Dr. rer. nat. Felix Zitzmann

Main research areas

• Biodiversity (including birds, ground beetles, mammals, vascular plants) in agricultural landscapes
• Novel land use and ecosystems (including paludiculture, modern agroforestry systems, solar parks, agri-PV, moorland PV, short rotation plantations) and their importance as habitats for various species groups
• Impact regulation, species protection and production-integrated nature conservation measures (PIK, AUKM, CEF and FCS measures)

I am currently working on the following questions as part of research projects or in collaboration with students (theses, study projects, exercises) and researchers from other universities:

• What is the significance of lowland and upland bog paludicultures as habitats for dragonflies?
• Which habitat and landscape parameters influence the occurrence of reed bed breeders in Lower Saxony's reed beds?
• How do cultivated plants and accompanying vegetation develop in lowland paludicultures with reeds and cattails in the first few years after establishment?
• Which mammals use short rotation strips in modern agroforestry systems as their habitat? What habitat potential do short rotation strips have for the dwarf mouse Micromys minutus, and does the wildcat Felis silvestris include these tree strips in its habitat use?
• Which woodland-breeding bird species breed in different types of short rotation coppice strips and how can these be enhanced for breeding birds?
• What is the significance of short rotation coppice strips as a habitat and potential biotope network element for forest ground beetles?
• What measures can be taken to promote biodiversity in modern agroforestry systems?
• Which ground beetle and spider species hibernate and reproduce in different areas of solar parks?
• Which birds, grasshoppers, butterflies, ground beetles, mammals and vascular plants use solar parks as their habitat?
• Which bird and mammal species incorporate an agri-PV test area into their habitat use (research project by Lara Diekmann)?
• How has the population of long-eared owl (Asio otus) hibernation sites in the southern region of Hanover developed over the last 10 years? What characteristics do hibernation sites have and what does this mean for species protection?
• …

Teaching activities

I am involved in the following courses in the Bachelor's programme in Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning and in the Master's programmes in Environmental and Regional Planning and Landscape Sciences:

• Study projects and final theses
• Seminars/exercises: ‘Faunistic Field Methods’ and ‘Faunistic-Animal Ecological Methods in Landscape Planning’
• Lectures: ‘Biodiversity and Nature Conservation,’ ‘Nature Conservation and Landscape Planning: Fundamentals’ and ‘Planning-Related Ecology’
• Impromptu lectures, excursions

Peer reviewer

• AMBIO A Journal of the Human Environment
• Applied Carabidology
• Ecology and Evolution
• Journal of Sustainable Forestry
• Nature Conservation and Landscape Planning
• Scientific Reports