Droevendaalsesteeg 10
6708 PB Wageningen
The Netherlands
About
My research concerns phytoplankton dynamics and their intrinsic characteristics (ecological niche and functional traits) in relation to human-induced environmental pressures.
Biography
Arnaud obtained a PhD at the University of Littoral and Opale Coast (France) on marine phytoplankton ecology. He gained experience after post-docs at the Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, IFREMER and CNRS before starting his position at NIOO-KNAW. He uses flow cytometry to study functional traits and ecological niches of both marine and freshwater phytoplankton communities. Under Bloomtox project, he brings his expertise to better understand cyanobacterial responses to human-induced environmental pressures, from the cell to communities.
Research groups
Research Expertise
Aquatic ecology Functional response Marine ecology Phytoplankton Plankton community assemblyProjects & collaborations
Projects
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Climate change impacts on harmful algal blooms
Harmful cyanobacterial blooms produce toxins that are a major threat to water quality and human health. Blooms increase with eutrophication and are expected to be amplified by climate change. Yet, we lack a mechanistic understanding on the toxicity of blooms, and their response to the complex interplay of multiple global change factors. Bloom toxicity is determined by a combination of mechanisms acting at different ecological scales, ranging from cyanobacterial biomass accumulation in the ecosystem, to the dominance of toxic species in the community, contribution of toxic genotypes in the population, and the amounts of toxins in cells.
Featured in
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Dealing with bluegreen algae
Worldwide, excessive nutrient loads in lakes and reservoirs have led to the rapid increase of harmful cyanobacteria. Blooms of these algae block the use of surface water for drinking, irrigation and recreation. Climate change is expected to further increase the frequency, duration, and magnitude of cyanobacterial blooms. Aquatic ecologists from NIOO are busy gaining more detailed insights into cyanobacterial blooms across scales, in future climates and in respect to toxicity.