News

Routine fishing on 29 November this year was the first large inventory conducted in the middle of the Oder since the man-made environmental disaster that occurred in summer. The result: much fewer fish were caught in total, and species such as the blue bream and the asp, which are important to this ecosystem, were lacking completely. Moreover, water analysis conducted by the researchers shows that the salt concentration is still far too high. There could be a repeat of the disaster when temperatures increase, endangering remaining stocks.

Happy Birthday LakeLab! For a decade now, IGB has been conducting large-scale experiments on the impacts of climate change and other anthropogenic environmental changes on lake ecosystems at the IGB LakeLab in Lake Stechlin. In this brief interim account, we present the projects, scientific findings and new perspectives that have emerged from research conducted in the facility so far. It is a journey through time on the occasion of the first big anniversary.

Rutynowe połowy 29 listopada br. były pierwszą poważną inwentaryzacją w środkowym biegu Odry po spowodowanej przez człowieka katastrofie ekologicznej w lecie. Efekt: ogólnie złowiono znacznie mniej ryb, a gatunki ważne dla tego ekosystemu, takie jak rozpiór i boleń, były zupełnie nieobecne. Z analiz wody przeprowadzonych przez badaczy wynika również, że stężenie soli jest nadal wyraźnie za wysokie. Wraz ze wzrostem temperatur katastrofa może się powtórzyć, co spowoduje zagrożenie dla ryb, które przeżyły.

IGB has provided feedback on the government draft of the National Water Strategy, emphasising, among other things, the relevance of aquatic biodiversity and the large practical implementation deficit in water management.

Alexander Sukhodolov has been carrying out a research on the Tagliamento River in the north-east of Italy for almost a decade and a half. Scientists are fascinated by this river because it has a number of features that makes it a unique object of study. IGB operates a River Lab at the Tagliamento, where researchers study river hydrodynamics and its effect and interactions with aquatic biota.

No life has yet been found on Mars, but it is exciting to explore under what circumstances it might be possible. A team has studied the cellular processes that regulate the adaptation of microorganisms to perchlorates. If microorganisms could genetically adapt their stress response to this salt, which occurs in some deserts and on Mars, their survival on the red planet would be possible.

Today, the second part of the UN Biodiversity Conference (CBD COP 15) starts in Montreal. In previous negotiations, inland waters have not been given sufficient consideration – even though they harbour a particularly high biodiversity and provide vital ecosystem services for humans. IGB scientists researching freshwater biodiversity provide an overview of this often overlooked topic.

Robert Arlinghaus and his team have received this year's Inter Circle U Prize for their engagement in sustainable fisheries research.