Rainer Wirth

Biography

1996: Dr. rer. Nat. (Ph.D.), Univ. of Würzburg (Prof. W. Beyschlag & Prof. B. Hölldobler) 1995–1997: Research assistant at the University of Rostock (Prof. Büdel) 1997-2003: Research assistant at the University of Kaiserslautern (Prof. Büdel) since 2003: Regular member of the Scientific Staff, University of Kaiserslautern (Botany Group)

Research Interest

Main emphasis of my research group is in the context of mutualistic and antagonistic plant-animal interactions and habitat fragmentation. Currently we work on the following research projects: 1. Plant-herbivore interactions in fragmented forest landscapes. Main objective is to evaluate fragmentation-driven changes in phenomenological, structural, and functional signatures of tropical and temperate plant and insect communities. Current focus of our work is the relationship between plants and herbivores in the hyper-fragmented forest landscapes of ‘Serra Grande’ (NE-Brazil) and the North Palatine Hills (SW-Germany). Key questions address fragmentation effects on (i) local and regional level of herbivory pressure (global herbivory rates), (ii) structure and composition of herbivore communities, (iii) nature, complexity, and stability of interaction networks between plants and herbivores in novel forest habitats. 2. Trophic webs in fragmented tropical forest (funded by the German and Brazilian Sciene Foundation, DFG and CNPq, respectively). The consequences of habitat fragmentation on food webs with the leaf-cutting ant-food web as a model system. We suggest that both resource availability and predation/parasitism control are less effective in fragmented compared to continuous forests (cooperation with Prof. I. Leal and M. Tabarelli, Federal University of Pernambuco, Brazil). 3. The interaction between leaf-cutting ants, plants, and ecosystems. Various projects dealing with: (i) Perception and effects of herbivore-induced plant volatiles on leaf-cutting ants and their symbiotic fungus (coop. w. Ch. Kost MPI Chemical Ecology, Jena); (ii) Microbial ecology in leaf-cutting ant nests: the diversity of interactions among actinomycetes, ants, and fungus (coop. w. D. Spiteller, MPI Chemical Ecology, Jena); (iii) Factors influencing food plant selection in leaf-cutting ants; (iv) the impact of hyper-abundant leaf-cutting ants as ecosystem engineers in fragmented forest habitats (funded by AFW Schimper-Foundation and within the PROBRAL program from the Brazilian CAPES and the German DAAD): we have strong evidence for a negative feedback mechanism with anthropogenic forest fragmentation resulting in drastically increased leaf-cutting ant density which, in turn, amplifies fragmentation effects on forest structure and forest regeneration. For additional research projects on ant-plant mutualism, ecology of stick-insects, etc. please visit my home page at: www.uni-kl.de/FB-Biologie/Botanik/ag_wirth.htm