Aquatic ecosystems suffer disproportionately from anthropogenic pressure and the effects of climate change. According to the EU Water Framework Directive, lakes along river systems in particular are currently in poor ecological condition. How similar are lakes that are more or less strongly connected by rivers and how do algal blooms spread along lake chains? These and other questions are being investigated by an IGB research team led by Stella Berger and Sabine Wollrab together with other partners from remote sensing and landscape ecology.