This theme aims at unraveling ecological and evolutionary interactions in plankton communities of freshwater and marine ecosystems. Research spans a wide variety of disciplines, ranging from the molecular ecology and physiology to the population dynamics and ecosystem ecology of planktonic organisms, including viruses, bacteria, phytoplankton, fungi, and zooplankton. Key questions are:

• How are species interactions in plankton communities affected by changes in environmental conditions?
• How do plankton communities evolve or adapt to changes in the environment?
• What is, in turn, the effect of plankton communities on ecosystem functions such as primary production and biogeochemical cycles?

Our approach is based on a combination of mathematical models, laboratory experiments and field studies. The research findings are applied in algal biotechnology, water management and climate change research. Examples include the development of new methods to suppress harmful algal and cyanobacterial blooms, and assessments of the impacts of rising CO₂ on planktonic organisms.

Staff members