Freshwater Sediments

Looking to the bottom of our rivers and lakes

Species richness at the bottom of Germany’s freshwater bodies

Freshwater habitats are closely connected to the surrounding terrestrial systems and are hotspots for carbon storage from the atmosphere. They harbour fungal species from all taxonomic groups – for example, up to 300 different species have been recorded on a reed leaf. The diversity of fungi can be characterised by a wide range of influences, such as seasonality, physical-chemical properties of the water, landscape characteristics or the abundance of host organisms (e.g. algal blooms). In the long term, their species diversity changes as a result of climate change, human activities, but also natural processes such as erosion or weathering.