2007-2010
PhD student
I am a PhD student under the supervision of Carsten Rahbek and Miguel B. Araújo. During the course of my PhD which is jointly based at the Center for Macroecology and Evolution at the University of Copenhagen and the BIOCHANGE Lab at the Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales in Madrid, I am working on the impacts of climate change on global biodiversity and the implications for conservation planning.
There is ample evidence that species across a range of taxonomic groups are changing their geographical distributions in response to observed climate changes. During the course of my PhD an attempt will be made to: (i) estimate the impact of climate change on global amphibian distributions, (ii) measure the effectiveness of protected areas to conserve species under a range of climate change scenarios, and (iii) provide innovative reserve selection methods to identify important areas for the conservation of species subject to climate change.
Before I was enrolled as a PhD student at the University of Copenhagen, I studied biology with majors in animal ecology, nature conservation and zoology at the University of Marburg, Germany. I performed my Master thesis in the Department of Animal Ecology under the supervision of Professor Roland Brandl, investigating species richness patterns of European freshwater animals as well as the influence of habitat preferences on the distribution patterns of European and North American odonates. Beyond this, I have been working with Professor Hartmut S. Walter (UCLA) on the evaluation of the conservation value of the endangered Salton Sea ecosystem in Southern California, with emphasis on the implications of several proposed management scenarios on the populations of waterbirds.
Education, professional experience
Since 2007 – PhD student at the Center for Macroecology, University of Copenhagen and the Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, Madrid (supervisors: Carsten Rahbek, Miguel B. Araújo). PhD project: Climate change impacts for global biodiversity
2006-2007 – PhD student at the Department of Animal Ecology, University of Marburg (supervisor: Roland Brandl; www.tieroeko.de). Thesis: “Diversity, macroecology and biogeography of the European freshwater fauna”.
2006 – Scientific assistant at the UfZ – Centre for Environmental Research Leipzig-Halle (project “ALTERNet” – WP R3: “Impacts of the main natural and anthropogenic drivers and pressures of biodiversity”)
1999-2006 – Studies of Biology, University of Marburg (Germany). Majors: Animal ecology, nature conservation, zoology and evolution
2005-2006- Diploma thesis “Macroecology of the European Freshwater Fauna” in Animal Ecology (supervisor: Roland Brandl)
2004 – Internship at the German Federal Agency of Nature Conservation, Bonn (Department of Protected Areas, supervisor: Volker Scherfose)
2003 – Studies and research internship (nature conservation, biogeography, ornithology) at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), USA (Department of Geography, supervisor: Hartmut S. Walter)
1998-1999- Civilian Service with the Jordsand Society for the Protection of Seabirds and Nature (verein Jordsand e.V.)
1998 – Graduated from High-School with the Abitur, Westerwald-Gymnasium Altenkirchen (Westerwald, Germany)
Publications
Peer-reviewed publications
Diniz-Filho, J. A. F., Bini, L. M., Rangel, T. F., Loyola, R. D., Hof, C., Nogués-Bravo, D., Araújo, M. B. (2009) Partitioning and mapping uncertainties in ensembles of forecasts of species turnover under climate change. Ecography 32, 897-906.
Hof, C., Brändle, M., Brandl, R. (2008) Latitudinal variation of diversity in European freshwater animals is not concordant across habitat types. Global Ecology & Biogeography 17, 539-546.
Hof, C., Brändle, M. & Brandl, R. (2006) Lentic odonates have larger and more northern ranges than lotic species. Journal of Biogeography 33, 63-70.
Book chapters
Hof, C. (in press): Biogeography - The Distribution of Life. Grzimek’s Animal Life Encyclopedia: Evolution (edited by Michael Hutchins, Eric Pianca et al.). Gale, Cengage Learning.
Conference participations, oral and poster presentations (selection)
Hof, C. (2009) Frogs in a warming world - Global change and the future of amphibian diversity. Oral presentation, Helmholtz-Center for Environmental Research (UFZ), Halle (Germany), 13 November 2009.
Hof, C. (2009) Global change impacts on the world’s amphibians. 3rd joint meeting of the Center of Macroecology, Evolution & Climate (University of Copenhagen) and the Biodiversity and Global Change Lab (Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, Madrid) in Arrábida (Portugal), 19-23 October 2009.
Hof, C., Rahbek, C. & Araújo, M.B. (2009) Same clade – same climate. Phylogeny mirrored in the niches of the worlds amphibians. Oral presentation, 39th annual meeting of the Ecological Society of Germany, Austria and Switzerland (GfÖ) in Bayreuth (Germany), 14-18 September 2007.
Hof, C., Rahbek, C. & Araújo, M.B. (2009) Phylogenetic signals in climatic niches of the world’s amphibians. Poster, Conference “Niche Evolution - a unifying concept for systematics, ecology, paleontology and conservation biology” in Zürich (Switzerland), 3-4 July 2009.
Hof, C., Rahbek, C. & Araújo, M.B. (2009) Phylogenetic signals in climatic niche similarity of the world’s amphibians. Poster, 4th biennial conference of the International Biogeography Society (IBS) in Merida (Mexico), 8-12 January 2009.
Dehling, M., Brändle, M., Hof, C. & Brandl, R. (2008) Habitat and climate cannot explain species richness patterns of European freshwater species. Oral presentation, EURECO-GfÖ joint meeting in Leipzig (Germany), 15-19 September 2008.
Hof, C. (2008) Climatic niche conservatism among the world’s amphibian species. Oral presentation, 2nd joint meeting of the Center of Macroecology and Evolution (University of Copenhagen) and the Biodiversity and Global Change Lab (Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, Madrid) in San Juan de la Peña (Spain), 16-21 June 2008.
Hof, C. (2008) Climatic niche conservatism in amphibians - a global perspective. Oral presentation, Seminars of the Department of Animal Ecology, University of Marburg (Germany), 14 May 2008
Hof, C. (2008) The climatic niches of amphibians – a global analysis. Oral presentation, 2nd annual conference of the Macroecology Specialist Group of the Ecological Society of Germany, Austria and Switzerland (GfÖ) in Bonn (Germany), 10-11 March 11, 2008.
Hof, C., Brändle, M. & Brandl, R. (2007) Macroecology of freshwater animals: Differences between habitats. Oral presentation, 37th annual meeting of the Ecological Society of Germany, Austria and Switzerland (GfOe) in Marburg (Germany), 10-14 September 2007.
Hof, C., Brändle, M. & Brandl, R. (2007) Latitudinal variation of European freshwater diversity is not concordant across habitat types. Oral presentation, 92nd annual meeting of the Ecological Society of America in San Jose, California (USA), 5-10 August 2007.
Hof, C. (2007) Distributions, diseases, and dispersal. Predicting the impacts of climate change on global amphibian distributions - an impossible task? Oral presentation, Seminars of the Department of Animal Ecology, University of Marburg (Germany), 25 July 2007.
Hof, C. (2007) Latitudinal variation in freshwater diversity is not concordant across habitat types. Oral presentation, BIOCHANGE Seminars at the Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, Madrid (Spain), 27 April 2007.
Hof, C. (2007) Climate change impacts on global amphibian distributions. Oral presentation, Workshop “A New Research Agenda for Palaeoecology and Macroecology”, promoted by the BIOCHANGE Lab, in Noudar (Portugal), 26-30 March 2007.
Hof, C., Brändle, M. & Brandl, R. (2007) Latitudinal patterns in species richness of European freshwater animals are not concordant across habitat types. Poster, 3rd biennial conference of the International Biogeography Society (IBS) in Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife (Spain), 9-13 January 2007.
Hof, C., Brändle, M. & Brandl, R. (2006) Lentic dragon- and damselflies have larger and more northern ranges than lotic species. Poster, International conference “Macroecological Tools for Global Change Research” - in Potsdam (Germany), 21-23 August 2006.
Hof, C., Brändle, M., Marten, A. & Brandl, R. (2006) Latitudinal patterns of species richness in the European freshwater fauna: dispersal matters. Oral presentation, 91st annual meeting of the Ecological Society of America in Memphis, Tennessee (USA), 6-11 August 2006.
Hof, C. (2003) Protected areas of the future: man or nature? Oral presentation, EOS Seminary, Department of Geography, University of California Los Angeles (USA), November 2003.
Scientific publications (non-peer-reviewed)
Hof, C. (2005) Wissenschaftler in turbulenten Zeiten (book review). Ornithologischer Anzeiger 44: 55.
Dietzen, C., Folz, H.-G., Henss, E., Eisloeffel, F., Joenck, M. & Hof, C. (2003) Ornithologischer Sammelbericht 2002 fuer Rheinland-Pfalz. Fauna und Flora Rheinland-Pfalz, Beiheft 30: 5-194.
Dietzen, C., Muellen, T. & Hof, C. (2002) Ornithologischer Jahresbericht 1999 und 2000 fuer den ehemaligen Regierungsbezirk Koblenz. Fauna und Flora Rheinland-Pfalz, Beiheft 27: 7-154.
Hof, C. (2000) Aus dem Brutvogelbericht 1999 für das Naturschutzgebiet Asselersand. Seevögel 21, 112-114.
Non-scientific publications
Hof, C. (2009): Keine Elite ohne Gleichheit. Bildungssystematische Herausforderungen für Gegenwart und Zukunft. CusanerCorrespondenz 02/09 (in press).
Hof, C. (2008) Widerspruch: Farbenspiele. Die Medien ignorieren die Inhalte der SPD. DIE ZEIT 27: 11.
Hof, C. (2007) Entbuschungsaktionen oder Schluss mit lustig! Das Dekanat nimmt eine dramatische Verschlechterung der Studienbedingungen am Fachbereich Biologie bewusst in Kauf, missachtet die demokratischen Spielregeln der Universität und setzt das konstruktive Miteinander im Fachbereich aufs Spiel. KAKTUS - Zeitschrift der Fachschaft Biologie der Philipps-Universität Marburg, Januar 2007.
Hof, C. (2005) Von Sozialverträglichkeit, staatlicher Verantwortung und kurzlebigem Mainstream. Ein Plädoyer für gebührenfreie Bildung. CusanerCorrespondenz 01/05: 30-32.
Hof, C. (2005) Darf ein Studium Geld kosten? Contra! Marburger UniJournal 12:54.
Hof, C. (2005) Hochschulpakt, Zentrenbildung, Zielvereinbarungen…-Die Unfähigkeit der Landesregierung beschädigt Hessens Hochschullandschaft und verhindert die Entstehung zukunftsfähiger Bildungskonzepte. AStA:Zeitung - Zeitung des Allgemeinen StudentInnenausschusses der Philipps-Universität Marburg, Oktober 2005: 6-7.
Hof, C. (2005) “Wir sollten heute nichts beschließen” - Die Gremien des Fachbereichs Biologie in Aktion. Eine RealSatire. KAKTUS - Zeitschrift der Fachschaft Biologie der Philipps-Universität Marburg, November 2005.
Grants
Since 2007 – PhD scholarship granted by the International School of Biodiversity Sciences, Denmark (ISOBIS)
2006-2007 – PhD Scholarship granted by the Cusanuswerk – The German Catholic Scholarship Foundation
2006 – Travelling grant by the German Research foundation
2004 – “Online-Scholarship” granted by e-fellows.net
2001-2006 – Student scholarship granted by the Cusanuswerk – The German Catholic Scholarship Foundation
Selected memberships and links
Ecological Society of Germany, Switzerland and Austria (GfÖ)
The International Biogeography Society (IBS)
Society for Nature Conservation and Ornithology Rheinland-Pfalz (GNOR)
Jordsand Society for the Protection of Seabirds and Nature (Verein Jordsand)
Center for Macroecology and Evolution, University of Copenhagen
German Society for Nature Conservation (NABU)
Department of Animal Ecology, University of Marburg
vogelwart.de (personal weblog)
