We are studying reproduction and ecology of insects, especially bees. Our interests are the interactions between insects (host/parasites, predator/prey) and between insects and plants. Ongoing research in co-operation with Prof. Dr. Josefina Steiner, Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC) and Brazilian students, includes three sub-projects:

1. an inventory of the bees occurring in various vegetation types and successional stages of Atlantic Rain Forest on the Island of Santa Catarina, and their trophic relations with melittophilous plants.
    
2. a study on reproduction (life cycle, sex ratio) and natural history (nest architecture, parasites, floral resources) of bees breeding in trap nests. Our observations focus on species of leaf-cutting (Megachilidae) and orchid bees (Euglossini).
    
3. The project “Internal dynamics of rain forests: specificity of animal-plant interactions” (BMBF 01LB0205) within the bi-national program „Mata Atlântica“ funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the Brazilian National Council of Research (CNPq) aims at studying the diversity and interactions of animals associated with bromeliads in the southern part of the Atlantic rain forest in the state of Santa Catarina. This research is executed in co-operation with Prof. Dr. Carlos B. Marcondes, Centro de Ciências Biologicas, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC), Florianópolis, SC. The fauna of bromeliads is collected at two sites. One is the UCAD (Unidade de Conservação Ambiental Desterro), a 500 ha large forest reserve of the UFSC on Santa Catarina Island, consisting mostly of secondary Atlantic rain forest. The other is a primary forest that is part of the “Serra do Tabuleiro” state park, situated on the mainland in the municipality of Santo Amaro da Imperatriz. Together with students and scientists from many institutions we are studying the wide spectrum of invertebrate and vertebrate taxa found in bromeliad phytotelmata (see bibliography compiled by J. H. Frank), bromeliad humus or visiting bromeliad flowers. The results of our project are published in articles and posters, as listened here. Sabine Heinle is responsible for graphics and illustrations and also webmaster of this homepage.
    

Collaborators:

Prof. Dr. Benedito Cortês Lopes, UFSC: Ant fauna associated with bromeliads and comparison with the litter ant fauna

Dr. Axel Kwet, Staatl. Museum für Naturkunde, Stuttgart, Marcos Di Bernardo †, PUCRS, Porto Alegre: The role of bromeliads for anuran species

Prof. Dr. Sonia Lopes, UFRJ, Rio de Janeiro: Cockroaches (Blattaria) associated with bromeliads

Prof. Dr. Janira Martins Costa, UFRJ, Rio de Janeiro: Damsel flies (Odonata) developing in bromeliads

Dr. Michael Balke, Zool. Staatssammlung, München: Aquatic beetles associated with bromeliads

Prof. Dr. Joachim Adis †, MPI Limnologie, Plön: Terrestrial arthropods associated with bromeliad humus

Humberto Mendes, Natural History Collections, Bergen: Taxonomy of Chironomidae developing in bromeliad phytotelmata

Dr. Birgit Harter, UNESC, Criciúma: Reproductive biology and pollination of bromeliads

Dr. Marilda Cortopassi-Laurino, USP, Sao Paulo: Analysis of floral resources of Euglossa annectans

Dr. Sergei Golovatch, Academy of Science, Moscow: Diplopods associated with bromeliads

Dr. Antonio Brescovit, Museo de Zoologia, USP, Sao Paulo: Spider associated with bromeliads

Dr. Ricardo Pinto-da-Rocha, USP, Sao Paulo: Harvestmen associated with bromeliads

Students:

Matthias Recke: Comparison of arthropods associated with canopy and understory bromeliads (diploma thesis, Uni Tübingen, 2004)

Renata C. Campos: Rearing and identification of bromeliad-dwelling damsel fly larvae (2003 -05)

Renata C. Campos: Diversity of seed dispersers of bromeliads (actual)

Carlos M. Espirito Santo: Spider fauna associated with bromeliads (2003/04)

Leonardo Zanella de Souza: Composição, Riqueza e Diversidade da Araneofauna (Araneae) em Bromélias Nidularium innocentii de duas Áreas de Mata Atlântica na Grande Florianópolis, SC, Brasil (monography, UFSC, 2007)

Marcia Manfredini: Colonization of bromeliad humus by arthopods (2003-06)

Livia Dorneles: Biologia da polinização de Aechmea lindenii (Bromeliaceae) e as fontes de alimento utilizadas por Euglossa annectans (Apidae: Euglossina) em áreas florestais da Ilha de Santa Catarina. (monography, UFSC, 2006)

Livia Dorneles: Diversity of flower vistors and pollination of Euterpe edulis (Arecaceae). (master thesis, UFSC)

Simone Grohme: Influence of habitat type on the spectrum of flower visitors of bromeliads in the Atlantic forest (doctoral thesis, Uni Tübingen)

Volker Schmid: Diversity and behavior of ants associated with flowers of bromeliads (diploma thesis, Uni Tübingen, 2006)

Marion Zobel: Foraging behavior of euglossine bees (2005)

Rafael Kamke: Diversidade de abelhas (Hymenoptera, Apoidea) em uma area de restinga no Parque estadual da Serra do Tabuleiro, Palhoca, SC (monography, UFSC, 2006)

Rafael Kamke: Diversity of flower vistors and pollination of Aechmea caudata (Bromeliaceae). (master thesis, UFSC)

Eliana de Medeiros Oliveira: Analysis of floral constancy of Megachilidae (2007/08)

Eliana de Medeiros Oliveira: Visitantes florais de Ipomoea pes-caprae na Restinga da Praia da Joaquina, Florianópolis, SC (monography, UFSC)

Fabiano Fabian Albertoni: Diversity of beetles associated with bromeliads (2007-)