Organisation of biodiversity in river networks

Riverine ecosystems are among the most species-rich ecosystems on earth. Rivers are spatially organised into hierarchical dendritic networks. This unique physical structure and the associated directionality of physical flows sets them apart from most other environments by regulating the dispersal of resident biota and therefore the distribution of biodiversity. River networks comprise collections of connected populations (metapopulations), communities (metacommunities), and ecoystems (metaecosystems). We study how biodiversity is organised in river networks and how their unique physical structuring affects metapopulation and metacommmunity dynamics, using a wide range of approaches, including mechanistic modelling and field studies.