Valentin Graf

Animal Behaviour - Bielefeld University With a team of over 50 people, the different research groups study animal behaviour within the framework of the four questions of Tinbergen, both in the lab and in the field. Current model systems include laboratory studies on zebra finches (

Bielefeld University seeks a postdoc for a 6-year scientific assistant position in Animal Behaviour, starting March 2026. Apply by Sept 10, 2025. More info: www.uni-bielefeld.de/fakultaeten/biologie/forschung/arbeitsgruppen/behaviour #job

Our latest nutcracker paper is out!

In a collaborative effort between @sgn.one and @vogelwarte.bsky.social we show how bird age can affect seed dispersal 🐥🌱

#ProcB @royalsocietypublishing.org Avian seed dispersal function is age dependent
doi.org/10.1098/rspb...

@matthiastschumi.bsky.social

Seed predation by rodents suppresses recruitment of a bird-dispersed tree at its upper range limit | Journal of Animal Ecology | besjournals.onlineli... | #ornithology 🪶🌍🧪

Happy to share that the first paper of my PhD is out!

We developed a trait-based framework 🌱🦜 to quantify how plant-frugivore interactions and animal movement shape plant functional connectivity—the dispersal of seeds between habitat patches.

royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...

Check this out @valgra.bsky.social , @vsvanbergen.bsky.social & @steffopp.bsky.social
Wondering whether this is indeed a nutcracker nest!?

So, this spring I am starting a pilot study searching for spotted nutcracker nests. The ultimate goal is to GPS-tag nestlings… apparently occupied nests are notoriously difficult to find (in case you have ever found one, please let me know!). Getting inspired at the natural history museum in Bern 😊

Raise a glass to Dr Rabeau, celebrating his viva today in Silwood bar. 🥂 Thanks to Rich Gill and Ilya Maclean for examining. 4 amazing Drs recently graduating from the lab in this pic, and 2 pre-Drs 🥰 @jyang19.bsky.social @ra-barber.bsky.social

Last week, the BE were well represented at the @britishecolsoc.bsky.social #conference, offering insights into our program, individual projects, and results - either at the info booth or through multiple talks. Thank you for the great interest and such a wonderful #event in vibrant #Liverpool! 🥳

Posters, pints, and presentations 📊🍺🗣️

Thank you @britishecolsoc.bsky.social for hosting a great conference in Liverpool! It is wonderful to be part of such an engaging community.

Thank you all for the great time at the #BES2024
See you next year!

Another great talk by Andrea Larissa Boesing on landscape multifunctionality!
Great science made at the @sgn.one !
#BES2024

Valentin Graf: The importance of individual behavior for bird-mediated seed dispersal In our latest post Valentin Graf, PhD student at the Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre in Frankfurt, presents his work ‘Individual behavior shapes patterns of bird-mediated seed dis...

👀Behind the Paper!👀

🌲Valentin Graf, a PhD student at the Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, discusses the importance of moving from species to individual scale in ecology, overcoming research setbacks, and the benefits of aerial fieldwork🐦

Read it here👇
buff.ly/4bVWjDr

📣Our May issue is out now!📣

📗On the cover: a spotted nutcracker carrying a cone of Swiss stone pine, courtesy of Valentin Graf🐦

Read it here👇
buff.ly/44AbaRO

The figure shows the beauty and diversity of tree-related microhabitats recorded on Kilimanjaro, Tanzania.

Can we use tree-related microhabitats (TreMs)🌳 as indicators of #tropical #biodiversity? Our new study led by Giovanni Bianco shows that TreM diversity actually increases with temperature and decreases with human impact on Kilimanjaro 🇹🇿 Now published in Ecological Indicators: doi.org/10.1016/j.ec...