Selected publications

This meta-analysis investigated how parasites affect the consumption rate of their hosts. It is the first comprehensive overview of parasite effects on host feeding capacity and sheds light on the factors contributing to the observed differences.

Using seasonal, large scale synoptic sampling of stable water isotopes and tritium along the Spree allowed to assess water cycling, storage and losses. The Spree is heavily regulated and drought-sensitive due to high evapotranspiration losses. Such insights are important to adjust water management strategies.

The authors studied the needs and knowledge of stakeholders who own, work, research, or benefit from pondscapes in 8 countries. Using the analytic hierarchy process, this study shows that in general stakeholders in the European and Turkish demo-sites prefer environmental benefits, while stakeholders in the Uruguayan demo-sites rank the economic benefits higher.

Long-term stream nitrate nitrogen concentrations and concentration-discharge were investigated along the Spree revealing significant heterogeneity in both variables. The upstream parts and winter seasons showed the most serious pollution. Concentrations and relationships are also likely to respond strongly to future droughts, leading to challenges for future land and water management.

The mosquitofish Gambusia affinis, globally introduced to fight mosquitos, is a threat for freshwater ecosystems and a model for sex chromosome evolution. Cyto-/genomics reveals a neocentromere to shield parts of its evolutionary young female sex chromosome (W) that actively differentiates by expansion of transcribed transposons, while major sequence divergence or gene decay are missing. 

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.

The study investigated the impact of streamwater flow velocities and the resulting bedform migration on the CO2 production in streambeds. State-of-the-art 2-dimensional imaging techniques reveal the CO2 distribution in the streambed, an increasing CO2 production in the upper sediment and a decreasing hydrological exchange with deeper sediment layers, with increasing flow velocities.

The dryness in the Atacama Desert led to fracture networks of salt-poor sand wedges outlining salt-rich polygons as potential microbial habitats. Mineral composition, pH, electrical and thermal conductivity, water activity and content were analyzed for their relevance to habitability. The results emphasize the relevance of polygonal networks as microbial habitats in extreme environments.