Soil biodiversity is of great importance for the maintenance of multifunctionality in terrestrial ecosystems.

Promotores: J.A.van Veen, P.L.G.Klinkhamer. Co-promotor: E.E.Kuramae

The soil ecosystem consists of the largest reservoir of biodiversity on Earth.

How soil microbial composition impacts structure and composition of the aboveground plant and animal communities?

Promotors: Prof.dr. G.R. de Snoo, Prof.dr. G.A. Persoon, Prof.dr.ir. H.H. de Iongh

Promotor: J.A. van Veen, Co-promotor: E.E. Kuramae

Soil is a home for an unbelievable diversity and abundance of microbial life that is essential for supporting life on our planet.

The use of N fertilizers has increased worldwide in the past century. While this increased input of N has increased food productivity, it has also contributed to decreases in biodiversity, soil quality and environmental health, including increases in greenhouse gas emissions.

In this thesis, the role of plant-mediated soil legacy effects in shaping aboveground plant-insect interactions was investigated.

The main research question of this thesis was: Can nitrogen cycling on dairy farms on peat soil in the Dutch Green Heart area be improved by adapting management to the nitrogen supply from soil and by using other grassland species and crops without affecting milk production?

Promotores: Prof.dr. H. van Veen & Prof.dr. W. de Boer (Wageningen University)

By growing in a soil plants change the biotic and abiotic properties of the soil in which they grow.

How presence, abundance and enzymatic activities of AM and EM fungi differently affect soil carbon sequestration processes?

In deze opleiding streef je naar het beantwoorden van biologische vraagstukken in relatie tot milieu, ecologie en andere maatschappelijk relevante onderwerpen.

Plants and soils from natural ecosystems harbor great diversity of soil microorganisms, which could potentially contribute to the sustainability of horticulture. The knowledge about using wild plant species and soil from natural ecosystem to improve the crop health will advance the application of ecological…

In this thesis, I focused on studying the above- and belowground interactions of J. vulgaris from a plant-soil feedback (hereafter, PSF) perspective. I investigated the temporal variation of negative PSF and examined the effects of root-associated bacteria on plant performance and aboveground herbiv…

In this PhD study, I aim to deepen our understanding of the influence of major mycorrhizal types, namely arbuscular mycorrhizae (AM) and ectomycorrhizae (EM), on the global soil carbon cycle and their potential distribution changes under future environmental shifts.

A management strategy has been developed for field margins to reduce pesticide drift to non-target areas and to promote biodiversity on arable land. To this end, 3 and 6 m wide strips along the edges of winter wheat, sugar beet and potato crops have been left unsprayed with herbicides and insecticides…

Freshwater biodiversity has been threatened by eutrophication due to excessive nutrients in the environment. Releasing the freshwater species from such pressures requires efforts from industry and manufacturers to avoid emissions to vulnerable and high-risk regions.

Vinasse is a major by-product generated by the sugarcane biofuel industry. It is a source of microbes, nutrients and organic matter and often it is recycled as fertilizer.

Do sustainability values play a role in motivating people to act for biodiversity in successful projects and in successful leadership action? And how could these values be incorporated in current economic valuation methods?

Does a high quality prairie restoration in an urban/agricultural landscape provide invertebrates necessary for a sustainable ecosystem?

Striga hermonthica, commonly known as witchweed, infests major cereal crops in Sub-Saharan Africa causing severe yield losses and threatening the livelihood of millions of resource poor farmers.

The Vallesian, 11.1-9 Ma, was a special time in the Vallès-Penedes basin near Barcelona, where a biodiversity hotspot existed. Europe had a subtropical climate, with rhinos, forest giraffes, lions, hyenas, flying squirrels and primates.

Freshwater and brackish water ecosystems are arguably the most vulnerable ecosystems on earth, due to concentrated human developments in and around them. The Pontocaspian (PC) region located at the border of Europe and Asia contains a variety of brackish water ecosystems and unique inhabitants, known…

Sociale Wetenschappen

De

Elk onderdeel van de kringloop op een melkveebedrijf heeft een specifieke bacterie- en schimmelsamenstelling. Dat ontdekten de Leidse postdoc onderzoeker Sofia Gomes en haar begeleiders Nadia Soudzilovskaia en Peter van Bodegom in samenwerking met het Louis Bolk instituut en Naturalis Biodiversity Centre.…

Muziek van een composteerbare cello, foto’s en geurtjes van schimmels en een geweven wandkleed. Het zijn een aantal voorbeelden uit Super Organism, het kunstproject van Suzette Bousema waarin je de ondergrondse schimmelwereld met al je zintuigen kunt beleven. Leids milieuwetenschapper Nadia Soudzolovskaia…

Herstel van de natuur op uitgeputte landbouwgrond en in natuurgebieden verloopt moeizaam. ‘Bodemtransplantatie’ kan mogelijk uitkomst bieden. Dat betoogt Martijn Bezemer, hoogleraar Ecologie van Plant-Microbe-Insect interacties. Oratie op 18 december.

What are the global relationships between environmental conditions and abundance of distinct types of mycorrhizal fungi in soil and plant roots?

In his dissertation Michiel Hooykaas outlines the results of six empirical research projects focused at biodiversity awareness in the Netherlands, specifically people’s knowledge about animals.

‘Wat ik aantrekkelijk vind aan het bodemleven, is dat het stuurbaar is,’ verklapt onderzoeker Martijn Bezemer van het Instituut Biologie Leiden (IBL). ‘Dat je kan zeggen: wat wil je? En dat ik de bodem dan kan omtoveren tot iets wat jij nodig hebt. Ten minste, dat dachten we.’

Does roadside management in the mid-west USA increase invertebrate diversity similar to practices in Europe?

Creating information portals for support of European environmental policy.

Jan Willem Erisman wilde als kind al dingen beter maken. Als hoogleraar Duurzaamheid en Milieu is hij daarom ook buiten de universiteit actief. Hij staat bekend als de stikstofprofessor: in de media, maar ookin de Tweede Kamer legt hij het stikstofprobleem uit. Recent trad hij toe tot de Europese Soil…

How can we quantify the density of species within a community through environmental DNA concentrations?

1: What is the relative importance of alfa and beta biodiversity in polar ecosystems, and how does intraspecific variation influence this? 2: How can we use remote sensing to determine functional biodiversity (within communities) in polar ecosystems? 3: Temporal and spatial scales of functional biodiversity:…

Plant diversity is essential for us and our planet as it sustains the stability of our ecosystems, provides vital materials and food to us and supports many ecosystem services.

The application of nanomaterials in industrial processes and consumer products provides many societal benefits, but can also lead to the release of nanomaterials into the environment. The work in this dissertation aims to provide insights into the potential environmental impacts that may follow from…

Een leefbare aarde. Meer biodiversiteit. En verstandig omgaan met resources. Bij het CML willen we impact maken met ons onderzoek én onderwijs. Op deze website lees je hoe we dat doen.

What invertebrates live in the fields and edges? Do the populations change with landscape complexity?

What invertebrates are available to feed nestlings in an agricultural landscape of varied complexity?

What are the behaviours of plant traits throughout various points in the growing season in a radiative transfer model framework and how well can this knowledge be integrated through data assimilation to provide priors for robust local and global vegetation products and analysis?

Promotor: E. Gittenberger, Co-promotores: B.W. Hoeksema; L.P. van Ofwegen

Biodiversity enables ecosystems to thrive through the synergy of functional differences among organisms. While human well-being strongly depends on biodiversity-driven ecosystem services, human actions are also at the root of current unprecedented biodiversity declines.

Promotor: E. Gittenberger, Co-promotor: B.W. Hoeksema