BIodiversity and BioGEochemistry of Riverine landscapes
BIGER on Bluesky
Biger in the News
Read the full paper here: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00027-025-01219-6
ORF Article
Prof. Dr. Thomas Hein and Anna-Lisa Dittrich shared their expertise and insights on the ecological effects of ship-generated waves in the Danube and inland waters. They gave interviews for the ORF article, explaining how shoreline algae, plants, and juvenile fish are affected by these waves. Our team is very happy and grateful to have such knowledgeable colleagues.
https://science.orf.at/stories/3231254/
BIGER at the 14th Symposium for European Freshwater Sciences SEFS 14. Preserve Freshwater, Advance Science, and Leave Hope for Tomorrow!
Our working group attended an outstanding conference focusing on freshwater ecosystems, which took place at Bolu Abant Izzet Baysal University in Bolu, Turkey, from 20 to 25 July 2025.
The event provided a fantastic opportunity to hear from world-renowned plenary speakers and to engage with fellow scholars, who presented their latest findings and ideas. The conference aimed to foster collaboration among researchers, professors and scientists to promote innovation and advancement in future studies. One of the main topics discussed was the conservation of freshwater systems, an issue that is becoming increasingly important in modern ecological studies.
A new book is out! The Danube River and the Western Black Sea Coast: Complex Transboundary Management.
We are proud to announce the release of The Danube River and the Western Black Sea Coast: Complex Transboundary Management as part of the renowned Elsevier series, Ecohydrology from Catchment to Coast, which focuses on the world’s largest rivers. This volume is edited by the internationally recognised experts Jürg Bloesch, Bernd Cyffka, Thomas Hein, Cristina Sandu, and Nike Sommerwerk.
The book focuses on the catchment area of the Danube, the second longest river in Europe, and the adjacent Western Black Sea coast. It presents the complex interplay between natural and social processes, biodiversity issues, and the intricate links between sea and river.
Prof. Dr. Thomas Hein is one of the editors and authors of the book, and other group members, Dr Andrea Funk and Dr Martin Tschikof, contributed chapters as authors.
More details can be found here:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/book/9780443186868/the-danube-river-and-the-western-black-sea-coast
IHG is leading the environmental DNA (eDNA) activities for JDS5, the largest river monitoring campaign in Europe. We’re proud that our team member, Dr. Paul Meulenbroek, is in charge of eDNA for fish. The sampling campaign is currently ongoing along the entire Danube River — from the source to the mouth, covering ~3,000 km — and around 300 samples are expected to be collected in just three weeks! A major step toward understanding and protecting biodiversity in one of Europe’s most important river systems.
Exploring Floodplain Ecology: An International Summer School with Hands-On Participation from Our Team.
The CEEPUS–EcoManAqua International Summer School “Floodplain Ecology” was attended by members of the BIGER working group from July 7–11, 2025, at the University of J. J. Strossmayer in Osijek and Kopački Rit. Prof. Thomas Hein gave lectures on floodplain ecology and Dr. Olena Bilous gave a presentation on the ecology of algae, as part of the HR–AT (Croatia–Austria, AT-1101-09-2425) collaboration. Our students actively participated in the program as well: master’s student Nadija Čehajić and doctoral student Bhargavi Nerikar. The school provided students with practical experience in river-floodplain ecology, biodiversity, and conservation.
– Network connectivity (Elisabeth Bondar-Kunze et al.)
– Mitigating shipwave-induced effects (Anna-Lisa Dittrich et al.)
– Large river restoration measures (Andrea Funk et al.)
– Fish ecology and environmental flows in Central Asia within the Hydro4U project (Daniel S. Hayes et al.)
Photos: Mirjam Reither
Participants improved cooperation, exchanged updates, and honed the project’s course for the upcoming stages. The conversations were actively participated in by our team, which included Johannes Luca Kowal, Dr. Ronald Pöppl, Prof. Thomas Hein, and Dr. Sonia Steffany Recinos Brizuela.
DANSER aims to address the impacts of human activity and climate change on river systems, restore sediment balance, and enhance water quality.
Celebrating UNESCO’s Water Science Legacy
On June 12, our team member, Dr. Paul Meulenbroek, had the honour of participating in an event marking the 50th anniversary of the Intergovernmental Hydrological Programme (IHP) and 60 years of UNESCO’s commitment to water sciences.
The event took place in Paris, where Dr. Meulenbroek contributed as an expert speaker during the side event „Joint Danube Survey 5 – Science, Society, and the Invisible in the River: Bringing Science to Citizens.“
His talk, titled “Biodiversity in a Drop: Monitoring Nature with eDNA,” focused on the innovative use of environmental DNA (eDNA) in tracking and preserving aquatic biodiversity.
#MERI
