Inland waters have a disproportionately high biodiversity compared to terrestrial and marine large-scale habitats. They cover 0.8% of the Earth's surface, but harbor at least 6% of all species. At the same time, inland waters are much more vulnerable to human actions than other habitats, e.g., pollution, dam construction and straightening, or overuse. See: Research agenda on Inland Water Biodiversity and Maasri et al. 2022 Ecology Letters, 25: 255-263.
Our primary interests are spatiotemporal patterns of species richness in freshwater ecosystems. In particular, we study species and community responses to natural and anthropogenic perturbations, such as natural climatic variability in arid regions and global warming, but also with urbanization and restoration impacts in streams and stillwaters. We record species distributions at multiple geographic scale levels, from continents to individual cities. And we study life cycle variation and its role in species distribution and community composition. Our objects of study are aquatic macroinvertebrates with a strong focus on dragonflies (Odonata).
Current research topics
Biodiversity and ecology of dragonflies
Dragonflies are fascinating insects with unique flight characteristics and top predators in many habitats. We are studying dragonfly distribution, community composition, life cycles, and behavior in relation to the environment. The goal is to better understand the ecology of dragonflies.
Contact
Latest publications:
Hogreve J, Suhling F (2022): Development of two common dragonfly species with diverging occupancy trends. Journal of Insect Conservation, 26: 571–581. doi.org/10.1007/s10841-022-00396-1
Goertzen D, Schneider A-K, Eggers TO, Suhling F (2022): Temporal changes of biodiversity in urban running waters – results of a twelve-year monitoring study. Basic and Applied Ecology, 58: 74-87. doi.org/10.1016/j.baae.2021.11.007
Maasri et al. (2022): A global agenda for freshwater biodiversity research. Ecology Letters, 25: 255-263. doi: 10.1111/ele.13931
Suhling F, Johansson F (2022): Biodiversity in urban blue space – increasing knowledge and species richness. Basic and Applied Ecology, 63: 206-208. doi:10.1016/j.baae.2022.07.004
