The working group's focus is on man-made changes to floodplains and peatlands and the resulting consequences for biodiversity from a historical perspective.

Disciplines involved: Physical Geography, History in the Early Modern Period, Archaeology of the Middle Ages and Modern Times

enlarge the image: Colour photo: Frontal picture of sediment which contains a medieval fish trap and two measuring tapes, with which the size of the object can be seen.
A medieval fish trap covered in Wörnitz, Photo: Stefanie Berg

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What does "Anthropocene" mean?

The term "Anthropocene" is a key concept in the natural sciences and humanities. It refers to human-induced global changes in climate and material flows. Species loss, mass extinctions and the spread of invasive species are closely associated with it. Human influence is seen as a determining geological and ecological factor in the Earth system. This calls for a rethinking of society as a whole and a critical revision of the human-nature relationship.

About the working group

We investigate long-term developments, particularly on a local and regional scale, that can be considered as prehistory of the Anthropocene. Our interdisciplinary working group builds on extensive research in the fields of River Geomorphology, Palaeoecology, Geoarchaeology and Environmental History as well as on profound personal expertise in this field. Due to our cooperation with scientists from various research institutes in Leipzig, we see ourselves as the nucleus of a multidisciplinary research platform that will be further expanded in the coming years.

Research interest of the working group

Based on the concept of historical anthropospheres, we focus on the effects of human-induced changes on floodplains and peatlands and the resulting consequences for biodiversity. Our working group thus generates knowledge about diachronic ecological change in complex systems, which is indispensable for the conservation and management of current ecosystems. Knowledge of past conditions and developments is not only indispensable for current renaturation projects, but also makes it possible to assess the resilience of ecosystems to future changes.

Research approach

Our aim is to make "historical" biodiversity measurable. Since direct measurement data are not available, it is necessary to use proxy parameters from the archives of nature and society. For this purpose, different materials such as sediments, pollen profiles, ancient DNA as well as artefacts and texts are analysed in combination. This is an innovative, interdisciplinary approach, the methodological reflection of which forms an important part of our work. Our working group is therefore jointly developing two white papers on the interdisciplinary concept of floodplain and fluvial biodiversity.

Our partners

German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research Halle-Jena-Leipzig (iDiv), Leibniz Institute for the History and Culture of Eastern Europe (GWZO), Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology

Duration

2023 – 2025

In a Nutshell

Everything at a glance: We answer the most important questions about our working group

The working group is made up of two professors and four staff members from the disciplines of Archaeology, Geography and History, who have joined forces with scientists from various research centres in Leipzig. These include the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research Halle-Jena-Leipzig (iDiv), the Leibniz Institute for the History and Culture of Eastern Europe (GWZO), the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) and the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology.

We look at human-induced changes in floodplains and peatlands and the resulting consequences for biodiversity from a historical perspective. In this way, we generate orientation knowledge for the management of current ecosystems.

We are developing an interdisciplinary research approach based on a combined analysis of disparate materials (sediments, pollen profiles, ancient DNA, artefacts, texts).

  • Schmidt, J. et. al. 2023. Erosion Modelling Indicates a Decrease in Erosion Susceptibility of Historic Ridge and Furrow Fields near Albershausen, Southern Germany, doi.org/10.3390/land12030544 
  • Nießen, I. 2023. Wasser- und Flussbau im Oberrheingebiet vom  späten Mittelalter bis zur Gegenwart, In: H-Soz-Kult, 10.01.2023,  <www.hsozkult.de/conferencereport/id/fdkn-132623.

Members

Professor Julia Schmidt-Funke

Professor Julia Schmidt-Funke

Leader of the Working Group

Straße des 17. Juni 2
04107 Leipzig

Phone: +49 341 97-37101
Fax: +49 341 97-37149

Professor Christoph Zielhofer

Professor Christoph Zielhofer

Leader of the Working Group

Straße des 17. Juni 2
04107 Leipzig

Phone: +49 341 97-32965
Fax: +49 341 97-32799

Dr des Iris Ophelia Nießen

Dr des Iris Ophelia Nießen

Postdoctoral Researcher

Straße des 17. Juni 2
04107 Leipzig

Phone: +49 341 97-30345

 Michael Hein

Michael Hein

Postdoctoral Researcher

Straße des 17. Juni 2
04107 Leipzig

 Blaise Gravier

Blaise Gravier

Research Fellow

Straße des 17. Juni 2
04107 Leipzig

Dr Maike Schmidt

Dr Maike Schmidt

Associate Fellow

Beethovenstraße 15
04107 Leipzig

Phone: +49 341 97-37103
Fax: +49 341 97-37149

Dr Johannes Schmidt

Dr Johannes Schmidt

Associate Fellow

Johannisallee 19a
04103 Leipzig

Phone: +49 341 97-32966
Fax: +49 341 97-32799

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Joshua Gura

Research Assistant

Straße des 17. Juni 2
04107 Leipzig

Our partners

Dr Martin Bauch

Research Fellow

Leibniz Institute for the History and Culture of Eastern Europe (GWZO)

Dr Susanne Dunker

Research Fellow

German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig

Dr Ulrike Werban

Head of Geophysics Department, Department Monitoring and Exploration Technologies

Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Department Monitoring and Exploration Technologies

Dr Mathias Scholz

Research Fellow

Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research

Zu den Arbeitsgruppen

Working Group Global Health

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Working Group Plants and Politics

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Fluvial Anthroposphere Research Project

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