Projects
Compost application and the interaction between compost-and native soil fauna: nematodes as indicator of biological compost maturity and soil food web processes. Ghent University
Experiments will elucidate whether thoroughly characterized composts, differentiated based on their nematode communities, have different effects on soil properties and nematode assemblages. An ecometagenetics approach will distinguish between compost- and native assemblages and reveal if the nematodes in compost directly contribute to the nematode community in the soil vs. that observed effects are due to the overall stimulation of the soil ...
The contribution of nematodes to N mineralization and plant growth: feedback mechanisms with roots and the rhizosphere microbial community Ghent University
Nematodes are by far the most abundant fauna in agricultural soil, but despite their putative crucial role for soil functions, our fundamental knowledge on soil nematode functions is extremely limited. Building on our expertise from the past decade, we will investigate how bacterivorous, herbivorous and fungivorous nematodes impact nitrogen mineralization and plant growth. We will test the hypothesis that the impact of nematodes is mainly ...
Microfauna - microflora - plant interactions: extending the soil “microbial loop concept” of nitrogen mineralization Ghent University
Taxonomical and structural analysis of nematode succession during compost processes Ghent University
Nematodes are often used as bioindicators and the nematode diversity and density in mature compost will be important to build a solid soilfoodweb. In this research 3 main sections will be investigated: 1) the biodiversity of the nematodes during the composting process, 2) the nematode population dynamics during this proces and 3) if and how the nematode composition reflects the condition of the compost process.