Department of Conservation Biology
Working group - Floodplain Ecology
Floodplains belong to the most complex and species rich ecological systems in Europe. They provide important functions to society, in particular as retention space during flood events, as highly productive sites for agriculture and forestry, and as a source of natural resources. Sustainable management of floodplains requires tools that sufficiently reflect the complex interactions and interrelationships between abiotic and biotic environmental factors of floodplains. Therefore, indicator systems and predictive models are of extreme importance for the advancement of our knowledge of floodplains as a basis for sound planning and management decisions.
Broken dike during the flood of the River Elbe in 2002 - Photo: A. Künzelmann, UFZ
Our research is directed towards the functional relationships between biodiversity, flooding regime, site condition, and landscape structures in floodplains. We further focus on the conceptual improvement and the development of new approaches in bioindication by using functional groupings and life history traits in assessment procedures. We use the unique opportunity of the extreme flooding of the Elbe in August 2002 to study the short- and long-term biodiversity effects of extreme events.
In 2006 our research activities have integrated the first large realised 
floodplain restoration project by dike shifting in the German Elbe valley and established an Interdisciplinary research platform for floodplain ecology in the Middle Elbe together with several partners inside and outside the UFZ.
Information about the working group
Selected publications of the working group
Group members
Ongoing projects
Projects completed
- EU-wide monitoring methods and systems of surveillance (EU-Project EUMON)
- Analyse der historischen Entwicklung und aktueller Standortfaktoren und ihre Auswirkungen auf die Vegetation der heutigen mitteldeutschen Auen am Beispiel des Biosphärenreservates "Mittlere Elbe"
- Historische Auenwaldentwicklung des Leipziger Auenwaldes
- KABE: Kiesabbau in Auen am Beispiel der Elbe: Grundlagen zur Einschätzung ihrer grossräumigen Auswirkung
Selected publications of the working group
- DZIOK, F., FOECKLER, F.,SCHOLZ, M., STAB, S. & K. HENLE (eds.) (2006): Bioindication and functional response in flood plain systems - based on the results of the project RIVA.
International Review of Hydrobiology - Special Issue - 91/4, 269-388. - SCHOLZ, M., HENLE, K., DZIOCK, F., STAB, S. & F. FOECKLER (2009) (Hrsg.): Entwicklung von Indikationssystemen am Beispiel der Elbaue. Ulmer Verlag, Stuttgart, 482 S.
- FOLLNER, K., HOFACKER, A., GLÄSER, J., DZIOCK, F., GERISCH, M., FOECKLER, F., ILG, C., SCHANOWSKI, A., SCHOLZ, M. & K. HENLE (2010): Accurate environmental bioindication in floodplains in spite of an extreme flood event.River Research and Application. : 26(7):877-886 DOI: 10.1002/rra.1300.
- GERISCH, M., DZIOCK, F., SCHANOWSKI, A., ILG, C. & K. HENLE (2012) Community resilience following extreme disturbances: the response of ground beetles to a severe summer flood in a Central European lowland stream. River Research and Applications, 28: 81–92. DOI: 10.1002/rra.1438 .
- ILG, C., FOECKLER, F., DEICHNER, O. & K. HENLE (2009): Extreme flood events favour floodplain mollusc diversity. Hydrobiologia 621: 63-73.
- ILG, C., DZIOCK, F., FOECKLER F., FOLLNER K., GERISCH M., GLAESER J., RINK, A., SCHANOWSKI A., SCHOLZ, M., DEICHNER, O. & K. HENLE (2008): Long-term differential reactions of plants and macroinvertebrates to extreme floods in floodplain grasslands. Ecology:Vol. 89, No. 9 , pp. 2392-2398.
- SCHOLZ, M., STAB, S.,DZIOCK, F. & K. HENLE (Hrsg., 2005): Lebensräume der Elbe und ihrer Auen - Konzepte für die nachhaltige Entwicklung einer Flusslandschaft, Bd. 4. Weißensee Verlag Berlin.
- SCHULZ-ZUNKEL, C. & F. KRÜGER (2009): Trace metal dynamics in floodplain soils of the river Elbe: a review. J. Environ. Qual. 38: 1349-1362.
- BORCHARDT, D., EHLERT, T. FOLLNER, K., HOFFMANN, A., GRIEBLER, C., ILG, C., KOENZEN U., MEINERS, G., MOHAUPT, V., NEUKIRCHEN, B., RICHTER, S., SCHOLZ, M. & K. VAN DE WEYER, K. (2009): Biodiversity of surface waters, floodplains and groundwater - Results of the symposium, October 29./30.2008 Bonn Germany. - IN: Mohaupt, V.(UBA) & T. Ehlert (BfN) (Eds.): Symposiumsbericht 1.8-1.45.
- ILG, C., FOECKLER, F., DEICHNER,O. & K. HENLE (2011): Hydrological Gradient ind Species Traits Explain Gastropod Diversity in Floodplain Grasslands. River Research and Applications.doi: 10.1002/rra.1552.
- GERISCH, M., AGOSTINELLI, V., HENLE, K. & F. DZIOCK (2011): More species, but all do the same: contrasting effects of flood disturbance on ground beetle functional and species diversity. Oikos. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0706.2011.19749.x.
