Project

Top-down controls in marine benthic foodwebs: effects of bacterivores and their predators on bacterial communities, and implications for ecosystem functioning

Code

01J14809

Duration

01 January 2009 → 31 October 2013

Funding

Regional and community funding: Special Research Fund

Promotor

Tom Moens

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.