To understand if, when and where disease transmission may occur among wild animals as well as between wildlife and livestock or humans, we need to have profound knowledge of the health, movements and ecology of free-living animals.
Our working group investigates when, how and why free-living animals modify immune function and other physiological parameters (e.g. oxidative stress, telomere length dynamics), and how this alters their susceptibility to pathogens. Furthermore, our research quantifies how different types of infections and their resulting sickness responses impact animal movement and therefore the potential to spread diseases. In addition, we measure contact rates between wildlife and livestock (and humans) to understand the risk for disease transmission in either direction. This multifaceted approach is crucial if we want to preserve a rich biodiversity with healthy wildlife, and if we want to understand how (migrating) animals may contribute to the spread of pathogens, including zoonotic diseases.
To accomplish these goals, our working group integrates eco-physiology, movement ecology, behavioural ecology, and disease ecology of free-living animals at the wildlife-livestock-human interface. The strength of our research lies in designing, executing and analysing fine-tuned combinations of field and lab work, correlational and experimental work, and modern tracking technologies under natural settings in free-living animals. We mainly work on free-living non-model species (birds, fish, mammals) both within Europe and in the Global South. We use a variety of tracking methods (e.g. GPS tracking devices, radio transmitters, accelerometers) to follow the movement of individuals across space and time.
Images 1 and 2: Taking blood samples from free-living animals (like birds or fish) allows to quantify both immunocompetence and disease prevalence under natural conditions and is key for answering our research questions.
Image 3: Jackdaw with a tracking device. Following movements of animals is a core activity in our group. Understanding disease transmission between wild animals as well as between wildlife and livestock or humans is only possible is we have profound knowledge of the movement ecology of free-living animals.
Our work group investigates:
- How and why immune function (and hence disease susceptibility) varies in free-living animals throughout the annual-cycle and life-cycle
- If and how immune function is traded off against other physiological and behavioural processes
- Movement patterns and movement ecology of free-living animals
- Contact rates between wildlife, livestock and humans
- The consequences of chronic and acute infections on
a) movement behaviour and hence possible contact rates with livestock or humans
b) survival and reproduction - The length of sickness behaviours
- How global change (e.g. urbanisation, deforestation) impacts free-living animals and whether it increases disease susceptibility