Doctoral candidate
Landscape design for biodiversity (wild bees, birds, bats) in German agricultural landscapes
Tel: +49 (0)711 / 459-23605
e-mail: marit.kasten@uni-hohenheim.de
ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Marit-Kasten
Research project
For my PhD thesis (2023-2026), I am investigating the relative importance of different habitats and ecosystems for the biodiversity of different animal groups in mosaic landscapes. The aim of my research is to identify the role of local habitats and landscape-scale variables for the biodiversity of wild bees, birds and bats. My project is part of the HABITdoctoral programme, jointly organised by the University of Hohenheim and the Nürtingen-Geislingen University of Applied Sciences (HfWU), in which 12 doctoral students are conducting research in various sub-disciplines. HABIT stands for ‘Leverage Points for Biodiversity Enhancement in Agricultural Landscapes’ and seeks to find ways to reverse the ongoing loss of biodiversity in agricultural landscapes. The research is interdisciplinary, focusing on both ecological and socio-economic aspects.
The 14 landscapes to be analysed were selected along a complexity gradient and range from agriculturally dominated landscapes to more complex landscapes that include the habitat types arable land, forest, grassland and orchard. In each landscape, wild bees, birds and bats were investigated at 16 sampling locations, leading to 224 sampling locations in total. This amount of sampling locations, the application of this study design for several species groups and the unique combination of studied habitats in these agricultural landscapes are some of the novel aspects of this work.
Various tools were used in 2023 to collect the data: audio recorders to record birds and bats, as well as yellow pan traps to collect wild bees. The devices were set up in the study landscapes for 48 hours each in three rounds from March to July. The wild bees were identified to species level, as were the birds. BirdNET artificial intelligence with subsequent human validation helped us with bird identification. Bats could only be categorised into ecological groups according to their hunting habitat using audio recordings.
With the help of this data and various statistical methods (including species-habitat networks), the following questions are analysed:
- What is the ideal composition of an agricultural landscape from an ecological perspective?
- What role do different scales (local habitats vs. landscape diversity) play for species diversity?
- Which habitats in agricultural landscapes play which role for the biodiversity of wild bees, birds and bats?
At the end of the doctoral thesis, recommendations for action will be developed.
Short CV
In my bachelor's degree, I studied agricultural economics at HfWU, where I discovered my interest in the interface between agriculture and nature conservation. To further expand my knowledge of nature conservation, I transferred to the University of Hohenheim for my master's degree in Landscape Ecology. During my master's degree, I spent one semester at the University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences (BOKU) in Vienna, where I was able to further deepen my knowledge of insects and nature conservation. Finally, I wrote my master thesis within the NOcsPS project on the topic "Ecological-economic performance of conventional, organic and mineral-ecological cropping systems".
