Selected publications

The authors integrated hydrometric and isotope data to understand how droughts affect ecohydrological partitioning, hydrological connectivity and streamflow generation at the catchment scale. Groundwater recharge was lower under forest than grassland and enhanced in restored wetlands. Complex patterns of connectivity affect in-stream solute transport and interactions between land- and riverscapes.

In the Lake Stechlin Lake Lab facility, the researchers tested whether dissolved molecules retain information about past and present alterations of lakes. They found that UV or microbial activities left measurable imprints on dissolved compounds, emphasising the relevance of the "ecosystem metabolome" to monitor the functioning and quality of lakes.

Alien birds can have severe impacts on native birds. The authors wanted to find out whether there are certain factors that make some native bird species more vulnerable to such impacts than others. They identified several factors that increase vulnerability, as well as specific orders of native birds that may require protection, and locations where impacts may be particularly damaging.

The review study highlights examples of “bright spots” to show that a positive future for inland recreational fisheries in the face of climate change is possible. The authors present potential strategies (e.g. community-based or transdisciplinary restoration projects, adaptive approaches to short-term fisheries interventions) to adapt to current and future climate scenarios.

The authors have summarized how technical innovations can affect anglers, fisheries management and fish populations. They advise to increasingly study the effects of fishing innovations and adjusting management measures as necessary. 

Microcosm experiments were performed to disentangle the direct and indirect effects of agricultural runoff (ARO) combined with warming on primary producers and their consumers in freshwaters. Negative effects of ARO on snail grazers affected the balance between functional groups of primary producers leading to a dominance of periphyton.The effect was enhanced when ARO arrived in multiple pulses.

The authors describe how a heat wave influenced heat tolerance and life history traits in 3 coexisting Daphnia species. Pronounced trait changes resulted in a shift in the degree to which species’ traits differ from each other. A single heat wave will affect species in isolation but also how they interact, emphasizing the need for multi-species studies at the interface of ecology and evolution.

The authors used the IGB model EcH2O-iso with isotope tracers to quantify how different vegetation communities in lowland German catchments partition rainfall into evapotranspiration and groundwater recharge. This showed that forests account for greater water losses to the atmosphere and reduced recharge. Future losses under climate change can be optimised by species selection and management.