(Dept. 2) Community and Ecosystem Ecology
Inland waters support exceptional biodiversity, are characterised by intense metabolism of matter, and provide important ecosystem services. However, freshwater ecosystems face high and increasing pressures from multiple stressors. The Department of Community and Ecosystem Ecology conducts research in both standing and running waters studying the response of freshwater communities and ecosystems to global change. Ultimately, we aim to advance our mechanistic understanding of the structure and functioning of inland waters as a basis for their sustainable management. Specifically, we focus on:
- Response of freshwater communities and diversity to changing environments
- Interactions between freshwater communities, their environment and ecosystem functioning
- Spatial and temporal freshwater biodiversity patterns
- Sustainable management of freshwater communities and ecosystems
We develop and analyse the long-term monitoring data of Lake Müggelsee and Spree as well as from other inland waters and their catchments, employ spatially explicit statistical and deterministic modelling approaches, and conduct lab and field experiments. Our department additionally encompasses research on the global effects of climate change and biodiversity and develops new theoretical concepts on that.
Research groups
Department members
Selected publications
Global assessment of alien freshwater megafauna reveals complex socio-economic impacts
This study shows: Over 40 percent of extant large freshwater animals (megafauna) have been deliberately introduced outside their natural ranges, often for economic gain. While these alien species can provide substantial benefits to certain groups in the introduced regions, they also posed profound and often underestimated risks to native biodiversity and local people.
Dense stands of aquatic plants retain water in lowland rivers and in adjacent floodplain aquifers
Since the 1980s mean discharge has declined by around 50% and - without aquatic vegetation – also the water level. Dense stands of aquatic plants have kept the water level high in recent summers despite lowered discharge. Most water was retained in adjacent floodplain aquifers rather than in the river channel.
Current protected areas provide limited benefits for European river biodiversity
Protected areas are meant to preserve endangered species and stabilize ecosystems. But for many European rivers, this protection falls short. The research team examined the condition of rivers at over 1,700 locations in ten European countries across a period of almost four decades. The result: Existing protected areas have only brought about measurable improvements in a limited subset of rivers.
Flow variability and macroinvertebrates jointly regulate stream periphyton and metabolism: Insights from experimental stream mesocosms
In stream mesocosm experiments the authors tested how reduced flow and a sequence of controlled flushing events, with or without macroinvertebrates, affect periphyton community composition, algal biovolume, and ecosystem metabolism. Flow variability and macroinvertebrates control periphyton structure, metabolism, and carbon cycling, with macroinvertebrates stabilising responses to disturbance.
Global thermal tolerance compilation for freshwater invertebrates and fish
The authors present the first comprehensive and openly accessible compilation of freshwater species’ thermal tolerance, covering over 900 invertebrates and fish, and including English and non-English studies to expand representation and reduce biases.
