Leibniz-IZW-Seminars

The Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research regularly organizes scientific seminars on various topics, in which invited speakers or IZW scientists present their work in the form of a lecture. The free lectures take place in the lecture hall of the IZW and are also broadcast live via video.
Interested persons are cordially invited to attend the Leibniz-IZW-Seminars in person or online. You are welcome to sign up for our newsletter at izwseminar@izw-berlin.de. The lectures will be held mostly in English.

Upcoming events

14th October 2026, 1 p.m.
Dr. Smadar Tal (Hebrew University of Jerusalem)
From Dam to Neonate: Microbial, Metabolic, and Functional Pathways Shaping Early-Life Development in Dogs
Early-life development in dogs is shaped by tightly coupled dam-to-neonate microbial, metabolic, and functional pathways during a short window spanning parturition and the first weeks of life. Maternal reservoirs (vaginal, oral, fecal, skin and milk) provide founding inocula for neonatal colonization through delivery and close contact, while milk delivers a changing biochemical milieu that supports gut maturation, barrier function, and immune development. Multi-omics approaches now link these early inputs to measurable neonatal trajectories and survival. Prospective rectal microbiome profiling across the first postpartum week shows that Day-1 community composition can predict fading puppy syndrome (FPS)–associated mortality. Puppies that later fade exhibit an early dysbiosis signature characterized by a higher Proteobacteria/Firmicutes ratio, enrichment of Pasteurellaceae, and reduced Clostridia and Enterococcus, consistent with disrupted early gut community maturation and altered functional potential [1]. These findings support very early sampling as a practical tool for risk stratification and for defining targets for preventative strategies. Milk multi-omics integrating 16S profiling with untargeted LC–MS demonstrates a complementary functional layer of maternal influence: while the milk microbiome is broadly stable during the first postpartum week, the milk metabolome shifts substantially, consistent with dynamic functional provisioning aligned with neonatal developmental needs [2]. This separation between microbial stability and metabolic plasticity emphasizes that maternal contribution is not captured by microbiota alone. To connect maternal sources with neonatal function and outcomes, recent multi-cavity maternal–neonatal frameworks profile matched dam niches (vaginal, fecal, oral and milk) alongside puppy oral and fecal microbiomes across early timepoints [3]. These designs enable inference of plausible transmission routes (intrapartum versus nursing/contact-associated seeding), quantify niche-specific contributions to early gut assembly, and identify co-occurring maternal–neonatal microbial patterns that track with early-life trajectories. Integrating transmission maps with functional readouts, including milk metabolomics and inferred microbial functions, supports a mechanistic view of how dam-derived microbes and milk chemistry jointly shape neonatal development, resilience, and early decline. Together, these data provide a foundation for targeted diagnostics and microbiome/nutrition-informed interventions aimed at improving neonatal survival and longer-term health.

[1] Tal S, Tikhonov E, Aroch I, Hefetz L, Turjeman S, Koren O, Kuzi S. Developmental intestinal microbiome alterations in canine fading puppy syndrome: a prospective observational study. npj Biofilms Microbiomes. 2021;7:52.
[2] Cohen A, Turjeman S, Levin R, Tal S, Koren O. Comparison of canine colostrum and milk using a multi-omics approach. Animal Microbiome. 2024;6:19.
[3] Magory Cohen T, Cohen A, Turjeman S, Kuzi S, Tal S, Koren O. Barking up the microbiome tree: a multi-cavity characterization of maternal postpartum and pup early colonization dynamics. Manuscript under review.

18th November 2026, 1 p.m.
Marlène Gamelon (French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS))
Title & Abstract follows

16th December 2026, 1 p.m.
Prof. Maria-Jesús Sánchez Calabuig (Complutense University of Madrid)
Title & Abstract follows

Contact
Organization
Constanze Wiechert
Tel: +49(0) 30 5168-336
E-Mail: wiechert@izw-berlin.de, izwseminar@izw-berlin.de

Technical support
Dorina Meneghini
Tel. +49(0)30 5168-340
E-Mail: meneghini@izw-berlin.de

Christine Reusch
Tel. +49(0)30 5168-123
E-Mail: reusch@izw-berlin.de

Accounting
Stefanie Lenz
Tel: +49(0)30 5168-459
E-Mail: lenz@izw-berlin.de


Last Update: 13th October 2026