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The concept of ecosystem services (ES) is a powerful tool for communicating with stakeholders because it highlights the benefits of ecosystems for people and demonstrates their economic importance through monetized values. However, this hypothesis has rarely been substantiated in the context of local landscape planning. To investigate which ecosystem services information formats (ESIF) stakeholders prefer in decision situations, we experimented with a highly conflictual planning situation about the Lower Mulde restoration in Germany. We invited local stakeholders to a so‐called 'future vision workshop'. It included a paper‐based, noncompetitive planning game, which combined the freedom of choice with strict rules for justifying the proposed measures. We tested how often participants used different ESIFs to justify their decisions, focusing on quantification, monetization, and the default qualitative (ordinal‐scaled) format applied in landscape planning. A total of 17 representatives from stakeholder groups such as nature conservation, recreation, and local politics attended. We provided information on four ES and eight related measure proposals to the stakeholders, who used them to select, locate, and justify actions for the area's future development. The participants applied the ordinal‐qualitative format in more than two‐thirds of the decisions. Quantification and monetization were used with approximately equal frequency, mostly for measures that favoured flood risk regulation. Actions supporting habitat provision and biodiversity were justified exclusively in ordinal‐qualitative terms. Instead of our provided quantifications, some participants mentioned numbers they were already familiar with before. They also partly doubted our monetization approaches. In conclusion, we recommend combined and context‐specific uses of several ESIFs, while using the ordinal‐qualitative format as the basis. Furthermore, the participants appreciated the workshop and requested that the results be presented to the city council. The workshop also confirmed that the ES concept is challenging to understand, especially for laypeople unfamiliar with ES and landscape planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We studied seed transport in the Upper Eider River (Northern Germany). Our main questions were: Diaspores of what species are transported in the river and which of them remain viable after the drift? Could functional species traits be used as predictors for the survival of plant propagules in course of water transport? The water body of the Upper Eider River was sampled for plant diaspores at two bridges with each four traps changed weekly during the whole year. Samples were separated into two equal groups. Each two samples per bridge and week were dried and seeds were counted manually. The other two samples were spread on sterilised soil for germination. Species composition and community weighted trait means were compared for dried samples (total transport) and seedlings (germinated after drift). About half of the species and 1/10 of the seeds were able to survive hydrochorous transport. Species traits (community weighted means) were not reliable predictors for survival of species during the hydrochorous transport, but the majority of traits reflect the differences between the transport pools of seeds and seedlings. Small seed size, ruderal life strategy, and high light preference correlate positively with germinability after the drift, while large‐seeded species adapted to endozoochory tend to lose viability during hydrochory. Dispersal of terrestrial plants with running water in the studied small river system is a highly stochastic event. We did not find evidence that specific adaptations to hydrochory significantly contribute to its success. Nevertheless, a few functional traits can increase the probability for the species to pass through the ecological filter "hydrochory." Among those traits are (i) small seed size (less vulnerability for mechanical stress), (ii) generalist dispersal mode, less dependent on other particular vectors, and (iii) ruderal life strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anaerobic microbial processes in reservoirs have a strong influence on water quality, and these processes are influenced by inputs from the catchment. Two morphologically similar pre-dams of the large Rappbode reservoir system in Germany were studied for oxygen consumption, carbon dioxide production, nitrate reduction, manganese and iron reduction, sulfate reduction, and methanogenesis. Rates were obtained by calculations from hypolimnion size and hypolimnetic water chemistry and from incubation of sediment samples (manganese and iron reduction, sulfate reduction, and methanogenesis only). Length of anoxic conditions (anoxic factor) and anaerobic process rates were generally higher for Hassel pre-dam, a water body with 58% grasslands and agriculture in its catchment. Rappbode pre-dam had higher iron reduction rates. Oxygen consumption and sulfate reduction (and nitrate reduction for Hassel pre-dam) were the most important respiratory processes. While hypolimnion chemistry was similar and showed mainly temporal differences in seasonal development, the pre-dam sediments differed considerably with roughly twofold higher microbial biomass and 102-104 fold higher counts of sulfate-reducing prokaryotes in Hassel pre-dam compared to Rappbode pre-dam. These differences can be explained by the higher nutrient input, longer water retention time, and consequently higher biomass production in Hassel pre-dam. The view of microbial activities against known loads of solutes also implies that the quality of allochthonous organic matter and particulate fluxes likely governs respiratory processes in the pre-dams by providing electron donors and acceptors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two morphologically similar pre-dams (Hassel and Rappbode pre-dams, Harz Mountains, Germany) of a large reservoir with different land use in their catchments were compared with respect to their physical, chemical, and biological properties in order to test if differences can be attributed to the different land use. In addition, local geology, soil types, and topography were evaluated in detail to distinguish its influence from that of present-day land use. Despite a remarkable similarity in physical variables and stratification, the annual development of hydrochemistry and biology differed between Rappbode and Hassel pre-dam. While the Hassel pre-dam received much higher nitrogen and phosphorus inputs from the catchment, the Rappbode pre-dam received more dissolved organic carbon. The quality of dissolved organic carbon also differed between the two catchments, indicating different sources. The higher residence time of Hassel pre-dam amplified the effects of these inputs on the trophic state of both pre-dams. The phytoplankton communities in summer were dominated by diatoms in the Rappbode pre-dam and by cyanobacteria in the Hassel pre-dam. In conclusion, land use appeared to be an important driver for the observed lake characteristics. However, it was itself strongly related to soil types and topography, which on the other hand influences the residence time of water within the catchments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cyprideis torosa ( Jones, 1850) is a very common brackish water ostracod of the German coasts, but, despite empty valves are found occasionally in surface sediments of some modern inland waters, C. torosa could not be found living in modern athalassic waters of Germany so far. During interglacial periods, including the Holocene, however, fossils of this species are quite common in Central Germany, at a distance of more than 300 km away from the coasts of the Baltic and North Seas. All 31 Quaternary localities with C. torosa known so far from Germany are documented. C. torosa is an indicator for brackish waters and widely used as index-fossil in palaeosalinity reconstructions relying on water chemistry bound morphological changes (nodes, sieve-pores). The comparisons imply a general underestimation of palaeosalinity in oligo- to mesohaline athalassic waters if using nodes and sieve-pores of C. torosa as proxy. A water chemistry (ionic composition) driven morphological response is assumed instead one by salinity only. Palaeosalinity estimations for athalassic waters, relying on morphological variability alone, should therefore be used with caution. Palaeosalinity trends, however, can be detected. Distinguishing thalassic and athalassic sediments with C. torosa is possible by using the associated ostracod fauna as a discriminator. Regarding the ecology and distribution of C. torosa, permanent, brackish, and shallow water bodies under relatively warm conditions are required for its settlement. The source of the salt are brines originating from Zechsteinian or Triassic underground evaporites. Warm and relatively dry climates could enhance the process for such water bodies of becoming salty, a situation present in Holocene Central Germany. The occurrence of C. torosa can therefore be used for palaeoclimatological studies. The most probable migration path of this ostracod species to athalassic waters is by avian transport. (© 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change models for Central Europe predict hydrological drought with fragmentation into pools during periods of high litter input in numerous lowland streams, presumably affecting in-stream leaf decay processes. To investigate this assumption, we measured physicochemical parameters, macro-invertebrate colonization, microbial activity, and decay rates of exposed leaves during and after a supra-seasonal drought in a German lowland stream. Microbial activity, shredder colonization and leaf decay rates during fragmentation were low, presumably caused by drought-related environmental conditions. Microbial activity and temperature-corrected decay rates increased after the flow resumption but not leaf mass loss and shredder colonization. During both periods, exposed leaves appeared physically unaffected suggesting strongly reduced shredder-mediated leaf decay despite shredder presence. Our results indicate that hydrological drought can affect organisms and processes in temperate lowland streams even after flow resumption, and should be considered in climate change scenarios. (© 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We introduce the German multi-metric assessment method PhytoFluss for large rivers, based on phytoplankton, which can be used to implement the European Water Framework Directive (WFD). First, we examined the response of chlorophyll a concentration to total phosphorus (TP) at 220 German river sites. Rivers could be assigned to one of four groups, based on the response curves: a) streams with high specific run-off (Rhine, Danube) had the lowest yield of chlorophyll a per unit of TP, followed by b) low yield in small lowland rivers (Trave, Stepenitz), c) medium-sized lowland rivers (Spree) and large central mountain rivers (Main) had intermediate yields of chlorophyll a, and d) streams with low specific run-off (Elbe, Weser) and Baltic tributaries (Penne, Warnow) had the highest yield of chlorophyll a per unit of TP. To define the five trophic status classes of phytoplankton biomass according the WFD, the chlorophyll a boundaries were derived from these response curves at the 75% percentile level. All selected sites were pre-classified with the combined trophic boundaries for TP and chlorophyll a to create the new four taxa composition metrics: The proportions of Chlorophytes, Cyanobacteria, or Pennales and of indicator taxa were selected as indicative parameters. When applying the final PhytoFluss method to 418 years of investigation from 150 German river sites, the percentages in each status according to the bio- component phytoplankton were: high 3%, good 19%, moderate 42%, poor 30%, and bad 5%. (© 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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We here describe the new proalid rotifer species Bryceella perpusilla n. sp. on the basis of light and electron microscopy. The species, certainly representing one of the smallest rotifer and even metazoan species at all, was obtained in January 2008 from terrestrial mosses of North-west Germany. Bryceella perpusilla n. sp. is distinguished from other species of the genus by the very small size, the slender body outline, the short apical styli, the triangular rostrum, the outward curving, blunt and rod-shaped toes, the four-nucleated vitellogermarium, the slender manubria and the caudally directed alulae. With our observations, that can be used for future cladistic analyses of the Proalidae, we are able to define the generic diagnosis of Bryceella more precisely and to give an adapted species key. (© 2010 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]