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Featured Publications


A global synthesis of human impacts on the multifunctionality of streams and rivers

Brauns, M., Allen, D.C., Boëchat, I.G., Cross, W.F., Ferreira, V., Graeber, D., Patrick, C.J., Peipoch, M., von Schiller, D. & Gücker, B. (2022) Global Change Biology. doi: 10.1111/gcb.16210

Human impacts on the multifunctionality of streams Human stressors have caused significant declines in the quality and quantity of freshwater resources, but effects on the multifunctionality of streams and rivers remain unclear. We used meta-analyses to quantify the responses of nutrient uptake, leaf litter decomposition, ecosystem productivity, and food web complexity to six human stressors. Stressors mostly inhibited ecosystem functioning, and nitrate uptake was most strongly affected. Wastewater effluents, agriculture, and urban land use had the strongest absolute effects on ecosystem multifunctionality. If such stressors persist in contemporary intensity, we will lose the functional backbone of streams and rivers and ecosystem services essential to humans.
  Publikation

Bioavailable Dissolved Organic Carbon Serves as a Key Regulator of Phosphorus Dynamics in Stream Biofilms

Perujo, N., Graeber, D., Fink, P., Neuert, L., Sunjidmaa, N., & Weitere, M. (2025). Environmental Microbiology Reports, 17(3), e70115. doi: 10.1111/1758-2229.70115 

Bioavailable Dissolved Organic Carbon Serves as a Key Regulator of Phosphorus Dynamics in Stream Biofilms Phosphorus (P) dynamics at the sediment–water interface are crucial for water quality, with microbial biofilms playing a key role in controlling eutrophication through P uptake. Biofilms trap P both intracellularly and extracellularly, but the latter’s role in natural systems is less understood. Most research focuses on N, P, or their ratios, often neglecting the effect of bioavailable dissolved organic carbon (DOC) on P uptake by heterotrophs. In this study, we used flow-through flumes to test how DOC availability affects P entrapment and regulation in biofilms. Results show that intracellular P uptake is limited by DOC, while extracellular P entrapment is DOC-independent and can compensate for intracellular saturation. DOC availability also influences broader benthic P cycling and ecosystem functions like self-purification and organic P turnover via sustained alkaline phosphatase activity.
  Publication

Dissolved organic matter quality, hydrological connectivity and microbial activity shape phosphorus buffering in river-floodplain systems

Meyer, M., Koschorreck, M., Weitere, M., Kneis, D., & Perujo, N. (2024). Science of the Total Environment, 957, 177452. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.177452 

Dissolved organic matter quality, hydrological connectivity and microbial activity shape phosphorus buffering in river-floodplain systems Excess phosphorus (P) degrades floodplain water quality by fueling eutrophication, often sustained by internal P release from sediments. Microbial communities influence this through organic matter breakdown, affecting P buffering potential. However, their role in dynamic floodplains is not well understood. This study assessed how hydrological connectivity, dissolved organic matter (DOM) quality, and microbial activity shape P buffering in Elbe River floodplain sites. Connected sites showed higher P buffering potential—and thus greater P release risk—linked to more labile DOM, autochthonous input, and high β-xylosidase activity after water contraction phase. These findings highlight the key role of microbial processes and hydrological connectivity in sediment P dynamics.
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Large-scale nutrient and carbon dynamics along the river-estuary-ocean continuum

Kamjunke, N., Brix, H., Flöser, G., Bussmann, I., Schütze, C., Achterberg, E., Ködel, U., Fischer, P., Rewrie, L., Sanders, T., Borchardt, D., Weitere, M. (2023) Sci. Total Environ. 890, 164421, doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.164421

Large-scale nutrient and carbon dynamics along the river-estuary-ocean continuum In the river, we detected intensive longitudinal growth of phytoplankton connected with high oxygen saturation and pH values and an undersaturation of CO2, whereas concentrations of dissolved nutrients declined. In the estuary, the Elbe shifted from an autotrophic to a heterotrophic system: Phytoplankton died off upstream of the salinity gradient, causing minima in oxygen saturation and pH, supersaturation of CO2, and a release of nutrients.
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Potential deterioration of chemical water quality due to trace metal adsorption onto tire and road wear particles - Environmentally representative experiments

Rocha Vogel, A., Kolberg, Y., Schmidt, M., Kahlert, H., von Tümpling, W. (2024) Environm. Pollut.,doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2024.124571

Potential deterioration of chemical water quality due to trace metal adsorption onto tire and road wear particles - Environmentally representative experiments Tire wear particles (TWPs) are estimate to contribute about 100,000 tons annually in Germany, making up roughly a third of microplastic emissions. Around 20% may reach inland waters, where their hydrophobic surfaces can adsorb trace metals. This study investigated metal adsorption (Cr, Ni, Zn, Cd, Pb) on TWPs in the Freiberger Mulde river. Notably, Ni, Cd, and Pb showed strong adsorption. The environmental risk stems from these adsorbed metals, not the particles themselves. With growing electromobility, Zn emissions may rise due to tire wear, while Cu may decrease from reduced brake abrasion.
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