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Predicting plant-soil feedbacks from plant traits
In nature, plants cannot grow without soil biota such as fungi and bacteria. Successful plants are able to harness positive, growth-promoting soil organisms while avoiding the negative effects of others. Which plant traits can predict these interactions, or the success of a plant? Researchers and plant breeders would like to know. In a paper in the Journal of Ecology of August 24, a team from the Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen University and the Universität Leipzig tested exactly this and found thick roots to be a leading trait. -
Pharmaceutical residues increasingly disrupt aquatic life
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. -
Nuisance growth of aquatic plants: to mow or not to mow?
Massive growth of submerged aquatic plants can be a nuisance, especially in summer. It's up to water managers to limit the inconvenience for swimmers, boats and fishermen in a way that is both responsible and cost-effective. Michiel Verhofstad defended his PhD thesis this week on the 'root' causes of the problem, and how best to tackle it. -
PhD thesis defence Eline Ampt-Blom: plant-fungal interactions effects on disease risk belowground
Eline Ampt-Blom will defend her PhD thesis "Deciphering belowground plant-fungal interactions to understand the effects of biodiversity on disease risk" -
Soil legacy effects on plant biotic interactions
We are interested in how different plant species change the soil microbial community, especially the community of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, and how that changes the interactions of later growing plants with plant-parasitic nematodes.