Clemens Küpper

Clemens Küpper serves as a Max Planck Research Group Leader at the Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence, heading the Behavioural Genetics and Evolutionary Ecology group. His research investigates the evolution and maintenance of social behaviour in birds through integrated field observations and experimental approaches, focusing on mating systems and parental care strategies in species like ruffs and snowy plovers.

Research Interests: Dr. Küpper's work centers on evolutionary ecology and behavioural genetics, examining how genetic, physiological, and ecological factors interact to produce behavioural diversity. His group emphasizes natural history documentation as foundational for understanding biological variation, with current projects exploring hormonal regulation in lekking birds and developmental trajectories of avian personalities.

Publication Trends: Recent publications (2024-2025) demonstrate interdisciplinary integration of behavioural ecology, genetics, and developmental biology. Key studies include hormonal regulation mechanisms in ruffs (Science, 2025), personality stabilization in ruff chicks (Ethology, 2024), and camouflage strategies in snowy plover chicks (Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 2024), revealing conserved principles in avian behavioural adaptation.

Scientific Awards: No specific awards for Dr. Küpper were documented in available sources.

Advising and Grants: Dr. Küpper has supervised:

• James Tolliver (PhD defended January 2025)
• Medardo Cruz-López (PhD defended June 2024 on 'Populations dynamics and MHC diversity in Snowy Plovers')

His group secured the Bauer-Hollbach Stiftung postdoc grant (2025) for Kriszti Kupán's conservation management of coastal meadows and threatened ruffs, creating fieldwork opportunities for EU students.

Research Group: The Behavioural Genetics and Evolutionary Ecology group conducts field-lab integrated research across European coastal meadows and Mexican habitats, with active projects on genetic-behavioural links in shorebirds. Current work expands into conservation applications of behavioural traits, leveraging long-term field datasets and molecular techniques.