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Mr. Stijn Bruneel
Department of Animal Sciences and Aquatic Ecology

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Journal article
Published: 23 June 2021 in Fungal Ecology
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Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis is responsible for amphibian declines worldwide. Decreasing the aquatic density of this chytrid through consumption of its infectious zoospores by Cladocera (water fleas) may mitigate the impact of chytridiomycosis. Understanding this predator-prey relationship requires insights in the zoospore ingestion rate of an average water flea, but such data are almost non-existent. We investigated the functional response of Simocephalus vetulus and Chydorus sphaericus feeding on B. dendrobatidis zoospores. These Cladocera commonly occur in farmland ponds, which may represent a major habitat for disease control. Both water fleas actively ingested zoospores and their per capita ingestion rate was best modelled in function of zoospore-to-Cladocera ratio, implying mutual interference among water fleas during zoospore feeding. The larger S. vetulus substantially consumed more zoospores, characterised by a maximum ingestion rate of 2.5 × 105 zoospores.Cladocera−1.h−1.mL−1, which is about 12 times higher than for C. sphaericus. These findings are useful to support model-based management of chytridiomycosis.

ACS Style

Niels De Troyer; Stijn Bruneel; Koen Lock; Mark S. Greener; Ennio Facq; Arne Deknock; An Martel; Frank Pasmans; Peter Goethals. Ratio-dependent functional response of two common Cladocera present in farmland ponds to Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis. Fungal Ecology 2021, 53, 101089 .

AMA Style

Niels De Troyer, Stijn Bruneel, Koen Lock, Mark S. Greener, Ennio Facq, Arne Deknock, An Martel, Frank Pasmans, Peter Goethals. Ratio-dependent functional response of two common Cladocera present in farmland ponds to Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis. Fungal Ecology. 2021; 53 ():101089.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Niels De Troyer; Stijn Bruneel; Koen Lock; Mark S. Greener; Ennio Facq; Arne Deknock; An Martel; Frank Pasmans; Peter Goethals. 2021. "Ratio-dependent functional response of two common Cladocera present in farmland ponds to Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis." Fungal Ecology 53, no. : 101089.

Journal article
Published: 01 April 2021 in Journal of Marine Science and Engineering
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Oceanic islands harbor unique yet fragile marine ecosystems that require evidence-based environmental management. Among these islands, the Galapagos archipelago is well known for its fish diversity, but the factors that structure communities within and between its islands remain poorly understood. In this study, water quality, physical habitats and geographical distance were assessed as potential predictors for the diversity and structure of fish assemblages. Differences in the structure of fish assemblages of the two studied islands (Santa Cruz and Floreana) were most likely driven by temperature and nutrient concentrations. In the relatively highly populated island Santa Cruz, the structure of fish assemblages was more affected by water conditions than physical habitats while the contrary was true for the more pristine area of Floreana. A wide variety of species with different geographical origins were distributed over the different islands, which indicates that most fish species are able to reach the islands of the archipelago. However, temperature gradients and elevated nutrient levels cause large differences in the structure of local fish assemblages. In addition, in Santa Cruz nutrient concentrations were negatively correlated with α diversity. Since pollution is a clear pressure on the fish assemblages of oceanic islands, environmental management of the coastal areas is of paramount importance.

ACS Style

Stijn Bruneel; Wout Van Echelpoel; Long Ho; Heleen Raat; Amber Schoeters; Niels De Troyer; Ratha Sor; José Ponton-Cevallos; Ruth Vandeputte; Christine Van der Heyden; Nancy De Saeyer; Marie Forio; Rafael Bermudez; Luis Dominguez-Granda; Stijn Luca; Tom Moens; Peter Goethals. Assessing the Drivers behind the Structure and Diversity of Fish Assemblages Associated with Rocky Shores in the Galapagos Archipelago. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering 2021, 9, 375 .

AMA Style

Stijn Bruneel, Wout Van Echelpoel, Long Ho, Heleen Raat, Amber Schoeters, Niels De Troyer, Ratha Sor, José Ponton-Cevallos, Ruth Vandeputte, Christine Van der Heyden, Nancy De Saeyer, Marie Forio, Rafael Bermudez, Luis Dominguez-Granda, Stijn Luca, Tom Moens, Peter Goethals. Assessing the Drivers behind the Structure and Diversity of Fish Assemblages Associated with Rocky Shores in the Galapagos Archipelago. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering. 2021; 9 (4):375.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Stijn Bruneel; Wout Van Echelpoel; Long Ho; Heleen Raat; Amber Schoeters; Niels De Troyer; Ratha Sor; José Ponton-Cevallos; Ruth Vandeputte; Christine Van der Heyden; Nancy De Saeyer; Marie Forio; Rafael Bermudez; Luis Dominguez-Granda; Stijn Luca; Tom Moens; Peter Goethals. 2021. "Assessing the Drivers behind the Structure and Diversity of Fish Assemblages Associated with Rocky Shores in the Galapagos Archipelago." Journal of Marine Science and Engineering 9, no. 4: 375.

Review
Published: 23 February 2021 in Water
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Fisheries play a significant role in the livelihoods of the world population, while the dependence on fisheries is acute in developing countries. Fisheries are consequently a critical element for meeting the sustainable development (SDG) and FAO goals to reduce poverty, hunger and improve health and well-being. However, 90% of global marine fish stocks are fully or over-exploited. The amount of biologically unsustainable stocks increased from 10% in 1975 to 33% in 2015. Freshwater ecosystems are the most endangered ecosystems and freshwater fish stocks are worldwide in a state of crisis. The continuous fish stock decline indicates that the world is still far from achieving SDG 14 (Life Below Water), FAO’s Blue Growth Initiative goal and SDG 15 (Life on Land, including freshwater systems). Failure to effectively manage world fish stocks can have disastrous effects on biodiversity and the livelihoods and socio-economic conditions of millions of people. Therefore, management strategies that successfully conserve the stocks and provide optimal sustainable yields are urgently needed. However, successful management is only possible when the necessary data are obtained and decision-makers are well informed. The main problem for the management of fisheries, particularly in developing countries, is the lack of information on the past and current status of the fish stocks. Sound data collection and validation methods are, therefore, important. Stock assessment models, which support sustainable fisheries, require life history traits as input parameters. In order to provide accurate estimates of these life history traits, standardized methods for otolith preparation and validation of the rate of growth zone deposition are essential. This review aims to assist researchers and fisheries managers, working on marine and freshwater fish species, in understanding concepts and processes related to stock assessment and population dynamics. Although most examples and case studies originate from developing countries in the African continent, the review remains of great value to many other countries.

ACS Style

Shewit Gebremedhin; Stijn Bruneel; Abebe Getahun; Wassie Anteneh; Peter Goethals. Scientific Methods to Understand Fish Population Dynamics and Support Sustainable Fisheries Management. Water 2021, 13, 574 .

AMA Style

Shewit Gebremedhin, Stijn Bruneel, Abebe Getahun, Wassie Anteneh, Peter Goethals. Scientific Methods to Understand Fish Population Dynamics and Support Sustainable Fisheries Management. Water. 2021; 13 (4):574.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Shewit Gebremedhin; Stijn Bruneel; Abebe Getahun; Wassie Anteneh; Peter Goethals. 2021. "Scientific Methods to Understand Fish Population Dynamics and Support Sustainable Fisheries Management." Water 13, no. 4: 574.

Journal article
Published: 06 November 2020 in Ecological Modelling
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Migratory species do not necessarily behave migratory continuously. An important aspect of studying migratory species is therefore to distinguish between movement and resident behavior. Telemetry is a rapidly evolving technique to study animal movement, but the number of data processing techniques to account for resident behavior remains limited. In this study we describe how models that were initially developed to predict human customer behavior, i.e. two-part and three-part models, provide new insights in the movement of migrating eel by accounting for resident behavior apparent from telemetry data sets. In econometrics, two-part models take into account that the decision of a customer to purchase an item and the decision of the customer on the purchase quantity of the concerning product, might be affected by different factors. Similarly, the factors that affect the decision of a fish to migrate or to stay resident might be different from the factors that affect the swimming speed of the fish. Telemetry data of eel movement in the Permanent Belgian Acoustic Receiver Network (PBARN) of the Scheldt Estuary was used. This network with high detection probabilities allowed residencies to be recognized, defined, and introduced as zero values in a movement-residency data set. Two-part models, which consider movement decision, i.e. residency or movement, and movement intensity, i.e. swimming speed, as two different processes or parts of one larger model, outperformed one-part models that do not make that distinction. This underlines the complex migration behavior eels exhibit. These two-part models in turn were outperformed by three-part models that also accounted for cryptic (i.e. unobserved) residencies. While the one-part model identified the tides and the distance from the most upstream gate as most important for movement, the three-part models identified the tides as most important for the movement decision and the distance from the most upstream gate as most important for the movement intensity. Considering movement decisions, cryptic residencies and movement intensity in modeling efforts increased model performance by 9.8%, underlining the importance of acknowledging the potentially complex behavior animals exhibit.

ACS Style

Stijn Bruneel; Pieterjan Verhelst; Jan Reubens; Stijn Luca; Johan Coeck; Tom Moens; Peter Goethals. Combining disciplines: Dealing with observed and cryptic animal residencies in passive telemetry data by applying econometric decision-making models. Ecological Modelling 2020, 438, 109340 .

AMA Style

Stijn Bruneel, Pieterjan Verhelst, Jan Reubens, Stijn Luca, Johan Coeck, Tom Moens, Peter Goethals. Combining disciplines: Dealing with observed and cryptic animal residencies in passive telemetry data by applying econometric decision-making models. Ecological Modelling. 2020; 438 ():109340.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Stijn Bruneel; Pieterjan Verhelst; Jan Reubens; Stijn Luca; Johan Coeck; Tom Moens; Peter Goethals. 2020. "Combining disciplines: Dealing with observed and cryptic animal residencies in passive telemetry data by applying econometric decision-making models." Ecological Modelling 438, no. : 109340.

Review
Published: 26 August 2020 in Sustainability
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Marine fish populations can be vulnerable to overfishing, as a response of their life history, ecology, and socio-economic aspects. Vulnerability assessments, in this regard, can be used to support fisheries decision-making by aiding species prioritization. Assessments like Productivity–Susceptibility Analyses are well suited for multispecies fisheries, with low gear selectivity and insufficient fishery-independent and dependent data. Using this method, we assessed local vulnerability of the Galapagos grouper (‘bacalao’; Mycteroperca olfax) and compared it with other phylogenetically-related species caught in the Galapagos’ handline-fishery. Bacalao is an overfished regionally endemic fish species, characterized by low resilience, high market and cultural value and high spatial overlap with the fishery. Our results suggested that bacalao is a species of high management priority, requiring urgent measures to prevent fisheries’ collapse. In addition, if current fishing pressure persists, other related species may become threatened in the near future. We also evaluated different management scenarios using this approach. Results suggested that the inclusion of additional no-take zones in the marine reserve, comprising key nursery habitats (such as mangroves) and spawning aggregation sites, would be necessary to reduce species vulnerability and to benefit other related species. Improving enforcement and fishers’ compliance are essential to guarantee the effectiveness of these measures.

ACS Style

José Pontón-Cevallos; Stijn Bruneel; José Marín Jarrín; Jorge Ramírez-González; Jorge Bermúdez-Monsalve; Peter Goethals. Vulnerability and Decision-Making in Multispecies Fisheries: A Risk Assessment of Bacalao (Mycteroperca olfax) and Related Species in the Galapagos’ Handline Fishery. Sustainability 2020, 12, 6931 .

AMA Style

José Pontón-Cevallos, Stijn Bruneel, José Marín Jarrín, Jorge Ramírez-González, Jorge Bermúdez-Monsalve, Peter Goethals. Vulnerability and Decision-Making in Multispecies Fisheries: A Risk Assessment of Bacalao (Mycteroperca olfax) and Related Species in the Galapagos’ Handline Fishery. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (17):6931.

Chicago/Turabian Style

José Pontón-Cevallos; Stijn Bruneel; José Marín Jarrín; Jorge Ramírez-González; Jorge Bermúdez-Monsalve; Peter Goethals. 2020. "Vulnerability and Decision-Making in Multispecies Fisheries: A Risk Assessment of Bacalao (Mycteroperca olfax) and Related Species in the Galapagos’ Handline Fishery." Sustainability 12, no. 17: 6931.

Journal article
Published: 27 June 2020 in Ecological Informatics
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Passive acoustic telemetry data are used to study animal movement in aquatic environments, but tools to process the data are limited. In areas that are too large to be fully covered by the limited detection ranges of receivers or acoustic listening stations, researchers generally assume that animals are residing in an area when they are detected frequently at specific receivers. There is, however, no consensus on how this area and frequency should be spatially and temporally defined respectively, thereby introducing some unaccounted uncertainty of this residency-at-receivers. In longitudinal aquatic systems such as rivers or estuaries, strategically placed receivers are often used as gates or curtains through which tagged animals have to pass. Rather than being a proxy for the time spent near receivers, the detections can serve as boundary conditions to delineate the durations that animals spent between receivers (i.e. residency-between-receivers). As such, providing a spatial and temporal context to the detections and enabling the quantification of epistemic uncertainty. To assess the usefulness of this approach, we analyzed telemetry data for migrating eel in a longitudinal estuarine acoustic tracking network of 21 gates. Results revealed a logarithmic relationship between epistemic uncertainty and gate network resolution, which indicates that transferring information from the spatial to the temporal level has a positive effect on the epistemic uncertainty. The poor correlation between the at-receivers and the between-receivers approach indicates that the latter, although less precise, may be more accurate. It should be noted that the suggested approach assumes that the gates of receivers are perfect detectors. If tagged animals are able to pass these gates undetected the uncertainty will actually be higher than assumed. Our approach is therefore less suited for large open areas such as lagoons or seas where gates with high detection probabilities are logistically challenging. This approach allows the quantification and reduction of epistemic uncertainty by providing a spatiotemporal context to the detections. Since establishing and maintaining passive telemetry networks is generally expensive and the results these networks generate are often used in decision making, an assessment of the network quality and data uncertainty is vital.

ACS Style

Stijn Bruneel; Pieterjan Verhelst; Jan Reubens; Jan M. Baetens; Johan Coeck; Tom Moens; Peter Goethals. Quantifying and reducing epistemic uncertainty of passive acoustic telemetry data from longitudinal aquatic systems. Ecological Informatics 2020, 59, 101133 .

AMA Style

Stijn Bruneel, Pieterjan Verhelst, Jan Reubens, Jan M. Baetens, Johan Coeck, Tom Moens, Peter Goethals. Quantifying and reducing epistemic uncertainty of passive acoustic telemetry data from longitudinal aquatic systems. Ecological Informatics. 2020; 59 ():101133.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Stijn Bruneel; Pieterjan Verhelst; Jan Reubens; Jan M. Baetens; Johan Coeck; Tom Moens; Peter Goethals. 2020. "Quantifying and reducing epistemic uncertainty of passive acoustic telemetry data from longitudinal aquatic systems." Ecological Informatics 59, no. : 101133.

Research papers
Published: 11 December 2019 in African Zoology
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Although validation of the rate of growth zone deposition is a prerequisite for accurate age estimation, such studies are non-existent for the endemic Labeobarbus species in Lake Tana. Therefore, the aim of the current study was to validate the periodicity of growth zone deposition in asteriscus otolith of L. tsanensis and L. platydorsus. A total of 723 and 496 asteriscus otolith pairs from L. tsanensis and L. platydorsus, respectively, were examined. Binary- circular models, based on edge analysis (EA) and linear-circular models, based on marginal increment analysis (MIA) were employed to validate the rate of growth zone deposition. The results of EA indicate that there is an annual growth zone deposition for L. tsanensis and L. platydorsus. For both species, the highest proportion of translucent zones was detected between October and January, with a peak in January. The results of the MIA corroborated this for both species. In addition, the lowest marginal increment ratio (MIR) was recorded in January for both species. The annual growth zone deposition in asteristicus otoliths of these species is likely caused by the relatively low water temperature coinciding with the peak breeding activity of the species.

ACS Style

Shewit Gebremedhin; Karen Bekaert; Abebe Getahun; Stijn Bruneel; Wassie Anteneh; Els Torreele; Peter Goethals. Validation of the periodicity of growth zone deposition in otoliths of two large endemic Labeobarbus species in Lake Tana, Ethiopia. African Zoology 2019, 54, 231 -238.

AMA Style

Shewit Gebremedhin, Karen Bekaert, Abebe Getahun, Stijn Bruneel, Wassie Anteneh, Els Torreele, Peter Goethals. Validation of the periodicity of growth zone deposition in otoliths of two large endemic Labeobarbus species in Lake Tana, Ethiopia. African Zoology. 2019; 54 (4):231-238.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Shewit Gebremedhin; Karen Bekaert; Abebe Getahun; Stijn Bruneel; Wassie Anteneh; Els Torreele; Peter Goethals. 2019. "Validation of the periodicity of growth zone deposition in otoliths of two large endemic Labeobarbus species in Lake Tana, Ethiopia." African Zoology 54, no. 4: 231-238.

Journal article
Published: 04 December 2019 in Water
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The endemic Labeobarbus species in Lake Tana are severely affected by anthropogenic pressures. The implementation of fisheries management is, therefore, vital for their sustainable exploitation. This study aimed at investigating the catch distribution and size at 50% maturity (FL50%) of the Labeobarbus species. Samples were collected monthly from May 2016 to April 2017 at four sites. The relative abundance, catch per unit effort (CPUE), and size distribution of these species was computed, and logistic regression was used to calculate FL50%. Of the 15 species observed, five species constituted 88% of the total catch. The monthly catch of the Labeobarbus spp. declined by more than 85% since 1993 and by 76% since 2001. Moreover, the CPUE of Labeobarbus has markedly decreased from 63 kg/trip in 1991–1993 to 2 kg/trip in 2016–2017. Additionally, large size specimens (≥30 cm fork length) were rarely recorded, and FL50% of the dominant species decreased. This suggests that the unique species flock may be threatened by extinction. Given the size distribution of the species, the current social context, and the need for a continuous supply of fish for low-income communities, a mesh-size limitation represents a more sustainable and acceptable management measure than a closed season. This paper illustrates the tension between sustainable development goal (SDGs) 1—No Poverty, 2—Zero Hunger, and 8—Decent Work and Economic Growth in Bahir Dar City on the one hand, and SDG’s 11—Sustainable Cities and Communities, 12—Responsible Consumption and Production, and 14—Life Below Water on the other hand. A key for the local, sustainable development of the fisheries is to find a balance between the fishing activities and the carrying capacity of the Lake Tana. Overfishing and illegal fishing are some of the major threats in this respect.

ACS Style

Shewit Gebremedhin; Stijn Bruneel; Abebe Getahun; Wassie Anteneh; Peter Goethals. The Endemic Species Flock of Labeobarbus spp. in L. Tana (Ethiopia) Threatened by Extinction: Implications for Conservation Management. Water 2019, 11, 2560 .

AMA Style

Shewit Gebremedhin, Stijn Bruneel, Abebe Getahun, Wassie Anteneh, Peter Goethals. The Endemic Species Flock of Labeobarbus spp. in L. Tana (Ethiopia) Threatened by Extinction: Implications for Conservation Management. Water. 2019; 11 (12):2560.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Shewit Gebremedhin; Stijn Bruneel; Abebe Getahun; Wassie Anteneh; Peter Goethals. 2019. "The Endemic Species Flock of Labeobarbus spp. in L. Tana (Ethiopia) Threatened by Extinction: Implications for Conservation Management." Water 11, no. 12: 2560.

Journal article
Published: 28 June 2019 in Water
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The analysis of fish age data is vital for the successful conservation of fish. Attempts to develop optimal management strategies for effective conservation of the endemic Labeobarbus species are strongly affected by the lack of accurate age estimates. Although methodological studies are key to acquiring a good insight into the age of fishes, up to now, there have not been any studies comparing different methods for these species. Thus, this study aimed at determining the best method for the endemic Labeobarbus species. Samples were collected from May 2016 to April 2017. Asteriscus otoliths from 150 specimens each of L. intermedius, L. tsanensis, L. platydorsus, and L. megastoma were examined. Six methods were evaluated; however, only three methods resulted in readable images. The procedure in which whole otoliths were first submerged in water, and subsequently placed in glycerol to take the image (MO1), was generally best. Except for L. megastoma, this method produced the clearest image as both the coefficient of variation and average percentage error between readers were lowest. Furthermore, except for L. megastoma, MO1 had high otolith readability and no systematic bias. Therefore, we suggest that MO1 should be used as the standard otolith preparation technique for the first three species, while for L. megastoma, other preparation techniques should be evaluated. This study provides a reference for researchers from Africa, particularly Ethiopia, to develop a suitable otolith preparation method for the different tropical fish species.

ACS Style

Shewit Gebremedhin; Karen Bekaert; Abebe Getahun; Stijn Bruneel; Wassie Anteneh; Peter Goethals; Els Torreele. Comparison of Otolith Readability and Reproducibility of Counts of Translucent Zones Using Different Otolith Preparation Methods for Four Endemic Labeobarbus Species in Lake Tana, Ethiopia. Water 2019, 11, 1336 .

AMA Style

Shewit Gebremedhin, Karen Bekaert, Abebe Getahun, Stijn Bruneel, Wassie Anteneh, Peter Goethals, Els Torreele. Comparison of Otolith Readability and Reproducibility of Counts of Translucent Zones Using Different Otolith Preparation Methods for Four Endemic Labeobarbus Species in Lake Tana, Ethiopia. Water. 2019; 11 (7):1336.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Shewit Gebremedhin; Karen Bekaert; Abebe Getahun; Stijn Bruneel; Wassie Anteneh; Peter Goethals; Els Torreele. 2019. "Comparison of Otolith Readability and Reproducibility of Counts of Translucent Zones Using Different Otolith Preparation Methods for Four Endemic Labeobarbus Species in Lake Tana, Ethiopia." Water 11, no. 7: 1336.

Journal article
Published: 27 August 2018 in Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science
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Different fish species use selective tidal stream transport (STST) to efficiently migrate through strong tidal systems to complete their life cycle, but the use of STST by silver European eels (Anguilla anguilla L.) is still controversial. In this study, we found strong evidence that silver European eels apply STST. The results illustrate that eels can distinguish between ebb and flood and suggest that tides play a role in orientation, either directly or indirectly. The general migration speed was higher in the downstream part of the estuary compared to the upstream part, while tidal migration speed was equal in both parts, indicating that eels migrated more consistently in the downstream part. The results of this study give insight in how a diadromous species migrates through an estuary and underline the importance of the tides.

ACS Style

Pieterjan Verhelst; Stijn Bruneel; Jan Reubens; Johan Coeck; Peter Goethals; Damiano Oldoni; Tom Moens; Ans Mouton. Selective tidal stream transport in silver European eel (Anguilla anguilla L.) – Migration behaviour in a dynamic estuary. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 2018, 213, 260 -268.

AMA Style

Pieterjan Verhelst, Stijn Bruneel, Jan Reubens, Johan Coeck, Peter Goethals, Damiano Oldoni, Tom Moens, Ans Mouton. Selective tidal stream transport in silver European eel (Anguilla anguilla L.) – Migration behaviour in a dynamic estuary. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science. 2018; 213 ():260-268.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Pieterjan Verhelst; Stijn Bruneel; Jan Reubens; Johan Coeck; Peter Goethals; Damiano Oldoni; Tom Moens; Ans Mouton. 2018. "Selective tidal stream transport in silver European eel (Anguilla anguilla L.) – Migration behaviour in a dynamic estuary." Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 213, no. : 260-268.

Review
Published: 20 August 2018 in Sustainability
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Lake Tana, Ethiopia’s largest lake, has a remarkable and conservation-worthy assemblage of fish species, requiring fisheries management for sustainable exploitation. However, due to anthropogenic impacts, many of these fish species are threatened. Hence, an improved management of these resources is recommended. To allow a more sustainable exploitation of natural resources, a better understanding of the cause-effect relationships between anthropogenic impacts and environmental components is fundamental. The Drivers-Pressure-State-Impact-Responses (DPSIR) framework is a useful tool to describe these links in a meaningful way to managers and policy makers. Despite its potential, application of DPSIR is virtually lacking in developing countries. This paper assessed the potential of the DPSIR framework and used it to comprehensively describe the available knowledge and management needs in the lake catchment. Rapid population growth and the economic transformation are the main driving forces leading to various pressures such as water quality and wetlands degradation as well as declining fish community, which is detrimental to the socio-economic state and health of the local inhabitants. As feedback to the driving forces, pressures, state changes and impacts, optimal multi-level responses are developed. This study aims at providing policy makers a better understanding of the lake catchment in order to bridge the gap between science and decision-making.

ACS Style

Shewit Gebremedhin; Abebe Getahun; Wassie Anteneh; Stijn Bruneel; Peter Goethals. A Drivers-Pressure-State-Impact-Responses Framework to Support the Sustainability of Fish and Fisheries in Lake Tana, Ethiopia. Sustainability 2018, 10, 2957 .

AMA Style

Shewit Gebremedhin, Abebe Getahun, Wassie Anteneh, Stijn Bruneel, Peter Goethals. A Drivers-Pressure-State-Impact-Responses Framework to Support the Sustainability of Fish and Fisheries in Lake Tana, Ethiopia. Sustainability. 2018; 10 (8):2957.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Shewit Gebremedhin; Abebe Getahun; Wassie Anteneh; Stijn Bruneel; Peter Goethals. 2018. "A Drivers-Pressure-State-Impact-Responses Framework to Support the Sustainability of Fish and Fisheries in Lake Tana, Ethiopia." Sustainability 10, no. 8: 2957.

Review
Published: 01 July 2018 in Science of The Total Environment
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Movement is considered an essential process in shaping the distributions of species. Nevertheless, most species distribution models (SDMs) still focus solely on environment-species relationships to predict the occurrence of species. Furthermore, the currently used indirect estimates of movement allow to assess habitat accessibility, but do not provide an accurate description of movement. Better proxies of movement are needed to assess the dispersal potential of individual species and to gain a more practical insight in the interconnectivity of communities. Telemetry techniques are rapidly evolving and highly capable to provide explicit descriptions of movement, but their usefulness for SDMs will mainly depend on the ability of these models to deal with hitherto unconsidered ecological processes. More specifically, the integration of movement is likely to affect the environmental data requirements as the connection between environmental and biological data is crucial to provide reliable results. Mobility implies the occupancy of a continuum of space, hence an adequate representation of both geographical and environmental space is paramount to study mobile species distributions. In this context, environmental models, remote sensing techniques and animal-borne environmental sensors are discussed as potential techniques to obtain suitable environmental data. In order to provide an in-depth review of the aforementioned methods, we have chosen to use the modelling of fish distributions as a case study. The high mobility of fish and the often highly variable nature of the aquatic environment generally complicate model development, making it an adequate subject for research. Furthermore, insight into the distribution of fish is of great interest for fish stock assessments and water management worldwide, underlining its practical relevance.

ACS Style

Stijn Bruneel; Sacha Gobeyn; Pieterjan Verhelst; Jan Reubens; Tom Moens; Peter Goethals. Implications of movement for species distribution models - Rethinking environmental data tools. Science of The Total Environment 2018, 628-629, 893 -905.

AMA Style

Stijn Bruneel, Sacha Gobeyn, Pieterjan Verhelst, Jan Reubens, Tom Moens, Peter Goethals. Implications of movement for species distribution models - Rethinking environmental data tools. Science of The Total Environment. 2018; 628-629 ():893-905.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Stijn Bruneel; Sacha Gobeyn; Pieterjan Verhelst; Jan Reubens; Tom Moens; Peter Goethals. 2018. "Implications of movement for species distribution models - Rethinking environmental data tools." Science of The Total Environment 628-629, no. : 893-905.

Journal article
Published: 01 March 2018 in Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety
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The use of natural sorbents to remove fluoride from drinking water is a promising alternative because of its low-cost and easy implementation. In this article, fluoride adsorption on a latosol soil from Misiones province (Argentina) was studied regarding kinetic and equilibrium aspects. Experiments were conducted in batch at room temperature under controlled conditions of pH 4-8) and ionic strength (1-10mM KNO3). Experimental data indicated that adsorption processes followed a PSO kinetic where initial rates have showed to be influenced by pH solution. The necessary time to reach an equilibrium state had resulted approximately 30min. Equilibrium adsorption studies were performed at pH 8 which is similar to the natural groundwater. For that, fluoride adsorption data were successfully adjusted to Dubinin-Ataskhov model determining that the fluoride adsorption onto soil particles mainly followed a physical mechanism with a removal capacity of 0.48mgg(-1). Finally, a natural groundwater was tested with laterite obtaining a reduction close to 30% from initial concentration and without changing significantly the physicochemical properties of the natural water. Therefore, it was concluded that the use of lateritic soils for fluoride removal is very promising on a domestic scale.

ACS Style

Analia Iriel; Stijn P. Bruneel; Nahuel Schenone; Alicia Fernández Cirelli. The removal of fluoride from aqueous solution by a lateritic soil adsorption: Kinetic and equilibrium studies. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 2018, 149, 166 -172.

AMA Style

Analia Iriel, Stijn P. Bruneel, Nahuel Schenone, Alicia Fernández Cirelli. The removal of fluoride from aqueous solution by a lateritic soil adsorption: Kinetic and equilibrium studies. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety. 2018; 149 ():166-172.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Analia Iriel; Stijn P. Bruneel; Nahuel Schenone; Alicia Fernández Cirelli. 2018. "The removal of fluoride from aqueous solution by a lateritic soil adsorption: Kinetic and equilibrium studies." Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 149, no. : 166-172.

Journal article
Published: 29 November 2017 in Biogeosciences
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The Amazon and Congo basins are the two largest continuous blocks of tropical forest with a central role for global biogeochemical cycles and ecology. However, both biomes differ in structure and species richness and composition. Understanding future directions of the response of both biomes to environmental change is paramount. We used one elevational gradient on both continents to investigate functional and stoichiometric trait shifts of tropical forest in South America and Africa. We measured community-weighted functional canopy traits and canopy and topsoil δ15N signatures. We found that the functional forest composition response along both transects was parallel, with a shift towards more nitrogen-conservative species at higher elevations. Moreover, canopy and topsoil δ15N signals decreased with increasing altitude, suggesting a more conservative N cycle at higher elevations. This cross-continental study provides empirical indications that both South American and African tropical forest show a parallel response with altitude, driven by nitrogen availability along the elevational gradients, which in turn induces a shift in the functional forest composition. More standardized research, and more research on other elevational gradients is needed to confirm our observations.

ACS Style

Marijn Bauters; Hans Verbeeck; Miro Demol; Stijn Bruneel; Cys Taveirne; Dries Van Der Heyden; Landry Cizungu; Pascal Boeckx. Parallel functional and stoichiometric trait shifts in South American and African forest communities with elevation. Biogeosciences 2017, 14, 5313 -5321.

AMA Style

Marijn Bauters, Hans Verbeeck, Miro Demol, Stijn Bruneel, Cys Taveirne, Dries Van Der Heyden, Landry Cizungu, Pascal Boeckx. Parallel functional and stoichiometric trait shifts in South American and African forest communities with elevation. Biogeosciences. 2017; 14 (23):5313-5321.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Marijn Bauters; Hans Verbeeck; Miro Demol; Stijn Bruneel; Cys Taveirne; Dries Van Der Heyden; Landry Cizungu; Pascal Boeckx. 2017. "Parallel functional and stoichiometric trait shifts in South American and African forest communities with elevation." Biogeosciences 14, no. 23: 5313-5321.

Preprint content
Published: 13 April 2017
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ACS Style

Marijn Bauters; Hans Verbeeck; Miro Demol; Stijn Bruneel; Cys Taveirne; Dries Van Der Heyden; Landry Cizungu; Pascal Boeckx. Supplementary material to "Parallel functional and stoichiometric trait shifts in South-American and African forest communities with elevation". 2017, 1 .

AMA Style

Marijn Bauters, Hans Verbeeck, Miro Demol, Stijn Bruneel, Cys Taveirne, Dries Van Der Heyden, Landry Cizungu, Pascal Boeckx. Supplementary material to "Parallel functional and stoichiometric trait shifts in South-American and African forest communities with elevation". . 2017; ():1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Marijn Bauters; Hans Verbeeck; Miro Demol; Stijn Bruneel; Cys Taveirne; Dries Van Der Heyden; Landry Cizungu; Pascal Boeckx. 2017. "Supplementary material to "Parallel functional and stoichiometric trait shifts in South-American and African forest communities with elevation"." , no. : 1.

Preprint content
Published: 13 April 2017
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Elevational gradients are an empirical tool to assess long-term forest responses to environmental change. We studied whether functional composition of tropical forest along elevational gradients in South America and in Africa showed similar shifts. We assessed community-weighted functional canopy traits and indicative δ15N shifts along two new altitudinal transects in the tropical forest biome of both South-America and Africa. We found that the functional forest composition response along both transects was parallel, with a species shift towards more nitrogen conservative species at higher elevations. Moreover, canopy and topsoil δ15N signals decreased with increasing altitude, suggesting a more conservative N cycle at higher elevations. This cross-continental study provides two empirical indications that both South-American and African tropical forest show a parallel response along altitude, driven by nitrogen availability along the altitudinal gradients, inducing a parallel shift in the functional forest composition. This highlights the importance of nutrient availability for tropical forest in a changing world. More standardized research, and more research on other elevational gradients is needed to confirm our observations.

ACS Style

Marijn Bauters; Hans Verbeeck; Miro Demol; Stijn Bruneel; Cys Taveirne; Dries Van Der Heyden; Landry Cizungu; Pascal Boeckx. Parallel functional and stoichiometric trait shifts in South-American and African forest communities with elevation. 2017, 14, 5313 -5321.

AMA Style

Marijn Bauters, Hans Verbeeck, Miro Demol, Stijn Bruneel, Cys Taveirne, Dries Van Der Heyden, Landry Cizungu, Pascal Boeckx. Parallel functional and stoichiometric trait shifts in South-American and African forest communities with elevation. . 2017; 14 (23):5313-5321.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Marijn Bauters; Hans Verbeeck; Miro Demol; Stijn Bruneel; Cys Taveirne; Dries Van Der Heyden; Landry Cizungu; Pascal Boeckx. 2017. "Parallel functional and stoichiometric trait shifts in South-American and African forest communities with elevation." 14, no. 23: 5313-5321.