Research

Shrinking glaciers and warming affect the ecology of glacier-fed rivers. But while consequences for individual levels of alpine stream food webs have been assessed, dependencies between them and cascading effects of abiotic conditions on invertebrates’ performance through the influence on primary producers and their nutritional quality remain poorly quantified. In firstly considering the variability of essential fatty acids in alpine stream ecology, this project will yield critical data on how producers and consumers depend on each other in these harsh environments.

To untangle this role of essential fatty acids for alpine stream ecology and to model future changes related to expected climate-related changes, a combination of classical limnology, taxonomy, molecular biology, and biochemistry techniques will be applied in the planned ecosystem and experimental approaches. A set of known glacial streams is used as natural laboratory and the main questions are the following: Are there predictable patterns in phytobenthic community composition and the availability of essential fatty acids for invertebrate grazers in alpine streams? How are community structure and ecosystem production related to fatty acid availability and how will that be affected during climate-change effects?

This project will firstly bring alpine stream ecology to the concept of food quality in aquatic ecosystems, refine impact assessments of climate change in mountain ecosystems, and in doing so, improve natural resource management strategies. The outcomes of this project will be relevant for adapting Alpine river management to current and predicted climatic changes (e.g., fishery). 

2021-2024, PI

Cooperations: 

Leopold Füreder (University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria), Martin J. Kainz (WasserCluster Lunz, Lunz am See, Austria): 

students: 

Maria Chiara Vulcano (PhD student), Christian Mitterrutzner (bachelor student and student assistant)

Funding: 

FWF (Austrian Science Fund), € 355,000

2015-2018, PI

Publications: 

NIEDRIST, G. H., M. Cantonati, and L. Füreder. 2018. Environmental harshness mediates the quality of periphyton and chironomid body mass in alpine streams. Freshwater Science 37(3): 519-533, DOI: 10.1086/699480.   Link

NIEDRIST, G. H., and L. Füreder. 2018. When the going gets tough, the tough get going: the enigma of survival strategies in harsh glacial stream environments. Freshwater Biology 0:0, DOI: 10.1111/fwb.13131.  Link

NIEDRIST, G. H. and L. Füreder. 2017. Trophic ecology of alpine stream invertebrates: current status and future research needs. Freshwater Science 36(3):466-478. DOI: 10.1086/692831.  Link

Cooperations: 

In cooperation with: Leopold Füreder (University of Innsbruck), Marco Cantonati (MUSE in Trento, Italy)

Funding: 

TWF (Tyrolean Science Fund), D. Swarovski KG, University of Innsbruck, € 12,800

2011-2013

Publications: 

NIEDRIST, G. H.  and L. Füreder. 2016. Towards a definition of environmental niches in alpine streams by employing chironomid species preferences. Hydrobiologia 781: 143-160. DOI: 10.1007/s10750-016-2836-1. OPEN ACCESS

Cooperations: 

Leopold Füreder (University of Innsbruck)