Selected publications

The study aimed to elucidate the tradeoffs for the utilization of remote sensing data in limnological studies with an example based on the estimation of chlorophyll a due to its importance as a water quality indicator. Assessing atmospheric correction and product limitations ensures alignment with the limnological study. 

The study explored changes in community stability of free-living (FL) and particle-attached (PA) bacteria in a shallow urban reservoir in subtropical China for 3 years. Salinity was the strongest environmental factor determining FL and PA bacteria communities whereby salinity increased the compositional stability, but decreased α-diversity. 

This study evaluated the spatial, temporal, and seasonal coverage of over one million declassified images from 4 US spy-satellite programmes, showing that this data spans nearly the entire globe and all seasons. Their use could lead to better mapping of the historical extent and structure of ecosystems and human impacts, and help reconstruct past habitats and species distributions.

Aquatic microorganisms in China's Yangtze River are particularly resistant to many antibiotics, posing a high health risk. 

The study provides perspectives on the use of network models to address a variety of applied ecological questions along spatial and temporal dimensions as well as on interactions between abiotic and biotic components of ecosystems. Through collaborative research, network models could provide important levers for sustainable management. 

This study combines experiments in large enclosures with a comprehensive time series and a field survey to assess the joint effects of storm-induced lake browning, nutrient enrichment and deep-mixing on phytoplankton.Browning decreases nutrient enrichment effects on phytoplankton, including shifts in the species composition from cyanobacteria and chlorophytes to mixotrophic cryptophytes. 

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.

This study identified 62 research hypotheses used in urban ecology and mapped them in a conceptual network. It is the first such network, which also clusters urban ecology hypotheses into four distinct themes: (i) Urban species traits & evolution, (ii) Urban biotic communities, (iii) Urban habitats and (iv) Urban ecosystems.