Global Change Ecology Centre
Welcome to the website of the Global Change Ecology Excellence Center. The goal of our consortium is to perform state-of-the-art ecological research, by creating synergies between the research groups Plants and Ecosystems, Evolutionary Ecology and Ecosphere. Check to the right for the websites of the different research groups. Through the synergies in our consortium, we aim to:
-Conduct fundamental ecological research, that is subsequently applied to develop nature-based solutions for global change mitigation and adaptation.
-Assess interactive global change effects, by investing strongly in advanced infrastructure for experimentation and observation.
-Step out with our science, investing strongly in science communication and citizen science.
Our vision
The GCE excellence centre joins the expertise of 3 research groups of the Department of Biology, UAntwerp. All the consortium members have a strong scientific reputation in ecology. In their research, they are looking at the influence of global changes on natural ecosystems, from different points of view: climate change and extreme climates, invasive plants and animals, changes in crucial element cycles (like nitrogen and phosphorus), habitat fragmentation,...
The GCE couples this knowledge, to allow a big step forward in the understanding of human impact on the environment. Interactions between different pressures are crucial to understand the consequences of human intervention, but these interactions also form a strong scientific challenge. Addressing this challenge is possible through the unique scientific synergy.
We particularly put focus on strengthening our research communication, e.g. through the website, through social networks, through citizen science and by joining public science events.
Members
Spokesperson: Ivan Janssens
Promotors: Erik Matthysen, Jonas Schoelynck, Ivan Nijs, Matteo Campioli, Stijn Temmerman, Sara Vicca
Key senior researchers: Jan Staes, Dieter Heylen, Jonas Lembrechts, Bert Gielen, Jean-Philippe Belliard, Hans De Boeck, Lucinda Kirkpatrick, Katrien Van der Biest
Research Manager: Eric Struyf
Research Group Ecosphere
Ecosphere research concentrates on the ecology of aquatic ecosystems and wetlands and the processes in the land-water interaction along the whole river continuum and the river-coastal sea interaction.
Master in Global Change Biology
Learn about the multifaceted nature of global change, encompassing changes in climate, land use, water and biogeochemical cycles, as well as environmental pollution and the loss of biodiversity.
Research Group Evolutionary Ecology
EVECO research focuses on dispersal and population structure, host-parasite interactions and infectious diseases, and the evolutionary basis of diversity in life-history strategies and phenotypic variation.
Research Group Plants and Ecosystems
The overarching theme of the research group PLECO is the study of the effects of global changes – in the broadest meaning of the term – on plants and ecosystems.
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Recent news
Historical data links climate change to malaria increase
Belgian and Congolese scientists can establish link through analysis of historical data
Plants move to the west
Nitrogen pollution relates to unexpected westward shift in European forest plants
More persistent weather changes soil microbes
The alternation of longer dry and wet periods profoundly changes the soil fungi communities, while soil bacterial communities are little affected. However, these changes in the soil do not seem to adapt the ecosystem to these new climate regimes.