Selected publications

The authors have quantified the long-term temperature changes in 139 lakes worldwide. They analysed shifts in thermal habitats and found that as lakes warm, species will need to shift to different depths or seasons. Lakes in the tropics are particularly affected.

A research team has studied the close relationships between infectious diseases and biological invasions. The "One Health" approach considers the health of humans as well as animals, plants and other elements of the environment to prevent pandemics and the spread of invasive alien species.

Molecular survey methods detecting DNA released by target-species into their environment (eDNA) provide cost-effective tools for conservation, yet such eDNA-based methods are prone to errors. The authors synthesized recent advances in data processing tools that increase the reliability of interpretations drawn from eDNA data.

Invasion science is the systematic investigation of the causes and consequences of biological invasions. The authors identified four priority areas to advance the field in the Anthropocene: (1) predicting impacts of biological invasions, (2) understanding synergisms of multiple environmental stressors, (3) resolving the taxonomic impediment, and (4) enhancing international biosecurity.

The authors analyzed 18 long-term high-frequency lake datasets to assess the magnitude of wind- vs. rainstorm-induced changes in epilimnetic temperature. They found small day-to-day epilimnetic temperature decreases in response to strong wind and heavy rain during stratified conditions, but day-to-day temperature change, in the absence of storms, often exceeded storm-induced temperature changes.

Hydropower is renewable, but mostly not environmentally friendly. The study shows for Romania how the expansion of hydropower runs counter to the goals of EU environmental policy. Hydropower conflicts with the requirements of the Flora-Fauna-Habitat Directive and the European Water Framework Directive: around half of the hydropower plants in Romania are located in nature conservation areas.

The authors investigated the recovery of a small, temperate shallow lake from a strong flooding-induced browning and nutrient loading event. Concentrations of dissolved organic carbon and phosphorus remained elevated and affected primary production despite water levels dropping to pre-flood levels indicating consequences of extreme precipitation for lake water quality and aquatic food webs.

In the Lake Stechlin Lake Lab facility, the researchers tested whether dissolved molecules retain information about past and present alterations of lakes. They found that UV or microbial activities left measurable imprints on dissolved compounds, emphasising the relevance of the "ecosystem metabolome" to monitor the functioning and quality of lakes.