Project

Forest biodiversity and multifunctionality drive chronic stress-mediated dynamics in pathogen reservoirs

Code

01G00920

Duration

01 January 2020 → 31 October 2027

Funding

Regional and community funding: Special Research Fund

Promotor-spokesperson

Kris Verheyen

Research disciplines

Agricultural and food sciences
- Forestry management and modelling

Keywords

biodiversity ecosystem multifunctionality forest ecology chronic stress host-pathogen dynamics

Project description

This project aims to advance our understanding of how multifunctional performance levels of forests, driven by tree species diversity, affect stress-mediated host-pathogen dynamics in a broad range of vertebrate species. We therefore combine field observations in selected forests across N-Belgium with lab experiments on animal- and zoonotic diseases and state-of-the-art statistical and mechanistic modelling to generalize the obtained results.