This summer many New Zealanders will be privileged to spend time enjoying beautiful lakes, from the crystal-clear alpine lakes in our mountains, to the biodiverse coastal lakes that are such a vital connection point between the land and the sea. Cawthron researchers have done incredible work through the Lakes380 and Our Lakes, Our Future research programmes to help us understand and protect the delicate ecosystems in our lakes. Earlier this year Cawthron Institute Lake and Molecular Ecologist Dr Lena Schallenberg shared this video explaining how their research has enabled the development of #eDNA tools that can help us understand food webs in our lakes, guiding management and restoration efforts.
New Zealand's lakes are degrading due to a range of factors including #ClimateChange and increased nutrient levels. #Cawthron Lake and Molecular Ecologist Dr Lena Schallenberg has been using #eDNA to investigate a tiny but crucial microbe at the base of the lake food web called #picocyanobacteria, to better understand how lakes respond to these stressors. 🦠🔬 Picocyanobacteria are so small that they require specialised microscopes to be seen! Remarkably, one drop of lake water can contain millions of tiny picocyanobacterial cells. 💧 As part of her PhD with University of Otago, Lena discovered that picocyanobacteria are highly abundant and diverse across Aotearoa's lakes, finding them in our most pristine and our most degraded lake environments. With ongoing research, there is hope that picocyanobacteria could become an important indicator of environmental change, to help us better monitor lake health and guide restoration efforts. Lena is continuing to explore and protect our vital lake ecosystems as a critical step co-leader on the Our Lakes, Our Future programme, which you can learn more about here: https://lnkd.in/enKcU8SN Learn more about Cawthron's eDNA expertise here: https://lnkd.in/gBGRUDwz #FreshwaterScience #EnvironmentalDNA #OurLakesOurFuture #ConservationInnovation #NativeFish #NewZealandLakes