Selected publications

The authors explored the contributions of local vs regional processes and historical vs contemporary factors in establishing macroecological patterns, by assessing the distribution of taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic diversity of caddisfly across the latitudinal gradient in Europe. This shows the importance of regional environmental filtering and the origin of northern communities.

Researchers from 90 scientific institutions worldwide have stated that freshwater biodiversity research and conservation lag far behind the efforts  in terrestrial and marine environments. They propose a research agenda with 15 priorities aimed at improving research on biodiversity in lakes, rivers, ponds and wetlands. This is urgently needed as the loss of biodiversity there is dramatic.

The authors experimentally quantified ecological and evolutionary contributions to total phytoplankton community change in response to elevated CO2 concentrations. They show a novel experimental approach to study ecological and evolutionary contributions to community features, and observed a decline in phytoplankton abundance to elevated CO2 that could be mainly explained by ecological changes. 

The authors surveyed the microbiome associated with Microcystis aeruginosa during blooms in 12 lakes. Their results indicate that M. aeruginosa is cosmopolitan in lakes across a 280° longitudinal and 90° latitudinal gradient. The microbiome communities were represented by a wide range of operational taxonomic units and relative abundances which determine the success of the cyanobacteria blooms.

Efforts to protect sea lions along South America's west coast have contributed to species recovery, but also to conflict between sea lions and small-scale fisheries. To understand the concerns, the authors assessed how 301 coastal small-scale fishers perceive their interactions with the sea lions. They propose solutions to manage conflict that are sensitive to heterogeneity among fisher groups.

The new global biodiversity framework (GBF) must drive action to reverse the decline of biodiversity. However, the draft goals and targets fail to set out these clear outcomes. The authors propose modifications that would help to reveal the specific contribution of each action and provide clarity on whether the achievement of action targets would be adequate to achieve the outcome goals.

The authors investigated the genetic basis underpinning the adaptation of prey to predation. The expansion of multiple gene families might be a key evolutionary event for Daphnia to survive in a habitat containing predators. For example, the expansions of gene families associated with chemoreception and vision allow Daphnia to enhance detection of predation risk.

The authors compiled global economic cost data of invasive species from non-English sources. A large number of costs were added for new invasive species and new countries. As a result, global cost estimates of invasions increased by 16.6% (US$ 214 billion). Multi-language collaborations are necessary to enrich scientific knowledge, to enhance data completeness and reduce knowledge gaps.