SCIoI Alumni

Ulrike Scherer

Postdoctoral Researcher

Behavioral Ecology
Biology

IGB

Email:

Photo: SCIoI

← Alumni Overview

Ulrike Scherer

Photo: SCIoI

Ulrike Scherer is a biologist with a special interest in the ecology and evolution of behavior. In her previous work, Ulrike focused on sexual selection and the evolution of personality differences (MSc and PhD work). Within the scope of the SCIoI cluster, Ulrike wants to understand how individuals develop intelligent (i.e. efficient, goal-oriented, adaptive) behavior using a clonal fish species, the amazon molly, as a model organism.

Projects

Ulrike Scherer is member of:

• Project 21: Developing exploration behavior
• Project 58: From exploring basic maze elements to algorithmic rules for the escape room

Publications +

6984777 Scherer 1 apa 50 date desc year 20009 https://www.scienceofintelligence.de/wp-content/plugins/zotpress/

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Scherer, U., Ehlman, S. M., Bierbach, D., Pen, I., Krause, J., & Wolf, M. (2026). Non-genetic inheritance of stochastically induced behavioral individuality in a naturally clonal fish. bioRxiv. https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.03.31.715612

Scherer, U., Ehlman, S. M., Bierbach, D., Krause, J., & Wolf, M. (2026). Paternal effects without paternity? Testing non-genetic male influence on offspring size and brood size in a gynogenetic vertebrate, the Amazon molly (Poecilia formosa). PLOS ONE, 21(2), e0328962. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0328962

Scherer, U., Ehlman, S. M., Bierbach, D., Krause, J., & Wolf, M. (2026). Activity during the first days of life predicts lifespan in a naturally clonal vertebrate. bioRxiv. https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.02.21.707185

Ehlman, S. M., Scherer, U., Bierbach, D., Stärk, L., Beese, M., & Wolf, M. (2025). Developmental arcs of plasticity in whole movement repertoires of a clonal fish. iScience, 28(9), 113189. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2025.113189

Scherer, U., Niemelä, P. T., & Schuett, W. (2025). Male activity under risk predicts paternal care and reproductive success in a bi-parental cichlid. Behavioral Ecology, 36(3), araf021. https://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/araf021

Bierbach, D., Schutz, C., Scherer, U., & Pacher, K. (2025). Standards for scientiﬁc ﬁsh keeping: Poeciliid ﬁshes with special focus on the guppy (Poecilia reticulata) and mollies (P. mexicana, P. latipinna, P. formosa, Cyprinodontiformes, Poeciliidae). Bulletin of Fish Biology, 20, 71–85.

Scherer, U., Laskowski, K., Kressler, M., Ehlman, S., Wolf, M., & Bierbach, D. (2023). Perceived predation risk affects the development of among-individual behavioral variation in a naturally clonal freshwater fish. Animal Behavior and Cognition. https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.11.25.568653

Scherer, U., Ehlman, S. M., Bierbach, D., Krause, J., & Wolf, M. (2023). Reproductive individuality of clonal fish raised in near-identical environments and its link to early-life behavioral individuality. Nature Communications, 14(1), 7652. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-43069-6

Scherer, U., Niemelä, P. T., & Schuett, W. (2023). Male boldness and female parental care predict reproductive success in a bi-parental cichlid, the rainbow krib ( Pelvicachromis pulcher ). bioRxiv. https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.11.23.568478

Ehlman, S. M., Scherer, U., Bierbach, D., Francisco, F. A., Laskowski, K. L., Krause, J., & Wolf, M. (2023). Leveraging big data to uncover the eco-evolutionary factors shaping behavioural development. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 290(1992), 20222115. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2022.2115

Ehlman, S. M., Scherer, U., & Wolf, M. (2022). Developmental feedbacks and the emergence of individuality. Royal Society Open Science, 9(11), 221189. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.221189

Scientific Talks +

Thursday Morning Talk - Ulrike Scherer and Sean Ehlman (Science of Intelligence)

Public Engagement +

For the public - Steinhardt, S., Ott, M., Becattini, V., Bierbach, D., Brock, O., Brück, M., Coelho Mollo, D., Drewlani, T., Kaiser, M., Kretzschmar, L., Ploner, M., Scherer, U., Schutz, C., Steinhardt, S. (Editor). (2024). Science of Intelligence Cluster Report 2024, https://doi.org/10.14279/depositonce-21205

External Event - 20th Conference of the Gesellschaft Für Ichthyologie (GfI)

Ulrike Scherer in SCIoI News +

• Same genes, same environment, different fitness levels