, “Self-Marketing Skills”, “Storytelling Techniques for Scientists”, “Voice and Body Training”, “Fielding Questions: Preparing Your Audience for Discussion”, “Quick on Your Feet: Spontaneous Speaking Practice” and “One to One Training: Tailored Training for Individuals”
  • Location: Möggingen/Radolfzell
  • Room: MaxLounge
  • Host: IMPRS for Organismal Biology
  • Contact: mhieber@orn.mpg.de
[more]

Follow-up - Conference Presentation: Engaging the Listener in Your Talk

Follow-up - Conference Presentation: Engaging the Listener in Your Talk
  • CANCELED
  • Date: Nov 17, 2016
  • Speaker: Julie Stearns
  • Impulsplus; Julie Stearns is a lecturer at the University of Duisburg-Essen and Folkwang University of the Arts and has been working for the Impulsplus team of qualified and dynamic trainers since 2011. Julie also works as a professional actress and director and produces theater and performance projects with international cooperation partners. She has several years of experience in teaching presentation skills, as well as voice and body training, self-marketing skills and performance skills. Julie offers workshops in the following subjects: “Scientific and Conference Presentation”, “Self-Marketing Skills”, “Storytelling Techniques for Scientists”, “Voice and Body Training”, “Fielding Questions: Preparing Your Audience for Discussion”, “Quick on Your Feet: Spontaneous Speaking Practice” and “One to One Training: Tailored Training for Individuals”.
  • Location: Möggingen/Radolfzell
  • Room: MaxLounge
  • Host: IMPRS for Organismal Biology
  • Contact: mhieber@orn.mpg.de
TARGET GROUP: This workshop targets PhD students and Post-doctoral fellows who have taken Conference Presentation part I, and who wish to further improve their presentation skills and focus in particular on the context of conferences. OBJECTIVES: This is an activity-based training is led by a theatre professional whose expertise is in helping the speaker effectively communicate the importance and relevance of the work and the core message in the talk. This course aims to focus on further development and special focus of key communication skills in the context of conferences. DESCRIPTION: This one-day course provides a limited number of participants who have already taken the workshop “Conference Presentation”, the opportunity to deliver a typical conference presentation and focus on the key aspects of conference presentation challenges. Attention will also be given to structural elements and language dynamics for improving overall speech and communication. The session will also include dealing with question and answer sessions as well as other peripheral details involved in the overall conference experience. CONTENTS IN BRIEF: • Engaging the audience in one’s talk • Affirming the strengths and individual style of the speaker • Improving body language • Effectively promoting oneself • Develop strong tactics for effective communication • Dealing with challenging Q&A sessions. METHODS: • Voice and body techniques • Partner work/role-play • Language practice and analysis • Trainer PPT input • Improvisation, videotaping and feedback • Tailored training for individual participants needs. [more]

IMPRS Student Retreat

IMPRS Student Retreat
Annual retreat of the IMPRS PhD students with workshops offered by the PhD candidates for the PhD candidates! Attendance at this retreat is obligatory for all students. [more]

On the ecology and evolution of partial migration: a field study on migrants and residents European blackbirds

PhD defense by Daniel Zúñiga Sepúlveda
PhD with Jesko Partecke, Department of Migration and Immuno-Ecology, MPI for Ornithology Radolfzell [more]

Linking communication strategies, roosting ecology, and social structure in Spix’s disc-winged bat, Thyroptera tricolor

Talk Erin Gillam, Seewiesen
The limited availability of refuges may represent an important factor promoting the evolution of sociality, particularly in bats. Spix’s disc-winged bats (Thyroptera tricolor ) show highly specialized morphological adaptations that enable individuals to roost inside furled musoid leaves. This roosting ecology presents major challenges, as leaves rapidly unfurl,forcing bats to locate new roosts on a daily basis. Despite the reliance of T. tricolor on such ephemeral roosting resources,bats form stable group associations. In this presentation, I will discuss work done by myself and Dr. Karina Montero,which focuses on characterizing the behavioural patterns and communication strategies use by this species, which somehowmaintains high group cohesion while moving to a new roosting location on a daily basis. In the first study presented,video and acoustic monitoring was used to assess how groups identify suitable leaf roosts and determine if acousticsignals facilitate group interactions during nightly activity. In the second study, patterns of geographic variation inthe acoustic features of two contact calls were compared with patterns of genetic differentiation of two Costa Rican populations separated by a mountain range. In the third study, an automated telemetry system was used to examine thenocturnal movement patterns of group members to determine the patterns of space use and dyadic interactions. Overall,this work contributes to our understanding of the behavioural strategies used by free-ranging bats to maintain contactwith group members and provides insight into the role of shelter stability in the evolution of the T. tricolor social system. [more]

A hitchhikerꞌs guide to waterbird migration

PhD defense by Mariëlle van Toor
PhD with Kamran Safi, Department of Migration and Immuno-Ecology, MPI for Ornithology Radolfzell [more]

Scientific Writing for Advanced Students

Scientific Writing for Advanced Students
Being a scientist means one must have many skills and talents – intimidatingly so sometimes. And writing papers is one of the most important ones. It’s the currency into which we turn our research and also the most important means for the community to judge us by. Luckily, like most aspects of science it’s a skill that we can improve and this course will help you with this. [more]

Ecology of Alternative Inversion Alleles and Reproductive Strategies of Ruff Sandpipers

Talk David B. Lank, Seewiesen
The maintenance of ecologically significant genetic polymorphisms remains a challenging field within evolutionary ecology. I will present genetic, physiological, ethological, and behavioural ecological mechanisms involved in maintaining three behavioural male morphs and individually distinctive breeding plumage polymorphism in the ruff, Philomachus pugnax, a lekking sandpiper. I will concentrate on: behavioural mating tactics of male morphs based on field and captive studies, field estimates of annual morph-specific mating success, and factors maintaining equilibrium levels among morphs, including considerations of lek size, differential fitness of female morphs, and potential mate-specific sex allocation by females. I conclude that strong sexually antagonistic intralocus conflict is likely operating at the morph-determining inversion. [more]

Statistics Module 2: Linear Models and Linear Mixed Models with R

Statistics Module 2: Linear Models and Linear Mixed Models with R
Linear models (LM) and linear mixed models (LME): Linear Regression, multiple Regression, ANOVA, ANCOVA, model selection (group work), linear mixed models, work on own data [more]

Global brain analyses at cellular resolution using massively high-throughput single cell transcriptomics

Talk Fenna Krienen & Arpiar Saunders
Understanding how brains vary across species or during disease necessitates defining and comparing cell types, the building blocks of neural circuits. Single-cell measurements of gene expression take advantage of the fact that cellular specialization is controlled transcriptionally, allowing an unbiased picture of intra- and inter-cell type variation. Due to the experimental noise, analyses with only hundreds or even thousands of measurements can be hard to interpret. Here we apply a system developed in our lab for massively high-throughput single-cell transcriptomics („Drop-seq“) to mouse and marmoset brains. Our first project has generated an atlas of cellular variation from the adult mice. This dataset consists of >750K single-cell transcriptomes from n=9 different brain regions. We illustrate this single-cell approach by comparing 28K interneurons and describe our ongoing efforts to compare brains across species and throughout development. [more]

Testing the relative roles of competition and plant-soil feedback in explaining commonness and rarity in alien and native plant species

PhD defense by Gregor Müller
PhD with Mark van Kleunen, Ecology lab, University of Konstanz [more]

Studying individual vocal communication in group-living songbirds

PhD defense by Lisa Gill
PhD with Wolfgang Goymann, Department of Behavioural Neurobiology, MPI for Ornithology Seewiesen [more]

Writing Lab for Research Articles

Writing Lab for Research Articles
This writing event is a unique opportunity for young researchers who have already been taught the principles of scientific writing to put those principles to work in a stimulating and supportive writing atmosphere. During the writing lab you will develop the text of a research article with the aim of having a first draft in hand by the end of the week. You will receive guidance from two writing mentors who are native English speaking biologists, benefiting from their extensive experience in research, writing, journal editing and teaching. In addition, you will work together with a writing partner thus ensuring that you remain motivated and productive throughout the week. [more]

Social Network Analyses

Social Network Analyses
  • Start: Jan 17, 2017
  • End: Jan 19, 2017
  • Speaker: Dr. Damien Farine
  • Damien Farine started as a Primary Investigator at the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology in December. Damien specialises on using quantitative approaches for studying the evolution and maintenance of sociality. He has been involved both in the developed of quantitative tools and their application in a range of empirical studies. His research on birds (both in wild and in captive experiments) and wild baboons uses simultaneous tracking of animal groups to gain insight into mechanisms that underpin the formation of social networks and the evolutionary consequences of group living.
  • Location: Möggingen/Radolfzell
  • Room: Seminar Room
  • Contact: snaworkshop@orn.mpg.de
Social network analysis is becoming a widely used tool for studying social behaviour of animals. However, getting started with animal social networks is often challenging and this half-day student conference + workshop will give a first insight in social network analysis. [more]

Multimodal Ecology: making sense in a changing world

Talk Wouter Halfwerk
Animals evolved sexual displays to attract partners, but these communication signals can also attract unwanted eavesdroppers imposing substantial costs that may outweigh their benefits. Furthermore, the production of many signals generates additional cues that can be picked up through a wide range of sensory systems, which needs to be taken into account when trying to understand how signals evolved and how they will respond to environmental changes. I study the sexual advertisement call of the tungara frog (Physalaemus pustulosus), a species that calls while floating in shallow puddles in the Panamanian rainforest. Calling behaviour is under strong sexual selection from females as well as natural selection from multiple eavesdroppers. Additionally, the production of these calls is associated with a large vocal sac which movements generates visual cues, as well as water surface waves or ripples that travel throughout the puddle. I will show how eavesdroppers, such as rival males or predators can use these additional cues to locate a calling male. Furthermore, I will highlight the different sensory systems used as well as the role of the environment in driving selection pressures on production and transmission of signals and their by-product cues. Finally, I will discuss the concept of multimodal ecology and its importance when trying to understand the role of sensory pollution in an urbanizing world. [more]

Behavioural rhythms and parental cooperation in biparentally incubating shorebirds

PhD defense by Martin Bulla
PhD with Bart Kempenaers, Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, MPI for Ornithology Seewiesen [more]

Statistics Module 3: Generalised linear models and generalised linear mixed models

Statistics Module 3: Generalised linear models and generalised linear mixed models
Generalised linear models and generalised linear mixed models: Binomial model, Poission model, GLMM and work on own data [more]

Recombination hotspots vs. coldspots: Examples from two lekking bird species

Talk Jacob Höglund, Seewiesen
Genomes vary in diversity within and among species. Even within diploid individuals, there are parts of the genomes that are characterized by high diversity (heterozygosity) and others that are more homozygous. It is the aim of this talk to discuss how such differences come about and are maintained in natural free-living populations. I will give a brief back ground on recombination and linkage disequilibrium. I will then describe a genomic region described as a recombinatiopn ‘hotspot‘ with examples of our studies of the MHC-region in the black grouse (Tetrao tetrix). Next I will discuss a recombination ‘coldspot‘: an inversion polymorphism (so called supergene) recently discovered in the ruff (Philomachus pugnax) which may explain the maintenance of the extraordinary behavioural polymorphism found in males of this species. I will end by relating our findings to other studies of supergenes and the maintenance of complex phenotypic traits. [more]

A journey inside the nuptial gift of a spider

Nuptial gifts, consisting of male donations of nutritious substances to females, are widespread and diverse. They are used by males to attract females, secure sperm transfer and as parental investment. In a series of experimental laboratory studies I have explored the evolutionary significance of gift giving in the spider Pisaura mirabilis, addressing both, male and female reproductive interests. Males exploit female foraging motivation by offering an insect prey wrapped in silk, that is eaten by the female during mating. The gift increases both, male mating success and fertilization success by prolonging sperm transfer. Interestingly, males also produce worthless (non-nutritive) gifts consisting of prey leftovers rather than genuine prey gifts. These males successfully ‘cheat’ females into mating while minimizing the costs associated with gift production (i.e. a missed meal), but suffer from shortened copulations. Results from my on-going research address the potential ecological drivers for worthless gifts in a natural spider population, such as intra-sexual competition and prey availability, and unearth how nuptial gifts may become a target of sexually antagonistic co-evolution, where cheating via worthless gifts leads to female resistance to the trait. [more]

Introduction in Scientific Writing

Introduction in Scientific Writing
This two-day workshop enables life scientists to to write clearly and with impact!The participants learn how to construct a “take-home” message that tells the story of their research, choose words that communicate their science clearly, and structure their paper into a flowing narrative. [more]

Career strategies accompanying the doctorate and application outside academia - Tapping professional pathways – developing a personal approach

Career strategies and application
An occupation in research and teaching, a career in the economic or service sector or in a non-profit organisation – after the doctorate there are numerous professional fields and career paths open on the international labour market. Because of this, strategic career planning is necessary. A series of important questions has to be answered: What are my goals and interests, what are my strengths and weaknesses? Where can I apply? Do I know what is expected of me and how to present myself? [more]

Breeding system evolution in light of demographic sex-bias

Talk Luke Eberhart-Phillips, Seewiesen
Sex ratio variation is a fundamental component of life history evolution. At conception, birth, and adulthood, the ratios of males to females have long been recognized by evolutionary biologists and human demographers as catalysts for social behaviour and population dynamics. Throughout human and wild animal populations, variation in the adult sex ratio is remarkable and has been shown to predict divorce, sexual aggression, and parental cooperation. Causality is unclear, but clues may become apparent through understanding the life history origins of the adult sex ratio. Join me as I attempt to unravel the demographic pathways that shape sex biases and assess their evolutionary consequences on parental and mating strategies. I will present recent results from a detailed demographic analysis across several species of Charadrius plover – a small ground-nesting shorebird found in a variety of ecosystems worldwide. Plovers exhibit a remarkable diversity in breeding behaviour: sex roles during courtship, mating, and parental care vary considerably among populations both between and within species. This behavioural variation, coupled with their extreme tractability in the field, allow the opportunity to confidently explore the sources and significance of demographic sex-biases among wild populations in light of breeding system evolution. [more]

Molecular bases of morphological diversity in cichlid fishes

PhD defense by Ralf Schneider
PhD with Axel Meyer, Zoology and Evolutionary Biology lab, University of Konstanz [more]

Early life effects on later life performance: mechanisms and time scales

Talk Pat Monaghan, Seewiesen
Conditions experienced early in life can have profound effects on phenotypes and subsequent life histories, and these effects can operate over different time scales and across generations in some cases. During early life, the environment can induce phenotypic effects which, while they may have short term benefits, can also carry long term costs. In this talk I will particularly concentrate on how variation in the plane of nutrition and in the level of stress exposure in early life can have long term consequences for fitness related parameters. This is based on experiments that we have carried out mainly in birds and fish, involving both field and laboratory based studies. I will also discuss a number of mechanisms that can underpin these effects, including changes to the reactivity to external stressors and to telomere dynamics, and discuss to what extent these induced changes might be adaptive. I will also briefly discuss the implications for conservation biology of these long lasting environmental effects on phenotypes. [more]

"How evolution is like a global economy" & "On the Malleability of Protein Function"

Talks Prof. James O. McInerney & Dr. Mary J. O´Connell, Seewiesen
The traditional view of evolution is that mutations create variation, natural selection and drift reduces variation either randomly or by selecting alleles that confer some fitness effect. However, genomes have taught us that a significant agent of change in evolutionary biology is the process of merging evolving objects with one another. In this talk, I will elaborate on how evolutionary history is like a global economy, where DNA sequences act as “public goods” and the creation of new products (genes, proteins, gene clusters, cell types, genomes) is very likely to occur by the merging of evolving objects. Obviously this is balanced by the loss of whole genes, parts of genes, large tracts of DNA and sometimes the majority of a genome. This “goods thinking” alternative to “tree-thinking” is necessary in order to fully explain evolutionary history. Dr O’Connell’s research group combine computational biology and genome scale analyses with molecular/biochemical assays. She is interested in the tipping point that can occur between purifying selection which preserves function and positive selection that switches function. In essence, she is interested in understanding when protein function changes, where it changes, and how it changes. In this talk Dr O’Connell will summarise work her group have carried out to explore the emergence of novel function and the relationship between genotype and phenotype. [more]

Selection Symposium 2017

Selection Symposium
At our annual selection symposium, all shortlisted applicants for the upcoming PhD projects are invited to present their most relevant research in 10 min talks and get to know the IMPRS. Besides the public presentations and a 30 min interview, there also is plenty of time for informal exchanges among applicants, students and faculty during social evening events and site visits to all three locations. [more]

Writing lab for Doctoral Candidates

Being a scientist means one must have many skills and talents, writing papers is one of the most important ones. It’s the currency into which we turn our research and also the most important means for the community to judge us by. The weekly Writing Lab offers interested IMPRS doctoral candidates the opportunity to write on their manuscript / grant etc., discuss any problems and doubts with their peer or simply feel motivated by the writing atmosphere! Every Wednesday afternoon, 1-6 pm, in Z816! [more]

Inhibition protects acquired song segments during vocal learning in Zebra Finches

Talk Daniela Vallentin, Seewiesen
The process by which we learn through observation of others has been associated with the acquisition of a range of complex skilled behaviors in humans as well as some animal species. Zebra finches, for instance, learn to produce their songs by listening to and trying to imitate a tutor, usually their father. What are the changes in the songbird brain that occur throughout development in order to shape the song learning process? It has been shown that a forebrain cortical region called HVC is centrally important for song learning and production. HVC contains premotor neurons that ultimately influence song-related musculature as well as a range of local circuit inhibitory interneurons. We recorded from premotor neurons in juvenile zebra finches while the birds were listening to their tutor’s song while carefully tracking the learning trajectory of those birds over several weeks. In inexperienced birds, we found that simply hearing the father’s song activates the same premotor neurons that the zebra finch will eventually use to produce his own song. Once the song had been mastered, however, premotor neurons stopped responding to the tutor song. In further experiments, we found that the responses to the tutor song were being actively suppressed by synaptic inhibition. To learn more about this inhibitory suppression, we directly measured the activity of inhibitory interneurons within HVC. The suppression of the tutor song through HVC inhibition was more strongly correlated with learning rather than developmental age. As the bird acquires his song and establishes his ideal motor program, this circuit became increasingly protected from any outside influences. This new insight not only completely redefines the role of inhibition in developing neural circuits, but also leads to the question about the origin of the auditory evoked inputs. [more]

From melody to words: vocal development in human infants

Talk Kathleen Wermke, Seewiesen
The human infant is the most proficient vocal learner, and differs from his primate relatives in that he is specifically pre-adapted to acquire oral language. Melody (fundamental frequency contour) is a key entity to understand early language development. Infants from all cultures seem to pass through the same early stages of melody development at the same phase of their life history, long before vocabulary and grammar are established. Vocal development starts with an increasing complexification of melody over the first few months of life. The presentation will demonstrate what we mean by complexification of cry melody, how complex melodies are composed and modified, and why melody development marks crucial stages of early language acquisition. Along with adolescence, the neonatal period is a time when hormones may contribute to long-lasting, sexually dimorphic patterns of behavioural performance. This postnatal period of elevated hormone levels in both sexes is known as ‘mini-puberty”. The transitory surge of sex steroids within the first months of life is associated with dramatic developing brain changes, as well as the start of language-relevant vocal development in human infants. Recently, a significant positive association between mini-pubertal estradiol surges and early vocal performances (cry melody pattern, articulatory skills in babbling) has been demonstrated. This could bridge infant research to research in song birds, whose song learning has been postulated as modelling babbling in human infants [more]

Statistics Module 4: Own Data Workshop

Statistics Module 4: Own Data Workshop
Guided work on own data. [more]

"Bats aren´t birds or bugs: sensing, stretching, spinning and the uniqueness of bat flight"

Talk Sharon Swartz, Seewiesen
Bat wings evolved from grasping, manipulating mammalian hands, and this origin influences the biomechanics of flight in bats in comparison to flight in birds and insects. Therefore, an evolutionary perspective is critical to advancing the comparative biology of flight, and helps distinguish those aspects of flight that are shared in all flying animals and those features that are unique to bats. Low weight, particularly in the wings, is important for all flying animals, but selection for reduced wing mass in bats must interact with aspects of neural control in the most morphologically complex of animal wings. In addition, the nature of wing skin as a complex functional material and the capacity to modulate wing mechanical properties during flight by an unusual group of muscles found only in bats proves critical to bat flight performance. Improved understanding of the functional architecture of bat wings not only provides insight into steady-state flight behaviors, but also holds promise for solving problems concerning bats’ abilities to recover from perturbations, fly effectively even following wing damage or injury, etc. This approach requires sophisticated bioengineering techniques such as particle image velocimetry, multi-camera high speed videography, and dynamic modeling, but also low-tech methods including polarized light photography, histology, and anatomical description. [more]

Coping with change and changing to cope: Estimating the effects of anthropogenic land use change from animal movement

PhD defense by Anne Scharf
PhD with Kamran Safi, Department of Migration and Immuno-Ecology, MPI for Ornithology Radolfzell [more]

The first steps of plant mating system evolution

PhD defense by Samuel Carleial Fernandes
PhD with Mark van Kleunen, Ecology lab, University of Konstanz [more]

Alexander Suh: A genomics perspective on selfish chromosomes of birds

Talk Alexander Suh, Seewiesen
Most bird species have a diploid genome comprising around 80 chromosomes. Nearly all of these are relatively repeat-poor and gene-rich, and have been largely accessible with short-read sequencing technologies. There are, however, some chromosomes in the avian karyotype with considerable accumulation of selfish genetic elements such as transposable elements and endogenous viruses, which may imply that these chromosomes are in genetic conflict with the rest of the genome. Here I discuss ongoing research in our group focusing on two likely selfish chromosomes, the female-specific W chromosome in birds-of-paradise and the germline-specific chromosome in zebra finches. A combination of single-molecule technologies (such as long-read and linked-read sequencing) made it possible to access large parts of these highly repetitive chromosomes, showing that the birds-of-paradise W chromosome is highly enriched in endogenous retroviruses and the zebra finch germline-specific chromosome is highly enriched in tandemly repeated genes. These results raise the question of how much of the total genetic variation has previously been missed in avian genomics studies. [more]

Grand Challenges on “Reconciling theoretical models with real-world data” Symposium

Grand Challenges Symposium
Our annual Grand Challenges Symposia focus each year on a specific area of interest in the wide range of topics from animal behavior, ecology, and evolution to physiology and neuro­biology, suggested by the PhD candidates of our IMPRS. The symposia consist of a series of talks by guest speakers, faculty and students of our program and represent the inaugural event for the latest student cohort. [more]

SCIENTISTS NEED MORE! – Getting Started

Scientists need more
This 3-day workshops is obligatory for the new phD students and offers a first overview on how to get started. AIM - The development of scientific competence of researchers at Max Planck institutes is a major goal. Ph.D. students improve their communication with the supervisor and colleagues, develop professional skills in team working, networking, planning and project management and know how to use feedback in order to deliver a successful performance. This will enhance their overall effectiveness as they pursue their research studies and maximize success of their future careers. METHOD - Participants will experience interactive lectures, moderated discussions and perform activities to learn from first-hand experience. We will safely move them outside their “comfort zone” to the “learning zone” (Gerald Hüther) to enhance acquisition of novel skills. The experienced challenges are discussed in carefully moderated and focused review sessions, using peer-to-peer feedback as a powerful tool. [more]

Grant Proposal Writing - How to design and communicate your project convincingly

Grant Proposals Writing
Successful grant proposal writing is a fundamental basis to fund a career in research. There are plenty of national and international funding programmes with different funding schemes. Each scheme has its individual context and thematic focus, eligibility and funding rules, submission and evaluation process, and evaluation criteria. Thus, the detailed features and aspects of a successful proposal in one funding scheme are naturally differing from those of a successful proposal in another funding scheme. However, the process of how to work out these details is a common denominator to the different funding schemes. It requires skills way beyond the ability to work out a research idea in detail.The overall proposal writing starts with the generation of a new research idea and the identification of an appropriate funding scheme. This requires knowledge on funding programmes and their scientific, political or societal background. Here, documents and professionals from contact points and funding authorities may be of much help.For an excellent grant proposal, it is necessary to match the research idea with the evaluators’ view on what is wanted by the funding scheme and what is considered fit for funding. This usually requires work on the details of the idea and the specific research context.After this has been concluded, the work on the actual project and proposal can be started. A concept has to be developed, ideas, workplan and the approach have to be visualised, the budget needs to be planned and the overall proposal has to be structured and formulated. If other project partners or institutions are involved, the submission of documents has to be coordinated.Therefore, the objective of this workshop is, that students obtain an overview on funding opportunities, understand the core aspects of winning grants and know how to adapt the proposal writing process to their funding scheme of choice.Depending on the duration of the training, exercises are focused on different process steps and required skills. [more]

Writing of Research Statements

Writing of Research Statements
Applying for a position in research requires not only a CV, a letter of motivation, a list of publications and references but also a research statement. They are targeted to the job advertisement and the mission of the research group and its hosting research organisation:First, we will understand the function of the different parts of an application to a research position such as letter of motivation, CV, research statement and references. Participants are asked to bring a job application, so that they can receive a targeted feedback during the second day of the workshop.We will then define the different core elements of a research agenda, their objectives in the context of the job application and the key elements they should cover.Participants will then write their own research statement. Based on these examples we will look into approaches for a targeted motivation of the research agenda, the targeted communication of the background and current research as well as a convincing set-up of the research agenda.Depending on time and interests of the participants, we will use the Researcher Development Framework by Vitae UK to investigate into skills and competencies. Based on these a strategy will be developed to convincingly justify the principal investigator’s expertise. [more]

Jasmine Loveland, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology: Social status and the brain: lessons from the African cichlid Astatotilapia burtoni

Talk Jasmine Loveland, Seewiesen
Aggression is an evolutionary conserved social behavior that is regulated by both environment and genetics. Understanding the neural and genetic basis of aggression is a major challenge in neurobiology especially since the extent of environmental and genetic contribution may vary between systems. A great deal of what we know about neurobiological differences in naturally occurring subordinate and dominant phenotypes comes from species in which social rank is reversible and based on the social environment. In this talk, I will present my previous work on Astatotilapia burtoni, an African cichlid with a socially controlled dominance hierarchy and well-characterized differences along the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis. I will highlight differences between vasotocin and serotonin neurons in subordinate and dominant males and present a model for how their interactions could regulate aggression. With this background I will lead into my current research on the Ruff, Philomachus pugnax. In the Ruff, the evolution of a social system with three genetically determined male morphs was facilitated by an inversion event on an autosomal chromosome 3.8 million years ago. How did this chromosomal aberration lead to the distinct aggression profiles, mating strategies, breeding plumage and endocrinal profiles observed among the morphs? We are in a unique position to begin to answer these questions and discover neuroanatomical and gene expression differences across male morphs that will help us better understand their evolution. [more]

Harold Zakon, University of Texas at Austin: Stinging scorpions, poison frogs: two stories of molecular evolution in action

Talk Harold Zakon, Seewiesen
Many animals use venoms or toxins to protect themselves against predators or to obtain prey. Thus, there is strong selection pressure to evolve resistance to these toxins on the part of the targeted animal and, in the case of alkaloid toxins that may diffuse throughout the body, in the animal that possess the toxins. I will first describe a situation in which a predator—the grasshopper mouse—has evolved resistance to voltage-gated sodium channel-targeting peptide components in the venom of their scorpion prey. This allows these carnivorous mice to exploit an abundant food resource in the Sonoran Desert in America. Then, I will show how poison arrow frogs from South America have evolved resistance to the acetylcholine receptor agonist epibatidine which is found in different independently evolved lineages of frogs. In both examples, resistance is conferred by a single, or at most a few, amino acid substitutions in key parts of the target molecule. [more]

IMPRS Student Retreat

IMPRS Student Retreat
Annual retreat of the IMPRS PhD students with workshops offered by the PhD candidates for the PhD candidates! Attendance at this retreat is obligatory for all students. [more]

Norbert Sachser, University of Münster: Behavioural Profiles are shaped by social experiences: When, how and why

Talk Norbert Sachser, Seewiesen
Individual differences in cognition, emotion, and behaviour develop during ontogeny. Using a comparative approach, this contribution focuses on the modulation of behavioural profiles by the social environment in mammals. I review evidence that such shaping of behavioural profiles occurs from the prenatal phase through adolescence and beyond. Causation is discussed, in particular, how behavioural profiles are shaped by social stimuli through behavioural and neuroendocrine processes. Finally, function is addressed and it is argued that the shaping of behavioural profiles by social experience represents an effective mechanism for repeated and rapid adaptation during the life time. [more]
Web-View
Print Page
Open in new window
Estimated DIN-A4 page-width
Go to Editor View