Projects
Biodiversity, biogeography and impact of climate change on moss-associated diatom communities in the Arctic Ghent University
Today, there is consensus that we live in the Anthropocene, a new geological epoch in which human-induced changes have a serious impact on the environment and our climate, especially in polar regions. To evaluate how Arctic terrestrial ecosystems are affected, we need bio-indicators to monitor past, present and future responses. The current project focusses on Arctic moss-associated (MA) diatoms, excellent sentinels for climate change and ...
A genomic look into the evolution and biogeography of the ichthyofauna of the Albertine rift KU Leuven
The landscape we observe today is the result of ancient changes in geology and past fluctuations in climate. Just as these forces shaped landscapes, they molded the genomes of the organisms that inhabit them. Hence, the genomic record offers a glimpse into the past, equally rich as that of the geological and fossil record. However, just as the forces of time eroded away the geological record, extinctions did so for the genomic record. Hence, ...
The biodiversity, biogeography and evolutionary history of the non-cichlid fish fauna from the region of Lakes Kivu, Edward and Albert (Africa) KU Leuven
We propose a new model group for speciation research, the African small barbs (Enteromius), the world’s third species-richest fish genus, with a substantial unrecognised diversity. Contrary to most other species-rich groups, no sets of special features are found in Enteromius that can be linked to extraordinary speciation events. They live in rivers and display little variation in colour pattern, reproductive behaviour and morphology. This ...
Diversity and biogeography of deep-sea nematodes in the Clarion-Clipperton Fracture Zone: integrating morphology and genetics Ghent University
The Clarion-Clipperton Fracture Zone (CCFZ) in the tropical North Pacific the largest known reserve of commercially lucrative polymetallic nodules and this area remains mostly unexplored biologically. The current research projects aims at providing a description of the biodiversity and biogeography of deep-sea Nematodes in the CCFZ through a combination of molecular and morphological identification of species
Bridging the Linnaean and Wallacean shortfalls: Phylogenetics and evolutionary biogeography of freshwater fish fauna of Western Ghats Hotspot (India) Hasselt University
The evolution and biogeography of the Oxalis corniculata group Meise Botanic Garden
Biogeography of plethodontid salamanders reflects origin and evolution of antimicrobial skin defenses against lethal chytridiomycosis Ghent University
This research focusses on how antimicrobial peptides (AMP) in skin secretions of plethodontid salamanders cause resistance for chytridiomycosis and how these peptides have evolved. Consequently the AMP arsenal in 3 plethodontid model species will be explored as well as, the mode of action of potent AMP’s at cellular level and the distribution of genes encoding for potent AMP’s.
Phylogeny and historical biogeography and cryptic biodiversity Laophontidae T. Scott, 1905 (Copepoda, Harpacticoida). Ghent University
The joint evolution of mating-system characters and reproductive isolation in closely related hybridizing plant species: a biogeographic approach KU Leuven
The idea that selection against hybrids might favor the evolution of novel prezygotic isolating barriers was first coined by Alfred Russell Wallace in his book “Darwinism: An Exposition of the Theory of Natural Selection, with Some of Its Applications”. However, the idea has been controversial for a long time, and compelling evidence is still largely lacking. Nonetheless, recent theoretical and empirical work suggests that reinforcement may ...