In the Bodelier group we aim at connecting microbial identity to functioning in lab and field settings to elucidate the role of microbial diversity and traits in regulating important ecosystem processes like greenhouse gas emission from terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Our goal is to explore how viruses act as the gatekeepers of biodiversity: miniscule biological entities that influence microbial and plant biodiversity, hereby safeguarding ecosystem functioning. My research group characterizes viral diversity in agricultural and natural ecosystems, and we aim to explore how viruses impact ecosystem functioning.

Research in the Verhoeven group focuses on plant microevolution and adaptation. We combine tools from genetics, genomics and ecology to explore the capacity of plants to adapt to rapidly changing environments.

The research in the Veen Junior Group focuses on how soil communities drive fundamental ecosystem functions. Our research focusses on the role of specialized microorganisms in driving C and N cycling, their feedback to plant communities, the impact of global environmental change on soil processes and the feedback of biogeochemical cycling to atmospheric C concentrations. Our research will help us to improve sustainable agriculture and to understand and mitigate consequences of global environmental change.

Research in the Biere Group focuses on the ecology and evolution of interactions between plants and their communities of above- and belowground mutualists and antagonists, including mycorrhizae, pollinators, pathogens, insect herbivores and the herbivore’s natural enemies. We aim to understand how such interactions are disrupted or altered by changes in the environment, land use and species introductions, and what the consequences of such alterations are for the functioning, ecology, and evolution of the organisms involved. Such information can help us in the design of management practices in sustainable agriculture and predict how plants respond to environmental change.

Nocturnal illumination leads to a permanent disturbance of natural habitats and there is accumulating evidence for – often negative – impact of artificial light in an increasing number of species. However, most studies are correlative and only include immediate or short-term effects of artificial light at the level of the individual while long-term consequences are still largely unknown.

Why and how do animals vary in their ability to reproduce

'Personality' describes the phenomenon that individuals consistently differ in their behaviour and have limited flexibility to respond to environmental challenges. Our interest lies in describing the causes of these differences and the consequences for individual fitness and population processes in order to better understand the existence and maintenance of individual variation in behaviour.

Scaling up from processes at the individual level to patterns at the population level.

The research in the Visser Group focuses on seasonal timing of growth and reproduction. We aim to understand the causes of variation in timing and the consequences of this for fitness and population processes.