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:

  • 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 …
  • Defended! Dr. Timo Metz
    by Nico
    REASSEMBLY’s first PhD thesis of the current phase. Timo’s successfully defended his thesis on “Assembly and stability of ecological communties and networks” on June 4th 2025 in the dapartment of Physics at the TU Darmstadt. His great oral defense required him drawing many equations on the black board. Congratulations!
  • Playing death: thin-toed frogs
    by Nico
    Death-feigning (thanatosis) helps amphibians to avoid being eaten by predators. It has been documented for white-lipped frogs of the genus Leptodactylus among other frogs. Niklas Fuchs, Markus Schönleitner and Mark Oliver Rödel now documented this behavior for the first time for the red-thighed thin-toed frog Leptodactylus rhodomerus, published as a short note in Herpetological Review. …
  • Sample coverage matters: succession of bird communities
    by Nico
    Biodiversity metrics are affected by variation in sampling completeness, and notoriously underestimate the species’ diversity in a site. Recently, statistical tools have been developed to estimate and account for biases in sample coverage. These tools allow researchers to compare observed and expected diversity metrics and their change along gradients. This approach has been applied by …