The students conducting their fieldwork near Balgstädt.
© Maike Glöckner
13.10.2016 in Featured, Research, Science

Measuring nature

Crickets chirp at the edge of the forest, otherwise all is quiet in the Nature Park Saale Unstrut Triasland. Nine students from the University of Halle are working intently despite the midday heat. It is their last day in the field and there is still a lot left to do. In the master’s module Outdoor Ecology the up-and-coming biologists are learning what it means to conduct fieldwork in four investigation areas near Freyburg. Read more

Corn leaves emit volatile terpenes when injured by caterpillars. These, in turn, attract parasitoid wasps which are the natural enemy of caterpillars. !
© Ted Turlings
30.06.2011 in Research, Science

Odour signals entice the enemy’s enemy

Plants are not mute. They possess a special language and reveal themselves to be exceedingly inventive when using it. Their vocabulary consists of an abundance of odours which they emit into their environment. They can even produce aromatic signals to call for help. Prof. Dr. Jörg Degenhardt, a pharmacist from Halle, is interested in these substances. His investigations includes how and why plants emit certain odours. Read more