Project Title: REFRESH- Adaptive Strategies to Mitigate the Impacts of Climate Change on European Freshwater Ecosystems

Project Information

REFRESH is an EU funded project which was built on EU FP6 Project, Euro-limpacs. The main concern of the project is to generate a scientific understanding of the future status of freshwater ecosystems that is dependent on changes in land-use, pollution loading, and water demand. It has been recognized that the measures that need to be taken to restore freshwater ecosystems to good ecological health or to sustain priority species as required by EU Directives need to be designed either to adapt to future climate change or to mitigate the effects of climate. In addition, REFRESH aimed to push forward the science of integrated catchment modeling.

Duration: 02/2010- 01/2014

Funded by: European Union, funded under FP7-ENVIRONMENT, Grant agreement ID: 244121, Budget: € 9 895 943,67

Project partners: The list of all partners is available on REFRESH-partners link of the project website. METU as a project partner conducted long term mesocosm experiments under "Water management and climate change impacts in lakes and reservoirs" (WP3) task. Prof.Dr. Meryem Beklioğlu was lead the experiment carried out in METU. For detailed information about the REFRESH project, please visit the project website at http://www.refresh.ucl.ac.uk/.

METU Team:

Publications: In total, 140 papers were published in several journals. Please, check the list below for publications in which Professor Meryem Beklioğlu is also among the authors.

1. Impacts of salinity and fish-exuded kairomone on the survival and macromolecular profile of Daphnia pulex, Bezirci, G.; Akkas, S.; Rinke, K.; Yildirim, F.; Kalaylioglu, Z.; Severcan, F.; Beklioglu, M. , Ecotoxicology, Volume 21, p.601-614, (2012)
2. The influence of water level on macrophyte growth and trophic interactions in eutrophic Mediterranean shallow lakes: a mesocosm experiment with and without fish, Bucak, T.; Saraoğlu, E.; Levi, E.E.; Nihan Tavşanoğlu, Ü.; İdil Çakiroğlu, A.; Jeppesen, E.; Beklioğlu, M. , Freshwater Biology, Volume 57, Number 8, p.1631–1642, (2012)
   
3. Eutrophication and Restoration of Shallow Lakes from a Cold Temperate to a Warm Mediterranean and a (Sub)Tropical Climate, Beklioglu, M.; Meerfhoff, M.; Søndergaard, M.; Jeppesen, E. , Eutrophication: causes, consequences and control, p.91-108, (2011)
   
4. Climate change impacts on lakes: an integrated ecological perspective based on a multi-faceted approach, with special focus on shallow lakes, Jeppesen, E.; Meerhoff, M.; Davidson, T.A.; Trolle, D.; SondergaarD, M.; Lauridsen, T.L.; Beklioglu, M.; Brucet, S.; Volta, P.; González-Bergonzoni, I.; others, , Journal of Limnology
5. Climate change effects on nitrogen loading from cultivated catchments in Europe: implications for nitrogen retention, ecological state of lakes and adaptation, Jeppesen, E.; Kronvang, B.; Olesen, J.; Audet, J.; Søndergaard, M.; Hoffmann, C.; Andersen, H.; Lauridsen, T.; Liboriussen, L.; Larsen, S.; Beklioglu, M.; Meerhoff, M.; Özen, A.; Özkan, K. , Hydrobiologia, Volume 663, p.1-21, (2011)
   
6. Similarity between contemporary vegetation and plant remains in the surface sediment in Mediterranean lakes, Levİ, E.E.; Çakıroğlu, A.İ.; Bucak, T.; Odgaard, B.V.; Davidson, T.A.; Jeppesen, E.; Beklİoğlu, M. , Freshwater Biology, Volume 59, Number 4, p.724–736, (2014)
   
7. Environmental Warming in Shallow Lakes: A Review of Potential Changes in Community Structure as Evidenced from Space-for-Time Substitution Approaches, Meerhoff, M.; Teixeira-de Mello, F.; Kruk, C.; Alonso, C.; González-Bergonzoni, I.; Pacheco, J.P.; Lacerot, G.; Arim, M.; Beklioğlu, M.; Brucet, S.; Goyenola, G.; Iglesias, C.; Mazzeo, N.; Kosten, S. , Global Change in Multispecies Systems Part 1, 2012///, Volume Volume 46, p.259 - 349, (2012)
   
8. Long-term effects of warming and nutrients on microbes and other plankton in mesocosms, Özen, A.; Šorf, M.; Trochine, C.; Liboriussen, L.; Beklioglu, M.; Søndergaard, M.; Lauridsen, T.L.; Johansson, L.S.; Jeppesen, E. , Freshwater Biology, Volume 58, Number 3, p.483–493, (2013)
   
9. Sediments, not plants, offer the preferred refuge for Daphnia against fish predation in Mediterranean shallow lakes: an experimental demonstration, Tavşanoğlu, N.; Idil Çakiroğlu, A.; Erdoğan, Ş.; Meerhoff, M.; Jeppesen, E.; Beklioglu, M. , Freshwater Biology, Volume 57, Number 4, p.795–802, (2012)
   

Project Title: MARS- Managing Aquatic Ecosystems and Water Resources Under Multiple Stress

Project Information

MARS is a research project and supports European policies, such as the Water Framework Directive, and the Blueprint to Safeguard Europe's Water Resources. The target of the Project was water managers assessing and restoring rivers and lakes, and policymakers drafting and implementing policies related to water. The main objects of the Project were to understand the effects of multiple stressors on surface waters and groundwaters, their biota, and the services they provide to humans, to understand how ecological status and ecosystem services, to advise river basin management how to restore multiply stressed rivers and lakes, to advise the revision of the Water Framework Directive on new indicators for ecological status and ecosystem services to develop methods and software for the Programmes of Measures.

Duration: 02/2014-01/2018

Funded by: European Union, under FP7-ENVIRONMENT, Grant agreement ID: 603378, Budget: € 11 645 832,84

Project partners: The list of all partners is available on the MARS-partners link of the project. METU as a project partner offered research and training in various fields of limnology throughout Turkey and is carrying out research on the ecology of shallow lakes, impacts of eutrophication, climate change, hydrology (especially water level fluctuations) impacts on ecosystem structure and functions based on community structure. The methodological range includes space for time substitutions, mesocosms experiments, monitoring, paleoecology, and modeling approaches. For detailed information about the MARS project, please visit the project website at http://www.mars-project.eu/index.php.

Publications: In total, 232 papers were published in several journals. Please, check the list below for publications in which Professor Meryem Beklioğlu is also among the authors.

1. Bucak, T., Trolle, D., Tavşanoğlu, Ü. N., Çakıroğlu, A. İ., Özen, A., Jeppesen, E., Beklioğlu, M. (2018). Modeling the effects of climatic and land use changes on phytoplankton and water quality of the largest Turkish freshwater lake: Lake Beyşehir. Science of the Total Environment 621, 802-816, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.11.258
2. Özen, A., Tavşanoğlu, Ü. N., Çakıroğlu, A. İ., Levi, E. E., Jeppesen, E., Beklioğlu, M. (2018). Patterns of microbial food webs in Mediterranean shallow lakes with contrasting nutrient levels and predation pressures. Hydrobiologia 806, 13-27, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-017-3329-6
3. Zingel, P., Cremona, F., Nõges, T., Cao, Y., Neif, É. M., Coppens, J., Işkın, U., Lauridsen, T. L., Davidson, T. A., Søndergaard, M., Beklioglu, M., Jeppesen, E. (2018). Effects of warming and nutrients on the microbial food web in shallow lake mesocosms. European Journal of Protistology 64, 1-12, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejop.2018.03.001
4. Beklioğlu, M., Bucak, T., Coppens, J., Bezirci, G., Tavşanoğlu, Ü. N., Çakıroğlu, A. İ., Levi, E. E., Erdoğan, Ş., Filiz, N., Özkan, K., Özen, A. (2017). Restoration of eutrophic lakes with fluctuating water levels: A 20 year monitoring study of 2 inter-connected lakes. Water 9, 127, http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/w902012
5. Brucet, S., Arranz, I., Mehner, T., Argillier, C., Beklioğlu, M., Benejam, L., Boll, T., Holmgren, K., Lauridsen, T. L., Svenning, J.-C., Winfield I. J., Jeppesen, E. (2017). Size diversity and species diversity relationships in fish assemblages of Western Palearctic lakes. Ecography 40, 01-12, https://doi.org/10.1111/ecog.03255
6. Brucet, S., Tavşanoğlu, Ü. N., Özen, A., Levi, E. E., Bezirci, G., Çakıroğlu, A. I., Jeppesen, E., Svenning, J.-C., Ersoy, Z., Beklioğlu, M. (2017). Size-based interactions across trophic levels in food webs of shallow Mediterranean lakes. Freshwater Biology 62, 1819–1830, https://doi.org/10.1111/fwb.12997
7. Bucak, T., Trolle, D., Andersen, H. E., Thodsen, H., Erdogan, S., Levi, E. E., Filiz, N., Jeppesen, E., Beklioglu, M. (2017). Future water availability in the largest freshwater Mediterranean lake is at great risk as evidenced from simulations with the SWAT model. Science of the Total Environment 581-582, 413-425, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.12.149
8. Tavşanoğlu, U.N, Šorf, M., Stefanidis, K., Brucet, S., Agasild, H., Boho, D., Scharfenberger, U., Beklioğlu, M., Hejzlar, J., Papastergiadou, E., Adrian, R., Angeler, D., Nõges, T., Çakıroğlu, A. I., Özen, A., Drakare, S., Søndergaard, M., Jeppesen, E. (2017). Effects of nutrient and water level changes on the composition and size structure of zooplankton communities under different climatic conditions: A Pan-European mesocosm experiment. Aquatic Ecology 51, 257-273, http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10452-017-9615-6
9. Trochine, C., Brucet, S., Argillier, C., Arranz, I., Beklioğlu, M., Benejam, L., Ferreira, T., Hesthagen, T., Holmgren, K., Jeppesen, E., Kelly, F., Krause, T., Rask, M., Volta, P., Winfield, I. J., Mehner, T. (2017). Non-native Fish Occurrence and Biomass in 1943 Western Palearctic Lakes and Reservoirs and their Abiotic and Biotic Correlates. Ecosystems 21, 395-409, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10021-017-0156-6
10. Boll, T., Levi, E. E., Bezirci, G., Özuluğ, M., Tavsanoğlu, Ü. N., Çakıroğlu, A. I., Özcan, S., Brucet, S., Jeppesen, E., Beklioğlu, M. (2016). Fish assemblage and diversity in lakes of western and central Turkey - role of geo-climatic and environmental gradients, Hydrobiologia 771, 31-44, http:/www.dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10750-015-2608-3"
11. Bucak T., Beklioglu M., Cakiroglu A.I., Erdogan S., Levi E. (2016). Metadata of the Lake Beysehir and Its Catchment, Turkey. Freshwater Metadata Journal 11, 1-8, https://doi.org/10.15504/fmj.2016.11
12. Çakiroğlu, A.I., Levi, E. E., Tavşanoğlu, N., Bezirci,G., Erdoğan, Ş., Filiz, N., Andersen, T. J., Davidson, T. A., Jeppesen, E., Beklioğlu, M. (2016). Inferring past environmental change of three Turkish shallow lakes from community changes of sub-fossil cladocera. Hydrobiologia 778, 295-312, http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10750-015-2581-x
13. Coppens J., Hejzlar, J., Šorf, M., Jeppesen, E., Papastergiadou, E., Stefanidis, K., Erdoğan, Ş., Scharfenberger, U., Mahdy, A., Nõges, P., Tuvikene, A., Baho, D. L., Trigalj, C., Olsen, S., Beklioğlu, M. (2016). The influence of nutrient loading, climate and water depth on nitrogen and phosphorus loss in shallow lakes: a pan-European mesocosm experiment. Hydrobiologia 778, 10-32, http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10750-015-2505-9
14. Coppens J., Özen, A., Çakıroğlu, I., Tavşanoğlu, Ü. N., Yozgatlıgil, C., Jeppesen, E., Beklioğlu, M. (2016). Impact of alternating wet and dry periods on long-term seasonal phosphorus and nitrogen budgets of two shallow Mediterranean lakes. Science of the Total Environment 563–564, 456–467, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.04.028
15. Jovanovic, B., Bezirci, G., Cagan, A. S., Coppens, J., Levi, E. E., Oluz, Z., Tuncel, E., Duran, H., Beklioglu, M. (2016). Food web effects of titanium dioxide nanoparticles in an outdoor freshwater mesocosm experiment. Nanotoxicology 10(7), 902-912, http://dx.doi.org/10.3109/17435390.2016.1140242
16. Levi, E. E., Bezirci, G., Çakıroğlu, A. İ., Turner, S., Bennion, H., Kernan, M., Jeppesen, E., Beklioğlu, M. (2016). Multi-proxy palaeoecological responses to water-level fluctuations in three shallow Turkish lakes. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 449, 553-566, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2016.02.052
17. Havens, K. E., Pinto-Coelho, R. M., Beklioğlu, M., Christoffersen, K. S., Jeppsen, E., Lauridsen, T. L., Mazumder A., Méthot, G., Pinel Alloul, B., Tavşanoğlu, Ü. N., Erdoğan, Ş., Vijverberg, J. (2015). Temperature effects on body size of feshwater crustacean zooplanktion from Greenland to the tropics. Hydrobiologia 743, 27-35, http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10750-014-2000-8
18. Hering, D., Carvalho, L., Argillier, C., Beklioglu, M., Borja, A., Cardoso, A. C., Duel, H., Ferreira, T., Globevnik, L., Hanganu, J., Hellsten, S., Jeppesen, E., Kodeš, V., Lyche Solheim, A., Nõges, T., Ormerod, S., Panagopoulos, Y., Schmutz, S. Venohr, M., Birk, S. (2015). Managing aquatic ecosystems and water resources under multiple stress - an introduction to the MARS project. Science of the Total Environment 503-504, 10-21, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2014.06.106
19. Jeppesen, E., Brucet, S., Naselli-Flores, L., Papastergiadou, E., Stefanidis, K., Nõges, T., Nõges, P., Attayde, J. L., Zohary, T., Coppens, J., Bucak, T., Fernandes Menezes, R., Sousa Freitas, F. R., Kernan, M., Søndergaard, M., Beklioğlu, M. (2015). Ecological impacts of global warming and water abstraction on lakes and reservoirs due to changes in water level and related changes in salinity. Hydrobiologia 750, 201-227, http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10750-014-2169-x
20. Olsen, S., Jeppesen, E., Moss, B., Ozkan, K., Beklioglu, M., Feuchtmayr, H., González Sagrario, M., Li, W., Larsen, S. E., Søndergaard, M. (2015). Factors influencing nitrogen processing in lakes: An experimental approach. Freshwater Biology 60, 642-662, http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/fwb.12511
21. Tavşanoğlu, Ü. N., Brucet, S., Levi E. E., Bucak, T., Bezirci, G., Özen, A., Johansson, L. S., Jeppesen, E., Beklioğlu, M. (2015). Size-based diel migration of zooplankton in Mediterranean shallow lakes assessed from in situ experiments with artificial plants. Hydrobiologia 753(1), 47-59, http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10750-015-2192-6
22. Çakıroğlu, A.I., Tavşanoğlu, Ü. N., Davidson,T. A., Levi, E. E., Bucak, T., Özen, A., Akyıldız, G. K., Jeppesen, E., Beklioğlu, M.(2014). Relatedness between contemporary and surface sediment subfossil cladocera assemblages in Turkish shallow lakes. Paleolim 52, 367-383, http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10933-014-9799-x
23. Özen, A., Bucak, T., Tavşanoğlu, Ü. N., Çakıroğlu, A. İ, Levi, E. E., Coppens, J., Jeppsen, E., Beklioğlu, M. (2014). Water level and fish-mediated cascading effects on the microbial community in eutrophic warm shallow lakes: A mesocosm experiment. Hydrobiologia 740, 25-35, http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10750-014-1934-1
24. Olsen, S., Jeppesen, E., Moss, B., Özkan, K., Beklioğlu, M., Feuchtmayr, H., González Sagrario, M., Wei, L., Larsen, S., Lauridsen, T. S., Søndergaard, M. (2014). Factors influencing nitrogen processing in lakes: An experimental approach. Freshwater Biology 60, 646-662, http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/fwb.12511