Department of Ecology

HIERLMEIER Veronika MSc

 
My current task is the INTERREG-A-project “protectAlps”. This project is part of the structural and investment policy of the European Union to support economic and social cooperation in bordering regions. The German project partners are “Bayerisches Landesamt für Umwelt”, where I’m working as a research assistant, and the environmental research station “Schneefernerhaus”. Further cooperation partners in the project are the University of Innsbruck, Molecular Ecology, where I’m doing my PhD, and the observatory “Sonnblick” in Austria.

In our project, we study the pollution and the effect of persistent organic pollutants (short: POP) on wild insects in the Alpine Region where the pollution is particularly high. POPs are harmful substances, including, for example, flame retardants and chemical pesticides. They are considered as a possible reason for the loss of insect diversity and abundance. In addition, we study the effect of nitrogen on wild insects in extensively used areas.

Research Topics:

• Biogeography and faunistics
• Environmental chemistry
• Population genetics and genomics
• Traditional morphology and geometric morphometrics