In SS and WS, excursions and field internships will take place.
In addition to the major fieldwork placements and a museum excursion, we also offer a series of one-day excursions as part of the biodiversity course.
The current preliminary discussion dates for the multi-day excursions can be found in the LSF.
The dates for the one-day excursions will be announced at the beginning of the semester in the course.
Marine biology field trip to the Wadden sea (Sylt)
© Carolin Bleese
Every year the field trip focusing on the biology and ecology of the wadden sea takes place on the northernmost german island Sylt. Under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Martin Heß 16 students are introduced to the creatures and habitats of the coast of the northern sea. Outdoors as well as in the laboratory. For the indoor work we have access to the modern laboratory of the Wadden sea station of the Alfred-Wegener-Institut in List.
The current appointments for preliminary talks and debriefing can be found in the LSF.
Fundamental knowledge about marine biology is eligible. Therefore we recommend the lecture “Einführung in die Meeresbiologie” during wintersemester.
Marine biology field trip to the "North-East" Atlantic / Roscoff
© Carolin Bleese
Every second year the field trip on marine biodiversity of the workgroup Matschiner takes place in Roscoff in the Bretagne (north-western France).
Under the supervision of Dr. Timea Neusser 16 students are introduced to the diversity of various marine habitats. A major focus is the tidal zone, being particulary striking at this location with 29 feet of tidal range. Ship-based trips are an annual highlight.
In small groups the students are introduced to the taxonomy and adequate documentation of various marine animals and plants.
The course is taking place in the modern laboratory of the Station Biologique de Roscoff.
The current dates for registration and pre-meetings can be found in the LSF.
Practical course: Marine biology field course (Systematics of marine flora and fauna)
Seminar: Marine Biology (Systematics of marine flora and fauna)
Fundamental knowledge on marine biology is recommended but not mandatory. Therefore please attend the lecture “Einführung in die Meeresbiologie”.
Marine biology field trip to the Mediterranean sea (Piran)
© Carolin Bleese
Every year the field trip focusing on the biology and ecology of the Mediterranean Sea takes place on the Marine Biology Station Piran (Slovenia).
Under the supervision of Prof. Roland Melzer 16 students are introduced to the creatures and habitats of the Adriatic coast and obtain proficiency in faunistic knowledge. There is much snorkeling and sample collection and suntan lotion is mandatory. The ship-based trips are an annual highlight.
High Alps
Every year the 5-day excursion about the biology and ecology of the high alpes leads us in the area of the Obersulzbachtal in the Hohen Tauern. Waypoints of this hiking excursion are the Berndlalm (1500m) and the Kürsinger Hütte (2500m) in the Obersulzbachtal as well as neighbouring peaks and glaciers. Under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Martin Heß 12 students have the opportunity to get to know the creatures and habitats of the high alps.
Canary Islands
In this zoological excursion and seminar, students will experience the fauna of a semi-isolated insular system, with a focus on its vertebrate component.
During ten days in the field, students will learn to identify vertebrate species based on visual and acustic observations, and will become familiar with the habitats of these animals. National parks will be visited on La Gomera and Tenerife.
The evolution of island biodiversity will be discussed in the light of in-itu speciation and migration, and a seminar on the biogeography of the Canary Islands will held. Students will be asked to study the literature for selected endemic species and to present seminars during the excursion to share their insights about the evolutionary origin of that species with other students.
Students will familiarize themselves with the use of various methods for species identifcations, including artificial intelligence, and the strengths and weaknesses of the different methods will be discussed. Observations will be recorded and systematically summarized at the end of each day. During a visit to the Natural History Museum of Santa Cruz, the past history of extinct endemics will be discussed.
Finally, all observations will be processed jointly, and statistics will be compiled to summarize the observations.
Excursion to a Natural History Museum
© Carolin Bleese
During the winter semester, usually during Carnival week, an excursion to a natural history museum takes place, for example to Hamburg, Karlsruhe, or Braunschweig. There, twelve students, under the guidance of PD Dr. Carolin Haug and Prof. Joachim Haug, work directly with collection material for one week, learning how to handle historical specimens, methods of modern digital macro-photography, and data organization.
The following week, at the LMU Biocenter, the students process the raw images they have taken to achieve high-resolution composite images at publication-quality level. The course thus provides excellent preparation for working in natural history collections.