My PhD thesis is embedded within the DFG Research Unit FOR1246: „Kilimanjaro ecosystems under global change: Linking biodiversity, biotic interactions and biogeochemical ecosystem processes“.
Birds and bats are very mobile and thus play an important role in linking habitat patches of different land use. They deliver crucial ecosystem services, i.e., seed dispersal and arthropod predation. Therefore the changes in community composition caused by habitat degradation may have negative consequences for, e.g., seed dispersal by fruit bats.
The main objective of my dissertation is the investigation of bird and bat-mediated ecosystem functions with focus on community-wide interaction networks. Until now, very little is known about what kind of plant species are dispersed by pteropodid bats, both exotic and indigenous plant species, which factors are influencing these interactions and over which distances the seeds can be dispersed.
The study takes place over an altitude ranging from 700 m to 2500m, including different habitat types (lower montane forest, home garden, coffee plantation, savannah, mais). Further we investigate the importance of riparian stripes for bats along the slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro. To this end, I am using different approaches to assess the interactions between bats and fruiting / flowering plants along elevation and land-use gradients, as well as functional traits from plants, birds and bats. Habitat characteristics as well as abundance of food resources are evaluated. Infrared spotlights and cameras, as well as mist nets are being used. Additional data are gathered via experimental settings in a flight cage.

Vogeler  AV,  Böhning-Gaese  K,  Vollstaedt  M, Tschapka M (2015). Habitat use of pteropodid bats and  their  importance  as  long  distance  seed dispersers  on  the  slopes  of  Mt.  Kilimanjaro, Tanzania.  Poster  Presentation at the  6th International Symposium-Workshop  for “Frugivores  and  Seed  Dispersal”,  FSD  2015, Drakensberg,  South Africa.

Vollstaedt M, Schleuning M, Tschapka M, Vogeler AV, Böhning-Gaese K (2015). Modularity of a seed dispersal  Network  on  Mt.  Kilimanjaro,  Tanzania. Poster  Presentation at the  6th International Symposium-Workshop  for “Frugivores  and  Seed  Dispersal”, FSD  2015,  Drakensberg, South Africa.

Vogeler AV, Schweiger U and Tschapka M (2015). Gut passage duration and seed dispersal in East African Fruit bats. Poster presentation. Annual meeting of the Society for Tropical Ecology in Zurich, Switzerland

Vogeler  AV,  Tschapka  M,  Cottontail  V  (2013). Occurrence of Litomosoides-filariae in seven Neotropical bat species. Poster Presentation at the 3rd  International  Berlin  Bat  Meeting:  Bats  in  the Anthropocene  2013,  1.-3.  March  2013,  Berlin, Germany

Vogeler  AV,  Cottontail  V,  Kalko  EKV  (2011). Vorkommen  und  Morphologie  von  Blutparasiten  in neotropischen Fledermäusen. Poster Presentation at the  „Treffen  der  Fledermausforscher  in Deutschland  2011“,  20.-22.  January  2011,  Loccum, Germany