11 January 2024 press release Better flood protection The flood situation in parts of Germany is slowly easing. It can be expected that after some weeks the rivers will have returned to their beds. But how wide is a natural riverbed? Under what conditions does flooding become dangerous for us – and is it also dangerous for nature? How can we better prepare for such extreme events and which measures are beneficial for both people and nature? The current flood events make it clear that we need to rethink flood protection.
5 January 2024 insight Jonathan Jeschke joins Berlin's Expert Advisory Board for Nature Conservation and Landscape Management Jonathan Jeschke, Head of Department at IGB and Professor at Freie Universität Berlin, has been appointed by the Berlin Senate to the Expert Advisory Board for Nature Conservation and Landscape Management.
2 January 2024 press release Every second species threatened or extinct The Red List of freshwater fish and lampreys in Germany has been updated for the first time since 2009. It shows a clear negative trend over the last 14 years: 21 species have been classified threatened. This means that more than half of the native species are now considered threatened or already extinct. With 10 per cent of fish species extinct, Germany is well above the European average of 2.5 per cent.
22 December 2023 insight Joyeux Noël! Juvenile sturgeons have arrived at IGB IGB has received more than 200 young European sturgeons, considered extinct in Germany, from INRAE, the French partner institute. It's a Christmas present we're particularly pleased about.
18 December 2023 focus Is the lake quiet and still? It's not completely still in the water or under the ice during the cold season, even though some organisms in this habitat rest or hibernate. Some fascinating facts about winter survival in lakes, ponds and puddles. Plus: how we can support the animals and plants in our garden pond to survive the cold.
8 December 2023 insight Herring, cod or lumpfish? What grey seals in the Baltic Sea really feed on Student Katja Mehrwald has investigated what species are on the diet of grey seals in the southern Baltic Sea. For her study, carried out at the University of Rostock and IGB, she has now been awarded the Master's Prize of the German Zoological Society.
30 November 2023 focus When darkness disappears Excessive artificial light in freshwater environments has far-reaching consequences for aquatic organisms and entire ecosystems. But what exactly happens to light underwater?
24 November 2023 insight Urban ponds: Can adaptation to pollution improve the resilience of aquatic ecosystems? POUNDER, a project by the two junior research group leaders, Lynn Govaert and Stephanie Spahr, has succeeded in the Senate Committee Competition of the Leibniz Association and will be funded in the Cooperative Excellence Programme from January 2024.
24 November 2023 press release Clonal fish: Same genes, same environment – different fitness levels Clonal fish that are reared under nearly identical, highly standardised environments systematically differ in the number and size of offspring per reproduction cycle, two crucial indicators of biological fitness.
9 November 2023 insight "Exploring water with satellites helps us with drinking water, food and ecology" Yesterday, at the GEO Ministerial Summit in Cape Town, South Africa, IGB scientist Dr Igor Ogashawara was honored with the GEO Emerging Leader Award. We spoke to him about the award and his field of research.
