RG Landler

Since the beginning of my academic career, I have been fascinated by the ability of different animal groups to orient themselves and undertake long-distance movements. In particular, I have been intrigued by the use of the Earth’s magnetic field for orientation. Over the years, this interest has led to a range of different research projects (see also the relevant links under Publications). In my research group at BOKU, I focus on the interface between amphibian conservation in urban environments and the mechanisms that enable amphibians to orient themselves and migrate. My work combines laboratory experiments with field studies.

Here is an overview of the members of our research group. If you are a student and interested in a master thesis just send me an email!

Stephan Burgstaller

Stephan Burgstaller was a member of the Landler research group from 2020 to 2026. He completed his Master’s degree in Zoology at the University of Vienna and subsequently earned his doctorate at BOKU University in Vienna. At the beginning of his academic career, his research focused on amphibian population dynamics, as reflected in both his Master’s thesis on the fire salamander and parts of his doctoral research on the European green toad. During his doctorate, he broadened his research profile to include questions relating to life history and behavioral ecology, which he investigated primarily using the European green toad as a study species. From 2023 until the end of 2025, Stephan Burgstaller was involved in the “AmphiBiom” citizen science project. He temporarily took over the project lead in 2025.

Maximilian Fitz

Maximilian Fitz completed his Bachelor's degree in Forestry at BOKU Vienna and is currently pursuing a Master's degree in Renewable Resources. His approach to research is shaped by a deep interest in ecological interrelationships and the interaction of various actors within ecosystems. As part of his Master's thesis titled "Population Dynamics of Two Urban Green Toad Populations", he is investigating two inner-city habitats in Vienna. Through his involvement in the research group of Lukas Landler, he can combine his interest in applied conservation research with practical fieldwork and contribute to a better understanding of urban amphibian populations.

Yurii Kornilev

Yurii Kornilev is a zoologist and ecologist, specializing in amphibians and reptiles. He received a PhD in Zoology from the National Museum of Natural History, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, focusing on the distribution and ecology of the two water snakes in Bulgaria. He received his MSc in Interdisciplinary Ecology with a concentration on Wildlife ecology and conservation from the University of Florida, USA, studying the ecology of a riverine turtle and the impacts of human disturbance. For over 20 years, he has conducted research and conservation projects on reptiles and amphibians in Bulgaria, Austria, and USA. He is continuing his research as part of the Landler group.

Magdalena Spießberger

Magdalena Spießberger received her Master's degree in Behavior-, Neurobiology and Cognition from the University of Vienna in 2019. For her master’s thesis she studied the effect of early life conditions on telomere length in wild boar piglets (Sus scrofa) at the Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology. Telomeres are the end-caps of chromosomes, playing an important role in the aging process and are seen as a biomarker for over-all body condition. Afterwards, she started to work on a project investigating the magnetic sense of mice at the Research Institute of Molecular Pathology. While still working on this project, she started to participate in the research on the effects of anthropogenic disturbance on the population and behavioral ecology of the green toad. Her main interests are, besides the effects on the behavior and cognition of the green toad, if anthropogenically caused environment stressors negatively affect the telomere length of these animals.

A complete list of my publications can be found here. Alternatively, visit my google scholar or research gate site.

Please see here my (almost) complete list of research projects I am involved in. For a short selection of current projects see below.

While the primary habitats of the green toads (Bufotes virdis) are becoming increasingly scarce, this steppe species managed to establish populations in anthropogenically altered environments, such urban and agricultural areas. However, also their secondary habitats are prone to destruction due to construction activities and building development. Such developments are likely to further isolate potential habitats of the green toad and decrease connectivity. In addition, established ponds are often not suitable for spawning, because of their late succession states. In order to plan conservation efforts and manage existing populations, we need to understand the distribution, population- and migration dynamics of the green toad. For this we will use ‘traditional’ population ecology methodologies, such as mark-recapture as well as cutting-edge animal tracking technologies. Such field studies along a urban-rural gradient will be complemented by laboratory behavioral experiments.

This effort is spearheaded by Stephan Burgstaller and aims to understand why and under which circumstances green toads can change their dorsal pattern coloration. Such changes have been described in early laboratory work and may have led to the German name of this animal (the “changing toad”). We will explore which hormones are underlying such ability and what can cause coloration changes in the natural habitats, using a combination of field and laboratory studies.