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  1. Predicting the impact of climate change on population size

    Press release
    How can we tell if climate change really affects the population dynamics of a species? "Changes to behaviour, weight or appearance don't always mean population numbers are de- or increasing." NIOO-researcher Martijn van de Pol presents a novel approach to answering the question in the June issue of Ecology Letters.
    picturepaperMartijn
  2. Identifying plant and animal DNA switches much faster and cheaper

    Press release
    Epigenetics is a fast-growing field of research all over the world. Ecological epigenetics has now been further advanced thanks to the development of a new research technique. ‘This technique is cheaper and faster and enables research that was previously impossible to conduct.’ The time has come to look at how important epigenetic changes really are for dealing with climate change, plagues and other stress-factors. The research team led by the Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW) is publishing its technique in the scientific journal Nature Methods.
    Paardenbloemanimatie
  3. Pharmaceutical residues increasingly disrupt aquatic life

    Press release
    It's a hidden global change: away from the public eye, residues of medicines in water have been causing increasing disruption. They can kill aquatic animals, and play havoc with their food web and reproductive cycle. An international team of researchers led by the NIOO makes an urgent case for better wastewater treatment and biodegradable pharmaceuticals.
    Watervlo
  4. Clever songbird's genome may hold key to evolution of learning

    Press release
    The great tit has revealed its genetic code, offering new insight into how species adapt to a changing planet. Initial findings suggest that epigenetics – what’s on rather than what’s in the gene – may have played a key role in the evolution of the ability to learn. And not just that of birds...
    Koolmees
  5. Extinction of Pleistocene herbivores induced major vegetation and landscape changes

    Press release
    The extinction of large herbivores such as mammoths could explain massive prehistoric changes in vegetation and landscape structure, with major implications for our understanding of present-day ecosystems. Modern and paleo-ecologists joined forces in an international study led by the Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW). The results are being published online by PNAS this week.
    Pleistocene
  6. Dig in with us on Soil Animal Day!

    Press release
    What soil creatures are living right under our feet? Find out in your own backyard on 4 October - or in your local park, on your green roof or even your balcony (!) - as the Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW) organises the first-ever 'Soil Animal Day', together with the Centre for Soil Ecology (CSE).
    KeverMiddel
  7. Wageningen to mark International Year of Soils with range of activities

    Press release
    The soil expertise found at Wageningen enjoys international recognition. So it is only fitting that in 2015, the International Year of Soils, numerous activities are taking place in Wageningen. On Monday 26 January, various Wageningen-based institutions and organisations laid a plaque in the Walk of Fame on campus to kick off the IYS. The gesture symbolises their collaboration in the new Wageningen Soil Network.
    Wageningsebodem
  8. Ecofactsheet: migratory birds & bird flu

    News
    The strain of bird flu responsible for the recent outbreak in the Netherlands is a highly pathogenic form of H5N8.
    Een groep trekvogels in V-formatie in de lucht
  9. Wadden Sea report: breeding birds in the danger zone

    Press release
    ZEIST/WAGENINGEN/NIJMEGEN - Birds that breed in the Dutch Wadden Sea are facing serious problems, according to a new report that brings together all available data from the past two decades. The report was launched at the inaugural symposium of the new Centre for Avian Population Studies (CAPS).
    IMG_7967
  10. Research among mallards proves: migratory birds don't import bird flu but contract it here

    Press release
    06/10/2014 Migratory birds are often blamed for spreading avian influenza. But new research proves for a specific flu type that instead of importing the virus into the Netherlands, migratory mallards actually contract it here. NIOO-researcher Jacintha van Dijk defends her thesis on the topic at Utrecht University on Wednesday.
    gemaakt door Jacintha van Dijk
  11. Green Gold 2: 'Like something out of Star Trek'

    News
    06/10/2014 Dutch broadcaster VPRO has revisited the territory of its award-winning tv documentary Green Gold, about ecosystem restoration. NIOO-director Louise Vet comments on Green Gold 2.
    Groen Goud 2
  12. Microbes in Central Park: if they can make it there...

    News
    01/10/2014 You’ll find as much biodiversity in the soil of New York’s Central Park as in a tropical rainforest. That’s the surprising conclusion of research conducted by Dr. Kelly Ramirez, microbial ecologist at NIOO-KNAW in Wageningen. In fact, the same soil microbes that thrive in forests, tundras and deserts can be found living right beneath New York.
    Central Park