Quantifying eco-evolutionary contributions to trait divergence in spatially structured systems
In both time and space, the observed differentiation in trait values among populations and communities can be the result of interactions between ecological and evolutionary processes. The authors extended methods to quantify ecological and evolutionary contributions to trait changes to account for empirical studies that document trait differentiation among populations structured in space.
The emergence and development of behavioral individuality in clonal fish
The authors have now shown for the first time in naturally clonal fish that genetically identical individuals already differ in their character traits on the first day of life and that these early character differences significantly shape the behavior of the animals into adulthood.
Evaluating satellite-derived soil moisture data for improving the internal consistency of process-based ecohydrological modelling
The authors investigated whether satellite-derived soil moisture products of high spatio-temporal resolution are useful for calibrating a process-based ecohydrological model. Including soil moisture data for calibration improved process-consistency of the model. At this scale, the temporal dynamics of the satellite-derived data were more helpful for model calibration than the spatial patterns.
Environmental variability in aquatic ecosystems: avenues for future multifactorial experiments
Variability is inherent to all natural ecosystems, yet the consequences of alterations to existing variability patterns in environmental factors expected under global change scenarios remain unclear. The authors identified sources of mismatches, challenges, and knowledge gaps to contribute to a research agenda on the effects of variability in aquatic systems. T
Hydrography90m : a new high-resolution global hydrographic dataset
The authors used a digital elevation model at 90m resolution and extracted the stream network, sub-catchments and drainage basins along with a suite of topographical and topological attributes. "Hydrography90m" provides a global, high-resolution and standardized dataset, emphasizing headwater streams, and can be used in spatial freshwater biodiversity analyses.
Invasion impacts and dynamics of a European-wide introduced species
The authors assessed the invasion dynamics of the New Zealand mud snail Potamopyrgus antipodarum, one of the most damaging freshwater invaders. They observed that the snail abundance increased through time with 59% of populations following the proposed pattern, providing insights into large-scale invasion dynamics to inform management actions to mitigate impacts on ecosystems and economies.
The role of boundary mixing for diapycnal oxygen fluxes in a stratified marine system
The research team investigated the vertical oxygen flux through the halocline in the Baltic Sea using high-resolution temperature and oxygen profiles during different seasons. Oxygen transport showed a strong seasonality and was higher in autumn compared to summer and winter. The shoreline regions were responsible for >80% of the total oxygen transport through the halocline.
From minute to day: ecophysiological response of phytoplankton to fluctuating light exposure during vertical mixing
The authors performed a cross-timescale investigation of a suite of physiological processes governing phytoplankton growth under fluctuating light exposure during vertical mixing: Respiration was enhanced in the short periods of low light following higher photosynthesis at the lake surface, indicating a tight connection between photosynthesis, respiration and biosynthesis under fluctuating light.
Formation of vivianite in digested sludge and its controlling factors in municipal wastewater treatment
Phosphorus as scare raw material can be recovered from municipal wastewater treatment as iron phosphate mineral vivianite. Vivianite formation increased with higher iron and lower sulphur content. The study suggests that the use of sulphur-free precipitants for chemical P elimination may enhance vivianite formation. The new insights are also of high relevance for the research on aquatic sediments.
Heat waves rather than continuous warming exacerbate impacts of nutrient loading and herbicides on aquatic ecosystems
The authors used 48 mesocosms to test how nutrient loading, continuous warming, heat waves and glyphosate-based herbicides interactively impact the growth of submerged macrophytes, phytoplankton and periphyton. Heat waves facilitated phytoplankton growth under combined nutrient loading and glyphosate treatments more than continuous warming. Macrophyte biomass was lowest under these conditions.