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Department of Aquatic Ecology

The department of Aquatic Ecology studies life in inland waters. A complicated network that changes with climate, nutrients, toxic substances and invasive species.

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2020

DRYVER River networks are among Earth’s most threatened hot-spots of biodiversity and provide key ecosystem services (e.g. supply drinking water and food, climate...

2019

Compounds of emerging concern removal by microalgae-based technologies The project looks at the removal of compounds of emerging concern, such as pharmaceuticals, from wastewater in a microalgae photobioreactor. We also look at...

2018

Agent-based modelling of the effect of retreating sea-ice and intensifying human activities on seals in the Arctic (PCSEAL) In this project, agent- or individual-based models will be developed to simulate potential outcomes of these changes for walruses, bearded seals and ringed...

2018

Impact of defaunation and plant invasions on ecosystem functions of seagrass beds Ecosystems are currently altered by human-induced changes in large herbivores and invasive species abundances. This study investigates how green sea turtles,...

2017

AQUACOSM AQUACOSM is a network connecting aquatic mesocosms in twelve European countries: from the Arctic to the Mediterranean, across salinity boundaries and multiple...

2017

Aquatic plant traits and impact of plant management and herbivores (ESF 6) Aquatic plants can be removed by aquatic herbivores as well as management, such as mowing. Plant species may differ in their sensitivity and tolerance to both...

2017

Climate Change and Biodiversity: Science and Policy in the European Union Funded by the Fullbright-Shuman EU program postdoc scholar Terry-René Brown studies climated-related shifts in the incidence of cyanobacterial blooms in Dutch...

2017

Extending the applicability of the water quality model for shallow lakes PCLake to lakes around the world, including deep lakes (PCLake+) The aim of this project is to extend the applicability of the water quality models for shallow lakes PCLake to lakes around the world, including deep lakes.

2017

Feeding the ducks: Effects on ecological water quality Feeding waterfowl and fish is a common practice in urban water systems. However, this also adds nutrients and attracts more birds to the water, leading to...

2017

Identifying ecological tradeoffs in freshwater phytoplankton in response to warming, nutrient addition, and grazing Impact of warming, grazing and nutrient availability on trade-offs in phytoplankton communities.

2017

Impact of large grazers on plant quality and abundance of arthropods Large grazers affect the quality of grassland vegetation for smaller herbivores such as arthropods. Also atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition and phosphorus (P...

2017

Impact of large herbivores on grassland ecosystems across the globe Vertebrate herbivores are key drivers of species composition and ecosystem functioning in terrestrial and wetland ecosystems worldwide. Currently, communities...

2017

Linking ESFs In Linking ESFs we build Bayesian belief networks of causal relationships between a range of ecological drivers and aquatic ecosystem response. We work...

2017

LOcal Treatment of Urban Sewage Streams for Healthy Reuse (LOTUS-HR) LOTUSHR will demonstrate a novel holistic (waste-)water management approach for the recovery of water, energy and nutrients from urban wastewater. The required...

2017

MANTEL MANTEL is a multi-country European project focused on the observation and analysis of extreme climatic events. The aim of the MANTEL project is to assess how...

2017

Nature in production: development of the novel ecosystem Marker Wadden To improve the ecological quality of Lake Markermeer, a new archipelago is built, the Marker Wadden. We investigate food web assembly in this novel ecosystem,...

2017

Normativities of wastewater treatment: Putting micro-algae to work in Ecovillage Boekel The project combines three lines of research to develop a water saving system that recovers nutrients and microelements while removing micro-pollutants and...

2017

Nutrient recycling by plants and animals: consequences for ecological restoration Animals recycle nutrients by consumption and subsequent egestion and excretion and by sediment disturbance. In this project, we test whether benthic animals...

2017

Setting up a novel, long-term NIOO research line on vertebrate grazing in a globally distributed experimental network Vertebrate herbivores have strong effects on the biodiversity, structure and functioning of grasslands. With this project we build a field site according to...

2017

System diagnosis of Lake de Kurenpolder The ecosystem services (recreation) of this deep lake have been compromised by cyanobacterial blooms. Using a combination of fieldwork, modelling and...

2017

System diagnosis of lake Put bij de Omloop The ecosystem services (recreation) of this deep lake have been compromised by cyanobacterial blooms. Using a combination of fieldwork, modelling and...

2017

The impact of seed-dispersal by animals on plant distributions: an experimental and modelling approach Animals affect plant distributions by internal transport of seeds (endozoochory). However, quantifying seed survival after animal consumption requires animal...

2017

The impact of temperature rise on silica content of aquatic plants and their decomposition Aquatic plants contain silica, which can reduce plant palatability to herbivores and plant decomposition. However, it is unclear how temperature rise affects...

2017

The zooplankton-microbiome: beyond microbe-host associations (MicroZoo)

2017

What prevents macrophytes (re-) growth in brackish waters in Goeree-Overflakkee? Ditches and lakes on the island of Goeree-Overflakkee located in the southwestern parts of the Netherlands currently have little to no macrophyte growth...

2016

Collaboration water boards, consultancies and knowlegde institutes on ecological water quality modelling (PCSAMEN) Water quality models play an increasing role in day-to-day water quality management. At the same time, new scientific insights and technological progress drive...

2016

Daphnia-parasite interactions on ecosystem level: is there a scope for eco-coevolutionary dynamics? (G060216N) This project studies the role of host-parasite coevolution as an important evolutionary process underlying eco-evolutionary dynamics, i.e. ‘eco-coevolutionary...

2016

Ecologische verduurzaming van agrarische landschappen: naar een wetenschappelijk gefundeerde beheersvisie voor Polder Oukoop Water quality in a polder ditch network is not only governed by total nutrient input but also by the spatial variation of this input and the peculiar pattern...

2016

Ensemble modelling of algal blooms in polluted lakes with process-based water quality models (PCBLOOM) The excessive growth of cyanobacteria in surface waters around the world poses a threat to public health and can lead to high societal costs. The mechanisms...

2016

Entangled enemies: Parasites caught in the food web Parasites are exceedingly common in nature, but they are rarely included in food-web research. We study how parasites influence competition between free-living...

2016

ESF4 Habitat structure Together with consultancies Tauw and Witteveen + Bos, AKWA develops a quick scan for water managers, to gain a first understanding of the potential impact of...

2016

Exploring, exploiting and evolving the GBIF reviewExploring, exploiting and evolving the potential of GBIF for biodiversity studies (GIBF review) The aim of this project is to study how the the Global Biodiversity Facility (GBIF) can be used more effectively in scientific research.

2015

Agent-based modelling of the spatial dynamics of Maui-dolphin (PCDOLPHIN) With a total population size below 70 individuals, the Maui dolphins are ranked as critically endangered. To avoid further collapse, commercial fishery...

2015

Biotic resistance to invasions of aquatic plants Invasive plants are threatening the diversity and abundance of native species in aquatic ecosystems. Native plants and animals can provide biotic resistance to...

2015

Ecological stoichiometry of rotifers Phosphorus limitation strongly affects the somatic growth rate, reproduction and survival of consumers. P-limitation may affect zooplankton consumers not only...

2015

European Multilake Survey Increased nutrient pollution and global warming may further promote harmful algal and cyanobacterial blooms, adding urgency for scientists and lake managers to...

2015

Harmful algal blooms under multiple stressors: consequences for traits, timing and toxicity Studying the impacts of elevated pCO2, warming and N limitation on marine dinoflagellates.

2015

Rapid rotifer adaptation – an investigation into the adaptive potential of asexual lineages The capacity of populations to adapt rapidly to a changing environment can strongly contribute to the persistence of populations, the maintenance of...

2015

Regulation of secondary metabolites across ecosystems: Stoichiometric constraints on communication and defense? Testing how secondary metabolites are stoichiometrically regulated across systems.

2015

System diagnosis of Lake Wylenbergmeer The ecosystem services (recreation) of this shallow lake have been compromised by cyanobacterial blooms. Using a combination of fieldwork and experimentation,...

2015

The cryptic species complex of Brachionus calyciflorus Although the monogonont rotifer Brachionus calyciflorus has been the most widely studied freshwater rotifer species it has only recently been characterized as...

2015

Water quality of urban ponds in the province of Noord-Brabant Using a multivariate statistical modelling approach based on Legendre et al, 2010, AKWA analyzed time-series data of 25 urban point to detect relationships...

2014

Combined effect of elevated pCO2 and nitrogen limitation on the marine coccolithophore Emiliania huxleyi. Chemostat experiments on the impact of elevated pCO2 and N limitation on the calcareous alga Emiliania huxleyi.

2014

Disentangling the impact of increased nutrient loading and changed hydrology on the water quality of lake Chaohu, China (PCChao) Over the past decades, Lake Chao, a large shallow lake in China, has been heavily loaded with nutrients. At the same time, the hydrology of the lake has been...

2014

Ecosystem services of man-made lakes (DESAPIT) Man-made lakes are lake ecosystems created by sand mining activities. With an extensive sampling campaign we want to assess the ecosystems service these...

2014

Impact of climate warming on trophic interactions in aquatic food webs (Hotwebs) Temperature rise can affect the strength of plant-herbivore interactions. This project tests whether ectotherm omnivorous animals may not just eat more, but...

2014

Macrophyte colonization: constraints and windows of opportunity With improved water quality through reductions in nutrient loading, water transparency increases and submerged vegetation can develop. However, recently, the...

2014

Mitigating the impact of flooding along rivers: grazing for biodiversity and safety (Rivier) With ongoing climate change, rivers are predicted to discharge large quantities of water in a short time (flood pulses) more often. Flood plains should...

2014

Mitigation of toxic dinoflagellates in the Dutch Delta In recent years, the incidence of blooms of the toxic dinoflagellate Alexandrium ostenfeldii has been increasing in the Dutch Delta. These blooms pose a health...

2014

Rapid evolution in rotifers under conditions of stoichiometric imbalance Environmental change may drive rapid genetic adaptation in consumer populations. Such rapid evolution may in turn have important consequences for ecological...

2014

Recovering nutrients and carbon from concentrated black water - a sustainable decentralized approach for wastewater treatment Compare two decentralised sanitation treatment systems for concentrated wastewaters with microalgae tecnology. Pilot-scale testing of tubular PBRs in The...

2014

Rehabilitation of Lake Boyuk Shor, Azerbeijan Boyuk Shor is the second largest lake of Azerbeijan. It is an endorheic brackish lake. Its water quality is heavily compromised by the discharge of oil waste...

2014

Resources and biotic interactions in a metacommunity context Meta-ecosystem ecology is a recent discipline that attempts to integrate the study of the consequences of organism exchange among communities (cf...

2014

The impact of climate change on toxic cyanobacterial communities Effects of elevated pCO2 and N limitation on the harmful cyanobacterium Microcystis.

2014

The role of pathogens in structuring phytoplankton communities (PHYTOPATHO) Impact of warming and nutrient availability on chytrid infection dynamics.

2013

Bottom-up and top-down control of terrestrialisation and biodiversity in fens (Verlanding) Wetlands harbor high biodiversity and provide important ecosystem services, including nutrient retention and carbon sequestration. However, many wetlands are...

2013

Carbon retention in freshwater lakes (CARBRET) Freshwater bodies can contribute to carbon retention. In this project, we test the contribution of different types of primary producers, phytoplankton and...

2013

Empirical studies on the impact of fish aggregation device (FAD) utilization on Tuna Fisheries in the Phillipines and Indonesia (BESTTUNA) Fish aggregation devices (FADs) are extensively used in tuna fisheries in the Philippines and Indonesia. FADs increase the efficiency of fishing activities and...

2013

Impact of Ocean Acidification on the phytoplankton community in North Sea coastal waters Large outdoor mesocosm experiment testing the impact of ocean acidification on natural North Sea phytoplankton communities.

2013

NETLAKE NETLAKE (Networking Lake Observatories in Europe) is an EU COST Action (ES 1201) that aims to build a network of sites and individuals to support the...

2013

NETLAKE Citizen Science NETLAKE Citizen Science is part of Networking Lake Observatories in Europe (NETLAKE) EU COST Action (ES 1201). The NETLAKE Citizen Science water quality survey...

2013

Spring Blitz The Spring Blitz is a coordinated effort from researchers around the world to link changes in water stability during the onset of stratification to plankton...

2013

Steering for structure Heterogeneity in habitat structure is hypothesized to have a great impact on the biodiversity and ecosystem functioning of ditch systems. The construction of...

2013

System diagnosis of lakes Lammetjeswiel and Slingeland The ecosystem services (recreation) of these lakes have been compromised by cyanobacterial blooms. Using a combination of fieldwork and experimentation AKWA...

2012

Development of effective strategies for the conservation and development of landscape wide aquatic biodiversity in agricultural areas In nature conservation, focus should be directed towards regional rather than local biodiversity. Regional diversity is governed by entirely different...

2012

Eco-engineering: testing conditions for marsh development (MarkerMeerMoeras) Freshwater marshes contain high biodiversity and provide crucial ecosystem services, including shoreline protection and nutrient retention. Therefore, marsh...

2012

Ecosystem functions of invasive aquatic plants (Invasives) Submerged macrophytes have positive effects on aquatic biodiversity and ecosystem functions. Exotic macrophytes are undesired and removed. The aim of this...

2012

Genomic approach to study induced defenses in cyanobacteria An expression library of the toxic cyanobacterium is assembled. Microcystis is exposed to both abiotic (N, P, light, temperature) and biotic (competition,...

2012

Good tidings for red tides: Responses of toxic and calcareous dinoflagellates to Global Change Combined effect of elevated pCO2 and N limitation on toxic and calcareous dinoflagellates.

2012

Identifying critical nutrient loadings for lake Taihu, China (PCChina) Over the past decades, Lake Taihu, a large shallow lake in China, has been heavily loaded with nutrients. This has resulted in a loss of most of the submerged...

2012

Nuisance plant growth: causes, consequences and opportunities (Macromanage) Aquatic plants can become super abundant and cause nuisance for human use. In this project, we investigate the causes of nuisance growth and how aquatic plants...

2012

Spatial and environmental determinants of Eco-Evolutionary Dynamics: anthropogenic environments as a model (SPEEDY) Organisms haven been shown to show rapid microevolutionary responses to environmental change and habitat fragmentation related to urbanization. Through a...

2011

Double Trouble: Consequences of Ocean Acidification – Past, Present and Future – The dinoflagellates component Impact of elevated pCO2 on 13C fractionation in marine dinoflagellates.

2011

Improving the water quality models for shallow lakes PCLake and for linear waters PCDitch (PCStowa) PCLake is a dynamical food web model for shallow lakes. It has been developed to study the impact of eutrophication. The model shows alternative stable states...

2011

Recycling black water nutrients by algae-based photobiodegradation (Algobioloop) Implementation of a UASB (upflow anaerobic sludge blanket) reactor for pre-treating the source separated black water (BW) of the NIOO building. Assess the...

2009

Early warning against scums Empirical data for the EWACS model are collected in NIOO’s Limnotrons under various mixing regimes. EWACS (Early Warning Against Cyano Scums) predicts the...

2009

Filter feeders Under Stress in changing lake ecosystems and its impact on higher Trophic levels in lakes Marker and IJsselmeer, The Netherlands In this project the food web of lakes Ijssel- and Markermeer are subject of study. Changes in the food web have led to a dramatic decline of many of the bird...

2009

Maintenance and development of PCLake, a process-based water quality model for lakes (PCLAKE) PCLake is a dynamical food web model for shallow lakes. It has been developed to study the impact of eutrophication. The model shows alternative stable states...

2009

Restoration of lake Terra Nova by Iron Addition (Terra) In this project restoration of the lake Terra Nova through the addition of large amounts of iron (to bind phosphorous) is being studied. Consequences of iron...

2006

Effects of fish culture management on the composition and diversity of aquatic biota in ponds In ponds, the interests of fish farmers and nature conservationists often seem opposite. This project searches for ways to reconciliate both parties. This...

1996

Collaboration with the University of Miami on modelling of consumer-resource interactions (EVERGLADES). Theory on consumer-resource interactions is captured in simple sets of differential equations of predators and prey, sets of competing species or small...

Images

Department of Aquatic Ecology April 2018.jpg

Department of Aquatic Ecology, April 2018

department-aquatic-ecology-people.jpg

Contact

Head of Department

 

Ellen van Donk
e.vandonk@nioo.knaw.nl

 

Visiting Address

 

Droevendaalsesteeg 10
6708 PB Wageningen
T 0317 47 34 00 

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