Selected publications

The authors undertook the first global assessment of the impacts of alien species on native freshwater megafauna using the Environmental Impact Classification for Alien Taxa framework. Negative impacts on native freshwater megafauna were caused by 61 alien species from diverse taxonomic groups, including both freshwater and terrestrial alien species, and both vertebrates and invertebrates.

Thanks to the commitment of nearly 100 researchers, the EPTO-database is the first global data source regarding geo-referenced and freely available data sets on aquatic insect occurrences - Mayflies (Ephemeroptera), stoneflies (Plecoptera), caddisflies (Trichoptera) and dragonflies (Odonata) - worldwide. 

This is a review of multiple-stressor research in freshwaters, particularly studies that have experimentally manipulated multiple stressors and measured responses of multispecies assemblages. There is a gap between biotic interactions under multiple stressors and ecosystem recovery pathways after restoration, indicating a disconnect between multiple stressor research and environmental practice.

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.

The authors explored how spatial and temporal variability of lake food webs and their links to the terrestrial environment affect trophic transfer efficiency (TTE). They suggest that TTE can be estimated as mechanistic expression of energy flow between consumer and producer pairs, or as ecosystem efficiency comparing total sums of heterotrophic production rates with fixation rates of carbon.

Citizen scientists sampled more than 600 freshwaters in Germany. This unique data set provides evidence of 3 trends: first, microorganisms in the sediment show signs of chemical stress and antibiotic resistance in their genetic material. Second, excessive artificial lighting at night alters the species composition of  microorganisms. And third, all studied water bodies emit greenhouse gases. 

The authors used a digital elevation model at 90m resolution and extracted the stream network, sub-catchments and drainage basins along with a suite of topographical and topological attributes. "Hydrography90m" provides a global, high-resolution and standardized dataset, emphasizing headwater streams, and can be used in spatial freshwater biodiversity analyses.

The authors assessed the invasion dynamics of the New Zealand mud snail Potamopyrgus antipodarum, one of the most damaging freshwater invaders. They observed that the snail abundance increased through time with 59% of populations following the proposed pattern, providing insights into large-scale invasion dynamics to inform management actions to mitigate impacts on ecosystems and economies.