Selected publications

The authors compared ecological and social dimensions of recreational angling and spearfishing targeting the invasive bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix) in Italy using digital videos and their associated data. The study showcases the value of exploring social media to understand the ecological and human dimensions of marine recreational fisheries in relation to distributional range shifts of species.

The authors studied the role of host genetics in host-associated microbiome community structure. Gut and body microbiome composition still varied between Daphnia host genotypes, even though these Daphnia were kept under identical lab conditions for five years. This highlights the importance of host genetic component in microbiome structure.

In course of measuring campaigns, the spatial and temporal dynamics of water isotopes in northeastern German lakes were evaluated. The data will serve as basis for further studies, for example with respect to connectivity of lakes and biochemical processes in macrophytes.

The theoretical study evaluated the microbial dynamics of particle-associated vs free-living bacteria. Bacterial generalists have the ability to utilize both habitats and increase stability and energy transport through the 'microbial loop'. Adaptive response strategies of bacteria are important to assess the consequences of increasing particle loads, e.g., sediment and microplastics.

The authors investigated antiparasitic potential of 3 agrochemical fungicides on a non-target aquatic model (Daphnia × parasitic yeast system). The results suggest that azole fungicides may disrupt host-parasite interactions in natural systems. There might be broader consequences of this parasite-clearance effect, especially in face of increasing evidence that parasites are ecologically important.

The authors studied effects of warming on spring plankton dynamics in outdoor mesocosms. Experimental warming speeded up phytoplankton growth dramatically, triggering a massive bloom of phosphorus deficient algae that drove its zooplankton grazers to extinction. It shows that warming can aggravate the food quality mismatch at the plant–herbivore interface and limit energy transfer up the food web.

The authors monitored stable isotopes in-situ at high resolution in soil and plant water at an urban green space to understand the ecohydrological functioning of the Critical Zone, i.e., the thin, dynamic, life-sustaining skin of the Earth that extends from the canopy top to the active groundwater. At the end of the growing season deeper than upper soil water was used for plant water uptake.

When the last individual dies, species not only disappear from our planet. They also disappear from our collective memory, from our cultures and discourses. Researchers have now studied the process.