Projects
Elucidating the role of nutrient availability and mycorrhizae in the drought response of terrestrial ecosystem carbon cycling University of Antwerp
Predicting the Impact of Climate Change on Drought in the Scheldt River Basin, Flanders Vrije Universiteit Brussel
the future is crucial. In particular, droughts are becoming more
frequent and intense. The past four years of drought in Flanders are
notable examples of this effect. Hence, to mitigate and/or adapt to
the impact, drought predictions can be useful. Furthermore, a
detailed understanding of drought is crucial for policymakers, water
...
Revealing the dark side of epigenetic adaptation: belowground DNA methylation memories associated with drought stress KU Leuven
Plants can recognize and anticipate recurring drought stress through developing a stress memory. A drought stress memory can be obtained through accumulating DNA methylation marks at specific target sites in the genome. Such an epigenetic memory is particularly beneficial when plants frequently face drought stress, and is thus expected to become increasingly important as climate changes. Quantifying drought stress memories and their ...
Drought stress physiology of banana linked to a functional genomics approach. KU Leuven
Impact of drought on understorey communities in fragmented temperate forests in Europe Ghent University
In temperate forests, the understorey harbors the majority of plant biodiversity. Conserving and restoring this understorey diversity is crucial to maintain ecosystem services provided by forests. In this project, I will study the interactive effects of two key global-change drivers on understorey communities: drought and fragmentation. In the past decades, we have witnessed an unprecedented high frequency of extreme drought events. Forest ...
Assessing the impact of canopy trait diversity on the drought response of Peruvian tropical forests. KU Leuven
Tropical forests cover only 7-10% of the Earth’s land surface but are globally important reservoirs of diversity and deliver essential ecosystem services. Forest functioning and the stable delivery of these services is however threatened by direct anthropogenic pressures and ongoing climate change. Forecasts from climate models predict increases in frequency, intensity, and duration of drought events over the Amazon, likely causing ...
Optimize climate-smart forest management to alleviate drought stress in temperate forest systems KU Leuven
Forests provide society with essential ecosystem services. Climate change influences their functioning and thereby threatens the provision of these benefits. Increased tree mortality and decreasing growth trends due to climate change-related droughts have already been observed. Importantly, droughts are expected to increase in frequency, duration, and intensity in the future, thereby posing one of the largest threats to forest ecosystems in ...