Our current research topics

Invasive species such as the round goby (Neogobius melanostomus) threaten native fish populations and important ecosystem functions. Traditional management approaches, such as species removal programs or mere tolerance, are costly, rarely achieve sustainable success, and can have negative consequences for both nature and people. Therefore, together with stakeholders from fisheries, gastronomy, and nature conservation, we aim to explore new approaches to managing invasive species — using round goby as a case study — with the goal of making productive use of invasive species while supporting native species through habitat restoration.

The Lower Havel River near the Gülpe Research Station at the University of Potsdam offers a unique real-world laboratory for field studies, with its already restored and unrestored sections. Here, we investigate how habitat management affects the populations of native and invasive species. In addition, we develop utilization concepts for invasive species that can benefit both nature and people. We analyze the impacts of restoration and utilization on fish populations using field studies and mathematical models. Furthermore, social science and economic studies are being pursued in collaboration with various partners to explore the social and economic dimensions of utilizing invasive species.

Plankton communities are highly diverse and, as the energy basis for higher trophic levels, essential for aquatic ecosystems and humans. Yet, classical ecological theory struggles to explain the high species diversity in plankton communities – a phenomenon known as the “paradox of the plankton.” Contrary to earlier assumptions, plankton organisms exhibit spatial heterogeneity and patchiness not only vertically but also at very small horizontal scales.

We use individual-based models combined with empirical studies to investigate how this patchiness arises and how it influences the biodiversity and functioning of plankton communities under global change. Understanding these mechanisms aims to improve predictions of biodiversity trends and ecosystem stability in changing aquatic environments, and may help to better understand and manage phenomena such as toxic algal blooms, where spatial heterogeneity also plays a crucial role.

Global change encompasses interconnected climatic, ecological, economic, and societal processes whose interactions drive complex and often nonlinear environmental changes. These changes act directly on individual organisms and can generate emergent effects on entire ecosystems through their interactions. Traditional “average-based ecology” typically focuses on population means, overlooking the variability of traits and responses among individuals—variability that is crucial for predicting biodiversity and ecosystem dynamics. Our University Research Focus "Individual-based Global Change Ecology" therefore investigates the role of individuals and their variability in providing a deeper understanding of how ecosystems respond to global change.

Global change alters ecological coupling within and between ecosystems by weakening or strengthening the flows of matter, energy, and organisms. An individual-based perspective is particularly important for understanding how these couplings change through organismal flows, such as migration and dispersal, thereby shaping ecosystem connectivity and resilience under global change.