@bigerscience.bsky.social
Our research group investigates how spatial and long-term stressors influence biogeochemical processes and biodiversity in running waters and wetlands, integrating socio-ecological aspects and aquatic ecosystem management.
New paper out:
Lateral hydrological connectivity (between rivers & floodplains) shapes the relative abundance of water frogs and common toads, shown via eDNA.
Species respond indirectly and differently to connectivity, guiding wetland restoration and conservation๐ง๐ธ
๐ doi.org/10.1007/s107...
Ronald Pรถppl presents at IAG Conference in New Zealand. He shares new insights on sediment restoration in the Austrian Danube.
Key advances of the DANSER project: historical evolution, sediment transport, and landscape modeling build evidence for sustainable river management. More: danserproject.eu
Excited to share our new paper about water quality in Kampalaโs Lubigi wetland.
Stormwater/sewage overloads wetlandโs treatment capacity, causing persistent microbial contamination. Wetlands are vital buffers, but robust infrastructure and source control are essential.
๐ doi.org/10.2166/wash...
New paper out: This well-timed paper provides a European-scale framework integrating Habitats Directive + WFD indicators, using Bayesian Networks to identify restoration opportunities and spatial targets aligned with the Nature Restoration Regulation aims.
๐ doi.org/10.1016/j.wa...
Exciting news for 2026!
New paper out: Riverโfloodplain metacommunities as complex networks ๐ doi.org/10.1002/edn3...
Connectivity matters: A Bayesian multilayer analysis shows how movement, interactions, and environment shape biodiversity, incl. top predators and invasive species ๐๐ง
New in Microbial Ecology: A modelโdata fusion study shows how human impacts shape bacterioplankton in Taihu Lake river networks across the rainy season, integrating MIKE11 water-level simulations. By Zhao, Hein & Wangโ the study provides insights for ecosystem health assessments
03.12.2025 16:17 โ ๐ 2 ๐ 1 ๐ฌ 1 ๐ 0
Last week our team held its annual retreat at Kalkalpen National Park. We shared project updates, exchanged ideas, and explored new collaborationsโthen enjoyed the winter wonderland outdoors. Feeling inspired and recharged! โ๏ธ๐ฒ
01.12.2025 15:30 โ ๐ 1 ๐ 0 ๐ฌ 0 ๐ 0
๐ New Article Published!
Excited to share โspecleanr': an R package for flagging environmental outliers in ecological data.
With 20 detection methods, it offers a user-friendly, reproducible tool for biogeographical modeling and data analysis.
๐ Read more: doi.org/10.1002/ecog...
๐Great news to end the week!
Congrats to Nadija ฤehajiฤ on defending her Masterโs thesis "Spatial patterns of greenhouse gas emissions in a floodplain system".
Supervised by T. Hein, E. Bondar-Kunze & A. K. Sieczko, this work offers key insights into greenhouse gas dynamics in floodplains.
๐More exciting news!
Our new paper, "Introducing fwtraits โ an R package for freshwater biodiversity traits," is out!
Anthony Basooma & co-authors present fwtraits, a tool for accessing standardized ecological data for freshwater species via freshwaterecology.info
doi.org/10.1016/j.ba...
๐Exciting news!
Our article "The dynamics of linked socialโecological action situations reveal governance changes in the Austrian Danube" is out!
We analyze the shift in Donau-Auen National Park governance- from top-down to polycentric and participatory.
๐ doi.org/10.1016/j.je...
๐New paper out: "Responses of Oligochaeta & Chironomidae to connectivity restoration in riverโfloodplains" published in Restoration Ecology.
Sonia Recinos & coauthors explore restoration impacts on macroinvertebrates & lasting strategies๐๐ง
doi.org/10.1111/rec....
Our colleague Anthony Basooma presented his research on how environmental and human stressors drive the diversity of functional diversity of fish at the Society Global Conference for Ecological Modelling in Kashiwa.
Well done and greetings to Japan!
๐ฅLast Friday, filmmaker Christian Pfabigan filmed one of the final sessions for "The Voice of the Thaya" in Thayatal National Park. Ronald Pรถppl shared insights on the riverโs formation, meanders, human impacts, and sediment research in the Fugnitz River ๐๐
www.ukweli.at
Excited to share our new paper from our team highlighting the complex interactions between hydrological alterations and phytoplankton microbial communities. @Thomas Hein, @Olena Bilous rdcu.be/eLWCm
22.10.2025 07:33 โ ๐ 2 ๐ 1 ๐ฌ 1 ๐ 0
๐Ever wondered what lifeโs like for a fish in the Danube?
Watch our short video, exploring how dams, river regulation, floodplain disconnection, and ship traffic impact ecosystems. Presented by Johannes Kowal at the #CDLMERI 30-year anniversary!
www.youtube.com/shorts/JUzUx...
๐PhD Opportunity in Freshwater Ecology!
Join the FWF-funded project โGlobal warming effects on macrophytesโ role in lowland rivers (MARITE)โ. Explore how macrophytes buffer water temperature & support ecosystem functions under climate change.
๐Apply now: www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...
New Paper - โDrivers of metacommunity dynamics in river-floodplain fish: A Path Modeling Approachโ, by K Feng, I Czeglรฉdi, A Funk, T Hein, D Pont, P Meulenbroek, A Valentini & T Erลs, in Ecol Monographs doi.org/10.1002/ecm....
@fwf-at.bsky.social
Ronald Poeppl shared insights on the DANSER project and sustainable sediment management in the Upper Danube at the Regional Conference of the International Association of Geomorphologists in Romania๐๐
16.09.2025 14:35 โ ๐ 1 ๐ 1 ๐ฌ 0 ๐ 0
Check out this video about our Supersite within the DANUBIUS Research Infrastructure Consortium (#ERIC), showcasing the Austrian partners and the ongoing and planned research efforts. Thanks to a great team and many colleagues who contributed video content!
11.09.2025 07:32 โ ๐ 3 ๐ 2 ๐ฌ 0 ๐ 0
Ship-induced waves and habitat fragmentation from dams are key pressures on rivers. At the German Society of Limnology-DGL annual meeting in Frankfurt, Anna-Lisa Dittrich & Johannes Kowal shared research findings and mitigation strategies, sparking great discussions at the Senckenberg Museum dinner๐
15.09.2025 11:45 โ ๐ 1 ๐ 2 ๐ฌ 0 ๐ 0
Ronald Poeppl shared insights from the DANube Sediment Restoration (DANSER) project in the Upper Danube with his talk, "Towards deployment and upscaling of sustainable sediment management across the Danube," at the Conference Geographies of a Changing Europe (EUGEO)
15.09.2025 12:02 โ ๐ 3 ๐ 2 ๐ฌ 0 ๐ 0
Ship-induced waves and habitat fragmentation from dams are key pressures on rivers. At the German Society of Limnology-DGL annual meeting in Frankfurt, Anna-Lisa Dittrich & Johannes Kowal shared research findings and mitigation strategies, sparking great discussions at the Senckenberg Museum dinner๐
15.09.2025 11:45 โ ๐ 1 ๐ 2 ๐ฌ 0 ๐ 0
โWith the Danube projects, we are among Europeโs leaders,โ said Innovation Minister Peter Hanke (#BMIMI).
On August 25, he visited key project sites east of Vienna, including Dynamic LIFE Lines Danube and fish monitoring by the BOKU-CD Lab MERI๐
๐More: www.viadonau.org/newsroom/new...
Our institute plays a key role in DANUBIUS-RI, a European research effort addressing riverine environmental challenges.
Through the "Upper Danube Austria" Supersite, BOKU advances climate resilience and sustainability strategies ๐
Further information on danubius.boku.ac.at
Kicking off the Sustainability in Hydropower Conference at BOKU University, Vienna!
Our colleagues Johannes Kowal and Anthony Basooma presented their work on how human-made stressors, such as barriers, impact fish population connectivity in the Danube River and across European river catchments. ๐๐
๐How do waves from ships impact freshwater biodiversity?
Check out this fascinating interview with Christoph Hauer, Thomas Hein, and Anna-Lisa Dittrich, where they discuss how wave action affects aquatic ecosystems and the delicate balance of life in rivers.
science.orf.at/stories/3231...
New paper out!
In "Cascading effects of land use on ecosystem function in Afrotropical headwater streams," PhD candidate Florence Nansumbi & co-authors examine how human activities disrupt biogeochemical cycles in an Afrotropical watershed ๐๐
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Our colleague Ronald Poeppl engaging in outreach for the DANSER project, inspiring young minds by discussing river floods and the role of humans at the "Junge Uni Waldviertel-Vysoฤina." ๐๐
12.08.2025 11:42 โ ๐ 2 ๐ 1 ๐ฌ 0 ๐ 0
๐ขA new book is out: "The Danube River and the Western Black Sea Coast โ A volume in Ecohydrology from Catchment to Coast" is out: www.sciencedirect.com/book/9780443...
Congrats to Prof. Dr. Thomas Hein on this remarkable work!๐
