Location: Marine Science Station, Aqaba, Jordan
/ Photographer: Malik Naumann
Marine Ecology
Coral reef of the northern Red Sea
Reef fish in the Gulf of Aqaba (Red Sea)
Location: Blue Hole, Dahab, Egypt
/ Photographer: Malik Naumann
Head
Prof. Dr. Christian Wild
Marine Ecology
FB2 Biology / Chemistry
University of Bremen
Contact
Email: christian.wild(at)uni-bremen.de
Telephone: +49 421 218 63367
Room: UFT 2160
UFT, Leobener Str. 6
D-28359 Bremen
Germany
Administration
Inae Kim-Frommherz
Email: inaekf(at)uni-bremen.de
Telefon: +49 421 218 62945
Raum: NW2 B 4010
Our group successfully conducted both the 14th and 15th International Coral Reef Symposium
moreResearch
The department of Marine Ecology pursues an interdisciplinary approach and uses a range of appropriate tools from the fields of ecophysiology, biogeochemistry, and microbiology in order to address the following focal research areas:
© Prof. Christian Wild / Universität Bremen
Ecosystem engineers and other key organism groups
We are investigating the impact of variable environmental factors (biotic and abiotic) and the influence of global (e.g. ocean acidification and warming) and local (e.g. eutrophication and overfishing) stressors on physiological processes (e.g. photosynthesis, growth, calcification, feeding and reproduction) of selected key organism groups (e.g. corals, sponges, algae), with emphasis on ecosystem engineers and their early life stages.
© Prof. Christian Wild / Universität Bremen
Dynamics of benthic communities
This theme addresses the sensitivity of benthic communities (coral reefs, seagrass meadows, rocky shores) to anthropogenic disturbances (such as climate change, overfishing and eutrophication). We thereby focus on the interactions between different functional groups to assess community dynamics and biogeochemical community responses to environmental changes.
© Prof. Christian Wild / Universität Bremen
Nutrient cycles and energy transfer
Here, we examine the transport and exchange of organic matter and energy between the water column and benthic communities as well as between benthic ecosystems. This research further allows to understand linkage and connectivity with adjacent marine and terrestrial ecosystems. Our focus lies on biogeochemical carbon and nitrogen cycles.
Post Docs
Post Docs
© Arjen Tilstra / Universität Bremen
Contact :
tilstra(at)uni-bremen.de
+49 421 218 63358
Room: UFT 0615
PhD candidates
PhD candidates
PhD candidate
© Bianca Thobor, Universität Bremen
thobor(at)uni-bremen.de
+49 421 218 63358
Room : UFT 2170
PhD candidate
chill(at)uni-bremen.de
+49 152 07445478
Room : UFT 0560
PhD candidate
Kontakt :
felixivorossbach(at)gmail.com
+49 421 218 63303
Raum : UFT 2150
PhD candidate
© Johanna Berlinghof, Universität Bremen
johber(at)uni-bremen.de
+49 421 218 63358
Room : UFT 2170
PhD candidate
© Selma Mezger, Universität Bremen
mezger(at)uni-bremen.de
+49 0176 34584574
Room : UFT 2150
PhD candidate
Contact :
s-simanc(at)uniandes.edu.co
+49 421 218 63303
Room : UFT 2150
PhD candidate
sv_vo(at)uni-bremen.de
Room : UFT 2150
PhD candidate
Master students
Master students
Master student
Master student
Master Student
Master Studentin
Bachelor students
Bachelor students
Bachelor student
Bachelor student
Bachelor student
Bachelor student
Technical support
Technical support
Student assistant
Student assistant
Student assistant
email vwutz(at)uni-bremen.de
Administration
Administration
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
Contact :
inaekf(at)uni-bremen.de
+49 421 218 62945
Room : NW2 B 4010
Alumnis
Post Docs
Dr. Yusuf El-Khaled, Dr. Sebastian Ferse (guest scientist)
PhD students
Gunilla Baum, Elisa Bayraktarov, Vanessa Bednarz, Anny Cardenas, Ulisse Cardini, Corvin Eidens, Yusuf El-Khaled, Amanda Ford, Andreas Haas, Nanne van Hoytema, Carin Jantzen, Christian Jessen, Pia Kegler, Anna Koester, Friedrich Meyer, Malik Naumann, Wolfgang Niggl, Claudia Pogoreutz, Nils Rädecker, Laura Rix, Florian Roth, Sandra Schöttner, Hauke Schwieder/Kegler, Ines Stuhldreier, Arjen Tilstra, Nikolas Vogel, Laura Wehrmann, Verena Witt, Alexander Wolf, Nan Xiang, Sara G. Abbass Ahmed
Diploma/Master students
Elke Allers, Julia Almes, Pepe Bastian, Soureya Becker, Vanessa Bednarz, Swaantje Bennecke, Kathryn Berry, Alice Bianchi, Franziska Bockelmann, Kristina Börder, Ramona Brunner, Jan-Claas Dajka, Arlena Dumeier, Vvien Echelmeyer, Andreas Eich, Xochitl Elias, Bunmi Deborah Falodun, Eilish Farell, Anna Gabrenya, Sabine Gonelli, Tobias Hettiger, Jasmin Heiden, Verena Hölzer, Sohyoung Kim, Isabell Kittel, Annabell Klinke, Jessica Knoop, Sophie Krause, Christian Jessen, Denis Brian Karcher, Svenja Köpper, Iiris Kokkonen, Steven McLaren Lee, Laura Lehnhoff, Christian Leichtle, Pauline Mitterwallner, Katharina Michel, Malika Müller, Rassil Nafeh, Malik Naumann, Christian Niesner, Wolfgang Niggl, Selma Mezger, Emmanuella Orero, Thomas Petermann, Friederike Peiffer, Barbara Pfitzner, Pauline Popp, Laura Puk, Susanne Pusch, Nils Rädecker, Julian Rau, Lisa Röpke, Valentina Romboli, Nils Rosenfeld, Florian Roth, Sandra Schöttner, Hauke Schwieder, Florian Stahl, Madline Storkenmaier, Ines Stuhldreier, Federica Schanz, Sabrina Schmalz, Constanze Staab, Marleen Stuhr, Ana Yanez Suarez, Naomi Taylor, Bianca Thobor, Esther Thomsen, Shenghao Wang, Lisa Winkelgrund, Holger Woyt, Fee Zanke, Sohyoung Kim
Bachelor students
Milan Beck, Lorena Braxator, Nauras Daraghmeh, Melanie Drobe, Jenny Flathmann, Sven Flügge, Martin Glas, Indra Gottwald, Verena Hölzer, Nadim Katzer, Shangwan Kim, Max Licht, Hannah Mandl, Saskia Meier, Benedikt Merk, Raissa Meyer, Julia Müller, Julian Müller, Sarah Oliver, Malte Ostendarp, Julia Plewka, Nils Rädecker, Marcel Rönisch, Daisy Ruhlmann, Franziska Saalmann, Jutta Scheffing, Lena Schimansky, Holger Saar, Neele Schmidt, Horst Christian Schulte, Hella Stockmann, Kassandra Thönes, Magdalena Vanek, Francine Vasseur, Svea Vollstedt, Laura Wagenknecht, Maximiliane Wenge, Magdalena Wilde, Joy Willmer, Charline Wolff, Felix Wolter, Lisa Abigail Zimmermann, Marthe Stein, Vivian Bonacker, Clara Seelandt, Esther Wilhelm, Hella Stockmann, Jana Paul, Julia Rücker, Louisa Karl, Marie Carstensen, Nele Schmidt, Verena Wutz
Publications Marine Ecology Department since 2020
Thobor B, Tilstra A, Bourne DG, Springer K, Mezger SD, Struck U, Bockelmann F, Zimmermann L, Suárez AB, Klinke A, Wild C (in press) The pulsating soft coral Xenia umbellata shows high resistance to warming when nitrate concentrations are low. Scientific Reports
Ostendarp M, Plewka J, Flathmann J, Tilstra A, El-khaled YC, Wild C (2022) Complete and rapid regeneration of fragments from the upside-down jellyfish Cassiopea. Frontiers in Marine Science, DOI: 10.3389/fmars.2022.949233
Tilstra A, El-Khaled YC, Meier S, Wild C (2022) Invasive upside-down jellyfish tolerate ocean warming and organic eutrophication. Bulletin of Marine Science, DOI: 10.5343/bms.2021.0051
El-Khaled YC, Daraghmeh N, Tilstra A, Roth F, Huettel M, Rossbach FI, Casoli E, Koester A, Beck M, Meyer R, Plewka J, Schmidt N, Winkelgrund L, Merk B, Wild C (2022) Fleshy red algae mats act as reservoir for sessile invertebrate biodiversity. Communications Biology 5:579, DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-03523-5
Bouderlique T, Petersen J, Faure L, Abed-Navandi D, Bouchnita A, Mueller B, Nazarov M, Englmaier L, Tesarova M, Frade PR, Zikmund T, Köhne T, Kaiser J, Fried K, Wild C, Bythell J, Pantos O, Hellander A, Adameyko I (2022) Surface flow for colonial integration in reef-building corals.Current Biology 32, 1–14, DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.04.054
Rossbach FI, Casoli E, Plewka J, Schmidt N, Wild C (2022) New insights into a Mediterranean Sea benthic habitat: high diversity of epiphytic bryozoan assemblages on Phyllophora crispa (Rhodophyta) mats. Diversity 14 (346), DOI: 10.3390/d14050346
Berlinghof J, Peiffer F, Marzocchi U, Munari M, Quero GM, Wild C, Cardini U (2022) The role of epiphytes in seagrass productivity under ocean acidification. Scientific Reports 12:6249, DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-10154-7
El-Khaled YC, Kler Lago A, Mezger SD, Wild C (2022) Comparative evaluation of free web tools ImageJ and Photopea for the surface area quantification of planar substrates and organisms. Diversity 14(272), DOI: 10.3390/d14040272
Kim S, Wild C, Tilstra A (2022) Effective asexual reproduction of a widespread soft coral: Comparative assessment of four different fragmentation methods. Peer J 10: e12589, DOI: 10.7717/peerj.12589
Koepper S, Nuryati S, Palm HW, Wild C, Yulianto I, Kleinertz S (2022) Metazoan endoparasite fauna and feeding ecology of commercial fishes from Java, Indonesia. Parasitology Research, DOI: 10.1007/s00436-021-07377-4
Rossbach FI, Merk B, Wild C (2022) High diversity and abundance of foraminifers associated with Mediterranean benthic red algae mats. Diversity 14(1), DOI: 10.3390/d14010021
Xiang N, Hassenrück C, Pogoreutz C, Rädecker N, Simancas-Giraldo S, Voolstra CR, Wild C, Gärdes A (2021) Contrasting microbiome dynamics of putative denitrifying bacteria in two octocoral species exposed to dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and warming. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, DOI: 10.1128/AEM.01886-21
Koester A, Ford AK, Ferse SCA, Migani V, Bunbury N, Sanchez C, Wild C (2021) First insights into coral recruit and juvenile abundances at remote Aldabra Atoll, Seychelles. PLoS One, DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0260516
Rädecker N, Pogoreutz C, Gegner H, Cardenas A, Perna G, Geißler L, Roth F, Bougoure J, Guagliardo P, Struck U, Wild C, Pernice M, Raina JB, Meibom A, Voolstra C (2021) Heat stress reduces the contribution of diazotrophs to coral holobiont nitrogen cycling. The ISME Journal, DOI: 10.1038/s41396-021-01158-8
Schmidt N, El-Khaled YC, Roßbach FI, Wild C (2021) Fleshy red algae mats influence their environment in the Mediterranean Sea. Frontiers in Marine Science, DOI: 10.3389/fmars.2021.721626
Simancas-Giraldo SM, Xiang N, Kennedy MM, Nafeh R, Zelli E, Wild C (2021) Photosynthesis and respiration of the soft coral Xenia umbellatarespond to warming but not to organic carbon eutrophication. Peer J 9: e11663, DOI: 10.7717/peerj.11663
Rossbach FI, Casoli E, Beck M, Wild C (2021) Mediterranean red macro algae mats as habitat for high abundances of serpulid polychaetes. Diversity 13 (265), DOI: 10.3390/d13060265
Tilstra A, Hoeksema B, Wild C (2021) A presumed Lazarus coral: outstanding regeneration capacity of a Goniopora coral exposed to air over several months. Bulletin of Marine Science, DOI: 10.5343/bms.2021.0007
El-Khaled YC, Roth F, Rädecker N, Tilstra A, Karcher DB, Kürten B, Jones BH, Voolstra CR, Wild C (2021) Nitrogen fixation and denitrification activity differ between coral- and algae-dominated Red Sea reefs. Scientific Reports 11:11820, DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-90204-8
160) Roth F, El-Khaled YC, Karcher DB, Rädecker N, Carvalho S, Duarte CM, Silva L, Calleja MJ, Morán XA, Jones BH, Voolstra CR, Wild C (2021) Nutrient pollution enhances productivity and framework dissolution in algae- but not in coral-dominated reef communities. Marine Pollution Bulletin 168, 112444, DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112444
El-Khaled YC, Nafeh R, Roth F, Rädecker N, Karcher DB, Jones BH, Voolstra CR, Wild C (2021) High plasticity of nitrogen fixation and denitrification of common coral reef substrates in response to nitrate availability. Marine Pollution Bulletin 168, 112430, DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112430
Müller M, Staab CFK, Puk LD, Schoenig EM, Ferse SCA, Wild C (2021) The rabbitfish Siganus virgatus as key macroalgae browser in coral reefs of the Gulf of Thailand. Diversity 13, 123, DOI: 10.3390/d13030123
Elías Ilosvay XE, Segovia J, Ferse SCA, Elías W, Wild C (2021) Rapid relative increase of crustose coralline algae following herbivore exclusion in a reef of El Salvador. Peer J 9: e10696, DOI: 10.7717/peerj.10696
Rädecker N, Pogoreutz C, Bougoure J, Guagliardo P, Raina JP, Pernice M, Cardenas A, Gegner H, Roth F, Wild C, Meibom A, Voolstra CR (2021) Heat stress destabilizes symbiotic nutrient cycling in corals. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 118(5), DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2022653118
Roth F, Rädecker N, Carvalho S, Duarte CM, Saderne V, Anton A, Silva L, Calleja ML, Morán XAG, Voolstra CR, Kürten B, Jones BH, Wild C(2021) High summer temperatures amplify functional differences between coral- and algae-dominated reef communities. Bull Ecol Soc Am 102(1): e01822, DOI: 10.1002/bes2.1822
Koepper S, Nuryati S, Palm HW, Theisen S, Wild C, Yulianto I, Kleinertz S (2020) Parasite fauna of the white-streaked grouper (Epinephelus ongus) from the Thousand Islands, Java, Indonesia. Acta Parasitologica, DOI: 10.1007/s11686-020-00312-0
Ford A , Jouffray JB, Norström A, Moore BR, Nugues MM, Williams G, Bejarano S, Magron F, Wild C, Ferse S (2020) Local human impacts disrupt relationships between benthic reef assemblages and environmental predictors. Frontiers in Marine Science 7: 571115, DOI: 10.3389/fmars.2020.571115
Roth F, Rädecker N, Carvalho S, Duarte CM, Saderne V, Anton A, Silva L, Calleja ML, Morán XA, Voolstra CR, Kürten B, Jones BH, Wild C(2020) High summer temperatures amplify functional differences between coral- and algal-dominated reef communities. Ecology, DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3226
Koester A, Migani V, Bunbury N, Ford A, Sanchez C, Wild C (2020) Early trajectories of benthic coral reef communities following the 2015/16 coral bleaching event at remote Aldabra Atoll, Seychelles. Scientific Reports, DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-74077-x
Elías Ilosvay XE, Contreras-Silva AI, Alvarez-Filip L, Wild C (2020) Reef recovery in the Mexican Caribbean after 2005 mass coral mortality - potential drivers. Diversity 12 (338), DOI:10.3390/d12090338
Guan Y, Hohn S, Wild C, Merico A (2020) Vulnerability of global coral reef habitat suitability to ocean warming, acidification and eutrophication. Global Change Biology, DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15293
Roth F, Karcher D, Rädecker N, Hohn S, Carvalho S, Thomson T, Saalmann F, Voolstra CR, Kurten B, Struck U, Jones B, Wild C (2020) High rates of carbon and dinitrogen fixation suggest a critical role of benthic pioneer communities in energy and nutrient dynamics of coral reefs. Functional Ecology, DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13625
El-Khaled YC, Roth F, Tilstra A, Rädecker N, Karcher DB, Kürten B, Jones BH, Voolstra CR, Wild C (2020) In situ eutrophication stimulates dinitrogen fixation, denitrification, and productivity in Red Sea coral reefs. Marine Ecology Progress Series 645:55-66, DOI: 10.3354/meps13352
Vollstedt SM, Xiang N, Simancas S, Wild C (2020) Organic eutrophication increases resistance of the pulsating soft coral Xenia umbellata to warming. PeerJ 8:e9182, DOI: 10.7717/peerj.9182
Olischläger M, Wild C (2020) How does the sexual reproduction of marine life respond to ocean acidification? Diversity 12, 241, DOI:10.3390/d12060241
El-Khaled YC, Roth F, Rädecker N, Kharbatia N, Jones BH, Voolstra CR, Wild C (2020) Simultaneous measurements of dinitrogen fixation and denitrification associated with coral reef substrates: advantages and limitations of a combined acetylene assay. Frontiers in Marine Science 7:411, DOI: 10.3389/fmars.2020.00411
Contreras-Silva A, Tilstra A, Migani V, Thiel A, Pérez-Cervantes E, Estrada-Saldivar N, Elias XE, Mott C, Alvarez-Filip L, Wild C (2020) A meta-analysis to assess long-term spatiotemporal changes of benthic coral and macroalgae cover in the Mexican Caribbean. Scientific Reports 10:8897, DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-65801-8
Wild C (2020) Ecosystem engineering by different seagrasses in the Caribbean. Marine Biology 167:80, DOI: 10.1007/s00227-020-03690-1
Karcher DB, Roth F, Carvalho S, El-Khaled YC, Tilstra A, Kürten B, Struck U, Jones BH, Wild C (2020) Nitrogen eutrophication particularly promotes turf algae in coral reefs of the central Red Sea. PeerJ, DOI: 10.7717/peerj.8737