News

Dagmar Frisch heads the new IGB research group "Evolutionary Ecology and Global Change". We asked her three questions: one about her work, one personal and one to allow her creativity to flourish.

Lynn Goveart is studying how evolutionary and ecological processes affect aquatic organisms. The work of the IGB research group leader is now being additionally supported for five years by the Leibniz Programme for Women Professors. This is aimed at women in all disciplines who have an outstanding international track record.

Some organisms can slow their development to withstand wind and weather. This strategy is found in plants, animals, and even microorganisms, both on land and in water.

Biological invasions are widely acknowledged as a serious threat to biodiversity, global economies, and a good quality of life. Yet, they are not universally perceived as a nuisance and are sometimes gaining – often unexpectedly – cultural acceptance in local communities around the world. The consequences of this acceptance are not trivial for the management of invasive species.

Aquatic fungi are among the least researched groups of organisms on Earth. A video project reveals their hidden world.

Experiments are an essential part of the scientific process – and ecology is no exception. A new publication in the journal Nature Communications, looks at the challenges experimental ecology faces in predicting and mitigating the effects of global change. And it points to new approaches for research.

To survive as a species, aquatic organisms have developed a wide variety of strategies. Millions of years ago, sturgeons used their bony shells to fend off predators and relocate their habitats, sulphur mollies survive in toxic, almost oxygen-free water, and fish stocks in the River Oder are gradually recovering from the 2022 disaster. However, there are limits to the resilience of organisms, and these can be seen even in the tiniest single-celled creatures.

Global change poses immense challenges to our society. To better understand and address these challenges, IGB has launched a new, visionary programme area. This initiative represents an important strategic development within an extraordinary item of expenditure.