Resurrecting population responses to past environmental change

We resurrected rotifers from resting eggs preserved in lake sediment to study how they adapted to past pollution.

We resurrected rotifers from resting eggs preserved in lake sediment to study how populations adapted to past pollution.

Map of Lake Orta in northern Italy.

Lake Orta

Our study system is Lake Orta in northern Italy.

Resurrecting resting eggs

In lab experiments, we resurrected rotifer resting eggs from sediments to study how the rotifers responded to pollution.

Sommer et al. (2016) →

Two dated sediment cores from the lake, with layers from 1901 to 2007.

Labelled culture tubes with rotifer populations in the lab.

Population level

We studied the responses at both the population level…

Zweerus et al. (2017) →

Individual level

… and the individual level.

Schanz et al. (2021) →

A rotifer carrying three eggs, seen under the microscope.

Illustration of a water flea seen through a microscope.

Water fleas

The same responses can be studied in water fleas.

Sommer et al. (2016) →

Years: 2012–2021

People: Stefan Sommer

In collaboration with: Diego Fontaneto