Research

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Main Vertebrate Research targets are

Reconstruction of vertebrate fauna in Switzerland from the end of ice age onwards. The changes in the fauna, mainly in the alpine one, is influenced by direct human activities, as hunting, farming, industrialisation, traffic . . . Bones from archaeological sites (? Archaeo-zoology) and history of hunting are important sources to be exploited. Knowledge about ecology and today’s population dynamics can help to understand former changes in distribution and densities.

Zoo-geographical and ecological questions can be answered by our knowledge on local faunas.

Eco-morphology, mainly in birds and mammals tries to explain different structures in different areas and habitats.

Feeding ecology of carnivorous and insectivorous birds and mammals are integrated into the questions on changes in distribution and population dynamics.

. . . and not to be neglected in a museum: the history of the collections, their donators and collectors in the context of the era in question.

Members of the Departement have contributed monographs for at least one species in each of the recent Swiss atlas works: amphibians (1988, K. Grossenbacher as author of the whole atlas), birds (1999) and mammals (1995). The same situation is found in the „Handbuch der Reptilien und Amphibien Europas (with K. Grossenbacher as a Co-editor), the „Handbuch der Vögel Mitteleuropas“ and the „Handbuch der Säugetiere Europas“.

Vertebrate research

Kurt Grossenbacher's research (lower vertebrates)>
Marcel Güntert's research (ornithology)>
Stefan Hertwig's research (mammalogy)>
Marc Nussbaumer, André Rehazek (archaeozoology)>
Swiss dog breeds>
Paul Schmid's research>

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