Sebastian Wildauer, BSc

sebastian.wildauer@student.uibk.ac.at

I grew up closely connected to nature, which later led me to study Ecology and Biodiversity at the University of Innsbruck. I am particularly fascinated by the diversity of species and forms, the behaviour, the adaptation of flora and fauna to their habitats and their interactions.

I wrote my bachelor’s thesis as part of the biodiversity monitoring in South Tyrol, where habitats with varying degrees of anthropogenic influence were examined for their biodiversity and abundance of surface acting arthropods.

Currently, I am working on my master thesis with three other master’s students, Cheyenne Del Nin, Michael Meusburger, and Clara Zencominierski, as part of the Innsieme Connect project, focusing on amphibians in the Inn Valley in Tyrol. To this end, bodies of water were located throughout the valley floor and examined for the presence of amphibians, with a focus on the grass frog and common toad and their habitat requirements. The investigations were carried out in three stages, documenting not only the development from egg to adult organism, but also site parameters and vegetation analyses at potential and currently colonized water bodies. In the third round, in addition to the visual survey, landing nets were also used to record predators and hidden or small numbers of amphibian larvae, present in the water. 

Research topics:
Adaptation
Biodiversity
Ecological niche modelling
Herpetology
Wildlife monitoring