Projects
The influence of nutrient availability on plant production and on above- and belowground diversity across grasslands worldwide. University of Antwerp
The effectiveness of novel genotypes and soil organic matter to protect agricultural grasslands against increasingly persistent weather. University of Antwerp
Impact of heat and drought extremes in experimental grasslands. University of Antwerp
Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in European grasslands under nutrient enrichment. KU Leuven
Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are considered to be keystone mutualists in terrestrial ecosystems, mediating important processes regarding plant host physiology, and playing a role in the regulation of plant species diversity. AMF are of particular importance for nutrient acquisition, mainly of phosphorus (P). This is especially true in nutrient poor environments where P is locked in different chemical forms in the soil, otherwise ...
Ecological reproductive isolation in forest and grassland populations of the distylous Primula veris. KU Leuven
Adaptive divergence due to habitat differences is thought to play a major role in the formation of new species. However the extent to which individual reproductive isolating barriers related to habitat differentiation contribute to total isolation is not very clear. Furthermore, it is often difficult to determine the specific environmental variables that drive the evolution of those ecological barriers, and the geographic scale at which ...
Improving the Functional Connectivity of Grassland Networks for Plant-Pollinator Interactions KU Leuven
The major goal of this project is to explore the effect of both current and historic landscape characteristics on plant and pollinator diversity in structurally well-connected and fragmented grassland systems. We will focus both on good-quality grassland patches as well as on other landscape elements (small grassland remnants, grassy verges, power-line clear-cuts) to determine the role of these elements in supporting plants, pollinators and ...
Nutritional mitigation and grassland climate adaptation strategies in relation to enteric methane emissions from dairy cattle on grass silage based-rations: effectiveness and trade-offs Ghent University
It is well known that the production of anthropogenic greenhouse gases (GHG) is the main driver for climate change and the contribution of enteric methane (CH4) emission derived from cattle is undeniable. Nutritional strategies can be implemented to reduce these emissions, while climate change itself also affects the cattle sector due to negative effects on feed production. As such, farmers need to work on two fronts in their management: ...
The role of nutrient availability in the drought response of grassland biomass production. University of Antwerp
Towards a new approach to assess grassland restoration potential: can we use vegetation spectra to track soil phosphorus availability? Ghent University
Ecosystem restoration is an explicit target in the EU 2020 Biodiversity Strategy since safeguarding ecosystems and preserving their biodiversity is of crucial importance to ensure the long-term preservation of our natural capital. Species-rich semi-natural grasslands have suffered from land-use intensification in recent decades and are hence in need of restoration. A major bottleneck constraining their restoration are the elevated nutrient ...