News

This summer, the water shortage in Europe continues to preoccupy politicians and the public. Small standing water bodies such as natural or artificial ponds, kettle holes or park waters are particularly suffering from the lack of water. In order to raise awareness of this problem and to point out options for action for policymakers, authorities and the civil society, IGB has today published a new IGB Dossier on this important type of water body.

An international research team has analysed the state and development of biodiversity in European rivers. As the extensive study shows, development has stagnated after initial improvement; many river systems have not been able to regenerate completely.

Trace organic compounds can be attenuated in the hyporheic zone of river sediments. Jörg Lewandowski's research group has now developed a method to study the attenuation performance along a hyporheic flow path in the field. The researchers also analysed the retention of 18 relevant trace organic compounds. They show that high chemical turnover takes place on a very small spatial scale.

Crustaceans such as shrimp are a popular food. Due to the high demand for crustaceans, the majority of those consumed no longer come from the wild, but are farmed on a large scale in aquaculture. However, there is potential for improvement in terms of sustainability and animal welfare. In an interview, Dr Sven Würtz explains why aquaculture practitioners should address this issue with urgency.

With a varied programme, IGB attracted more than 250 guests to the Open Day at the IGB site in Neuglobsow on the shores of Lake Stechlin on 1 July.

IGB has been honoured with the TOTAL E-QUALITY award. This renowned award recognises the Institute's equal opportunities strategy, which meets the TOTAL E-QUALITY standards in various fields of action.

Researchers from the Chinese Ministry of Natural Resources in Xiamen and the IGB have identified a natural fungus-bacteria consortium that metabolises nitrate particularly efficiently and consistently. This could be crucial for the further development of biotechnological approaches in water treatment and provides further evidence of the important role of fungi in aquatic ecosystems.

Parasites can significantly reduce the food intakeof their host animals. In a meta-analysis, IGB researchers have now quantified that parasitized animals consume on average a quarter less food than their non-infected conspecifics.