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press release

Shallow water areas are crucial for the nutrient balance of a lake

Even deep clear water lakes, which are considered particularly valuable ecosystems, can show signs of eutrophication and algae growth - often for no apparent reason. A new study by four researchers from the Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB) now shows that the causes are not always to be found in increasing nutrient inputs from the catchment area or in re-dissolution processes in the deep areas of a lake, but also in the shallower areas up to a water depth of around 20 metres.

press release

Toxic waste: cigarette butts harm the environment twice

Cigarette butts do not belong in the environment. Yet they often end up there, especially near water bodies. A survey by IGB has shown that many of Berlin's waters contain considerable amounts of nicotine, which is also toxic to aquatic life. A new IGB study now shows that some organisms may benefit indirectly: toxic cyanobacteria. This is because cigarette butts in the water harm their parasites. The study was published in the journal Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety.

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Fast prey: Even non-attacking predatory fish benefit from group hunting at high speed

Why do animals actually hunt in groups, when they have to share the prey afterwards? Researchers have shown in a field study in the ocean off Mexico: the faster the prey school moves, the higher the capture rate of the striped marlin. This is because if the prey school is moving fast, individual prey fish are more likely to become isolated from the swarm. These isolated fish are then easily caught by the non-attacking marlins. This shows an advantage of group hunting for the predatory fish.

press release

Species conservation: First sturgeon offspring since 2015 released into the Elbe River

It is a milestone in European species conservation: Today, one hundred young European sturgeon (Acipenser sturio) were released into the Elbe River near Magdeburg as part of a long-term reintroduction programme and in the presence of the German Environment Minister Steffi Lemke. It is the first sturgeon offspring for the river since 2015. This action is an important step towards re-establishing a self-sustaining sturgeon population in one of Germany's largest river systems.

press release

German lakes under climate change

Using long-term monitoring data from 46 German lakes, researchers from IGB have shown that surface temperatures of lakes have risen faster than air temperatures over the last 30 years. Ooxygen concentrations in the deep water have decreased. Modelling suggests that this trend will continue. The good news is that the lack of oxygen in the hypolimnion would be alleviated if the nutrient loads from urban and agricultural discharges could be reduced.

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Desiccating salt lakes as a source of greenhouse gases

Desiccating salt lakes are an underappreciated source of greenhouse gases that could become even more relevant as a result of climate change. Newly announced research by the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) in the USA in cooperation with the Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB) examining greenhouse gas emissions from the drying lake bed of Great Salt Lake, Utah, calculates that 4.1 million tons of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases were released in 2020.

press release

Dealing with a taboo: Do hunting and fishing bring us closer to nature?

Buying fish, sausage or meat saves you from breaking a social taboo in some industrialized nations, especially when hunting and fishing are conducted for recreation. In a perspective article in Nature Sustainability, a research team from the natural and social sciences and environmental philosophy adds a new perspective to the topic of "recreational use of wild animals". The hypothesis is that an emotionally intense interaction between hunters or anglers and wild animals can create a particularly strong sense of responsibility,