Scientist

Faculty of Biology
Aquatic Ecology
Universitätsstrasse 5
D-45141 Essen
Germany

Room -
Phone: +49.201.7995.1283
Fax: +49.201.18.32179
nele.markert@stud.uni-due.de

PhD thesis: Multivariate analysis of the effects of chemical pollution and further stressors on aquatic organisms

The ecological status of surface water bodies is influenced by a variety of anthropogenic stressors, such as elevated nutrient or metal concentrations and hydrological or morphological alterations. Additionally, the effects of chemical pollution (e.g. pesticides or pharmaceuticals) have increasingly come into focus in recent years. However, so far chemical pollution has been rarely taken into account in the analysis of multiple stressors.

My PhD thesis is part of the project MAESTRO, which aims at identifying and quantifying effects of multiple stressors on the biological components targeted by river assessment schemes. The focus will be on chemical stressors (e.g. pesticides and pharmaceuticals) as well as metals and other hydrological, morphological and land use-related stressors. By using multivariate techniques, the effects of these stressors on the biological components will be analysed and separated from each other. The results on both the individual and the combined effects of multiple stressors provide relevant information, which can support the development of effective management plans for the surface water bodies.

The project is a cooperation between the University of Duisburg-Essen and the North Rhine Westphalian State Agency for Nature, Environment and Consumer Protection (LANUV NRW) and is financed by the Ministry for Environment, Agriculture, Conservation and Consumer Protection (MULNV NRW).