News

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.

Today, Working Group II's contribution to the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report was published, with Rita Adrian as one of the leading authors. An interview.

Mithilfe von Bäumen könnten mit Mikroplastik belastete Böden saniert werden. Erstmals zeigen Forschende des IGB, dass die Hänge-Birke während der Wachstumsphase Mikroplastik über die Wurzeln aufnimmt. Eine gute Nachricht, denn Böden sind um ein Vielfaches höher mit Mikroplastik verschmutzt als  Meere und Ozeane.

Study in Science on the movement ecology of animals. Robert Arlinghaus has equipped an entire lake in Brandenburg with a modern tracking system that provides 24/7 insights into the world of fish.

When the last individual dies, species not only disappear from our planet. They also disappear from our collective memory. This phenomenon is called "societal extinction". Researchers have now studied the process and published their results in the scientific journal Trends in Ecology & Evolution.

Stephanie Spahr talks about her focus on water pollution and how simple solutions often require complex knowledge. Rain is her favourite water resource and she likes the idea of Berlin as a sponge city for a future-oriented water management.

Jens Krause has published a review study on the social influence of rule breaking. Together with his co-author Marcel Brass, he explains why rule breaking is contagious and how knowledge about it can be used to prevent it.

Dörthe Tetzlaff's research group is studying a city’s water flows using Berlin as an example. The team focused on the extreme drought of the summers of 2018, 2019 and 2020.