Maculinea sp. are among the most endangered butterflies of Europe. Their long-term survival is only possible in a metapopulation structure, therefore the knowledge on their dispersal characteristics is essential. Adam primarily aims to describe and analyse the movement patterns of individuals and populations. Quantitative analysis of movement patterns will be described by using estimators of random walk models. In order to find perfect models describing movement patterns within and between habitat patches of each species field data is being gathered and analysed (individual mark-release-recapture and tracking of individual paths).

The initial host plant and the host ant are the two main resources necessary for the completion of the Maculinea life cycle. Martin Musche is focusing on the role of the host plant at different levels. His study system is the butterfly Maculinea nausithous, its host plant Sanguisorba officinalis and its host ant Myrmica rubra.
At the level of the individual butterfly he is interested in the cues (ant or plant-related) which M. nausithous females use to choose an optimal oviposition site. A field experiment was conducted to explore this topic. The main part of his research investigates the relationship between host plants and butterfly densities at the metapopulation level. A field survey in the Upper Rhine Valley in Germany was conducted to answer the following questions:
i) What are the key factors determining the density of M. nausithous (host plant density, - distribution or host ant density)?
ii)Does host plant quality (flower- and seed quality) of S. officinalis affect the persistence of M. nausithous populations?
iii)Are there any relationships between host plant quality and the genetic population structure of the plant or habitat quality?