Selected publications

The study investigated the effects of the herbicide metolachlor on host-parasite interactions, using the host-parasite system of the toxigenic cyanobacterium Planktothrix agardhii and its chytrid parasite Rhizophydium megarrhizum. Metolachlor promoted cyanobacteria growth and caused multi and transgenerational detrimental effects on parasite fitness. However, these effects are reversible.

Despite the increasing concern about the harmful effects of micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs), so far, there exist no harmonised guidelines for testing the ecotoxicity of MNPs. An international research team with IGB has now developed protocols to assess the toxicity of these substances in soil and aquatic ecosystems.

A solute transport model was applied to diurnal electrical conductivity fluctuations in a river to obtain long-term time series of transport metrics. The study showed that differences in transport metrics occur in adjacent river reaches and that mowing of macrophytes can increase the transient storage area.

This study investigated the mobilisation and transport of particle-associated organic contaminants and their cytotoxicity in a river during storm events. Cytotoxicity determined in cell-based bioassays correlated linearly with total suspended solids concentration in a river, demonstrating that particle-associated contaminant mixtures can strongly affect river water quality during rain events.

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.

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.

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 propose that next generation night-time remote sensing missions should consider multiple angles for observations in the visible band. They demonstrate via modeling and examples how the proposed method would leverage light pollution studies and unlock new applications for night-time remote sensing.