Dr. Constantin Kopper
Research interests
- Plant–animal interactions: Evolution, ecology and diversification of plant–pollinator systems across spatial and temporal scales.
- Evolutionary biology and phylogenetic modelling: Macroevolutionary analyses, phylogenetic comparative methods, and evolutionary rate estimation to investigate the evolution of complex traits.
- Floral evolution and ecological transitions: Evolution of floral morphology, pollinator shifts, and the timing and drivers of ecological niches and pollination shifts.
- Global change ecology and biodiversity monitoring: Effects of environmental change on species interactions, with a focus on automated insect monitoring and AI-assisted species identification.
Academic Education and Degrees
2021–2025: PhD Botany, University of Vienna
Thesis: Pollination syndromes and pollinator shifts in Melastomataceae
Supervisors: Assoc. Prof. Dr Agnes Dellinger, Prof. Dr Jürg Schönenberger
2018–2021: Master of Botany, University of Vienna
Master’s thesis: Testing pollination syndromes in Melastomataceae
Supervisors: Assoc. Prof. Dr Agnes Dellinger, Prof. Dr Jürg Schönenberger
2013–2018: Bachelor of Zoology, University of Vienna
Bachelor's thesis: Wiederbewaldung, Sukzession und Spontanvegetation der Finca Amable, Costa Rica
Supervisor: Dr Anton Weissenhofer
Research activities
| Period | Role | Supervision |
|---|---|---|
| since July 2026 | Postdoctoral researcher | Prof. Dr Eva Knop, University of Regensburg |
| Aug. 2025 – Jun. 2026 | Mount Buzz Project Sample preparation for pollen counts and analysis of pollen viability | Assoc. Prof. Dr Agnes Dellinger, University of Vienna |
| Oct. 2018 – Feb. 2021 | Aquilegia Project: Three months’ fieldwork in the Rocky Mountains (USA), analysis of pollination videos (functional groups, behaviour, visit frequency and visit duration) Sample preparation for micro-CT scans Analysis of micro-CT data using AMIRA | Dr Marion Chartier, University of Vienna |
| Aug. – Sept. 2018 | Erica Project: Sample preparation for micro-CT scans, analysis of micro-CT data using AMIRA and ImageJ | Dr Yannick Städler, University of Vienna |
Fieldwork
- Costa Rica (2017, 2018, 2020),
- Colombia (2020),
- USA (Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming; 2019)
Publications
2025:
Kopper, C., Schönenberger, J., & Dellinger, A. S. (2025). Mountain colonisation precedes shifts from bee to vertebrate pollination in Melastomataceae. New Phytologist, 247(3): 1474–1492, doi.org/10.1111/nph.70273
von Balthazar, M., Lachmayer, M., Hawranek, A. S., Kopper, C., Schönenberger, J., & Chartier, M. (2025). Pollination and Reproductive Systems in Columbines (Aquilegia, Ranunculaceae): Review and Insights. International Journal of Plant Sciences, 186(1), 000–000, doi.org/10.1086/733070
Chartier, M., Kopper, C., Münch, M., Messinger Carril, O., Díaz-Infante, S., Lachmayer, M., ... & von Balthazar, M. (2025). Pollination biology and secondary pollinators in seven North American Aquilegia species. International Journal of Plant Sciences, 186(1), doi.org/10.1086/733068
2024:
Kopper, C., Schönenberger, J., & Dellinger, A. S. (2024). High floral disparity without pollinator shifts in buzz-bee-pollinated Melastomataceae. New Phytologist. (242)5: 2322–2337, doi.org/10.1111/nph.19735
2022:
Dellinger, A. S., Kopper, C., Kagerl, K., & Schönenberger, J. (2022). Pollination in Melastomataceae: a family-wide update on the little we know and the much that remains to be discovered. Book chapter in *Systematics, evolution, and ecology of Melastomataceae* (pp. 585–607). Cham: Springer International Publishing. doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-99742-7_26