Museum für Naturkunde

A multiregional serosurvey of RNA virus-reactive antibodies in bats and rodents reveals the enzootic presence of flavi- and paramyxoviruses in African Pteropodidae

Bats and rodents have been identified as reservoir hosts of diverse RNA viruses that pose potential risks to humans. However, overall virus prevalence in wildlife and underlying factors determining the zoonotic potential of reservoir-borne viruses remain poorly characterized. Vir...

Food resources are more important than nesting resources for explaining wild bee diversity in urban gardens

Abstract Wild bees are declining worldwide, with urbanisation as one major driver. Urban environments can filter for wild bees with specific functional traits and resource requirements. Nevertheless, cities can support many wild bee species, especially in urban gardens. Yet, we d...

Lebanese faunal legacy collections uncover 400,000 years of woodland resilience and distinct hominin ecological strategies

Abstract The Levant is a key biogeographic corridor, yet historical instability has limited research creating a polarization toward its southern region. To address this geographical bias, we reassessed three legacy faunal collections from Lebanon: Naame, Nahr Ibrahim, and Ras el-...

Towards a unified publicly accessible database of avian type specimens

Type specimens represent the crucial physical reference for any scientific bird name, but type material is scattered widely across the globe, and there is still no one comprehensive source documenting the presence, status and condition of all avian type specimens, as well as asso...

Investigating a Devonian vertebrate assemblage with synchrotron microtomography of coprolites

Abstract Fossilised faeces (coprolites) are a unique source of information as they record palaeontological evidence of animal behaviour (autecology) as well as interactions between extinct organisms and their environment (synecology). Four samples bearing coprolites found in a ne...

Hidden diversity in Early Palaeozoic parasites: new indication from Orsten-type Ordovician pentastomidans (tongue-worms)

Abstract Orsten-type Lagerstätten sensu stricto are represented by several localities around the world, delivering a unique window into the meiofauna of the Early Palaeozoic. They are providing beautifully three-dimensionally preserved, phosphatized organisms, mostly articulated...

Chiroptera Personality—A Guide for Assessing Personality Variation in Bats: Ecological, Methodological and Statistical Considerations

ABSTRACT Consistent between‐individual differences, that is, animal personality (AP) is among the fastest‐growing topics in behavioural biology, with theoretical and empirical work showing important consequences for ecology, evolution and conservation. Yet bats—the second‐largest...