VLIZ Science Symposium: Marine Biodiversity in Belgium

On Wednesday 23 May 2018 the second VLIZ Science Symposium took place in Ostend, entirely dedicated to the new VLIZ initiative 'BeRMS2020 - An Innovative Census of Belgian Marine Biodiversity'. VLIZ wanted to bring together biodiversity researchers to provide the Belgian Marine Species List (BeRMS) with a major update, to develop innovative ways to observe biodiversity, to test hypotheses related to past and present biodiversity and to investigate its importance for the functioning of the North Sea ecosystem.

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Programme - Abstracts & Presentations

9.45 – 10.00
Dr. Michiel Vandegehuchte | Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ)
Introduction

10.00 – 10.30
Prof. Dr. Tom Artois | Hasselt University
How unknown is the world's biodiversity? Free-living flatworms as an example
[abstract] -

10.30 – 10.45
Simon Claus | Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ)
BeRMS, ERMS and WoRMS: community tools to facilitate our knowledge of marine biodiversity
[abstract] -

10.45 – 11.00
Dr. Kenneth Mertens | Ifremer (France)
Morpho-molecular studies of toxic and non-toxic dinoflagellates and their resting stages (cysts) and their implications for biodiversity assessments
[abstract] -

11.00 – 11.30 | Coffee break

11.30 – 12.00
Prof. Dr. Frederik De Laender | Université de Namur
The effects of biological diversity on marine ecosystem functions
[abstract] -

12.00 – 12.15
Prof. Dr. Marc Kochzius | Vrije Universiteit Brussel
Identifying marine biodiversity by DNA barcoding and DNA chips
[abstract] -

12.15 – 12.35 | Pitch presentations

Sarah Di Giglio | Université Libre de Bruxelles
Biological characteristics modulating the sensitivity of calcification to ocean acidification: Comparative approach in echinoderms
[abstract] -

Dr. Annelies De Backer | Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research (ILVO)
Biodiversity monitoring of the soft-sediment fauna
[abstract] -

Dr. Koenraad Van Schuylenbergh | GUE-BE vzw
Documenting the SS Kilmore, 10 years after Zintzen et al.
[abstract] -

Dr. Sofie Derycke | Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research (ILVO)
DNA barcoding of benthic species from the Belgian part of the North Sea for diversity impact assessments
[abstract] -

12.35 – 13.40 | Lunch break

13.40 – 15.30 | Discussion and brainstorm in break-out sessions

15.30 – 16.00
Dr. Michiel Vandegehuchte | Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ)
Summary & Epilogue

Programme and Abstract Book

The abstract book of the VLIZ Science Symposium on Marine Biodiversity in Belgium van be downloaded here.

Pictures & Video

Go to the VLIZ YouTube channel for a playlist of the presentations

Additional information in the VLIZ Integrated Marine Information System (IMIS)

Location

InnovOcean site, Wandelaarkaai 7, 8400 Oostende, Belgium
Conference room