The local loss of species may often be underestimated. A new biodiversity study by Lucie Kuczynski and Helmut Hillebrand shows that species richness is not a reliable metric for monitoring ecosystems and that systematic biases can mask an impending decline in biodiversity.

New study shows how plankton communities have migrated and changed since the last ice age.

Biodiversity – the diversity of ecosystems, organisms and their interactions – is threatened as never before, despite all efforts. In this interview, Helmut Hillebrand talks about 30 years of the Rio Convention and the central role biodiversity plays on our planet.

Protecting the oceans and using them sustainably: This is the goal of the second research mission sustainMare of the German Marine Research Alliance, which officially starts today. A joint project led by Oldenburg researchers is part of the mission.

The research group DynaCom is investigating how stable ecosystems are in the face of natural and anthropogenic environmental changes. The German research Foundation is now funding the project for another three years.

Marine biodiversity is threatened by climate change, pollution and overfishing. Biodiversity expert Helmut Hillebrand explains in this interview how research can help to improve marine conservation.

Scientists from Oldenburg and Bremen have shown that the associations of marine plankton in the present are markedly different from those of pre-industrial times. The study underlines how climate change effects biodiversity.

Erfolg für Oldenburger Meereswissenschaftler: Eine neue Forschungsgruppe unter Leitung des Biodiversitätsexperten Helmut Hillebrand widmet sich der Frage, wie Biodiversität auf Inseln entsteht. Die Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft fördert das Vorhaben mit drei Millionen Euro für zunächst drei Jahre.

Assessing the state of an ecosystem solely on the basis of short-term changes in the number of different species it contains can lead to false conclusions, a new study by an international team of researchers led by the ecologist Helmut Hillebrand shows. In order to assess ecosystems in a way that is…