- Department:(Dept. 2) Community and Ecosystem Ecology
Infection of filamentous phytoplankton by fungal parasites enhances herbivory in pelagic food webs
Mass development of cyanobacteria can deprive the water of oxygen and produce toxins. But cyanobacteria can become sick, when for instance infected by fungal parasites. The authors show that these infections do not only kill cyanobacteria, they also make them easier to consume for their natural predators. Fungal parasites thus help to slow down the growth of blue-green algae.
Performance of one-dimensional hydrodynamic lake models during short-term extreme weather events
Three 1D lake models reproduced the overall impacts of storms and heatwaves well. The timing of effects was simulated accurately. Uncertainty in simulations increased during extremes compared to reference periods. Increased uncertainty should be kept in mind when applying models to extreme events.
Can parasites adapt to pollutants? A multigenerational experiment with a Daphnia × Metschnikowia model system exposed to the fungicide tebuconazole
A Daphnia-parasite system was used to assess long term effects of fungicide pollution. Parasitic yeast lineages were reared in the absence/presence of tebuconazole (TEB). Multigenerational exposure to TEB caused transient phenotypic costs in the parasite. Parasitic yeast M. bicuspidata showed no potential for rapid evolution to TEB.
Scientists' warning on invasive alien species
Scientists warn of increasing threats posed by invasive alien species. More effort is needed to prevent, detect and control invasive alien species – this is emphasized by researchers from 13 countries.
How biological invasions affect animal behaviour: a global, cross-taxonomic analysis
In interaction, invasive and native species can change their behaviour. This is a meta-analysis, led by IGB, of which changes in behaviour are studied in invasions, and what is known about the types of behaviour that change, the underlying mechanisms and the speed of behavioural changes.
Long-term warming destabilizes aquatic ecosystems through weakening biodiversity-mediated causal networks
Climate change destabilizes aquatic ecosystems through weakening the interactions between species richness and biomass of phytoplankton and the chemical and physical environmental factors. This is the conclusion of a study on long-term data series of 10 aquatic ecosystems using the convergent cross mapping (CCM) method.
Species distribution models have limited spatial transferability for invasive species
In this synthesis study, a research team led by IGB shows that species distribution models have limited spatial transferability for invasive species and how this relates to species characteristics and model parameterization.
Most invasive species largely conserve their climatic niche
In this synthesis study on the niche conservatism hypothesis of invasive species, a research team led by IGB found that invasive species occupy similar niches between their native and exotic ranges and show only limited niche expansion, supporting this hypothesis.