Publications

To reach the renewable energy targets set by the European Commission, a tenfold expansion of the installed offshore wind farms is needed. Since the construction of offshore wind farms may affect local soft-sediment fauna, an efficient monitoring technique is needed to monitor the potential effects on the marine ecosystem. Here, we assess whether eDNA metabarcoding is a suitable alternative to monitor fish and epibenthos biodiversity in these ...

Plant pathogens, weeds, and insect pests pose significant threats to plants important for agriculture. Currently, approximately 10,000 herbivorous insects have been identified to be insect pests, which collectively cause an estimated 15.6% loss in crop yield across multiple crop species. Historically, insect pests have been controlled through the use of synthetic pesticides. However, the extensive use of such insecticidal compounds has led to ...

Several species of Agave have been recorded as becoming naturalized—even invasive—in, especially, mild-climate parts of the world. Most of these species use multiple reproductive strategies, in particular the production of vast numbers of bulbils on the peduncle and side branches of spent inflorescences. One such species, A. fourcroydes, in the vernacular known as henequen, is widely cultivated, especially for the extraction of fibers, also ...

The decline of lions (Panthera leo) in Kenya has raised conservation concerns about their overall population health and long-term survival. This study aimed to assess the genetic structure, differentiation and diversity of lion populations in the country, while considering the influence of past management practices. Using a lion-specific Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) panel, we genotyped 171 individuals from 12 populations representative ...

Understanding the relationships among the environment, species traits and ecosystem properties is important for developing management measures that optimize the delivery of ecosystem services (ESs). Here, we identify the most important relationships responsible for the delivery of two key ESs provided by tidal marshes: (1) nature-based shoreline protection through wave attenuation and (2) mitigation of climate change through soil carbon storage. ...

The stomach content of 60 krill specimens from the Southern Ocean were analyzed for the presence of microplastic (MP), by testing different sample volumes, extraction approaches, and applying hyperspectral imaging Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (mu FTIR). Strict quality control was applied on the generated results. A high load of residual materials in pooled samples hampered the analysis and avoided a reliable determination of putative ...

Community cohesion is a recent concept in ecology referring to the varying levels of connectivity and integration between populations of different taxonomic or functional groups within ecosystems. Positive cohesion denotes positive interactions such as mutualism or facilitation, while negative cohesion implies negative interactions such as competitive exclusion or a preference for different habitats. However, the effects of ecosystem ...

Gigaton scale atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) removal (CDR) is needed to keep global warming below 1.5 ◦C. Coastal enhanced olivine weathering is a CDR technique that could be implemented in coastal management programmes, but its CO2 sequestration potential and environmental safety remain uncertain. Large scale olivine spreading would change the surficial sediment characteristics, which could potentially reduce habitat suitability and ...

Seed dormancy maximizes plant recruitment in habitats with variation in environmental suitability for seedling establishment. Yet, we still lack a comprehensive synthesis of the macroecological drivers of nondormancy and the different classes of seed dormancy: physiological dormancy, morphophysiological dormancy and physical dormancy.We examined current geographic patterns and environmental correlates of global seed dormancy variation. Combining ...