Marine Ecology Research

Author: Marjolijn

  • Now online: “Wadden Natuur Kaart”

    Now online: “Wadden Natuur Kaart”

    The Wadden Natuur kaart (Wadden Sea Nature Map) is now online: this is one of the publications of the Waddensleutels project on which I worked in the last 2+years. You should definitively explore and test it. For example; activate the benthos hotspot layer (upper left) and see which areas are most interesting as foraging areas for birds. Or check out where intertidal musselbeds occured for 5 years or more (in last 17 years). Or combine a map of shrimp fishery intensity and biodiversity. Our newly developed habitat map allows you to do these analysis per habitat type. Have a go at it. Use this interactive map to make your own map using just your web browser, print it or download it  or continue in a GIS program. In the photo you see Han Olff & Sander Holthuijsen exploring the map at a large touch screen during the symposium in Leeuwarden.

    20150416MC100031 - Version 2

    More Waddensleutels publications here

  • Symposium: Wadden Sea foodweb & role of ecosystem engineers

    Symposium: Wadden Sea foodweb & role of ecosystem engineers

    The Waddensleutels project finished 16 april 2015 with a symposium in Leeuwarden, and with that also my 1st post-doc project.  Topics here were: Which measures should we take to increase the area of musselbeds in the Dutch Wadden Sea & what is the current foodweb stucture and state (and how is this affected by the presence of mussel beds)? We learned that mussel beds are of vital importance for the Wadden sea. Musselbeds increased the biomass of benthos, fish and birds upto 4 times compared to bare surrounding areas. Mussel beds really are the foundations of life in the Wadden Sea.

    These results can be found in our scientific report & glossy

    Schermafbeelding 2015-04-17 om 22.13.55

     

  • Fieldwork Derawan 2014 photo series

    Fieldwork Derawan 2014 photo series

    I had the opportunity to go back to Derawan for 3 more weeks of fieldwork, thanks to the Schure Beijerink Popping foundation. I gathered samples for food web analysis, checked the current turtle density and seagrass biomass, recaptured green turtles and made a new series of aerial photographs with a kite (with super assistant Sipke in the 1st week). I also searched from pygmy seahorses, frogfishes and lembeh sea dragons and found them all. Enjoy the photo’s and leave a comment!

     

  • Green turtles threaten their own food source in MPAs: New paper Proceedings B

    Green turtles threaten their own food source in MPAs: New paper Proceedings B

    Our new paper is out in Proceedings of the Royal Society B! Green turtle populations have expanded so much in Indonesia’s east coast islands marine protected areas that they are adopting new feeding habits, degrading the ecosystem and threatening their own conservation. Read more about  “Habitat collapse due to overgrazing threatens turtle conservation in marine protected areas” and download the paper here.

    After press coverage of the Associated Press the news has gone viral! see Washington Post, Time and others

    rspb_christianen

  • Food Web collection Waddensleutels 2013

    Food Web collection Waddensleutels 2013

    This summer we (the Waddensleutels team) visited all dutch Wadden Islands to collect samples for food web comparisons between mussel beds and surrounding habitats. It was a very successful operation. We collected around 1800 samples of organism that are now going to be analyzed for stable isotopes at the NIOZ, Texel. Sampling involved fishing with fykes (also during nighttime), benthos cores, algal sampling, but also measuring the height profile of the mussel bed, the hydrodynamics, mussel production and much more. We are very grateful for the help of the many volunteers that helped us!  The pictures will tell you much more about the research & show some of our surprising catches, check it out:

     

    Many thanks to Arjen de Ruiter en Peter Visser for providing some of the Pictures!

    Also see this newsletter ( in dutch; nieuwsbrief Waddensleutels november 2013)

  • Research cruise SIBES 2013 on the Navicula

    Research cruise SIBES 2013 on the Navicula

    This week I am joining the SIBES 2013 crew on the Navicula. They are sampling benthos at ± 4500 points spread througout the Wadden Sea, a program that is already running for 6 years. (more…)

  • PhD thesis in the pocket!

    PhD thesis in the pocket!

    The 22th of March was the Big Day, I had to defend my PhD thesis. After a 10 minute summary about my research I had one hour to answer the questions of 8 (associate) Professors. 1.5 hours later this happy photo was taken. (more…)

  • PhD thesis online

    PhD thesis online

    You can download my PhD thesis “Seagrass systems under nutrient loads, hydrodynamics and green turtle grazing – Do turtles rule the seagrass world?” here (pdf 88 MB). And the papers of my thesis here.
    Next friday I will defend my PhD thesis at Radboud University Nijmegen.
    I still have some paper copies left. So send me an email if you want me to send it to you. If you want to watch the live videostream of my defence mail me for the link.
    Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any comments after reading my thesis. Look forward to it!

  • My research in the (Dutch) media

    My research in the (Dutch) media

    After sending out the press release about my upcoming PhD defense, my research on seaturtles destroying their own habitat did receive some attention in Trouw newspaper and a science-radio program. Check these links here.

  • 10th ISBW Buzios, Brasil (& sea hares)

    10th ISBW Buzios, Brasil (& sea hares)

    The 10th international seagrass biology workshop was a success! Together with seagrass specialists from around the globe we enjoyed 3 days packed with talks & workshops in a resort town of Buzios in Brasil. See WSA’s blog by Sity for a nice overview of the highlights and of the speakers (gallery seagrass watch)

    It also included a field trip to the seagrass (Halodole wrightii) meadows of  Ilha do Japonês, Cabo Frio. Here Dominik and I found some small green turtles above the seagrass bed and loads of sea hares swimming and mating.

    Together with the other young seagrass punks we had a great conference! See then here in their natural habitat:

    Many thanks to Tjeerd & Leon to provide funding for this great opportunity