Students will screen and analyse the biotic inventory of selected natural habitats in project teams. Different groups of organisms will be included and techniques of species inventories will be applied. Local characteristics are to be worked out and contrasted with typical elements of the habitat. The results are scientifically processed and presented in a way that is understandable to the public.

• Takes place in three different groups on one of three study sites. For a short description of each site see remarks below! Students are asked to apply for every group/study site in friedolin until Tuesday, 26th March 2024.

• Since the number of participants is limited to fifteen students, viz five persons per study site, we have to select the participants manually.

• Furthermore, students should submit a priority list (group number, descending) to Jörn Hentschel (j.hentschel@uni-jena.de) until Tuesday, 2nd April 2024.

• It is highly recommended that all group members participate the respective pretalk. Following a short introduction by the supervisors, a first botanical survey will be coducted.

A list of selected references (without identification guides) containing information on phytosociology, natural regions, nature reserves, Red Lists & Habitats Directive as well as some textbooks for further reading and links to useful online databases will be provided later.

First group/study site (50°58'25" N, 11°38'47" E): On the flora and fauna of floodplains of the river Saale near Porstendorf (Saale Holzland District, Thuringia).

The study site is located besides a branch of the river Saale, the so called Lache, near Porstendorf north of Jena. The vegetation is dominated by a mosaic of wet meadows, megaphorbs, remnants of riparian forests and drainage systems. The site is currently managed by the NATURA 2000-Station "Mittlere Saale". Grazing by sheep and goats aims to stabilize and to increase the population of the Dusky large blue [Phengaris nausithous (Bergsträsser, 1779].

Second group/study site (50°52'54" N, 11°34'52" E): On the flora and fauna of the abandoned limestone quarry with rainwater catchment ponds on the Mönchsberg near Göschwitz (Jena, Thuringia).

The study site is located in an abandoned limestone quarry on the Mönchsberg above Göschwitz south of Jena. The area is part of the natural region ”Ilm-Saale-Ohrdrufer Platte” and nowadays part of the nature reserve ”Jenaer Forst”, which is also protected by the European Union's Birds and Habitats Directive. The quarry is remarkable, due to the mosaic of different biotope types, e. g., limestone outcrops, species-rich dry and semi-dry grasslands, dry bushland and several small artificial ponds.

Third group/study site (50°55'09" N, 11°31'50" E): On the flora and fauna of a coppice on the Haselberg in the nature reserve ”Jenaer Forst” (Jena, Thuringia).

The study site is located on a limestone plateau west of the city of Jena in the nature reserve ”Jenaer Forst” (Jena, Thuringia). Due to coppicing, a historical method of woodland management which exploits the capacity of many tree species to regenerate by new shoots from their stumps or roots after cutting, a rather open forest with short-stemmed service trees, oaks and a remarkable specious thermophilous vegetation has developed. At irregular intervals, the site is clear-cut by the local forest agency to maintain the habitat structure and to e.g., promote the population of two vulnerable orchid species that are characteristic for open woodland, Orchis pallens L. and O. mascula (L.) L.