FinkLab
Experimental Aquatic Ecology group at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ and the University of Cologne. Follow our research and publications on ResearchGate or Google Scholar and via Twitter.
Publication list updated
Check out our updated publication list with a range of freshly published research.
August 2024
Four new MSc students in our group with the start of the 2024 field season!
Marayke Schreier, and Tobias Nickel are two new MSc students from the University of Cologne, who will work on a comparison of the Rhine and Elbe river floodplains.
Hanna Boeckmann, a MSc student from WWU Muenster, and Julie Metzger, a MSc student from TU Dresden, will participate in the field campaign of the internal project OperaSOS.
March 2024
First paper from our project in CRC RESIST on stream restoration
The first paper from our project within the CRC RESIST is now published with full open access in STOTEN.
March 2024
Open postdoc position in our group!
We are recruiting a new postdoc in our internal project OperaSOS
Please apply here until March 31st!
February 2024
New BSc student in our group
Please welcome Felix Bischoff, a new BSc student from the University of Cologne, who will participate in the EU project RESTOLINK.
August 2023
Jessica successfully defended her PhD thesis
Jessica Titocci successfully defended her PhD thesis at the University of Cologne on August 3rd - Congratulations!
August 2023
DynaTrait-related paper in the special issue for the late Winfried Lampert
Assessing phytoplankton community structure via pigment and fluorescence proxies - just out in Fundamental and Applied Limnology
July 2023
Spatial foraging patterns of benthic herbivores affect stream eutrophication processes
The final paper of the biofilm food quality project is now published in Oecologia!
February 2023
Vows of love under water
Newspaper article covering our recent review in Biological Reviews.
in the major German Sunday newspaper Welt am Sonntag
January 2023
The overlooked chemical language of algae
Review and perspectives on the ecological roles of algal volatiles out in Biological Reviews.
including a recent press release
November 2022
High resolution mass spectrometry locates essential lipids in zooplankton
New paper from a collaboration with WaserCluster Lunz published in Inland Waters.
October 2022
Sustainable aquaculture via exploitation of natural products?
Book chapter on bioactive cyanobacterial metabolites acting against parasitic salmon lice published in a book on Crustacean Biology and Aquaculture with colleagues from Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn in Naples, Italy.
September 2022
Global change alters chemical communication across realms
Opinion paper resulting from a fantastic pan-European collaboration just published in Global Change Biology.
including massive media coverage, e.g. by Daily Mail Online
July 2022
Second paper from 2nd DynaTrait phase published
The second paper from Jessica's PhD project was just accepted for publication in the Journal of Plankton Research.
May 2022
New paper on Sander lucioperca aquaculture and larval feed quality
Collaborative project with the chair for Aquaculture and Sea Ranching of the University of Rostock published in Sustainability.
May 2022
How do nutrients and grazers interactively control eutrophication processes in streams?
Publication targeted to practicioners (in German) resulting from Alessandra's Early Career Award of the German Limnological Society - DGL published in Korrespondenz Wasserwirtschaft.
April 2022
Impact of ocean acidification on chemical signalling between algae and marine benthic animals
Another paper from the fantastic collaboration with Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn was just published in Frontiers in Marine Science.
March 2022
First paper from 2nd DynaTrait phase published
The first paper from the DYNATLOSS II project and Jessica's PhD project is published in Microorganisms.
January 2022
New MSc student in our group
Please welcome Kristin Kreuter a new MSc student from the University of Magdeburg, who will investigate essential fatty acids in stream biofilms.
December 2021
First paper of 2022 - fish toxicity biomarkers in an anthropogenically impacted stream
Great international collaboration at the Holtemme stream (this is where our Mobile Mesocosms (MOBICOS) are located) results in a new paper in STOTEN.
November 2021
Early Career Award of the German Limnological Society for Alessandra Iannino!
Alessandra is one of this years Early Career Award winners of the German Limnological Society - DGL - congratulations Alex!
October 2021
Another paper out from our stream biofilm project
After the laboratory studies, now also the first paper using the MOBICOS mesocosms for our biofilm research project is published in Scientific Reports.
September 2021
New PhD student started in Collaborative Research Centre RESIST
After successfully completing her MSc thesis on stream biofilms in our group, Alexandra Schlenker started as a new PhD student in the DFG CRC 1439 - RESIST investigating effects of stream restoration on food webs.
July 2021
New publication on eutrophication effects on periphyton heterogeneity
Another paper of Alessandra's PhD thesis was accepted for publication in Hydrobiologia.
April 2021
Two new environmental toxicology papers on the stream leaf shredder Gammarus
Two papers resulting from a collaboration with the University of Landau were accepted for publication in Aquatic Toxicology and Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety.
December 2020
Intrapopulation trait variability in Daphnia - new paper in Freshwater Biology
The second paper of Maja's PhD thesis was accepted for publication in Freshwater Biology.
September 2020
Analysis of compound-specific stable nitrogen isotopes from amino acids to characterize trophic niche use in invasive amphipods
The fantastic collaboration with the University of Koblenz-Landau yielded another paper just accepted with International Review of Hydrobiology.
September 2020
Taxonomic shift over a phosphorus gradient affects the stoichiometry and fatty acid composition of stream periphyton
The second paper of Alessandra's PhD project was accepted for publication in the Journal of Phycology.
July 2020
Ocean acidification alters the responses of invertebrates to wound-activated infochemicals produced by epiphytes of the seagrass Posidonia oceanica
Finally, the last paper of Patrick's ASSEMBLE marine research at Stazione Zoologica 'Anton Dohrn' on Ischia, Italy will be published in the Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology.
July 2020
Best practice paper on fatty acid analyses in aquatic sciences
As a result of the first Lipids in the Ocean conference in Brest, France, a network of European aquatic scientists put together a best practice paper on lipid analyses in the aquatic (marine and freshwater) sciences that will soon be published in ICES Journal of Marine Science.
June 2020
Pond metatranscriptome paper out in Frontiers in Microbiology
The first paper of Stephanie's PhD project was accepted for publication in Frontiers in Microbiology.
May 2020
Copepod transcriptome paper published in special issue in the Philos. Transactions of the Royal Society
A new paper resulting from a collaboration with the Marine Ecology group at the University of Ghent, Belgium will be published in a special issue of the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society: Biological Sciences.
March 2020
MOBICOS paper accepted for publication
The paper on the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research's Mobile Aquatic Mesocosm (MOBICOS) infrastructure was accepted for publication in the International Review for Hydrobiology.
January 2020
Cladocera special issue published in Hydrobiologia
The special issue of Hydrobiologia on the 11th international Symposium on Cladocera is published, including a study on Gene expression of Daphnia magna with Heidi Windisch.
December 2019
Gene network regulation via dietary fatty acids
Another Daphnia transcriptome paper accepted for publication in BMC Genomics
November 2019
Creating artificial biofilms
New methods paper accepted for publication in Limnology and Ocanography: Methods
November 2019
Nitrogen enrichment changes plankton fatty acids and affects zooplankton
Paper from a collaboration with LMU Munich published in Scientific Reports
November 2019
Using chemical language to shape future marine health
New Opinion Paper published in Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment
October 2019
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) induce settlement in juvenile shrimp
New Paper from an international collaboration in Italy published in Scientific Reports
October 2019
Language of Life under Climate Change
Patrick presented an invited keynote lecture at the ISCE Meeting in Atlanta (GA), USA
June 2019
Maja successfully defends her PhD thesis
Maja Ilic successfully defended her PhD thesis at the University of Cologne on May 10th - Congratulations!
May 2019
Maja's first paper from her PhD thesis published in L&O
We found "Equal relevance of omega-3 and omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids for the fitness of Daphnia spp." - just out in Limnology and Oceanography. This is the first chapter of Maja's PhD thesis.
May 2019
ASLO Early Career activities featured in Limnology and Oceanography Bulletin
Article on the Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography's Early Career activities around and beyond the recent ASLO Aquatic Sciences meeting published in the Limnology and Oceanography Bulletin.
April 2019
eDNA paper published in Aquatic Conservation
Environmental DNA as a tool for the conservation of endangered tropical reptiles (here: the Vietnamese Crocodile Lizard) - new paper now published in Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems.
March 2019
Successful ASLO Aquatic Sciences meeting in San Juan, Puerto Rico
The whole FinkLab participated in the 2019 Aquatic Sciences meeting: Four oral presentations given, two sessions chaired and one workshop co-organized!
February 2019
Interactions of algae with microbes and grazers in present and future oceans
Patrick presented an invited keynote lecture at the British Phycological Society's annual meeting in Oban, UK
June 2019
Paper accepted for publication in Aquatic Conservation
Timm's latest paper in Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems (in collaboration with colleagues in Vietnam and the Cologne Zoo) shows the potential for the use of environmental DNA (eDNA) in conservation biology.
November 2018
Life in transition - Article in Limnology and Oceanography Bulletin
Article on life as an early career scientist and how the Early Career Committee of the Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO) can assist with these transition processes published in the Limnology and Oceanography Bulletin.
October 2018
We move from U. Cologne to the UFZ Helmholtz Centre!
From Nov 1st on, our group will be relocated from the Institute for Zoology at the University of Cologne to the Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) in Magdeburg.
October 2018
Paper accepted for publication in Freshwater Biology
Alessandra's paper in Freshwater Biology demonstrates that high nutrient availability leads to weaker top-down control of stream periphyton.
August 2018
Two more FinkLab papers accepted for publication in May
One on effects of global warming on freshwater plankton with Eric von Elert and one on the Gene expression of Daphnia magna with Heidi Windisch.
May 2018
Two new FinkLab papers accepted for publication in May
One on western fire salamanders with Timm Reinhardt and Maja Ilic and one on the food web of Salar de Atacama, Chile with Jana Moelzner and Lisa Burmann.
May 2018
Two new group members in April
Max Diesner started a PostDoc and Jessica Titocci a PhD in our group. Klick on their names to read more about their research.
April 2018
Papers on the molecular basis of algal food quality for Daphnia now included in journal issues
Daphnia transcriptomics of under essential fatty acid limitation in (Molecular Ecology 27 (4) and enzyme activities and gene expression dependent on dietary quality (Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology B 218)
April 2018
New BSc student Michelle Etienne
Michelle started her BSc thesis on inducible defenses in Daphnia on March 5th.
March 2018
Two new papers accepted on the molecular basis of algal food quality for Daphnia
Transcriptomics of D. magna under essential fatty acid limitation with Heidi Windisch and Enzyme activities and gene expression of D. pulex dependent on dietary quality with Anke Schwarzenberger
February 2018
PhD position available in freshwater plankton biodiversity
Apply until February 2nd, 2018, find details here
January 2018
New project on freshwater plankton biodiversity
Funded within DFG priority programme DynaTrait
October 2017
Third paper on effects of insect repellents on aquatic invertebrates
Collaboration with the German Federal Environment Agency yields publications in Water Research, Environmental Pollution, and Environmental Science and Pollution Research
September 2017
New PhD student from Chile
Stephanie Trench Fiol starts DAAD fellowship on metatranscriptomics in high altitude wetlands
April 2017
Four papers on benthic algal biodiversity published
Results of Sophie Groendahl's PhD thesis published in Scientific Reports, PloS One (2016), BMC Ecology, and PloS One (2017).
March 2017
New publication on long-term effects of fungicides on stream invertebrates
Collaboration project with the University of Koblenz-Landau published in Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry
February 2017
Recent papers
