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Researchers from TU Berlin and IGB have studied how the water budget and quality have developed over the last 60 years: Restoration measures between 1985 and 1995 have significantly improved the chemical water quality. But climate change can reverse this positive development: Heavy rainfall and dry periods change the chemodynamics of the river.

Without microorganisms, our ecosystems would not function properly: fungi “predigest” food, parasites keep blue-green algae in check, and water fleas play an important role in aquatic food web dynamics and structure. At IGB, many researchers are working on different microorganisms, studying both the ecology of these organisms and the extent to which they are threatened by climate change and other human-induced changes. While the findings are fascinating, they are also a stark reminder that the diversity of life in our waters is under threat - even the microbes.

A team of researchers led by the University of Iceland's Research Center at Snæfellsnes and IGB has now used unusual Citizen Science data from several decades to show that the American mink has decimated the native eider duck in the Brokey archipelago by about 60 percent.

Who made the Berlin research region shine this year? The science editorial team of the Tagesspiegel has selected the 100 most important personalities and nominated IGB researcher Christian Wolter for his great commitment to the Oder River.

For most pollutants, there are standard protocols for assessing the risks to ecosystems. Despite the increasing concern about the harmful effects of micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs), so far, there exist no harmonised guidelines for testing the ecotoxicity of MNPs. An international research team with IGB has now developed protocols to assess the toxicity of these substances in soil and aquatic ecosystems.

At its annual conference, the German Society for Limnology (DGL) awards three prizes to outstanding young researchers. Malwina Schafft from the research group of Robert Arlinghaus received the 3rd prize.

Animal behavioural research is fascinating, not least because it reveals information about how we humans interact with each other as social beings. Behavioural biologists at IGB are deeply involved in exploring the ways in which communities, such as schools of fish, make decisions and the factors that influence individuality. 

Microplastics can be toxic to various aquatic organisms, but how hazardous can they really be? Prof. Justyna Wolinska's research group at IGB has investigated a water flea that is a keystone species to European lakes. It turned out that this species may be under much higher pressure of microplastic hazards than previously thought.