Ecosystem

The condition of Swiss lakes has improved thanks to stricter protection measures, but less than expected. A new method developed by Eawag for calculating biomass production in lakes provides explanations and a basis for further water protection measures.

There are more bats flying around Zurich at night than Paris or Antwerp. This is revealed by a new study led by the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL), examining the diversity of nocturnal animals such as insects and bats in cities. The study shows that connecting green spaces and reducing light pollution are key to promoting such diversity.

Thanks to a study of the entire genetic material (genome) of a dangerous chestnut pathogen, biologists from the University of Neuchâtel and the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL have helped to better understand how invasive organisms can spread. Their work has just been published in the scientific journal eLife.

ETH Zurich and University of California Santa Barbara researchers reveal the extent to which rivers across the USA are losing flow to aquifers.

When it comes to the pollination of wild plants and crops, wild bees are just as important as honeybees, which are being celebrated on World Bee Day on 20 May. A study by WSL researchers has found that a quarter of all wild bee species present in Switzerland are found in gardens, parks and other green spaces in the city of Zurich.

To protect ecosystems, it is important to understand how environmental disturbances, such as forest fires or hurricanes, affect nature. A study by Eawag and the University of Zurich now shows how their frequency and intensity affect small and large organisms. Accordingly, large species are more affected by disturbances than small species, and this influences the size distribution within ecological communities.