NIOO-researchers Marjolijn Christianen, Antica Culina and Stefan Geisen have been awarded a Veni-grant by the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO).

Veni, for researchers who recently obtained their doctorate, is a part of NWO's Talent Scheme programme along with Vidi and Vici. Laureates receive 250,000 euros to develop their ideas over a three-year period. 154 researchers were awarded Veni-grants this year, out of 1127 eligible applicants.

Marjolijn Christianen (Aquatic Ecology) - Global wildlife loss and plant invasion: cascading effects on seagrass ecosystem services

People depend on ecosystems for services such as coastal protection, yet human-induced changes disrupt ecosystems worldwide. Marjolijn Christianen will investigate how green sea turtles, as large grazers, and invasive seagrass interactively affect seagrass ecosystem services. A tool will be developed to use green turtle foraging patterns for global monitoring of (invasive) seagrass biomass.

Antica Culina (Animal Ecology) - Birds divorce only for a good reason

Many species (including humans) form bonds that involve both partners spending a breeding season together and caring for their offspring. Like humans, birds sometimes divorce. Antica Culina will study why some great tit couples remain together while others divorce, and what impact divorce has on the survival of males and females.

Stefan Geisen (Terrestrial Ecology) - Soil protists and plants: who is in control?

Protists are microbial organisms that promote plant performance by releasing nutrients from their bacterial prey. Yet it remains unknown if plants select for their own protist community, and if higher diversity affects plant performance. Stefan Geisen will address this research-question by examining plant-protist interactions in different successional stages.