Department of Biology, Chemistry, Pharmacy

Several research groups contribute to this Master or specialization, working on a wide range of organisms, from microbes to plants and animals, across both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Their work encompasses empirical research, modeling and data synthesis within evolutionary and ecological frameworks.
Research groups that are part of this specialisation include

• AG Armitage (Evolution and ecology of insect defences)
• AG Bachelier (Structural and Functional Plant Diversity)
• AG Borsch (Systematic Botany and Geography of Plants)
• AG De Meester (Evolving Metacommunities)
• AG Monaghan (Molecular Ecology and Genomics)
• AG Jeschke (Ecological Novelty)
• AG Rolff (Evolutionary Ecology)
• AG Rillig (Ecology of Plants)
• and AG Tietjen (Biodiversity/Theoretical Ecology)

There are several member institutes of the Leibniz Association that are partners in the Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research (BBIB) with groups at the FU Institute of Biology. These include

• the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW)
• the Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB)
• the Museum für Naturkunde – Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science (MfN)
• and the Leibniz-Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF), among others.

These collaborations foster a rich environment for advanced biodiversity research.

Our curriculum spans the breadth of biodiversity research, including management of scientific collections (Botanical Garden), empirical approaches in ecology and evolutionary biology (e.g. experiments and field observations), field excursions, and also theoretical elements (modeling, data synthesis).

Documenting and understanding biodiversity at different levels and scales is a key research priority in this Master or specialization. This objective is addressed from both evolutionary and ecological perspectives, ensuring a thorough understanding of biodiversity's complexities.

Evolution and ecology are key biological science disciplines of this century, essential for enhancing the protection and restoration of nature and its biodiversity and understanding applied evolutionary and ecological questions such as resistance development and responses to global environmental change.