Team > Dr. Matthias Schott

Faculty of Biology, Chemistry and Earth Sciences
Chair Animal Ecology I

Perception under water - Chemical ecology of aquatic invertebrates

We study chemical communication between invertebrates using behavioural tests, trace analysis and electrophysiology. We analyse, fractionate and test water samples to see if they can elicit all or part of the behavioural response. Electrophysiology allows us to record the nerve responses of the sensory organs and identify pheromone components. We use chemical trace analysis to track pheromones and monitor their residence time in the ecosystem.

Sublethal effects of anthropogenic stressors on invertebrates

Our group works with automated behavioural tests to assess the impact of anthropogenic stressors on key aquatic and terrestrial species. Analytical monitoring of exposure enables accurate and traceable dosing of substances and particles and tracking of residues in organisms. Machine vision enables sensitive behavioural testing with high throughput and large sample sizes. Our goal is a deeper understanding of the pathways of chemicals in the environment and in animals, as well as their residence time in environmental compartments, to ultimately refine risk assessment.

Machine vision and AI

We use small optical computing systems and OpenCV algorithms to track animal behaviour and physiological responses. We are able to amplify tiny movements for better automatic analysis using convolutional neural networks (CNNs). Individual tagged invertebrates are identified and tracked in a variety of experimental setups. In experiments without tagging, we analyse movement patterns to obtain information on the residence time of the animals. Automated recording of life history parameters using a fast region-based network (R-CNN) allows us to rapidly record sublethal endpoints.

Analytics

Our group uses a variety of analytical methods. The key is to preconcentrate the analytes using different adsorbents. We use GC-MS for volatile target (analyte known) and non-target (analyte unknown) analysis, HR-LC-MS for non-volatile non-target analysis and LC-MS/MS for non-volatile target analysis.

Open Science

We are committed to open science and reproducibility. Our algorithms, software and measurement setups are open source and available to everyone under Creative Commons BY-NC-SA (Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike). Please contact me if you would like to try our approaches.

Teaching

• Animal Ecology
• Morphology, anatomy and cytology of animals
• Aquatic ecology
• Ecotoxicology

Work opportunities:

Please contact me if you would like to participate in our scientific research, e.g. as a student assistant, for internships, bachelor's, master's and advertised doctoral theses.

Faculty of Biology, Chemistry and Earth Sciences
Chair Animal Ecology I

Publications

2023

Frederic Hüftlein, Dimitri Seidenath, Andreas Mittereder, Thomas Hillenbrand, Dieter Brüggemann, Oliver Otti, Heike Feldhaar, Christian Laforsch, Matthias Schott: Effects of diesel exhaust particles on the health and survival of the buff-tailed bumblebee Bombus terrestris after acute and chronic oral exposure. In: Journal of Hazardous Materials, 458 (2023). - .
doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.131905

Benjamin Silas Gilfedder, Hassan Elagami, Jan-Pascal Boos, Julian Brehm, Matthias Schott, L. Witt, Christian Laforsch, Sven Frei: Filter feeders are key to small microplastic residence times in stratified lakes : A virtual experiment. In: Science of the Total Environment, 890 (2023). - .
doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.164293

2022

Simona Mondellini, Matthias Schott, Martin G. J. Löder, Seema Agarwal, Andreas Greiner, Christian Laforsch: Beyond microplastics : Water soluble synthetic polymers exert sublethal adverse effects in the freshwater cladoceran Daphnia magna. In: Science of the Total Environment, 847 (2022). - .
doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.157608

Julian Brehm, Magdalena V. Wilde, Lukas Reiche, Lisa-Cathrin Leitner, Benedict Petran, Marcel Meinhart, Simon Wieland, Sven Ritschar, Matthias Schott, Jan-Pascal Boos, Sven Frei, Holger Kress, Jürgen Senker, Andreas Greiner, Thomas Fröhlich, Christian Laforsch: In-depth characterization revealed polymer type and chemical content specific effects of microplastic on Dreissena bugensis. In: Journal of Hazardous Materials, 437 (2022). - .
doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2022.129351

Michael Schwarzer, Julian Brehm, Martina Vollmer, Julia Jasinski, Chengzhang Xu, Shakir Zainuddin, Thomas Fröhlich, Matthias Schott, Andreas Greiner, Thomas Scheibel, Christian Laforsch: Shape, size, and polymer dependent effects of microplastics on Daphnia magna. In: Journal of Hazardous Materials, 426 (2022). - .
doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.128136

2021

Matthias Schott, Maximilian Sandmann, James E. Cresswell, Matthias A. Becher, Gerrit Eichner, Dominique Tobias Brandt, Rayko Halitschke, Stephanie Krueger, Gertrud Morlock, Rolf-Alexander Düring, Andreas Vilcinskas, Marina Doris Meixner, Ralph Büchler, Annely Brandt: Honeybee colonies compensate for pesticide-induced effects on royal jelly composition and brood survival with increased brood production. In: Scientific Reports, 11 (2021). - .
doi:10.1038/s41598-020-79660-w

2017

Lara De Backer, Thomas Bawin, Matthias Schott, Laurent Gillard, István E. Markó, Frédéric Francis, François Verheggen: Betraying its presence : identification of the chemical signal released by Tuta absoluta-infested tomato plants that guide generalist predators toward their prey. In: Arthropod-Plant Interactions, 11 (2017). - S. 111-120.
doi:10.1007/s11829-016-9471-7

Matthias Schott, Gabriela Bischoff, Gerrit Eichner, Andreas Vilcinskas, Ralph Büchler, Marina Doris Meixner, Annely Brandt: Temporal dynamics of whole body residues of the neonicotinoid insecticide imidacloprid in live or dead honeybees. In: Scientific Reports, 7 (2017). - .
doi:10.1038/s41598-017-06259-z

2015

Matthias Schott, Birgit Klein, Andreas Vilcinskas: Detection of Illicit Drugs by Trained Honeybees (Apis mellifera). In: PLoS One, 10 (2015). - .
doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0128528

Dhaka Ram Bhandari, Matthias Schott, Andreas Römpp, Andreas Vilcinskas, Bernhard Spengler: Metabolite localization by atmospheric pressure high-resolution scanning microprobe matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry imaging in whole-body sections and individual organs of the rove beetle Paederus riparius. In: Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, 407 (2015). - S. 2189-2201.
doi:10.1007/s00216-014-8327-1

2013

Christoph Wehrenfennig, Matthias Schott, Tina Gasch, Daniel Meixner, Rolf-Alexander Düring, Andreas Vilcinskas, Claus-Dieter Kohl: An approach to sense pheromone concentration by pre-concentration and gas sensors. In: Physica Status Solidi A, 210 (2013). - S. 932-937.
doi:10.1002/pssa.201200784

Matthias Schott, Christoph Wehrenfennig, Tina Gasch, Andreas Vilcinskas: Insect Antenna-Based Biosensors for In Situ Detection of Volatiles. In: Yellow Biotechnology II. - Berlin ; Heidelberg : Springer, 2013. - S. 101-122.
doi:10.1007/10_2013_210

Tina Gasch, Matthias Schott, Christoph Wehrenfennig, Rolf-Alexander Düring, Andreas Vilcinskas: Multifunctional weaponry : The chemical defenses of earwigs. In: Journal of Insect Physiology, 59 (2013). - S. 1186-1193.
doi:10.1016/j.jinsphys.2013.09.006

Christoph Wehrenfennig, Matthias Schott, Tina Gasch, Rolf Alexander Düring, Andreas Vilcinskas, Claus-Dieter Kohl: On-site airborne pheromone sensing. In: Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, 405 (2013). - S. 6389-6403.
doi:10.1007/s00216-013-7113-9

Matthias Schott, Christoph Wehrenfennig, Tina Gasch, Rolf-Alexander Düring, Andreas Vilcinskas: A portable gas chromatograph with simultaneous detection by mass spectrometry and electroantennography for the highly sensitive in situ measurement of volatiles. In: Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, 405 (2013). - S. 7457-7467.
doi:10.1007/s00216-013-7196-3

2012

Christoph Wehrenfennig, Matthias Schott, Tina Gasch, Tilman Sauerwald, Rolf-Alexander Düring, Andreas Vilcinskas, Claus-Dieter Kohl: Laboratory characterization of metal-oxide sensors intended for in situ analyses of pheromones : SOMMSA approach. In: Physica Status Solidi A, 209 (2012). - S. 935-939.
doi:10.1002/pssa.201100586

2011

Andreas Schierling, Matthias Schott, Konrad Dettner, Karlheinz Seifert: Biosynthesis of the Defensive Alkaloid (Z)-3-(2-Methyl-1-butenyl)pyridine in Stenus similis Beetles. In: Journal of Natural Products, 74 (2011). - S. 2231-2234.
doi:10.1021/np200621d

Faculty of Biology, Chemistry and Earth Sciences
Chair Animal Ecology I

Dr. Matthias Schott
Akademischer Rat

Chair Animal Ecology I
Building NWI, Room 5.0 40 09
University of Bayreuth
Universitätsstr. 30
95440 Bayreuth
Germany

Telefon: +49 (0) 921 55 2654
Fax: +49 (0) 921 55 2784

E-mail: matthias.schott@uni-bayreuth.de