Selected publications

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.

No life has yet been found on Mars, but it is exciting to explore under what circumstances it might be possible. The authors have studied the cellular processes that regulate the adaptation of microorganisms to perchlorates. If microorganisms could genetically adapt their stress response to this salt, their survival on the red planet might be possible.

The quality of lake ice is of paramount importance for ice safety and lake ecology under ice. In 2020/2021, the researchers conducted a coordinated sampling campaign of lake ice quality during one of the warmest winters since 1880. They showed that lake ice during this period generally consisted of unstable white ice, which at times accounted for up to 100 percent of the total ice thickness.

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. 

In both time and space, the observed differentiation in trait values among populations and communities can be the result of interactions between ecological and evolutionary processes. The authors extended methods to quantify ecological and evolutionary contributions to trait changes to account for empirical studies that document trait differentiation among populations structured in space.

The authors identified individual striped marlin (Kajikia audax) hunting in groups. Groups surrounded prey but individuals took turns attacking. They found that competition for prey access led to an unequal division of prey among the predators, with 50% of the most frequently attacking marlin capturing 70–80% of the fish.

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.