Topics for bachelor and master theses
Below is a list of topics for B.Sc. or M.Sc. theses. If you are interested in doing your research in our group the procedure is as follows:
- go through the list and topics and find what you are interested in
- contact the direct supervisor by email and ask for more information
- make an appointment with your direct supervisor to discuss the topic, timeframe etc. in more detail
- if you have found a topic that you would like to choose there will be a meeting between your direct supervisor, yourself and W. Weisser, to discuss the design of your study, starting dates, financial aspects and other formalities.
- you develop a thesis plan that will be part of the formal agreement between yourself, your direct supervisor, and W. Weisser for the thesis
- If you are interested in a topic that is not listed below or if you have any other question please feel free to contact W. Weisser or any other person in the group.
Background:
Most of the current and future human population growth is expected to occur in cities, resulting in a concentration of people that impacts biodiversity. To mitigate this impact, it is crucial to understand the drivers of urban biodiversity to enable the coexistence of humans and nature in future cities. Our previous work in urban squares has shown that while greener squares are more biodiverse, the composition of that green and other local features has a greater effect on biodiversity. To deepen our understanding of the relationship between biodiversity and urban features, we are focusing on the impacts of local and landscape-level features on bird diversity across the whole of Munich using acoustic monitoring and species identification using machine learning (AI). Therefore, we are offering concurrent master and bachelor theses related to understanding urban bird diversity as part of a greater project investigating the distribution of biodiversity in the city that aims to model urban biodiversity and provide urban planners with tools and guidelines for including biodiversity in the development of new urban green spaces.
Project descriptions
These thesis projects aim to expand on the findings of our 2023 fieldwork to help understand the relationship of potential drivers of urban bird diversity, e.g., vegetation structure or compositions, location in the city, water, large-scale features of Munich like the river Isar, or the English Garden, urban parks, or neighbourhood typology. To investigate these, you will use acoustic recorders to monitor birds on study sites selected based on the respective driver of interest. The bird recordings will be identified using our automatic identification pipeline, which employs state-of-the-art AI technology. Based on the resulting species lists, you will calculate species diversity metrics, which you will use to analyse the relationship between bird diversity and the respective driver. These projects require fieldwork in Munich.
Previous experience with GIS is beneficial; experience with Python and R is highly beneficial but not required. Experience with the identification of German birds by sound is a plus. Experience with bioacoustics is also beneficial but not required. Upon successful completion of the project, the results might be published in the framework of the overall project. You will work in an international team and gain hands-on experience in urban ecological research and modern methodologies. Field work for these projects will start end of March 2024. The thesis can be supervised in German or English.
If you are interested or for any questions, please contact:
Sebastian Meyer (sebastian.t.meyer[at]tum.de) Andrew Fairbairn (andrew.fairbairn[at]tum.de)
Background:
The impact of drought events in Germany has led to an unprecedented tree mortality rate, prompting the forestry and wood industries to undergo transformation and elaborate new sustainable concepts. The combination of European beech and non-native Douglas-fir or silver fir stands is predicted to have high potential in future forestry. The aim of this project is to contribute to the discussion on ensuring the multifunctionality of Bavarian forests in the face of climate change, by investigating the consequences for flora and fauna arising from mixing native beech trees with non-native Douglas firs and silver firs.
The Project:
Our aim is to provide a nuanced understanding of the benefits and drawbacks of mixing beech stands with Douglas-fir or silver fir, focusing on their impact on local flora and fauna, particularly birds, bats, and insects. Our research methods include insect trapping, meta-barcoding, audio recording of bird and bat activity, and monitoring of blue tit reproduction in nest boxes. This project presents a valuable opportunity to contribute to the ongoing discussion on sustainable forestry practices in Germany while gaining valuable research experience. Contact us to learn more about how you can get involved. As part of the project, there is a possibility of publishing a joint paper on the results. The thesis supervision can be done in either German or English.
A Master's thesis in this project includes:
- Fieldwork for data collection
- Data processing (e.g., insect samples or audio data)
- Literature research
- Statistical data analysis (preferably in R)
- Writing
Contact: If you are interested, please contact us as soon as possible (latest by 31.05.2023) by emailing to marlene.graf[at]tum.de
To what extent chemical profiles of the basal resource (tansy) determines food web dynamics and structures aphid metacommunities.
Background: Tansy is a plant with many chemical components that differ in composition so much that different chemotypes can be distinguished. Chemotypes have different chemical profiles and even differ in some morphological traits. In our group we study how these chemotypes influence the assembly of insect communities. Specifically, we are interested in understanding how the plant chemotype influences the competition between (specialist and/or generalist) aphids and how it shapes the predator and insect community.
Start of the project: Spring 2023
Topics: Influence of plant chemotype on aphid communities, predator communities or abiotic conditions (The exact topic and experiment will be chosen and established together with the master student)
The master’s thesis includes the following work steps:
- Preparation of plant and aphid colonies (April/May)
- Experiments in the greenhouse or the field in Freising (June/July)
- Statistical data analysis and writing (August-September)
In the best case, the data can be published in a joint paper. You will work in close collaboration with a PhD candidate. The master’s thesis is supervised mainly in English but can be supervised in German.
If you are interested, please contact Annika Neuhaus (annika.neuhaus[at]tum.de) or Lina Ojeda (lina.ojeda[at]tum.de).
To what extent chemical profiles and chemical diversity of the basal resource (tansy) determine food web dynamics and structure aphid metacommunities.
Background:
At an intraspecific level, phenotypic differences can be important in explaining ecological functions. For instance, plant chemical diversity influences the trophic structure of food chains by modulating bottom-up and top-down effects on herbivores, predators, and parasitoids.
Tansy plants are well-known for being highly diverse in the blend and individual abundance of secondary metabolites. Based on a cluster analysis of differences on those chemical classes and concentrations, individual plants can be grouped in terms of its chemotype. By creating a field experiment with plant communities that differ in the number of plant chemotypes they contain, we will evaluate the effects on plant-insect (e.g. host selection and herbivore performance) and insect-insect (e.g. competition, mutualism, predation rate and parasitoid performance) interactions in a field set-up.
Start of the projects: As soon as possible
Project: Influence of plant (chemo)diversity on insect communities
The master’s thesis includes the following work steps:
- Literature review (May)Field work in Jena (June/July)
- Statistical data analysis and writing (August/October)
In the best case, the data can be published in a joint paper. You will work in close collaboration with a PhD candidate. The master’s thesis is supervised in English, but speaking the German language is a big advantage.
If you are interested, please contact: Lina Ojeda (lina.ojeda[at]tum.de)
(project in Freising)
To what extent chemical profiles of the basal resource (tansy) determine food web dynamics and structure aphid metacommunities.
Background:
Tansy is a plant with many chemical components that differ in composition so much that different chemotypes can be distinguished. Chemotypes are morphologically roughly the same, but have different chemical profiles. In our group we study how these chemotypes influence the assembly of insect communities. Specifically, we are interested in understanding how the plant chemotype influences the interactions between above- and belowground aphids feeding on the same plant.
Start of the project: As soon as possible
Topic: Influence of plant chemotype on aphid communities (within plants)
The master’s thesis includes the following work steps:
- Preparation of plant and aphid colonies (May/June)
- Experiments in the greenhouse in Freising (June/July)
- Statistical data analysis and writing (August-October)
In the best case, the data can be published in a joint paper. You will work in close collaboration with a PhD candidate. The master’s thesis is supervised in German and English.
If you are interested, please contact Annika Neuhaus (annika.neuhaus[at]tum.de).
Effects of NOx on moss diversity in Munich city squares
Air pollution caused by traffic and the heating of buildings is a major environmental and public health problem in cities. Plants have been shown to respond to air pollution.
We are offering a research-based Master thesis for motivated students in the areas of urban ecology or environmental engineering, in a joint project between the Environmental Sensing and Modeling Research group in Munich and the Terrestrial Ecology Research Group in Freising. The research question is: Do NOx emissions of traffic in Munich have a measurable effect on plants on urban squares, in particular mosses?
The work includes:
- a literature search of sensitivity of mosses to air pollution
- conducting measurements of NOx pollution on urban squares in Munich using a mobile setup
- statistical analysis of the relationship between pollution and moss occurrence (data are available) or machine learning, using the statistical software R, or Python, or Matlab
Experiences with urban ecosystem services are desirable but no prerequisite. Experience with GIS and R, Python or MATLAB are beneficial. Upon successful completion of the project the results might result in a publication. Supervision of the thesis can be in German or English. The project can start immediately.
If you are interested or for any questions, please contact:
Jia Chen (jia.chen[at]tum.de), Adrian Wenzel (a.wenzel[at]tum.de), Sebastian Meyer (sebastian.t.meyer[at]tum.de) or Wolfgang Weisser (wolfgang.weisser[at]tum.de)
Effects of NOx on moss diversity in Maxvorstadt
Air pollution caused by traffic and the heating of buildings is a major environmental and public health problem in cities. Mosses and lichens have been shown to respond to air pollution and have been used as indicators of air quality.
Based on a recent measuring campaign of air quality in Maxvorstadt, we are offering a research-based Master thesis for motivated students in the areas of urban ecology or environmental engineering, in a joint project between the Environmental Sensing and Modeling Research group in Munich and the Terrestrial Ecology Research Group in Freising. The research question is: Do NOx emissions of traffic in Munich have a measurable effect on the occurring bryophyte community on local scales?
The work includes:
- a literature search of sensitivity of mosses and lichens to air pollution
- conducting a census of mosses (and lichens)
- statistical analysis of the relationship between pollution (data available for Maxvorstadt) and moss occurrence, using the statistical software R
Experiences with urban ecosystem services are desirable but no prerequisite. Experience with GIS and R are beneficial. Upon successful completion of the project the results might result in a publication. Supervision of the thesis can be in German or English. The project can start immediately.
If you are interested or for any questions, please contact:
Sebastian Meyer (sebastian.t.meyer[at]tum.de), Wolfgang Weisser (wolfgang.weisser[at]tum.de), Jia Chen (jia.chen[at]tum.de) or Adrian Wenzel (a.wenzel[at]tum.de)
Auswirkungen von Pflanzen Diversität im Feldfutteranbau auf die Insekten Diversität
Die Vorteile artenreicher Mischungen für viele Ökosystemprozesse sind aus der ökologischen Forschung im Rahmen von Experimenten zur Artenvielfalt bekannt. Nun möchten wir diese Erkenntnisse auch für die landwirtschaftliche Praxis nutzen. Daher wird im Rahmen von LegacyNet (https://legacynet.scss.tcd.ie/) untersucht, wie Grünland-Mischungen innerhalb von Fruchtfolgen am besten gestaltet werden können, um die Funktion der Mischung als Grünland und den Effekt auf den folgenden Ackerbau zu maximieren (Bereitstellung von symbiotisch gebundenem Stickstoff, Bodengesundheit und Fruchtbarkeit).
Im Jahr 2020 haben wir in Freising ein Feld mit 60 Parzellen von 3x7m als Teil eines Netzwerks von Versuchsflächen angelegt, die einem gemeinsamen Versuchsplan folgen. Die Hauptbehandlungen sind Grünlandmischungen aus Gräsern, Leguminosen und Kräutern (von der Monokultur bis hin zu sechs Arten und artenreichen Kontrollen mit 10 Arten) sowie eine anschließende Getreidekultur, um die
Auswirkungen der Grünlandzusammensetzung zu quantifizieren. Neben der Quantifizierung des Grünlandertrags quantifizieren wir die Aktivität von Insekten und kleinen Säugetieren in den Parzellen sowie von Proxies für Ökosystemprozesse (Bestäubung, Prädation, Samenausbreitung mit REFA-Methoden).
Wir bieten forschungsbasierte Master- oder Bachelorarbeiten für motivierte Studierende in den Bereichen Insekten- oder Ökosystemprozess-Monitoring an.
Die Arbeit umfasst:
- Feldarbeit auf dem campusnahen Gelände in Freising
- Laborarbeit in Freising zur Bearbeitung der Proben (Insektensortierung, Auswertung der Köder, etc.)
- Statistische Auswertung der Daten mit R
Erfahrungen mit Insektentaxonomie oder REFA-Methoden sind wünschenswert, aber keine Voraussetzung. Erfahrungen mit R sind von Vorteil. Bei erfolgreichem Abschluss des Projekts können die Ergebnisse zusammen mit anderen Versuchsergebnissen in einer Publikation münden. Die Betreuung der Arbeit kann in deutscher oder englischer Sprache erfolgen. Die Arbeit soll bald möglichst beginnen.
Bei Interesse wenden Sie sich bitte an
sebastian.t.meyer[at]tum.de oder rafael.achury[at]tum.de
An investigation of how environmental conditions affect the hibernation period of hedgehogs in Bavaria – a cooperation project with the LBV.
It is expected that with climate change, winter periods will become shorter and warmer. This, among other environmental conditions, could alter the hibernation period of hibernating animals. In many ways, cities are a useful proxy for some of the future conditions brought on by climate change, in particular with regards to temperature. For hedgehogs it is already known that regional temperature changes can influence their hibernation period. However, it is less known how other environmental variables affect their hibernation. The difference in environmental conditions between urban and rural environments, for example land-use or vegetation density, could influence resource availability or the presence of refuges. Citizen scientists have helped the LBV to collect approximately 100.000 observations of hedgehogs in Bavaria over the last six years. This information is invaluable, as it could facilitate modelling the hibernation period of hedgehogs in and out of cities.
The Masters’ thesis will focus on detecting and visualizing shifts in hedgehog hibernation depending on biotic and abiotic conditions. This could be achieved by:
- Combining different scales (cities and country sites)
- Usage of varying biotic variables (e.g. vegetation density/type, land-use intensity/type)
- Different abiotic variables (e.g. temperature, urban heat island effects, precipitation, elevation, impervious surface density)
The study takes place in the framework of the “Bayerische Synthese- Informations- Citizen Science Portal für Klimaforschung und Wissen-schaftskommunikation” (www.baysics.de).
If the work is successful, the results could form the basis of a future publication. The Masters’ thesis will be conducted in English.
If you’re interested, please contact Fabio Sweet (fabio.sweet[at]tum.de) or Wolfgang Weisser (wolfgang.weisser[at]tum.de).
Supervisor: Dr. Sebastian Meyer
Modern ecological research often investigates into the relationships between ecosystem functions (the processes contributing to element cycles, functioning and regeneration of ecosystems) and different regulating factors (e.g. diversity, land use, (human) disturbance, environmental conditions). For such studies the ability to quantify ecosystem functions using suitable indicators is essential. In this Bachelor- (Master-) thesis a selected function (or combination of functions) will be measured with different techniques and their suitability as indicator for the function will be assessed.
Supervisor: Dr. Sebastian Meyer
The Jena Experiment (www.the-jena-experiment.de) studies in a large-scale field experiment the functional importance of biodiversity. We aim to study whether changes in ecosystem functions (decomposition, predation, pollination, seed dispersal) due to plant diversity can be directly measured. To do so, suitable indicators will be measured in the plots of the Jena Experiment in a standardized fashion to quantify functions and investigate their relationship with plant diversity. Within a Master thesis several different functions, or in a Bachelor thesis a single function (as in the example below) can be studies. Also several complementary Bachelor theses are possible.
Supervisor: Dr. Sebastian Meyer
Previous studies in the frame work of the Jena Experiment (www.the-jena-experiment.de) have identified important herbivores that occur abundantly on the plots of the experiment. For many of these species little is known about their host range. In this Bachelor project the suitability of the 60 plant species forming the species pool of the Jena Experiment as host plants for a range of the important herbivores shall be tested. Preferences will be assessed in feeding trials conducted in the laboratory.