News

If fish are hunted by birds, it is essential to their survival that they are able to recognise when they are in danger from avian predators. Juliane Lukas, Jens Krause and David Bierbach from IGB have investigated whether fish are able to differentiate between real danger and non-threatening events.

Many of the world's clear lakes are deteriorating at an alarming rate: at the shore, where people want to play and swim, the lake bottom is covered with green carpets of algae.

In two special issues of the journal Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, researchers provide a scientific overview.

How do hydropower plants affect freshwater biodiversity? What do invasive species do in water bodies? Sonja Jähnig and Christian Wolter  in an interview with Juliane Grüning from the Deutscher Naturschutzring. 

We cannot preach water and drink wine! Consequently, several teams at IGB have begun to analyse and address the different opportunities for savings and improvements in their areas of activity.

Using water fleas, Luc De Meester showed that a population with a high amount of genetic variation can quickly adapt its behavioural and life-history traits to changes in the environment. 

The IGB is also involved in the Leibniz research network "Integrated Earth System Research". Our competencies on aquatic biodiversity and the role of water bodies in the landscape tie in with pressing challenges such as species loss, land use conflicts and urbanisation.

IGB gives feedback on the revision of the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (UWWTD).