Department of Ichthyology
Research of the Department Ichthyology has the following main priorities:
- Systematics and biogeography of Chondrichthyes and Teleostei
- Population and evolutionary ecology of diadromous, invasive and reef-associated fish species
- Mathematical habitat modeling and assessments of conservation status
The main study area is the Northeast Atlantic region including the North and Baltic Seas and selected tributaries. Precise investigation of morphological characters, using also x-ray technology, is a main work in research task (1) which focusses on the systematics and biogeography of selected groups of teleosts and elasmobranchs. In research task (2) we study the distribution and life cycles of diadromous species using micro-chemical and daily growth increment analyses as well as methods of chemical marking of fish otoliths. Assessments of conservation status, mathematical habitat modeling, stock surveys in the wild, and experiments in research aquariums enable us in research task (3) to analyze and predict biodiversity and threat of fishes, which for example could arise from climate change and the occurrence of invasive species.