Biodiversity as a core issue

Many scientists at the Institute of Biology deal with research questions based on the UN Sustainable Development Goal Life on Land.

Researchers from the field of botany study biodiversity and plant ecology and are members of the Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Biodiversity Research. Also part of the field of botany, the biodiversity and theoretical ecology working group examines how biodiversity impacts ecosystem functioning and services from various ecosystem levels. In the field of systematic botany and plant geography, the origins of biodiversity are studied using flowering plants.

In the field of zoology, the first human-made changes at various ecological levels are studied under the umbrella term Ecological Novelty—from organisms and populations and biocenoses to ecosystems and landscapes. Insects are at the center of scholarly attention in two other working groups. Insect evolution and ecology (especially the development of their immunity), the evolution of bacterial resistance (especially to antibiotics), and insect-microbe interactions are studied as well as plant-insect interdependencies and food chain of insects. The results are expected to contribute to the optimal use of naturally occurring chemicals in the protection of plants and forests. Finally, ecosystem research, within the field of water research, looks at long-term and climatic consequences for lakes as well as resilience to disturbances.

The field of neurobiology has long focused on the honey bee, particularly on the connection between memory and behavior and the dependency of the bee’s behavior on environmental factors.

Together with the Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), a new science building is being built in Königin-Luise-Straße at the Dahlem campus, where researchers can devote themselves entirely to the topic of biodiversity - on land and in water.

Understanding connections in new ways - discovering the world anew

In the Zoology research area, historically novel, human-induced changes at the various ecological levels are studied under the umbrella term Ecological Novelty - from organisms and populations to biotic communities to ecosystems and landscapes. Insects are the focus of two other research groups. On the one hand, the evolution and ecology of insects, in particular the development of their immunity, the evolution of bacterial resistance, especially to antibiotics, and insect-microbe interactions are studied. On the other hand, plant-insect interactions and the insect food chain will be explored. The results should lead to optimal use of naturally occurring chemicals in plant and forest protection. Finally, in the area of aquatic research, ecosystem research investigates long-term and climatic consequences for lakes, as well as resilience to disturbance.

In the research area of neurobiology, there has been a focus on the honeybee for many years, particularly on the link between memory and behavior and the dependence of bee behavior on environmental factors.

In 2022, the state-of-the-art SupraFAB was completed, where, among other things, research will be conducted on the mechanical processes at cell membranes and the signal transmission of nerve cells.

Given ongoing global challenges such as climate change, the soil salinization, the disappearance of species, and the loss of usable agricultural land, plant sciences will become increasingly important. The Dahlem Centre of Plant Sciences (DCPS) is contributing to a better understanding of these problems and their solutions through a wide spectrum of plant research, in both content and methods. The center, opened in 2009, comprises several research areas, that have mostly worked separately, and offers a platform for collaboration. More than 150 scientists in about 20 working groups dedicate themselves to the topics of Diversity and Function and Plant and Environment.

The Botanic Garden, together with the Botanical Museum of Freie Universität Berlin, is an internationally well-connected and extremely important botanical research institution. It has an extensive collection of 22,000 live plant species in both greenhouses and outdoors, an herbarium of about 4 million plant specimens, and a botanical library with about 350,000 titles. Based on these collections, research is conducted on morphological and anatomical aspects and integrates molecular-biological approaches. As part of its research and development projects, national and international biodiversity programs are implemented and research at the university is supported. Focus regions include Europe, from the Mediterranean area to the Caucasus, and on Cuba and the Caribbean.

At the Institute of Chemistry, scientists also dedicate themselves to various topics related to solving global questions for the future. Examining the use of chemical materials for medical purposes is one focus. This includes research on therapeutic drugs as well as peptides that can serve as hormone replacements (such as insulin). Several working groups are looking into the potential of redox-flux batteries for storing energy in the future as well as the basic science of fuel cells. Another research focus are precious metal-free catalysts that can be used for the chemical-material storage of renewable energy. They also allow the transformation of carbon dioxide from exhaust fumes to precious chemical carbon compounds.