Chemical Ecology

Hence, both in space and time, we seem to be brought somewhat near to that great fact - that mystery of mysteries - the first appearance of new beings on this earth.

Darwin, The Voyage of the Beagle

The main focus of our scientific work is the study of chemical signals, so- called infochemicals or semiochemicals. These signals convey information between organisms and therefore play an important role in ecological interactions and in evolutionary processes like the origin of new species.

One important group of infochemicals which we study are pheromones. They act between individuals of the same species, for instance as sexual pheromones to attract mating partners. Another focus of our work is on allelochemicals. These infochemicals are important in the interaction of members from different species, as foraging kairomones for the location of prey or hosts, or as allomones for the defense against natural enemies.

The results of our studies improve our knowledge on ecological relationships, help to understand evolutionary processes like speciation, and even result in the discovery of new species. So far, we discovered new European species of parasitoid wasps and click beetles.

For the application, our results are important for the biological control of pests and for conservation, e.g. for the monitoring of rare, endangered insect species using pheromone traps.