This research project investigated the feedback mechanisms between foundation species and predatory fish and how it affects the health of the Baltic Sea.
Through extensive field studies, experiments and the use of existing databases we examine links between several parts of the coastal food web. Everything from nutrients to sediments, plankton, vegetation and fish are studied in a number of sites between Östergötland and Uppland, aiming to investigate how positive interactions in the food web affect ecosystem services in the Baltic coastal areas.
Plant-Fish is a 3-year research project funded by Formas, coordinated by Stockholm University. It started in 2014 and continued until 2016. AquaBiota is one of five partners in the project.
More information about the project can be found on the project website and on Facebook.
Publications:
Donadi, S. Austin, Å. N. Bergström,U. Eriksson, B. K. Hansen, J. P. Jacobson, P. Sundblad, G. van Regteren, M. & EklöfJ. S. 2017: A cross-scale trophic cascade from large predatory fish to algae in coastal ecosystems. Proc. R. Soc. B. DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2017.0045.
Eklöf, J.S., Austin, Å., Bergström, U., Donadi, S., Eriksson, B.K., Hansen, J. & Sundblad, G. 2017: Size matters: relationships between body size and body mass of common coastal, aquatic invertebrates in the Baltic Sea. PeerJ 5:e2906; DOI 10.7717/peerj.2906.