Dr. Dirk Mezger

 

Current Projects:

Long-term community assembly and functional diversity of leaf litter ants across tropical mountain gradients in Sarawak, Malaysia

Scientific manager and photographer for antbase.net

Website coordinator for the scientific journal Asian Myrmecology

Current Affiliation:

Department of Biogeography, University of Bayreuth, Germany

Email Address:

Personal website:

Website of Dirk Mezger (Uni Bayreuth)

Research Interests:

Tropical Biodiversity, Phylogenetics, Myrmecology, Taxonomy of insects, Biogeography, Ecology

Research Location:

Pulong Tau National Park and Gunung Mulu National Park in Sarawak, Malaysia

Former Research Projects:

(2013—2014) Postdoctoral fellow working with Dr. Corrie Moreau, Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, IL in the Department of Zoology, Division of Insects

(2006—2010) Ph.D. University of Ulm. Institute of Experimental Ecology. Title of Dissertation: Litter and soil ants in tropical rain forests: How are their diversity, community and food web structured by environmental factors? Advisors: PD. Dr Martin Pfeiffer & the late Prof. Dr. Elisabeth E. Kalko. For a description of my PhD research projects please click here!

List of Publications:

Mezger, D. & Moreau, C. S. (2016). Out of South-East Asia: Phylogeny and biogeography of the spiny ant genus Polyrhachis (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Systematic Entomology. 41, 369-378

Gibb, H., Saunders, N.,Dunn, R., Mezger, D. (among 41 further coauthors) & Parr, K. (2015). Climate regulates the effects of disturbance on ant assemblage structure. Proceedings of the Royal Society B 282: 20150418.

Pfeiffer, M., Mezger, D .& Dyckmans, J. (2014). Trophic ecology of tropical leaf litter ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Myrmecological News, 19 31-41.

Pfeifer, M., Lefebvre, V., Gardner, Mezger, D. (among 62 further coauthers), Bradley, A.V & and Ewers, R.M (2014) BIOFRAG — a new database for analyzing BIOdiversity responses to forest FRAGmentation. Ecology and Evolution 4: 1524-1537

Pfeiffer, M. & Mezger, D. (2012) Biodiversity Assessment in Incomplete Inventories: Leaf Litter Ant Communities in Several Types of Bornean Rain Forest. PLoS ONE, 7 e40729.

Mezger, D. & Pfeiffer, M. (2011) Partitioning the impact of abiotic factors and spatial patterns on species richness and community structure of ground ant assemblages in four Bornean rainforests. Ecography, 34 39-48.

Mezger, D. & Pfeiffer, M. (2011) Influence of the arrival of Anoplolepis gracilipes (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) on the temporal development of an ant community on a clearing in Gunung Mulu National Park, Sarawak, Malaysia. Asian Myrmecology, 4 89-98.

Pfeiffer, M., Mezger, D., Hosoishi, S., Yahya, B.E. & Kohout, R.J. (2011) The Formicidae of Borneo (Hymenoptera, Insectes), a preliminary species list. Asian Myrmecology, 4 9-58.

Mezger, D. & Pfeiffer, M. (2010) Are nest temperatures an important factor for niche partitioning by leaf-litter ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Bornean rain forests? Journal of Tropical Ecology, 33. 445-455.

Mezger, D. & Pfeiffer, M. (2010) Ecological traits indicate niche differentiation in Bornean dacetine species (Myrmicinae: Formicidae). Ecotropica 16, 51-57.

Mezger, D. & Pfeiffer, M. (2010) Eurhopalothrix elke, a new species from Borneo, and a key to the species of the E. platisquama TAYLOR, 1990 group (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Myrmecological News 13, 133-139.

Mezger, D. & Pfeiffer, M. (2008) Record of a mixed colony of two dacetine species: Strumigenys rotogenys and Pyramica mitis (Myrmicinae) from Gunung Mulu National Park, Sarawak, Malaysia. Asian Myrmecology 2, 125-127.

Wriedt, J., Mezger, D., Chong, L. & Pfeiffer, M. (2008) Observations on the foraging behaviour of Myrmicaria brunnea subcarinata (Smith) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in a tropical rainforest in Sarawak (Malaysia). Asian Myrmecology 2, 109-120.

Mezger D & Blüthgen N (2007) Trophobioses on Borneo climbing bamboo - diversity and ecology of ant- hemipteran associations on Dinochloa trichogona (Poaceae). Asian Myrmecology 1: 59-68

Blüthgen N, Mezger D and Linsenmair KE (2006) Ant-hemipteran trophobioses in a Borneon rainforest-diversity, specifity and monopolisation. Insectes Sociaux 53 (2): 194-203.

List of Conference Contributions:

Mezger Dirk, Pfeiffer Martin (2007) Leaf-litter ant communities in two types of rainforest in Borneo (Sarawak/Malaysia). 20. Ann. Conf. of the Society for Tropical Ecology (GTÖ), Bonn, 21-25 Feb. 2007.

Mezger D, Linsenmair KE & Blüthgen N (2005). Trophobioses between ants and hemipterans in a tropical rainforest in Borneo. Poster presented at the 18th Conference of the German Society of Tropical Ecology in Berlin, Germany.

Books/Films/Public Outreach:

01-2015 to 10-2015 Butterfly exibition: public talks, environmental education events, guided nature walks and public moth nights. Click here for more information! (only in German available)

2014-02 to 2014-08 Field Museum of Natural History: "Members Night" and "Meet a scientist"

05-2013 to 06-2013 Biodiversity day: member of organisation team, guided walks, species assessments and report writing. Click here for more information! (only in German available)