Benjamin Wildermuth

Education

Born in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, Benjamin Wildermuth started studying biology in 2014. His focus is on ecology, biodiversity and evolution. In various expeditions and other study activities he researched different terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems across the globe.

Master of Science in Biology at the University of Hamburg, 2020. Topic of the thesis: "Spatial patterns, life history and biological interactions of termite colonies (Macrotermes sp.) in the thorn bush savanna of Central Namibia".

Bachelor of Science in Biology at the University of Cologne, 2017. Topic of the thesis: "Community Composition and Dynamics of Eukaryotic Microbes Associated to Sargassum and other Macrophytes in the Atlantic".

PhD Research Project

Doctoral candidate in the RTG 2300 at the Georg-August-University of Göttingen, subproject 6 "Arthropod diversity and functioning in mixed versus pure stands". Subproject 6-2 "Arthropod diversity and functioning in mixed versus pure stands" analyzes the community composition, functional diversity and trophic niche structure of epigeal arthropods in pure and mixed stands of European beech, Douglas fir and Norway spruce.

Publications

Wildermuth B, Fardiansah R, Matevski D, Lu JZ, Kriegel P, Scheu S, Schuldt A (2023) Conifers and non-native tree species shift trophic niches of generalist arthropod predators in Central European beech forests. BMC Ecology and Evolution 23(3): 1-14.

Wildermuth B, Seifert, CL, Husemann M, Schuldt A (2023) Metabarcoding reveals that mixed forests mitigate negative effects of non‐native trees on canopy arthropod diversity. Ecological Applications 33: e2921.

Wildermuth B, Dönges C, Matevski D, Penanhoat A, Seifert CL, Seidel D, ... Schuldt A (2023) Tree species identity, canopy structure and prey availability differentially affect canopy spider diversity and trophic composition. Oecologia 203: 37-51.

Schuldt A, Huke P, Glatthorn J, Hagge J, Wildermuth B, Matevski D (2022) Tree mixtures mediate negative effects of introduced tree species on bird taxonomic and functional diversity. Journal of Applied Ecology 59: 3049–3060.

Wildermuth B, Oldeland J, Arning C, Gunter F, Strohbach B and Juergens N (2022) Spatial patterns and life histories of Macrotermes michaelseni termite mounds reflect intraspecific competition: insights of a temporal comparison spanning 12 years. Ecography e06306. https://doi.org/10.1111/ecog.06306.

Wildermuth B, Oldeland J, Juergens N (2021) A beneficial relationship: associated trees facilitate termite colonies (Macrotermes michaelseni) in Namibia. Ecosphere 12:7 https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.3671.