Science, Engineering and Technology Group

Department of Biology

ECOLOGY, EVOLUTION AND BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION

Research profileOur research covers the ecology and evolution of aquaticsystems, social insects and wild plant populations.Aquatic research focuses on community ecology andecological biogeography, the sustainable use of aquaticresources, biodiversity and nature conservation, host-parasite interactions, stress ecology, evolutionary ecology,behavioural ecology, ecological genomics and microbialecology. Research on social insects focuses on the evolutionof sociality and chemical communication systems, includingstudy of their (epi)genetic basis, as well as honeybee diseases and the ongoing pollinator decline. A major research line addresses eco- and socio-evolutionary dynamics in both aquatic and terrestrial systems, using fish,insects, large branchiopods, zooplankton and bacteria asmodel systems. We also study the dynamics and evolutionaryecology of wild plant populations and their interactionswith both the abiotic environment and with mutualistssuch as pollinating insects and mycorrhizal soil fungi. Our research has societal relevance in relation to the bio -diversity crisis, nature conservation, sustainable development,water and wildlife management, pollinator declines, climatechange, eutrophication, pollution and urbanization.

KeywordsBiodiversity • Metacommunity ecology • Ecological geneticsand genomics • Social Evolution • Sociogenomics •Eco-evolutionary dynamics • Evolving metacommunities •Ecological biogeography • Sustainable development •Nature conservation • Epidemiology • Parasitology •Ecophysiology • Ecological stoichiometry • Evolutionary ecotoxicology • Behavioural ecology • Chemical ecology •Diapause strategies • Functional morphology • Microbialecology • Aquatic ecology • Terrestrial ecology.

Model organisms include marine and freshwater fishes,Daphnia, zooplankton, damselflies, large branchiopods,micro-algae, social insects (ants, honeybees, bumblebees,wasps), wild plants and parasites of these differentorganism groups. Model systems include lakes, ponds,temporary ponds, marine systems, grasslands, terrestrialvegetations.

ContactDepartment of Biology

Ecology, Evolution and Biodiversity Conservation

Charles Deberiotstraat 32 box 2439

3001 LEUVEN, Belgium

http://bio.kuleuven.be/eeb

KU Leuven. Inspiring the outstanding.

Research TopicsAquatic Ecology, Evolution and Conservation• (Meta)Community Ecology & Ecological Biogeography• Stress Ecology and evolutionary ecotoxicology• Evolutionary Ecology & Behavioural Ecology• Molecular Ecology & Ecological Genomics• Eco-evolutionary dynamics • Environmental Microbiology• Biodiversity & Nature Conservation• Sustainable development

Biodiversity and Evolutionary Genomics• Evolution of Fishes and Parasites• Bioarchaeology• Fish Systematics

Socioecology and Social Evolution• Social Evolution• Chemical Ecology and Functional Morphology of

Social Insects• Sociogenomics• Pollination Biology• Honeybee Diseases• Swarm Intelligence

Plant Conservation and Population Biology• Conservation Biology• Biotic interactions and plant population dynamics• Molecular Ecology and Genomics of Plants and

Mycorrhiza• Plant Systematics

Aquatic Biology (KU Leuven-Kulak)• Eutrophication of aquatic ecosystems• Applications of micro-algae • Ecology and evolution of host-parasite interactions

Unique infrastructure• Laboratory facilities for medium- and high-throughput

ecological genomics• Wet lab for aquatic research• Outdoor experimental arena for aquatic research• Complementary expertise in statistics ranging from

biodiversity research to metacommunity ecology,evolutionary ecology and genomics

• Climate-controlled rearing units for aquatic andterrestrial animals

• Laboratory facilities for microbial ecology• Advanced image capture and processing tools• Fully equipped infrastructure for histology and

ultrastructure• Chemical ecology lab with coupled gas

chromatograph - mass-spectrometer• Fully equipped apiary

Collaboration and usersDartmouth College, EAWAG/ETH, Jinan Univ., Max PlanckInstitute for Evolutionary Biology, McGill Univ., Oxford Univ.,Univ. of Basel, Univ. of Birmingham, Univ. of Gothenburg,Univ. of Quebec at Montreal, Univ. of Connecticut, Univ. of Oldenburg, Univ. of Uppsala, Univ. of Western Australia

Aquatic ecology projects linked to sustainable developmentin Bolivia, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Morocco, South Africa, Tanzania,Vietnam and Zimbabwe

Spin-offsBiogenomics: consultancy on ecological and evolutionary genomics:http://Biogenomics.eu