REASSEMBLY

Reassembly of species interaction networks

Resistance, resilience and functional recovery of a rainforest ecosystem

​DFG-funded Research Unit REASSEMBLY (FOR 5207) Posts @bsky

REASSEMBLY aims at understanding network dynamics to uncover rules of network dis- and reassembly in a highly diverse tropical lowland rainforest ecosystem. We study the dynamics of natural forest recovery from agriculture along a chronosequence and the contribution of re-assembled networks to the resilience of ecosystem processes against perturbation. We compare the trajectories of predator–prey, plant–pollinator, and plant–seed disperser networks, as well as decomposition networks between mammals, dung beetles and seeds, and between dead wood, ants, termites, and beetles. Subprojects thus examine networks of all major ecosystem processes mediated by interspecific interactions: predation, pollination, primary and secondary seed dispersal, herbivory, decomposition, and tree seedling recruitment. Networks and ecosystem processes are studied along a large-scale chronosequence of forest recovery (62 plots representing different stages of succession) and in a small-scale perturbation–recruitment experiment. Our Research Unit is funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG).

Our MISSION: Although REASSEMBLY is a basic scientific research unit, our aim is to ensure that the knowledge gained can be applied and contribute to optimizing the restoration of tropical forests. This research project, funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG), will not only be conducted within a forest in Ecuador, but on an equal footing with the Ecuadorian scientific community in different institutions and with an Ecuadorian conservation organization (Fundación Jocotoco). Our goal is to strengthen ecological science and the next generation of scientists in both countries, as well as nature conservation efforts that meet the interests of local communities. To achieve these goals, transparent and accessible data and results are essential.

Latest Posts:

  • Impoverished choirs recover in forest landscapes
    by Nico
    Acoustic monitoring is becoming increasingly important for evaluating the biodiversity and conservation value of sites across land use or regeneration scenarios. A team led by Jörg Müller and his lab at the University of Würzburg monitored bird sounds using recorders installed in 85 study plots in the Canandé region of Ecuador. A total of 334 …
  • What whiptail lizards eat
    by Nico
    For many animal species, we have a fairly good understanding of their ecological niche, including their main diets. For others we don’t – or we can only make assumptions based on related species. Therefore, observations of diets, feeding behavior and other natural history information are important. Niklas Fuchs, Eva Tamargo and Mark-Oliver Rödel now report …
  • Frogs respond to predation before they hatch
    by Edith Villa-Galaviz
    Niklas Fuchs and M.-O. Rödel, in their 2025 paper, provide the first description of juvenile Pristimantis latidiscus. They document an egg-burying behaviour, interpreted as a simple form of parental care. The frogs bury their eggs—presumably as a protective strategy. In experimental manipulations, eggs that were handled every two days (to simulate disturbance or predation) hatched …
  • Ana Falconí Lopez – PhD student SP7, UDLA
    by Edith Villa-Galaviz
    I have always been deeply interested in exploring and understanding tropical ecology and biodiversity. My work has afforded me the privilege of conducting research across Ecuador’s four major regions: the Amazon, Highlands, Coast, and the Insular region (Galápagos). This exposure has provided valuable insights into the profound impacts of anthropogenic activities on biodiversity and underscored …
  • Poison frogs with fly parasite
    by Nico
    For Little-Devil Poison Frogs (Dendrobatidae: Oophaga sylvatica), researchers in Reassembly have now a case of parasitism for the first time: Myasis, a parasitic disease caused by fly larvae in living animal tissues. Myasis affects a variety of vertebrates worldwide, including humans, domestic animals and wildlife, but has been rarely reported for tropical frogs. The study …