Code
01J14809
Duration
01 January 2009 → 31 October 2013
Funding
Regional and community funding: Special Research Fund
Promotor
Research disciplines
-
Natural sciences
- Geology
- Animal biology
- Microbiology
- Systems biology
- Aquatic sciences, challenges and pollution
-
Medical and health sciences
- Laboratory medicine
- Microbiology
- Laboratory medicine
- Laboratory medicine
- Microbiology
Keywords
predation
ecosystem function
community structure
grazing
benthos
trophic interactions
marine
harpacticoid copepods
bacteria
biodiversity
nematodes
Project description
This project investigates the importance of (a) predatory and (b) horizontal (competitive, facilitative, …) interactions for meiobenthic community assembly. It also investigates how meiofauna affect bacterial community structure, diversity and metabolism, and benthic ecosystem functions like organic matter decomposition and nutrient cycling. The focus of this project is on top-down effects and on trophic cascades from predators over bacterivores to bacteria.