Kurzfassung

The impact of matter input from terrestrial sources on aquatic systems is well known. The reverse process, i.e. the transport from water (source) to land (sink) in aquatic-terrestrial metaecosystems, has received less attention. In SystemLink, we focus on the bottom-up and topdown mediated interactions in terrestrial ecosystems, which propagate from aquatic environments as a result of their exposure to anthropogenic stress. We consider micropollutants (fungicides and insecticides) and...The impact of matter input from terrestrial sources on aquatic systems is well known. The reverse process, i.e. the transport from water (source) to land (sink) in aquatic-terrestrial metaecosystems, has received less attention. In SystemLink, we focus on the bottom-up and topdown mediated interactions in terrestrial ecosystems, which propagate from aquatic environments as a result of their exposure to anthropogenic stress. We consider micropollutants (fungicides and insecticides) and invasive species (riparian plants and invertebrates) as important manifestations of multiple stressors in disturbed aquatic ecosystems. We hypothesise that 1) invasive invertebrates and insecticide exposure and 2) invasive riparian plants and fungicide exposure cause top-down and bottom-up mediated responses in terrestrial ecosystems, respectively. We test these general and several more specific hypotheses through collaborative experiments in replicated outdoor aquatic-terrestrial mesocosms (site-scale) amended by joint pot experiments (batch-scale), field studies (landscape-scale), and modelling. All experimental setups will be derived from the landscape scale representing a multi-stress environment. Several scales will regularly be combined to overcome scale-specific restrictions and to ensure both cause-effect quantification as well as environmental relevance of the results. Ultimately, SystemLink thrives to increase our knowledge on effect translation across ecosystem boundaries. By integrating biogeochemical fluxes and biological subsidies we will be able to quantify their relative importance. Furthermore, we will closely combine the often-separated aquatic and terrestrial research areas. The qualification program comprises three pillars: First, research teams of two to four PhD students will work on related scientific problems; their cooperation will become evident through joint presentations and scientific publications. Second, the establishment of a fasttrack study will promote the scientific career of talented students from secondary school until the PhD phase. Third, each participating student will receive a documented and regularly updated Research and Study Profile tailoring their PhD program to their individual needs. The principal investigators of this proposal were specifically recruited to represent a variety of complementary disciplines. Their cooperation forms the basis for the interdisciplinary research focus on “environment” as one of three central topics at the University Koblenz-Landau. » weiterlesen» einklappen