Research
I am a river ecologist with special interest in fish biology and rehabilitation ecology. I am particularly fascinated by riverine dynamics and the amazing adaptations of aquatic organisms to cope with these environmental variations.
With the present project we would like to contribute to a better understanding of the ecological role of river ice. River ice is a major agent in high altitude and latitude streams generating dynamics that far exceed those present under open water conditions. However, the biological implications of these dynamics have been rarely studied so far, even if winter is generally regarded as a critical period or bottleneck in the life-history of aquatic organisms. This is particularly true for boreal or alpine regions where winter conditions prevail over several months.
A profound knowledge of relevant winter and ice processes is the basis for a more effective management, rehabilitation and conservation of aquatic ecosystems, in particular given the predicted changes associated with global warming.
In my postdoc project I investigate how different types of river ice affect availability and use of fish habitats. The project is structured into two parts:
- In a literature review, we discuss the effects of ice on refugial habitats for fish. Refugia play an important role in population viability, but have been widely neglected in river rehabilitation.
- In a field study we plan to track individually tagged fish from multiple species and age classes over the course of winter in streams with different ice regimes.
The postdoc project is part of an interdisciplinary project that uses hydraulic modelling to understand the relationships between channel topography, hydraulics, ice abundance and distribution, and riparian and aquatic biodiversity in small streams.
