Selected publications

Cyanobacteria are considered to be heat-loving, and massive algal blooms are reported mainly in summer, when monitoring is particularly close. Now, the authors show that cyanobacterial blooms can also occur at colder temperatures - even under ice. If the algal blooms go unnoticed, there are risks to drinking water production.

In a large-scale effort, a research team in cooperation with angling clubs, has conducted whole-lake experiments in 20 lakes to improve ecological conditions. Habitat improvements were the most effective means to enhance fish populations, whereas fish stocking completely failed. The study emphasizes the importance of restoring habitats and improving natural ecosystem processes.

The authors analysed data from 14 lakes in the Berlin catchment area for the period 2000 to 2020. They found that if sulphate concentrations had not increased, there would be about 20 per cent more reeds in the sulphate-polluted lakes today.

The authors adapted a tracer-aided ecohydrological model to upscale tracer-informed process representation to larger catchments scales. The modeling unravelled spatio-temporally varying patterns of water storage-flux-age interactions and their interplay under drought. Insights into ecohydrological functioning at scales relevant to management decision-making are important for guiding interventions.

Whether a lake appears blue or green is also related to its chlorophyll-a content. Researchers led by IGB used satellite data to draw conclusions about the concentrations of the green pigment produced by algae. 

Hydrological and water stable isotope datasets within a modelling framework were utilized to evaluate the water flow paths and ages in the heavily urbanized Panke catchment in Berlin. Groundwater was the primary flow component in reaches with less urbanisation. Wastewater effluent dominated the mid-reaches with direct storm runoff and shallow subsurface contributions in the urbanized reaches.

Multiple stressors can affect species indirectly through either abiotic variables or impacts on non-target species. Stress tolerance is the key determinant of responses to increasing stress intensity. Dispersal and biotic interactions are the two key mechanisms governing responses to the release from stressors.

In this review, the authors provide a guide to state-of-the-art approaches that allow the collection and analysis of high-resolution behavioural data across development. They outline how such approaches can be used to address key issues regarding the ecological and evolutionary factors shaping behavioural development.