News

Urban green spaces are increasingly suffering from persistently warm and dry periods. Even in temperate latitudes, precipitation amounts are decreasing while evaporation rates remain high, increasing irrigation needs. An IGB team has analysed the water consumption of vegetation in Berlin.

In the last 10 years, the ecological status of Lake Stechlin has deteriorated seriously. IGB-researchers have prepared a new IGB Dossier that summarises the state of knowledge and identifies possible options for action. 

Fishing primarily removes larger and more active fish from populations. It thus acts as a selection factor that favours shy fish, as a recent study by IGB shows. 

According to scientific theories, clonal vertebrates actually have a harder time succeeding than species that reproduce sexually. The Amazon molly proves otherwise. It has found a way to deal with the challenges of its origin and reproduction.

The new approach can provide predictions about the distribution and persistence of species at different time scales, and their dependence on patch distribution and patch density in the landscape.

A team with Hans-Peter Grossart has researched how resistant small freshwaters are to storms – they are amazingly resilient. And the rapid recovery from heavy rainfall is mainly thanks to microorganisms.

Velvet disease is a dreaded ailment. This infection is caused by dinoflagellates of the genera Amyloodinium and Piscinoodinium, and affects freshwater and marine ornamental and food fish. In her PhD thesis, Thora Lieke combined the risks and benefits of current treatment options and new approaches.

Acid rain seems to be a thing of the past, yet sulphate continues to rise in many inland waters worldwide. A new study provides an overview of the sources of sulphate and its effects on freshwater ecosystems.