Liesbeth Bakker (chair)
T +31 (0)317 473 557
Casper van Leeuwen (coordinator)
T +31 (0)317 473 400
Twitter: @cwe_wetlands
10th of October 2019
Hotel De Wageningsche Berg, Wageningen
This symposium on the occasion of the retirement of Ellen van Donk from the Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), brings together insights into the functioning of aquatic ecosystems to which Ellen’s research has contributed. Her research spans 40 years, and has provided the basis for theory development, lake-ecosystem models and restoration practices. Ellen has been especially interested in how ecological mechanisms and abiotic factors govern the dynamics and structure of food webs in aquatic ecosystems. She has initiated several innovative research lines that have been picked up by the international scientific community, e.g. on the impact of chemical information transfer on food web interactions in lakes, host-parasite interactions in plankton, ecological restoration of lakes, and biological control of toxic cyanobacteria. This CWE symposium provides insights on all relevant levels of biological organisation, ranging from changes in phytoplankton populations through trophic and indirect interactions of food web modules, to the biotic and abiotic factors that structure aquatic communities in entire lakes.
Presentations
Jos Verhoeven (Utrecht University): Lakes and wetlands: the marginal zone.
Marcel Klinge (Witteveen & Bos): Biomanipulation and Ellen - still ahead of their time after more than thirty years.
Miquel Lurling (Wageningen University & Research): Smelly waters: the steering role of infochemicals in aquatic food webs.
Maiko Kagami (Yokohama National University): Homage to deep lake Maarsseveen: from Ellen's PhD toward ecological study of chytrids.
Jef Huisman (University of Amsterdam): When quality matters!
Mandy Velthuis (Wageningen Environmental Research): Elements of carbon cycling: aquatic primary producers under global change.
Lisette de Senerpont Domis (Aquatic Knowlegde Centre Wageningen): Bridging over troubled water.
Ellen van Donk (NIOO-KNAW): Forty years of networking in water.
28th of June 2019
Netherlands Institute of Ecology, Wageningen
Microbes are at the basis of all life on earth, catalysing all major biogeochemical cycles thereby also providing many ecosystem services. In light of all global challenges and securing a sustainable future for our planet a more comprehensive understanding of the functioning of microbial communities and their interaction with the environment is necessary. Microbiome research, focussing on all microbes (bacteria, archaea, fungi, prozoa) in a particular environment, has gone through a revolution in the past decade - mainly facilitated by comprehensive sequencing technology unlocking diversity and metabolic potential in large numbers of habitats and under various environental conditions. The present CWE symposium aims at bringing together examples of microbiome research in aquatic systems with relevance for biogeochemical cycling, human health, aquaculture, aquatic foodwebs and aquatic plant growth.
Presentations
Jason Woodhouse (Leibniz Institute for Freshwater Biology and Inland
Fisheries, Berlin): Microbiome research in aquatic ecosystems.
Luc Hornstra (KWR Watercycle Research Institute): Antimicrobial
resistance and aquatic environments, consequences for drinking water
production?
Laura Dijkhuizen (Utrecht University): Partners & Passengers: The
endophytic microbes persistent across the genus Azolla.
Eric Hester (Radboud University Nijmegen): The rhizosphere microbial
community of the wetland plant Juncus acutiflorus under elevated
nitrogen load.
Ellen Decaestecker (Catholic University of Leuven): The Daphnia
microbiome and host genotype as interactors in cyanobacterial tolerance.
Detmer Sipkema (Wageningen University & Research): Deep Impact:
sponge-associated microbes and antimicrobial activity change with
depth.
Irene de Bruijn (Koppert Biological Systems BV & NIOO-KNAW):
Beneficial microbes to combat diseases in salmon aquaculture.
Cornelia Welte (Radboud University Nijmegen): Methane cycling in
Arctic thermokarst lakes.
Jeanine Geelhoed (University of Antwerp): The electric microbiome:
microbial ecology of cable bacteria in sediments.
6 March 2019
University of Antwerp, Belgium
The aquatic environment is a very dynamic and complex metasystem that fulfills a large number of key services. It hosts an enormous diversity of plant and animal species, but is threatened by global change. The sustainable use, management and protection of the aquatic environment in all its diversity, is key to the success of a whole range of human activities and their long term sustainability. This CWE symposium lists present-day threats and opportunities in rivers, makes projections for the future and learns about 21st century river management.
Presentations
Bert Teunkens (University of Antwerp): Quantification and characterization of the (macro)plastic flux in the Scheldt basin (Belgium).
Jonas Schoelynck (University of Antwerp) & Paul van Loon (Flanders Environment Agency): Is the invasion of the Chinese Mitten Crab a threat to lowland rivers in Flanders?
Peter van Puijenbroek (PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency): Fish migration in European rivers: a long way to go.
Stefan Preiner (University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna) & Rosanne Reitsema (University of Antwerp): Effects of macrophytes on ecosystem metabolism and nutrient cycling in a groundwater-fed lowland river.
Stijn Temmerman, Jim van Belzen, Olivier Gourgue (University of Antwerp) & Johan van de Koppel (Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research): What will become of the Hedwig-Prosperpolder after de-embankment?
Bianca Veraart & Bart Aubroeck (Antwerp Province, Dienst Integraal Waterbeleid): Habitat restoration in small rivers using artificial materials.
Rob Fraaije (Waterboard Aa en Maas): Restoration and management of aquatic and riparian vegetation in climate proof stream valleys.
Menno Straatsma (Utrecht University): Biodiversity recovery following delta-wide measures for flood risk reduction.
Ralf Verdonschot (Wageningen Environmental Research): Riparian zone reconnection as a catalyst for watershed restoration: a case study on the Leuvenumse beek.
29 Juni 2018
Deltares, Delft
Renewable energy sources such as solar panels, geothermal energy and wind turbines are increasingly replacing fossil fuels. Freshwater and marine ecosystems provide many opportunities for generating renewable energy, however, this may come with ecological consequences. This CWE symposium brings together research on both the opportunities and consequences of the current energy transition for freshwater and marine ecosystems.
Presentations
Ralph Buij (Wageningen Environmental Research): Broad assessment of species vulnerability to the energy transition in The Netherlands and solutions for a way forward.
Jeroen Geurts, Christian Fritz and Renske Vroom (Radboud University Nijmegen): Climate mitigation in rewetted peatlands used for paludiculture.
Barry Scholten (IFTechnology): Smart polders: opportunities to generate thermal energy from polder water.
Hilde Tomassen and Fons Smolders (B-ware): Lake Ouderkerk: how the extraction of cold water and an improvement of the water quality can be combined.
Ingeborg van Splunder (Rijkswaterstaat): The impact of offshore windfarms on the marine ecosystem.
Gerard de Laak (Sportvisserij Nederland): Effects of hydropower on fish.
Rick Wortelboer (Deltares): The ecological effects of solar panels on freshwater ecosystems.
Stefan Kools (KWR Water Cycle Research Institute): The impact of geothermal heatpumps on ground water systems.
Gerben van Geest and Pascal Boderie (Deltares): The impact of cold water release on ditch ecosystems.
17 November 2017
Netherlands Institute of Ecology
The global carbon cycle is changing at an unprecedented rate, with a wide range of consequences for aquatic ecosystems. For instance, primary producers may benefit from higher levels of CO2 while ocean acidification may hamper calcification in marine organisms. Furthermore, changes in wetland functioning may feedback on global carbon cycling with shifts in greenhouse gas emissions accelerating or buffering climate change. This CWE symposium brings together research on different components of the carbon cycle in both inland and marine systems, aiming to present a comprehensive overview on the future of carbon in aquatic ecosystems.
Presentations
Appy Sluijs & Joost Frieling (Utrecht University): Oceanic carbon in the past and future
Sarian Kosten (Radboud University Nijmegen): Global change impacts on greenhouse gas emissions from aquatic ecosystems
Ralf Aben (Radboud University Nijmegen): Effect of warming and primary producer dominance on the greenhouse gas balance of shallow lakes
Gerben van Geest (Deltares): Carbon: not only a limiting nutrient in soft water lakes
Lennart de Nooijer (Royal Netherlands Insitute for Sea Research): Impacts of elevated pCO2 on marine calcifiers
Mandy Velthuis (Netherlands Institute of Ecology): Elevated pCO2 but not warming enhances C:N, C:P and N:P stoichiometry of marine phytoplankton
Jolanda Verspagen (University of Amsterdam): Impact of rising CO2 on freshwater phytoplankton – from cell to bloom dynamics
Annelies Veraart (Radboud University Nijmegen): A microbial perspective on methane oxidation in wetlands
David Campbell (University of Waikato, New Zealand): New Zealand raised peat bogs persist as strong carbon and greenhouse gas sinks during droughts and artificial water table lowering
23 June 2017 - Leiden University
Realistic predictions of how existing and emerging anthropogenic stressors (e.g. climate change, pesticides and nutrients) affect our natural environment and the organisms therein are essential for targeted ecosystem management. Historically, scientific studies have focused on the effects of single anthropogenic stressors and single ecosystems. However, it is increasingly recognized that multiple anthropogenic stressors can interact and that anthropogenic pressures resonate beyond ecosystem boundaries. This CWE symposium unites research on various stressors and natural complexity, focusing on aquatic ecosystems.
Mirco Bundschuh (SLU, Uppsala): Effects of contaminants across ecosystem boundaries: Concept and experimental design.
Annemarie van Wezel (Utrecht University/KWR): Understanding and mitigating risks of chemicals in (ground)water systems.
James Campbell and Hans Slabbekoorn (Leiden University): Sound impact on fish: From individual hearing to population effects.
Alessandro Manfrin (IGB, Berlin): Artificial light at night alters fluxes and community structure in recipient aquatic ecosystems.
Ellard Hunting (Leiden University): Cascading effects of stressors on detrital food webs.
Milo de Baat and Michiel Kraak (University of Amsterdam): Innovating ecotoxicological water quality assessment.
Thijs Bosker and Nyncke Blomer (Leiden University College): Modeling population-level impacts of stressors on sheepshead minnow in the Gulf of Mexico.
Luc De Meester (KU Leuven): Genetic adaptation to a mosaic of environmental stressors.
Els Smit (RIVM): Water quality policy in a European context: Looking for the right tools to protect aquatic ecosystems.
The Wadden Sea and the IJssel- and Markermeer were once part of the single estuary of the Zuiderzee, but have become units since closure of the Afsluitdijk in 1932. Both ecosystems continue to be of great importance as habitat for aquatic organisms, yet they also face many challenges for the conservation of plants, fish and birds. In this CWE symposium we investigate the main drivers of the functioning of these large marine and freshwater ecosystems and pay ample attention to the many new initiatives to restore and improve the quality of nature from Wadden Sea to Marker Wadden.
Han Olff (University of Groningen): Starting from scratch: assembly of novel ecosystems.
Roel Posthoorn (Natuurmonumenten): Bird paradise the (Marker) Wadden: restoration of aquatic ecosystems.
Jan van Gils (Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research): Trends and bottlenecks in shorebirds in Wadden systems.
Mennobart van Eerden (Rijkswaterstaat): Waterbird trends in Lake Markermeer and IJsselmeer.
Marjolijn Christianen (University of Groningen): What drives the production of the Wadden Sea food-web?
Harm van der Geest (University of Amsterdam): What drives productivity of Lake Markermeer?
Mariëlle van Riel (Alterra/University of Amsterdam) and Ruurd Noordhuis (Deltares): Marker Wadden “candy-shop” for birds? Historic analysis of a degrading lake and options to increase production.
Wilco de Bruijne (LINKit consult): From Wadden Sea to Marker Wadden and back: restoration of fish migration.
Laura Govers (University of Groningen/ Radboud University): Stimulating ecosystem engineers: restoration of seagrass beds.
Globalization and climate change facilitate the spread of exotic species into our ecosystems. We fear that exotic species will destroy our native ecosystems. However, our feelings towards exotic species are mixed, because sometimes they may play a crucial role in healing our damaged ecosystems. In the upcoming CWE symposium we unravel how exotic plants and animals impact ecosystem functioning, find out whether they coexist or compete with native species and discover their impact on native flora and fauna. Download a pdf of the poster
The presentations are available for download:
Talks can be downloaded from this page.
The last CWE symposium, 'Half a century of fundamental and applied wetland ecology: from acidification to climate change', was dedicated to the retirement of Prof. dr. Jan Roelofs.
Wetland ecologists have dealt with many different anthropogenic stressors over the past decades. The fundamental and applied research concerning these stressors has contributed to our knowledge on how wetland ecosystems function. In this symposium, the speakers will talk about drivers of change, important ecosystem processes and options for habitat restoration. Following the regular programme, Prof. dr. Jan Roelofs gave his official farewell lecture after 42 years of ecological research.
The symposium on Growing Peat was well visited by an international audience of more than 80 people. We had a full programme with interesting talks and a wonderful lunch excursion to the Volgermeer. The presentations are available as pdf's:
We thank all participants for their contribution to this successful symposium. The next CWE symposium, 'Half a century of fundamental and applied wetland ecology: from acidification to climate change', is dedicated to the retirement of Prof. dr. Jan Roelofs and will be held in Nijmegen at the 27th of November. More information will follow later.
Liesbeth Bakker (chair)
T +31 (0)317 473 557
Casper van Leeuwen (coordinator)
T +31 (0)317 473 400
Twitter: @cwe_wetlands