Contact database
English name: Laboratory of Ecology and Systematics
Parent institute: Vrije Universiteit Brussel; Faculteit Wetenschappen; Vakgroep Biologie (VUB-DBIO), more
Thesaurus terms (10) : Biodiversity; Eutrophication; Evolution; Heavy metals; Mangroves; Morphological variation; Organic pollutants; Phylogeny; Plankton; Zooplankton
Taxonomic terms (5) : Amphibia [WoRMS]; Brachyura [WoRMS]; Copepoda [WoRMS]; Echinodermata [WoRMS]; Holothuroidea [WoRMS]
Geographical terms (8) : Africa, East [Marine Regions]; ANE, Netherlands, Delta Area [Marine Regions]; ANE, North Sea [Marine Regions]; ISW, Indian Ocean [Marine Regions]; Kenya [Marine Regions]; Singapore [Marine Regions]; Sri Lanka [Marine Regions]; USA, Texas [Marine Regions]
Address:
Pleinlaan 2
1050 Brussel
Belgium
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Tel.: +32-(0)2-629 34 05
Fax: +32-(0)2-629 34 03
E-mail: 
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Type: Scientific
Level: Labo
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1 Director: Head of the department
2 Marine scientist: Works in this research group and acts as (co-)author in at least one marine publication in the last 5 years.
3 Specialized personnel: Provides administrative or technical support to marine scientific research.
| Persons formerly associated with this organization (2) |
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| Abstract: |
| The main research topic is the functioning of marine and coastal ecosystems, focusing on the management and conservation of endangered systems. Plankton (particularly phytoplankton) in aquatic systems represents the basis of all food chains. In coastal systems, plants as sea grasses and sea algae have an important contribution to the formation of organic material in the water. In tropical systems, trees, as mangroves play an additional important role in this process. In our research team we are focusing on the role of plankton in open versus coastal systems. The biodiversity and the function show large differences, due to the difference in terrestrial inputs, including pollution. In estuaries this difference is still reinforced: a decrease of biodiversity can be shown in a gradient from open sea to estuarine systems, and an opposite increase of material in suspension from various origins. The functioning of these systems is in turn completely different: in open sea systems food chains are prevalent and in coastal and estuarine systems the microbial so called "loop" prevails. This knowledge is applied in the assessment of the influence of the organic material in suspension on wetlands of the Scheldt estuary. In order to understand this ecological functioning better, comparative research is done at different latitudes: temperate and cold seas versus tropical and equatorial seas. In tropical seas, besides the role of plankton, the role of groundwater regarding the distribution of mangroves and the ethology and developmental biology of the mangrove oyster Saccostrea cucullata is under study. The relevance of the mangrove ecosystem is enormous. However, it is only during the last ten years that its importance has been recognised. Our research results, especially in the field of groundwater flow, are internationally recognised as a new breakthrough towards sustainable management of mangrove forests. Furthermore, the three way chemical communication between adult oysters and their larvae is a new finding in science. Finally, a new research group is starting a study of the phylogeny and biodiversity as a tool for conservation and management of marine and terrestrial tropical systems. |
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- Beenaerts, N. (2007). Capacity building, training and education in ICZM, in: Claus, S. et al. (Ed.) Background report First BeNCoRe Conference: State of the Art and future of Belgian Coastal Research. BeNCoRe and its relation to the Green Paper on a future European Maritime Policy, Leuven, 26 April 2007. pp. 22, more
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| Projects (9) |
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- AMORE II: Advanced modelling and research on eutrophication: linking eutrophication and biological resources, more
- BENCORE: Belgian Network for Coastal Reseach, more
- Bioconcentration of organic micropollutants in marine ecosystems, more
- Biotic interactions in turbid estuarine systems, more
- CCCC: Role of oceanic production and dissolution of calcium carbonate in climate change, more
- Marine ecosystems functioning, more
- Molecular systematics and phylogeny of holothurians, more
- OMES 1 Main: Research on the environmental effects of the SIGMA plan, more
- Trophical relations in tidal-bounded systems, more
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