Ghent University has together with Digital Arts And Entertainment students from HOWEST, created an interactive experience that delves into the intriguing and enigmatic world of microbiomes. This unique game allows players to step into the shoes of bacteria living within a seaweed host and explore the intricate web of interactions and dependencies that govern this mysterious realm. Inspired by...
The Mystery of Seagrass Dispersal: Insights from Halodule wrightii
October 11, 2023
Based on: Tavares, A.I., Assis, J., Larkin, P.D., Creed, J.C., Magalhães, K., Horta, P., Engelen, A., Cardoso, N., Barbosa, C., Pontes, S. and Regalla, A., 2023. Long range gene flow beyond predictions from oceanographic transport in a tropical marine foundation species. Scientific Reports, 13(1), p.9112. Habitat-forming marine species, like seagrasses, corals and macroalgae have wide...
Sampling marine environmental DNA to find out who was there
October 3, 2023
All organisms leave a trace of DNA in the environment that they inhabit, including those living in the ocean. We call this type of DNA, environmental DNA (eDNA). Example sources of eDNA include, but are not limited to, faeces, mucus, gametes, shed skin and dead cells. We can sample this DNA and analyse it to figure out who was there! In our case, we will use eDNA to study the biodiversity in...
Detection of oomycetes on seagrasses using state-of-the-art Nanopore sequencing
August 23, 2023
In a short research project, Kaïn van Calcar, a BSc student at the University of Amsterdam, investigated the role of oomycetes in the decline of seagrass meadows. Seagrass meadows are essential for providing various ecosystem services, including acting as habitats for marine organisms and effectively storing carbon. Unfortunately, these meadows have been experiencing a rapid worldwide decline....
Exploring the Microbial World for Marine Community Restoration
July 24, 2023
The recent ASLO Aquatic Sciences Meeting held in Palma de Mallorca, Spain was an exciting platform for researchers to delve into the fascinating realm of host-microbiome interactions and their role in protecting and restoring marine ecosystems. As the chair of the session, I had the privilege of witnessing groundbreaking presentations that shed light on the hidden world of microbes and their...
Conservation and restoration of marine forests, from deep sea coral reefs to seagrass meadows
May 18, 2023
What are marine forests? Marine forests are biodiverse-rich ecosystems engineered by key structural taxa of macroalgae, seagrass and corals. Depending on the keystone taxa, we can separate them in three main ecosystems: seaweed banks, seagrass meadows and coral reefs. Seagrass meadows Seagrasses are marine flowering plants rooted to the seafloor. They can grow over large areas, creating...