The aquatic research of Ellen van Donk has delivered many fundamental insights into the functioning of aquatic ecosystems, which have provided the basis for theory development, lake-ecosystem models and restoration practices. She has been especially interested in how ecological mechanisms and abiotic factors govern the dynamics and structure of food webs in aquatic ecosystems, acknowledging the demands from society for scientific input for nature conservation and ecosystem restoration. She has initiated several innovative research lines including the impact of chemical information transfer on food web interactions in lakes, host parasite interactions in plankton, ecological restoration of lakes, and biological control of toxic cyanobacteria. These lines still form the main core of the research program of her department.
1974: BSc degree: Medicine, University of Amsterdam. Cum Laude.
From 1990 – 2016 |
Finished |
Current |
MSc students (co) supervised |
>80 |
6 |
PhD students (co) supervised |
34 |
4 |
Postdocs supervised |
20 |
8 |
2. Marieke de Lange, Effects of UV-B radiation on phytoplankton-zooplankton Interactions.WUR.1999.
3. Frederique van Holthoon, Analysis of Kairomone(s) in the Scenedesmus– Daphnia, NW0. 2004.
4. Arnout de Bruin, The role of fungal parasites in phytoplankton growth and succession of phytoplankton, KNAW. 2006.
5. Miguel Dionisio Pires, Food quality of algae on life history traits and population growth of zooplankton/Dreissena, RIZA/KNAW. 2005.
6. Gabi Mulderij, The impact of exudates from macrophytes (allelopathic substances) on phytoplankton and zooplankton communities. CWE. 2005
7. Anthony Verschoor, Effects of zooplanktivory on the structure and functioning of a tritrophic pelagic food web - a cosm approach. KNAW. 2005.
8. Thomas Jensen, Food webs, stoichiometry and carbon sequestration in aquatic ecosystems, Norwegian Science Foundation. 2006.
9. Irene van de Stap, Inducible defences: from individual plasticity to food web dynamics and persistence. NW0. 2007.
10. Camilla Blikstad, The role of toxic cyanobacteria in Norwegian ecosystems, Norwegian Science Foundation. 2008.
11. Dedmer de Waal, The impact of rising pCO2 on harmful cyanobacteria, CWE. 2010
12. Iris Charalambidou, Long-distance dispersal of aquatic organisms by migrating waterfowl, EU. 2012
13. Ellis Penning, Ecomorphology of shallow lakes, TU Delft-IHE Unesco. 2012
14. Daan Gerla, Connectivity, dispersal and priority effects as drivers of biodiversity and ecosystem function in pond and pool communities. ESF (European Union). 2012
15. Alena Gsell, Demonstrating parasite driven microevolution in natural diatom host populations, NWO. 2013
16. Susanne Wilken, Impact of mixotrophy on surface blooms of harmful cyanobacteria, NWO/KNAW. 2013
17. Anne Immers, Cyanobacterial blooms and iron addition, Agentschap NL/STOWA. 2014
18. Ilse Cornelissen. Exploitation or eutrophication as threats for fisheries? Disentangling social and ecological drivers of ecosystem changes in Lake Victoria, Tanzania, WOTRO. 2015
19. Dirk Sharpe, Autonimous Negative Trends in Lakes IJsselmeer and Markermeer, Deltares. 2015
20. Bart Grutters, Ecosystem functions of invasive aquatic plants, NWO. 2016
21. Sven Teurlincx, Development of effective strategies for the conservation and development of landscape wide aquatic biodiversity in agricultural areas, NWO. 2017
22. Mandy Velthuis, The role of primary producers in carbon retention by freshwater lakes, Gieskes Strijbis Fonds. 2018
23. Michiel Verhofstad, Mowing macrophytes for nature and society, IUCN/NERN/Artis/Dutch Ministry EL&I/NIOO. 2017
24. Thijs Frenken, The role of pathogens in structuring phytoplankton communities, NIOO-KNAW. 2018
25. Laura Seelen, Ecosystem services and deep sand pits, Province of Brabant & NIOO-KNAW
26. Kimberley Lemmen, Rapid evolution in rotifers under conditions of stoichiometric imbalance, NWO
27. Antonella Petruzzella, Biotic resistance strength against invasive aquatic macrophytes in tropical and temperate wetlands, Brazilian Council of Research, 2019
28. Peiyu Zhang, Impact of climate warming on trophic interactions in aquatic food webs, China Scholarship Council, 2019
29. Wei Zhang, Study on the phylogeny, taxonomy and ecology of cryptic species using Brachionus calyciflorus as a model system, China Scholarship Council
30. Libin Zhou, Stoichiometry of zooplankton: effects of P-limitation on life history, demography, functional response and biochemistry, China Scholarship Council
31. Karen Brandenburg, Harmful algal blooms under multiple stressors: consequences for traits, timing and toxicity, Gieskes Strijbis Fund, 2019
32. Hui Jin, The effects of benthic animals on nutrients recycling in the water column, China Scholarship Council
33. Nandini Raman, Pharmaceuticals disrupt natural information flows in aquatic ecosystems: a hidden global threat, NIOO-KNAW
34. Berte Mekonen, Effects of microplastics on freshwater food webs in the Anthropocene, Gieskes Strijbis Fund
Many of my former PhD students and Postdocs are now leading scientists: e.g., dr. M. Lürling (PhD stud.) graduated cum laude, now tenured position at Wageningen University; Dr. D. van de Waal (PhD stud.), now following a tenure-track at NIOO; Prof. Dr. M. Vos (Postdoc), now prof. at Ruhr-University Bochum, Germany; Prof. Dr. K. Schwenk (Postdoc), now prof. at the Univ. of Koblenz; Dr. Liesbeth Bakker (Postdoc), now tenure position at NIOO; Dr. L. de Senerpont Domis (Postdoc), now leads the Aquatic Knowledge Centre Wageningen; Prof.dr. B. Ibelings (Postdoc), now prof. at the University of Geneva. Prof. dr. M. Kagami, now prof. at Univ. Toho, Japan
2015: European Phycology Conference (EPC6), London, England (Invited Plenary Keynote) 2015
2013: Symposium European Freshwater Science (SEFS), Münster, Germany (Invited Lecture)
2012: Ecosummit, Ohio Columbus, USA (Invited Plenary Keynote)
2011: Shallow Lakes Conference, Wuxi, China (Invited Plenary Keynote)
2011: Linaeus University, Kalmar, Sweden (Invited Lecture)
2011: University of Lund, Lund, Sweden (Invited Lecture)
2010: Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO,) Santa Fe, USA (Invited Plenary Keynote)
2008: Conference Algal Research in a genome time, Oslo, Norway (Invited Plenary Keynote)
2006: Conference Ecological Informatics, Santa Barbara, USA (Invited Plenary Keynote)
I am often invited to present seminars at Universities and Research Institutes worldwide, among which: Leibniz Institute Berlin, Station Biologique de Roscoff, Stazione Zoologica Naples, South Florida Water Research District, NIVA (Norwegian Institute for Water Research, Oslo), Wassercluster Lunz and Limnological Institute Mondsee (Austria), EAWAG (Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Zurich) and Universities of Kalmar, Uppsala, Lund, Oslo, Konstanz, Berlin, Copenhagen, Barcelona, Lisbon & Leuven.
2016: Member Scientific Organising Committee, Congress SIL (International Society of Limnology, Torino, Italy
2015: Member Scientific Organising Committee, SEFS (Symposium European Freshwater Science), Zürich, Switzerland
2014: Member Scientific Organising Committee, Shallow Lakes Conference, Antalya, Turkey
2011: Member Steering Committee, ASLO conference (Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography), Santa Fe, USA
2000 – 2011: Member Steering Committees, several symposia CWE (Centre for Wetland Ecology), and KNAW (Dutch Royal Academy of Sciences), Amsterdam, The Netherlands
2006: Member Scientific Organising Committee, ASLO conference (Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography), Victoria, Canada
2005 : Steering Committee: International Shallow Lakes Conference, Dalfsen, The Netherlands
2004: Steering Committee: INTECOL (The International Association for Ecology) International Wetland Conference, Utrecht, The Netherlands
2003: Steering committee and chairman: International Symposium “Ecology in Freshwater Management Current Themes in Ecology”, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
2002: Steering committee: Scientific Organising Committee: International Shallow Lakes Conference, Balatonfüred, Hungary
2001:Steering Committee: Internationaal Symposium “Recent developments in applied and fundamental plankton research” KNAW-Trippenhuis, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
1999: Steering Committee: EU workshop “Steering role of infochemicals for food chain function and structure”, NIOO Nieuwersluis,The Netherlands.
1989 : Steering Committee: 1e International Conference on Biomanipulation Tool for water Management, Amsterdam, The Netherlands (August 1989)