My research focuses on freshwater, coastal, and wetland ecosystems, where I explore the interactions among microorganisms, macrofauna, macrophytes, and their surrounding environment. By combining field observations, laboratory experiments, and biogeochemical analyses, I aim to understand how these interactions influence ecosystem functioning—and how aquatic environments respond to human pressures, climate change, and ecological restoration.

1. Biodiversity and biogeochemical cycling

How does life within the sediment shape ecosystem functioning? I investigate how benthic fauna and primary producers influence microbial activity, organic matter mineralization, and nutrient and gas exchanges at the sediment–water interface.

Through experiments with communities of different composition and diversity, I have shown that more diverse benthic ecosystems can provide essential biogeochemical services, including improved nutrient retention and nitrogen removal.

Happy to share with you my online seminar on bioturbation studies I carried out in these ten years of academic research for the NEREIS park community.

I began my journey as a benthic biogeochemist with relatively simple experiments that explored interactions among macrofauna, microbes and primary producers. Each experiment was a steppingstone, raising new questions that led me to modify and expand my approach, exploring various dimensions of these elemental cycles. In this seminar, I’ll be sharing an overview of this journey, highlighting the progression of my work in this fascinating field.

Click the link to watch the YouTube video!

2. From sediments to watersheds

Biogeochemical processes are shaped by interactions occurring across very different spatial scales. My research connects small-scale sediment dynamics with ecosystem- and watershed-level processes.

Working in European coastal environments, including the Gulf of Gdańsk and the Goro Lagoon, I have examined how temperature, freshwater discharge, and nutrient inputs affect nutrient recycling and removal. My findings suggest that hydrological extremes may reduce the capacity of estuaries and lagoons to retain nutrients, with important consequences for coastal water quality.

3. Greenhouse gas dynamics

What controls the production, transport, and release of greenhouse gases from aquatic ecosystems? I investigate how environmental conditions and biological processes regulate gas dynamics across the sediment–water and water–atmosphere interfaces.

I am studying greenhouse gas emissions from wetlands, rivers, and lakes, exploring whether these ecosystems act as sources or sinks of greenhouse gases in a changing climate, increasingly characterized by intense rainfall events alternating with prolonged periods of drought.

4. Aquatic plants and ecosystem restoration

Aquatic plants can play a key role in restoring ecosystem functions and improving water quality. I contribute to restoration projects involving the collection of native aquatic plants from donor sites and their transplantation into lakes and other aquatic habitats undergoing ecological restoration.

This work brings together my expertise in aquatic plant physiology, plant–sediment interactions, biogeochemical processes, sediment dynamics, and water quality. By connecting ecological knowledge with hands-on restoration, I aim to understand how native vegetation can support the recovery, functioning, and long-term resilience of aquatic ecosystems.