Department Aquatic Ecology

Aquatic Ecology

The Aquatic Ecology department at Eawag consists of eight research groups and covers a wide range of different disciplines in ecology and evolutionary biology, ranging from the individual level to associations and ecosystems. Learn more

The latest news from our department

ETH Medal for Elena Gimmi

Elena Gimmi with ETH Rector Günther Dissertori (Photo: Alessandro della Bella).
January 29, 2025 –

Elena Gimmi received an ETH Medal for her dissertation on the influence of bacterial “bodyguards” on the co-evolution of the black bean aphid and its natural enemy the parasitoid wasp.

Elena Gimmi received an ETH Medal for her dissertation on the influence of bacterial “bodyguards” on the co-evolution of the black bean aphid and its natural enemy the parasitoid wasp.
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Translating science into action and engage in biodiversity policy-making

Screenshoot des Videos “Translating science into action and engage in biodiversity policy-making”, Eawag.
December 10, 2024 –

In view of biodiversity loss, it is important that early-career researchers get involved not only in science but also contribute to biodiversity policy.

In view of biodiversity loss, it is important that early-career researchers get involved not only in science but also contribute to biodiversity policy.
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Joana Santos and Julie Conrads are recognised for their work

The two prizewinners Julie Conrads (left) and Joana Santos (right) accepting their award during the Swiss Geoscience Meeting. In the centre Friedrich Jüttner, President of the Hydrobiology-Limonology Foundation for Aquatic Research (Photo: Natacha Tofield-Pasche).
November 14, 2024 –

Every year, the Hydrobiology Limnology Foundation for Water Research issues an award for dissertations and master theses on limnology. This year, the prize for the dissertation and master thesis went to researchers at the aquatic...

Every year, the Hydrobiology Limnology Foundation for Water Research issues an award for dissertations and master theses on limnology. This year, the prize for the dissertation and master thesis went to researchers at the aquatic research institute Eawag.  
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Join our events

27.02.​2025,
4.00 pm
Eawag Dübendorf, room FC C20 & online
Navigating the Complexities of River Futures
18.03.​2025,
9.00 am
Eawag Dübendorf
Characeen - Schutz und Förderung einer unbekannteren Artengruppe

PEAK-Vertiefungskurs V59/25

SNSF Starting Grants and Ambizione Fellowships

Information for Interested Parties 

Aquascope

Real-time underwater imaging

Research Projects

Investigation of the Resilience and Adaptability of Quagga Mussels

Epigenomics of rapid adaptation in invasive Quagga mussels
A multi phase research program by Eawag and the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN)

Climate Change and Freshwater Biodiversity
Together with climate change, biodiversity loss is the most pressing environmental crisis of our time. The "Translational Centre Biodiversity Conservation" bundles knowledge and makes it generally available. In collaboration with key Swiss stakeholders, the Centre identifies topics for knowledge exchange, translation, and synthesis, and communicates and distributes the resulting synthesis products.

Translational Centre Biodiversity Conservation (TCBC)
The architecture of community structure, functional traits and trophic networks across blue-green ecosystems

Architecture of blue-green communities
Dieses Projekt leistet einen Beitrag zur Blue Green Biodiversity Research Initiative - einer Eawag-WSL-Kollaboration, die sich auf die Biodiversität an der Schnittstelle von aquatischen und terrestrischen Ökosystemen konzentriert.

Warming-related community turnover in terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems
Why do toxic cyanobacteria bloom? A gene to ecosystem approach...

Cyano Bloom
Understanding and measuring how flow intermittency drives biodiversity and river functions in an alpine environment

Alpine Streams and Flow Intermittency
An Eawag-WSL collaboration focusing on Biodiversity at the interface of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems.

Blue Green Biodiversity Research Initiative

More current Research Projects

Latest publications

Flämig, S., Bourqui, M., Alexander, J., Sturm, L., Wellauer, N., & Spaak, P. (2024). Moule Quagga: concept de monitoring et recommandations sur les mesures de prévention et de protection. doi:10.55408/eawag:33820, Institutional Repository

Des moules quagga ont été détectées pour la première fois à Bâle en 2014 grâce à l'ADN environnemental (ADNe) (De Ventura et al. 2017). En 2016, des spécimens de moules quagga ont été découverts pour la première fois dans le lac de Constance. Dès 2021, des initiatives d'information et de sensibilisation à grande échelle ont été lancées en Suisse. Cependant, entre-temps, plusieurs grands lacs ont été envahis par cette espèce. Bien que la dynamique de propagation laisse présager un risque élevé de colonisation supplémentaire en Suisse, nous estimons que chaque année de retard dans l'arrivée des moules quagga dans un lac constitue un gain précieux. Sur le plan financier, cela permet de réaliser des économies, de disposer de plus de temps pour adapter les infrastructures, et de préserver l'état naturel des lacs aussi longtemps que possible. C'est pourquoi nous recommandons vivement que les mesures de protection et de surveillance des eaux décrites dans ce rapport soient mises en œuvre dans les plus brefs délais réalisables par tous les acteurs concernés. Ce rapport a pour objectif de faciliter cette démarche. Plus l'action sera rapide, plus ses effets seront bénéfiques. [...]
Flämig, S., Bourqui, M., Alexander, J., Sturm, L., Wellauer, N., & Spaak, P. (2024). Quaggamuschel: Monitoringkonzept und Empfehlungen zu Präventions- und Schutzmassnahmen. doi:10.55408/eawag:33819, Institutional Repository

Quaggamuscheln wurden 2014 zum ersten Mal in Basel mittels Umwelt DNA (eDNA) nachgewiesen (De Ventura et al. 2017). Im Jahr 2016 wurden das erste Mal Exemplare der Quaggamuschel im Bodensee gefunden. Ab 2021 wurden in der Schweiz grossflächig Informations- und Sensibilisierungs- Massnahmen ergriffen. In der Zwischenzeit sind einige grosse Seen von Quaggamuscheln befallen. Auch wenn die Risiken für eine weitere Ausbreitung in der Schweiz gross sind, wie die Ausbreitungsdynamik zeigt, sind wir der Meinung, dass jedes Jahr, in dem die Quaggamuschel später in einen See kommt, ein gewonnenes Jahr ist. Es werden monetär gesehen Kosten eingespart, es bleibt mehr Zeit Infrastrukturanlagen entsprechend vorzubereiten und der natürliche Zustand der Seen bleibt so lange wie möglich erhalten. Wir empfehlen darum dringend, dass die in diesem Bericht beschriebenen Massnahmen zum Schutz und zum Monitoring von Gewässern von allen betroffenen Akteuren möglichst schnell umgesetzt werden. Der vorliegende Bericht soll hierfür eine Hilfestellung bieten. Je früher gehandelt wird, desto besser. [...]
Zhang, H. (2024). Assessing land-water linkage of biodiversity using environmental DNA and remote sensing (Doctoral dissertation). doi:10.5167/uzh-264333, Institutional Repository

Aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems are deeply coupled and inherently connected through spatial flows of organisms and resources, modulating the flow or exchange of organisms thereby the land-water linkage of biodiversity at local to global scales. Although there is a plethora of studies about aquatic-terrestrial cross-ecosystem linkages, these researches normally only focus on a few taxa and in a few local catchments. This lack of a systematic and comprehensive understanding of the spatial scale and magnitude of linkages is partly due to the laborious and costly field sampling especially in aquatic ecosystems, impeding effective aquatic biodiversity protection strategy.

Recent advances in environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding and remote sensing (RS) have made large-scale sampling possible in a time- and cost-efficient manner, with abundant and booming amount of biodiversity data available. RS is advantageous in monitoring terrestrial ecosystems, while eDNA is especially effective in assessment of aquatic biodiversity. When combined together, they can provide a holistic view of biodiversity at the landscape level.

Based on these two technologies, this thesis studies the land-water linkage of biodiversity at regional to global scales. Briefly, two dimensions—spatial range and magnitude—were adopted to depict such linkages within drainage catchments, which were the basic spatial unit for analysis. Specifically, I combined satellite remote sensing imagery and eDNA extraction from river water across a temperate mountainous catchment and identified a characteristic spatial land-water fingerprint, attesting that biodiversity patterns in the river can be linked to the functional diversity of surrounding terrestrial ecosystems. The spatial scale of this linkage was measured to be 2.0 km upstream from sampling sites with a peaking signal at a 400 m distance. Further analysis using high-resolution airborne imaging spectroscopy and light detection and ranging (LiDAR) point clouds showed a variation in spatial scales of the land-water linkage across major aquatic functional feeding groups (FFGs). I detected the scale of the linkage ranging from a few hundred meters to more than 10 km, with collectors and filterers, shredders, and small invertebrate predators having local-scale association, while invertebrate eating fish, grazers and scrapers having more regional-scale associations. [...]

Further publications