Dirk Mezger

Research Fields

* Biodiversity of ants

* Community ecology

* Ant ecology

* Evolution, phylogeny and biogeography of ants

* Insect taxonomy and systematics

* Ecology of tropical Mountains

Current projects

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

Scientific manager and photographer for antbase.net http://www.antbase.net

Website coordinator for the scientific journal Asian Myrmecology http://www.asian-myrmecology.org

Reviewed 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. (together with 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. (together with 62 further coauthors), 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 AntCommunities 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. http://www.asian-myrmecology.org/doi/10.20362/am.004006.html

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.http://www.asian-myrmecology.org/doi/10.20362/am.004002.html

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. http://www.asian-myrmecology.org/doi/10.20362/am.002014.html

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. http://www.asian-myrmecology.org/doi/10.20362/am.002012.html

Mezger, D. & Blüthgen, N. (2007) Trophobioses on Borneo Climbing Bamboo – diversity and ecology of anthemipteran associations on Dinochloa trichogona (Poaceae). Asian Myrmecology 1, 59-68. http://www.asian-myrmecology.org/doi/10.20362/am.001006.html

Blüthgen, N., Mezger, D. & Linsenmair, K.E. (2006) Ant-hemipteran trophobioses in a Bornean rainforest – diversity, specificity and monopolisation. Insectes Sociaux 53, 194-203.

Invited talks

Mezger, D. (2017) Out of South-East Asia: phylogeny and biogeography of the spiny ant genus Polyrhachis including a view on their bacterial communities. Invited talk given at the 11th AneT-Konferenz (International Network for Ant Research in Asia) at Patiala, India.

Conference Contributions

Mezger, D. & Moreau, C. (2014) Phylogeny and biogeography of the spiny ant genus Polyrhachis (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Talk given at the "Evolution2014" meeting, at Raleigh, North Carolina.

Pfeiffer, M. & Mezger, D. (2013) Eat or be eaten. Trophic ecology of rainforest ants.Talk given at the 9th ANeT-conference (International Network for Ant Research in Asia) at Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia.

Mezger, D. & Pfeiffer, M. (2013) Trophic diversity of Bornean soil ants as revealed by stable nitrogen and carbon isotopes. Talk given at the at the 25th Conference of the German Society of Tropical Ecology (GTÖ) at Vienna, Austria.

Mezger, D. & Pfeiffer, M. (2011) Trophic positions and food chain length of ant assemblages (Hymenoptera Formicidae) in four different rain forest types on Borneo as revealed by stable isotope analyses. Talk given at the IUSSI 2009 meeting (International Union for Studying Social Insects, Central European Section) at Papenburg, Germany.

Mezger, D. & Pfeiffer, M. (2009) Diversity, community structure and niche differentiation of

ant assemblages of four types of rainforest in the Gunung Mulu National Park, Sarawak. Talk given at the 7th AneT conference (International Network for Ant Research in Asia) at Cibodas, Java, Indonesia.

Mezger, D. & Pfeiffer, M. (2009) Environmental parameters impact community structure and diversity of ant assemblages in four Bornean rainforests. Talk given at the IUSSI 2009 meeting (International Union for Studying Social Insects, Central European Section) at Frauenchiemsee, Germany.

Mezger, D. & Pfeiffer, M. (2009) Temperature preferences suggest niche pattern in Bornean leaf litter ants.Poster presented at the Joint Meeting of the Society for Tropical Ecology & the Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation at Marburg, Germany.

Mezger, D. & Pfeiffer, M. (2009) Environmental and spatial parameters determine Environmental and spatial parameters determine community structure and diversity of ant assemblages in four Bornean rainforests. Poster presented at the Joint Meeting of the Society for Tropical Ecology & the Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation at Marburg, Germany.

Pfeiffer. M. & Mezger, D .(2009) Exploring the impact of phylogeny and neutral processes on tropical ant communities. Talk given at the Joint Meeting of the Society for Tropical Ecology & the Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation at Marburg, Germany.

Mezger, D., Dyckmans J. & Pfeiffer, M. (2008) Influence of ants on soil and leaf-litter food webs in two types of rainforests in Sarawak / Malaysia by stable isotope analysis –first outcomes. Poster presented at the 21th Conference of the German Society of Tropical Ecology (GTÖ) at Hohenheim, Germany.

Mezger, D. & Pfeiffer, M. (2007) Leaf-litter ant communities in two types of rainforest in Borneo (Sarawak/Malaysia). Borneo (Sarawak/Malaysia). Poster presented at the 20th Conference of the German Society of Tropical Ecology (GTÖ) at Bonn, Germany.

Mezger, D., Dyckmans J. & Pfeiffer, M. (2007) Studying the impact of ants on leaf-litter food webs in Malaysian rainforests by stable isotope analysis – first results. Poster presented at the Conference of the German Ecological Society (GFÖ) at Marburg, Germany.

Mezger, D., Linsenmair K.E. & 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 (GTÖ) at Berlin, Germany.

Data Paper

Gibb, H., Saunders, N.,Dunn, R.,Grossman, B.F., Photakis M., Mezger, D. (together with 66 further coauthors) & Parr, K. ( (2017). Data Paper: A global database of ant species abundances. Ecology, 98 883-884

Public outreach and related experience

Since 2012 (ongoing)  Arbeitsgemeinschaft Schmetterlinge Zollernalb (a local butterfly conservation society): guided walks, public talks on various entomological subjects and communal moth trapping events.

2014 Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago: Scientific participation at the "Members' Night" and  "Meet a Scientist" event for museum visitors

2013 Biodiversity day of the NABU Kreisverband Zollernalb: member of the organisation team, guided walks, species assessments and report writing