Project

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

Code
01G00920
Duration
01 January 2020 → 31 October 2026
Funding
Regional and community funding: Special Research Fund
Promotor-spokesperson
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.