Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre

We study the interactions between climate change and biodiversity by integrating biological, geological and social-ecological basic research. Our integrated approach relies on various, state-of-the-art infrastructure which comprises laboratories for molecular biological research, a data and modelling centre and a mesocosm hall as well as a isotope laboratory which is run jointly with Goethe-University, Frankfurt am Main.

Our mission is to promote the integration of bio- and geoscience data on geobiodiversity dynamics in the past and to develop models to simulate potential future dynamics, in particular in response to climate change. We provide expertise in and access to high-performance computing, environmental data (e.g. climate and Earth Observation), bio-statistics, environmental modeling and data storage and archiving.

Example projects:

IPBES: Technical support unit for data for the UN Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) 
 

BIOfid: The Specialised Information Service Biodiversity Research (BIOfid) provides scientists with historical and current literature on biodiversity in contemporary formats. A special feature of this service is the semantic enrichment of 19th and 20th century Central European literature via text mining to enable a simplified and fast data extraction (e.g. species occurrence records, traits) from natural language texts. Among other things, this will give scientists the opportunity to explore biodiversity in a pre-agroindustrial baseline world.
 

GEOEssential: Variables and workflows for resource efficiency and environmental management (GEOEssential)
 

Projects handed over to other teams of Senckenberg Data and Modelling Center (SDMC):

German Federation for Biological Data (GFBio)
The Distributed System of Scientific Collections (DiSSCo)

With four terrestrial mesocosm rooms and seven zoological and botanical climatic chambers, the mesocosm hall in the SBiK-F courtyard is an important experimental facility for Senckenberg.

In the terrestrial mesocosms, the effects of a wide range of climate scenarios (temperature, precipitation regime) on soil communities can be investigated. The climatic chambers are suitable for displaying temperature and humidity scenarios between 4 ° C and 40 ° C, as well as 30-100% humidity in almost any chronological order. In addition, various lighting scenarios in daylight quality can be run through in the botanical chambers.

With this unique opportunity to experimentally test hypotheses about the impact of past, present or future climate scenarios on biodiversity, the infrastructure of the Mesocosm Hall contributes significantly to Senckenberg’s goal of understanding geobiodiversity in the Earth system.

The SBiK-F laboratory is designed as a methods-oriented facility with the capacity to carry out ANY molecular genetics analyses required at the centre, thereby enabling the development of autonomous research and methods in the field of ecological genomics and automated taxonomic identification of biodiversity. As a central, high-capacity molecular genetics centre, the laboratory is designed to satisfy the needs of most projects of SBiK-F in the field of methods development and high throughput-tests for molecular genetics.

To meet the requirements of the various research activities, the latest techniques in terms of high-throughput sequencing, DNA microarray chips, and fragment analyses need to be implemented.
The tasks of the molecular genetics laboratory therefore include:

(a) independent, top-level eco-genomic research in the areas of genetic adaptation to climate change and automated taxonomic identification,
(b) project-oriented cooperation with partners of the Centre and
(c) follow-up on technologies and methods in the field of molecular phylogeny, phylogeography and molecular ecology, as well as assistance in accessing these methods.

The Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre is housed in a renovated building by Ferdinand Kramer, an architect from Frankfurt (1898 – 1985). The reinforced concrete skeleton structure with the yellow-brown clinker brickwork has been a listed building since 2000.

The building itself has been described as a “real masterpiece of German post-war architecture” (quote from C. Lichtenstein, 1991: Ferdinand Kramer. The charm of the systematic). Like his other university buildings, Ferdinand Kramer who was the head of construction of Frankfurt’s Johann Wolfgang Goethe University from 1952 to 1964, based the building’s design on the principle of functionality. To do this Kramer designed the building suited to the needs of the users at that time.
His design also kept in mind future users as he proclaimed “Science is in full development mode so new demands and new technical possibilities will constantly emerge. This also has to be included in our designs” (Ferdinand Kramer in a speech to natural scientists in 1957). We think, with our building he succeeded in fulfilling this vision.

Biodiversity comprises the variety of different ecosystems, their species, and their genetic diversity. Land use and management regimes strongly influence biodiversity in today’s landscape and changes in biodiversity may affect many ecological processes. The research program Biodiversity Exploratories investigates both the causes of biodiversity change and its consequences for many ecosystem processes, including important ecosystem services.

Central questions

• How does land use intensity affect the genetic diversity, species richness and diversity of interactions of different organisms?
• Which interdependencies exist between different organisms, for example does the diversity of soil organisms account for those of plants?
• What is the role of biodiversity for ecosystem processes (e.g. carbon cycling and pollination), which provide important ecosystem services for humans?

  You can find additional information on the project website: https://www.biodiversity-exploratories.de

Field research is conducted in three large regions, the so-called Exploratories. One is located in the biosphere reserve Schorfheide Chorin in Brandenburg, another in the national park Hainich (Thuringia) and its surrounding area, and a third in the biosphere reserve Schwäbische Alb in Baden-Württemberg. Each region comprises forests and grasslands of different management intensity.

In 2006, 100 study plots, 50 in forest and 50 in grassland, were established in each of the three regions.

These plots, which continue to be managed as usual, serve for comparative studies and for experimentation among gradients of management intensity in forest and grassland.

For the very first time, scientists covering all facets of biodiversity and of ecosystem processes, including botanists, microbiologists, zoologists, geneticists, ecophysiologists, ecosystem researchers, remote sensing specialists and forest scientists, are collaborating on exactly the same research plots and on common research questions.

The range of organisms studied is as comprehensive as possible. It reaches from soil bacteria and fungi to higher plants, bryophytes, algae, lichens and to arthropods, other invertebrates, birds, bats and other mammals.

To allow the synthesis of results from all these researchers, the Exploratories have been pursuing a standardization of methodologies from the very start.

The Biodiversity Exploratories program comprises 49 projects, 10 providing infrastructure and basic data, and 39 dedicated to more specific research questions. Field work in each Exploratory is managed by a local management team, which collaborates closely with local authorities, land owners, land users, farmers, foresters, hunters and the general public.

The Biodiversity Exploratories (central coordination) office BEO is located at the Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung in Frankfurt. It provides smooth academic coordination and administration, organises events, and oversees public relations, communication and outreach.

An internal web-based data base of the Biodiversity Exploratories, hosted by the University of Jena, facilitates exchange of information and data between projects, and enables internal communication.

Local Trains (S-Bahn)
S3, S4, S5 and S6 – Station “Westbahnhof” (12-minute walk)

Underground (U-Bahn)
U6 and U7 – Station “Bockenheimer Warte” (7-minute walk)
U4 – Station “Bockenheimer Warte” (7-minute walk)

Bus
Line 75 – Stop “Senckenbergmuseum” (5-minute walk)

Tram
Line 16 or 17 – Stop “Ludwig-Erhard-Anlage” (4-minute walk)

By Car
Coming from the south and east:
From the Frankfurt interchange (“Frankfurter Kreuz”), drive towards “Westkreuz Frankfurt”, then take the A 648 (direction “Stadtmitte” – B8/44) towards the exhibition grounds (“Messe”). At the roundabout, turn left (direction “Ginnheim / Eschersheim” – B8/40). After approx. 600 meters, make a U-turn in front of the Senckenberg Museum, continue past the museum, and then turn right into the second street, Georg-Voigt-Straße.

Coming from the north and west:
From the “Nordwestkreuz Frankfurt”, take the A 66 (direction “F-Miquelallee / Stadtmitte”). Shortly before the motorway ends, turn right (direction “Hauptbahnhof / Messe” – B8/40) and follow the main road (“Zeppelinallee”). Drive past the Senckenberg Museum and then turn right into the second street, Georg-Voigt-Straße.

Please note that no parking spaces are available on-site!

However, several paid public parking facilities are located nearby:
• Congress Center Messe Frankfurt Parking Garage (Maritim Hotel); Theodor-Heuss-Allee 3–5; open 24/7
• Messeturm Parking Garage; Friedrich-Ebert-Anlage 49; open 24/7
• WestendGate Underground Parking Garage; Hamburger Allee 2; open 24/7

Two disabled parking spaces are available in front of the west entrance of the building (No. 16).