News

A research team with Rita Adrian analysed long-term data on phytoplankton from 19 very different aquatic ecosystems to understand causal links and complex feedbacks between biodiversity, ecosystem functions and environmental factors. The study was published in Nature Communications.

How do arapaima breathe? How fast are hippos? And how do water fleas reproduce? Answers to these and many other questions have been compiled by IGB and the Alliance for Freshwater Life. The #FreshwaterFactCards present 20 freshwater species that deserve special attention.

The pollution of groundwater and surface waters with sulphate and iron from acid mine drainage is a worldwide problem in post-mining landscapes. Researchers from HU Berlin and IGB have shown in the laboratory that fen soil can reduce the iron and sulphate contamination of mine water by over 80 percent.

Small bodies of water, i.e. natural ponds, kettle holes and pools, account for 30 to 50 per cent of the world’s standing water. Owing to their size, however, the importance of small water bodies was long underestimated. On the occasion of World Water Day, experts from IGB take a look at these rather under-appreciated ecosystems.

Scientists from the Leibniz Biodiversity Research Network, including researchers from IGB, have compiled an inventory on the conservation of nature as the basis of human life. The "10 Must Knows from Biodiversity Research" are intended to stimulate dialogue, but also formulate concrete recommendations for politics and society.

Lynn Govaert has used freshwater ciliates to study how competition between species influences plastic and genetic responses to environmental change. 

IGB gives feedback on the EU Call for Evidence.

Anyone who discusses the importance of biodiversity quickly ends up in a debate about values shaped by ethics and economics. Seven IGB scientists draw attention to aspects that are still often overlooked. They research genetic diversity, interactions between different species and across ecosystems, biological invasions and the smallest and most diverse organisms that colonise freshwaters.