Research group Group Winder

We study drivers of food web interactions and community dynamics to better understand the ecological impacts of environmental change on ecosystem functioning.

The goal of our research activities is to understand underlying causes that regulate food web structure and community dynamics. We are particularly interested in how species interactions and environmental drivers regulate food web dynamics and how they may look like in the future. We address questions mainly in aquatic systems with a special emphasis on planktonic organisms.  
Our research methods combine field surveys, experiments at multiple scales and analysis of long-term observational data. We work in lakes and marine systems, in temperate and tropical locations.

Ongoing projects:

  • Consequences of environmental change on plankton species interaction networks and ecosystem function  
  • Plankton-fish interactions: an understudied link in Baltic Sea food webs and fisheries management
  • Drivers and functions of protist parasites in plankton food webs
  • Larval fish production and dispersal in critical habitats of coastal East Africa
  • Sustainable management and governance of water and soil in Bolivia
Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences

New study reveals limited diet overlap among small pelagic fish in the Baltic Sea

Small pelagic fish are central to the Baltic Sea food web. They feed on plankton and serve as prey for larger fish, seabirds and mammals. Because of this, their feeding habits influence the entire ecosystem. A new study led by researchers at the Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences (DEEP), published in ICES Journal of Marine Science, shows that the main pelagic fish species in the central Baltic, herring, sprat and stickleback, overlap surprisingly little in their use of resources. Less overlap than expected Group Winder at DEEP, together with colleagues at the Swedish University of Agriculture examined the diets of the dominant species by combining stomach content analyses with data on prey availability. Using DNA metabarcoding, they could assess the full spectrum of their resource use. Modest diet overlap was also supported by stable isotope data. The results suggest that these fishes are not locked in strong competition under current conditions. Seasonal dynamics in prey availability play a key role, as the fish adjust their diets throughout the year.

No events available.