My thanks go to Burkhard Morgenstern for his supervision, support, and encouragement during the last four years. Burkhard is an excellent scientific advisor and it was my honor to work alongside him and receive his thought-out advice and helpful guidance. Furthermore, he always supported me personally and endorsed a healthy balance between work and private life that enabled the satisfying work environment I experienced. I will remember my time as a PhD student happily and ascribe this largely to Burkhard.My thanks go to the members of my thesis advisory committee Johannes Söding and Christoph Bleidorn. With his thoughtful and constructive criticism, Johannes elicited my scientific diligence, expanded my knowledge, and improved my work substantially. Christoph incited my interest in the biological realm, especially the field of biodiversity, which also led to my uptake of new personal hobbies. The obtained perspectives will outlast this work.My thanks go to the members of our working group, specifically Peter Meinicke for prolific discussions, Thomas Dencker for his valued input on being a PhD student and software design, and Rasmus Steinkamp and Britta Leinemann for their swift help regarding all matters. I also thank the reliable and motivated students I had the pleasure working with: Sarah Wendte, Clara Gisela Köhne, Dark Engel, Rebecca Fee Dietlinde Regendantz, and Patricia-Franziska Römer.My thanks go to my friends. Most of all, I thank Leo for his continued support in all phases of life, for challenging my work and working practices, for proofreading this manuscript, for joint vacations, rare visits, frequent calls, and for being there in difficult situations. I also thank Birte, Marlene, Salomea, Stefan, and Tobias for nurturing our long-standing friendships even though I have been unresponsive at times. Moreover, I thank Immo, Justus, Malte, and all the wonderful people at Bouldern in Göttingen who share the enjoyment of our common sport.My thanks go to my family: I thank Tilman for discussions that covered every aspect of life there is to cover, for his many invitations I declined, and for his honest disinterest in my work that puts things into perspective-after all, there is more to life, isn't it? I thank Ulrike for her amiable understanding of personal matters, her kindness and uplifting attitude, and her unwavering support in all stages of my studies and life. I thank Eberhard for his empathetic and congenial participation in my work, our soothing hikes outdoors, and our endless debates on scientific and unscientific matters that continue to widen my horizons. I could not be more fortunate than to have this loving family.Lastly, my thanks go to Adrienne who filled the last years with the life they needed. Thank you for your energy and excitement in mundane routines, for the countless tours in nature, for being there in challenging hours, and for sharing with me this ongoing adventure of life. There is a great comfort in knowing you by my side.