Publications
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Root traits explain multitrophic interactions of belowground microfauna on soil nitrogen mineralization and plant productivity Ghent University Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
Both herbivorous and bacterivorous microfauna have been shown to influence root development, soil nitrogen (N) mineralization, and plant productivity. However, our knowledge of these effects is limited as multitrophic interactions remain largely unexplored. We investigated whether and how herbivorous nematodes (Pratylenchus zeae) and bacterivorous nematodes (Poikilolaimus oxycercus), alone and in combination, affect plant biomass (Lolium ...
Defining soft-sediment macrofaunal baseline conditions through large-scale diversity and biological trait analysis. Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
Soft-sediment macrobenthic communities are an essential part of the marine ecosystem, for which a healthy status is strived for. The patchy occurrence of benthic species across natural environmental gradients, together with the multiple human pressures acting on it, make it a challenge to manage the seafloor ecosystem. For sustainable management and reliable quality status evaluation, scientific sound knowledge on the ecosystem characteristics ...
Interregional comparison of benthic ecosystem functioning: Community bioturbation potential in four regions along the NE Atlantic shelf Ghent University
Bioturbation is one of the key mediators of biogeochemical processes in benthic habitats that can have a high contribution to seafloor functioning and benthic pelagic coupling in coastal waters. Previous studies on bioturbation were limited to point locations and extrapolations in single regions, but have not accounted for regional differences under changing environmental conditions, though there are indications that species contributions will ...
Functional trait responses to sediment deposition reduce macrofauna-mediated ecosystem functioning in an estuarine mudflat Flanders Marine Institute Ghent University
Human activities, among which dredging and land use change in river basins, are altering estuarine ecosystems. These activities may result in changes in sedimentary processes, affecting biodiversity of sediment macrofauna. As macrofauna controls sediment chemistry and fluxes of energy and matter between water column and sediment, changes in the structure of macrobenthic communities could affect the functioning of an entire ecosystem. We assessed ...
Litter quality, mycorrhizal association, and soil properties regulate effects of tree species on the soil fauna community Ghent University
Nuanced impacts of the invasive aquatic plant Crassula helmsii on Northwest European freshwater macroinvertebrate assemblages Research Institute for Nature and Forest
Invasive alien species are considered one of the greatest threats to global biodiversity, and are particularly problematic in aquatic systems. Given the foundational role of macrophytes in most freshwaters, alien aquatic plant invasions may drive strong bottom-up impacts on recipient biota. Crassula helmsii (New Zealand pygmyweed) is an Australasian macrophyte, now widespread in northwest Europe. Crassula helmsii rapidly invades small lentic ...
Ecology and taxonomy of free-living marine nematodes from Cienfuegos Bay, Caribbean Sea Ghent University
Present thesis focuses on ecology of assemblages and taxonomy of free-living marine nematodes. Most of the data are from Cienfuegos, a semi-enclosed bay in the Caribbean Sea; but, we also provided data on biodiversity from other areas in Cuban marine waters. Four main topics are included: description of biodiversity patterns, a microcosm experiment about effects of organic enrichment on assemblages, a taxonomic revision of the genus ...
Macrobenthos recruitment success in a tidal flat: feeding trait dependent effects of disturbance history Ghent University
Understanding the impact of sand extraction on benthic ecosystem functioning : a combination of functional indices and biological trait analysis Ghent University
Marine aggregates have been intensively extracted in the North-East Atlantic over the past decades. This study aimed to assess the effect of sand extraction on benthic ecosystem functioning using a combination of biological traits and functional indices (the bioturbation (BPc) and irrigation potential (IPc) and secondary production (SPc) of the macrobenthic community). Data on macrobenthos, sediment properties and extraction intensity were ...