Biodiversity

Preserve biodiversity

Concerns about the preservation of biodiversity often end up on the losing side when it comes to weighing conflicting interests in the balance, and its loss is usually only quantified in financial terms when it is already too late. Eawag is researching what biodiversity really means, what benefits it brings, and what measures can be employed to preserve it.

News

May 10, 2023

May 10, 2023Eawag researcher Johannes Raths has won a prize for his study of increased pollutant absorption with rising water temperatures.

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May 8, 2023

May 8, 2023When glaciers retreat, the habitats for cold-water organisms also change. Researchers have now modelled where refuges that are vital for biodiversity in glacial rivers will remain in the future.

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Scientific publications

Sigmund, G.; Ågerstrand, M.; Antonelli, A.; Backhaus, T.; Brodin, T.; Diamond, M. L.; Erdelen, W. R.; Evers, D. C.; Hofmann, T.; Hueffer, T.; Lai, A.; Torres, J. P. M.; Mueller, L.; Perrigo, A. L.; Rillig, M. C.; Schaeffer, A.; Scheringer, M.; Schirmer, K.; Tlili, A.; Soehl, A.; Triebskorn, R.; Vlahos, P.; vom Berg, C.; Wang, Z.; Groh, K. J. (2023) Addressing chemical pollution in biodiversity research, Global Change Biology, doi:10.1111/gcb.16689, Institutional Repository
Reader, M. O.; Eppinga, M. B.; de Boer, H. J.; Damm, A.; Petchey, O. L.; Santos, M. J. (2023) Biodiversity mediates relationships between anthropogenic drivers and ecosystem services across global mountain, island and delta systems, Global Environmental Change, 78, 102612 (15 pp.), doi:10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2022.102612, Institutional Repository
Zhang, H.; Mächler, E.; Morsdorf, F.; Niklaus, P. A.; Schaepman, M. E.; Altermatt, F. (2023) A spatial fingerprint of land-water linkage of biodiversity uncovered by remote sensing and environmental DNA, Science of the Total Environment, 867, 161365 (12 pp.), doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.161365, Institutional Repository
To the library

Current research projects

An Eawag-WSL collaboration focusing on Biodiversity at the interface of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems.
Assess the distribution and genetic structure of all amphipod species in Switzerland.
Understanding and measuring how flow intermittency drives biodiversity and river functions in an alpine environment
Developing tools and protocols on how to use novel eDNA technology in the context of biodiversity monitoring in riverine ecosystems.
Combining innovative approaches to phytoplankton and lake-ecosystem monitoring with community and ecosystem theory to to understand plankton-driven ecosystem processes.

Experts

Prof. Dr. Martin Ackermann
  • bacteria
  • genetics
  • antibiotics
  • resistances
  • evolution
  • ecology
Prof. Dr. Florian Altermatt
  • biodiversity
  • genetics
  • modeling
  • ecology
  • Ecosystems
Dr. Jakob Brodersen
  • isotopes
  • ecology
Dr. Helmut Bürgmann
  • antibiotic resistance
  • bacterioplankton
  • Microbiology
  • nutrients
  • surface water
Dr. Lauren Cook
  • planning of infrastructure
  • climate change
  • modeling
  • sustainable water management
  • urban water management
Dr. Philine Feulner
  • evolution
  • fish
  • genetics
  • comparative genomics
Dr. David Johnson
  • biodiversity
  • Microbiology
  • ecology
  • Evolutionary ecology
  • evolution
Prof. Dr. Jukka Jokela
  • algae
  • aquatic ecotoxicology
  • fish
  • genetics
  • plankton
  • proteomics
Dr. Marissa Kosnik
  • computational methods
  • data science
  • ecotoxicology
  • transdisciplinary research
Dr. Carlos Melian
  • biodiversity
  • modeling
  • ecology
Dr. Francesco Pomati
  • algae
  • biodiversity
  • ecology
  • plankton
  • ecotoxicology
Dr. Serina Robinson
  • Microbiology
  • biotransformation
  • Metagenomics
  • pharmaceuticals
  • biodegradation
Dr. Nele Schuwirth
  • aquatic ecology
  • decision analysis
  • modeling
  • multiple stressors
  • transdisciplinary research
Prof. Dr. Ole Seehausen
  • fish
  • genetics
  • ecology
  • evolution
PD Dr. Piet Spaak
  • plankton
  • sediments
Prof. Dr. Christoph Vorburger
  • biodiversity
  • genetics
  • ecology
  • evolution
Dr. Alexandra Anh-Thu Weber
  • evolution
  • genetics
  • ecology
  • Environmental change
  • comparative genomics
Dr. Christine Weber
  • river restoration
  • ecology

Cover picture: Eawag researchers Ewa Merz and Thea Kozakiewicz during field work on Lake Greifen (ZH). The underwater camera Aquascope records the tiny creatures in Lake Greifen in real time. (Photo: Jonas Steiner)