Aquatic biology (Dr. Paul Van Damme/Dr. Luc Demeester)

Environmental risk assessment and control of non-agricultural pesticides and dangerous substances (Peter Parren - Ministry of Public Health and Environment/ Lab for Aquaculture and Ecology).

This research includes the following topics :

Environmental risk assessment of new substances, one of the main subjects of national and international policy. It is impossible to pursue policy aimed at protecting the environment without knowledge of the possible risks caused by them.
This environmental risk assessment of chemical substances considers the expected emissions of a substance and the effects of those emissions to the environment. Emissions to water, soil and air are estimated along with the distribution of the substances in those compartments.
Finally the hazard quotient, which is the ratio of the potential exposure, is established for several groups at risk : micro-organisms, aquatic ecosystems, terrestrial ecosystems and top - predators.

Biofouling control in industrial cooling systems (Ing. Michel Leynen & Ing. Dirk Ercken)

Environmental friendly methods are developed to control biofouling.

Morphological deformities in Chironomus gr. Thummi (Diptera, Chironomidae) as bioindicator for micropollutants in sediments of Belgian lowland rivers (Dr. Luc Janssens de Bisthoven, Drs. Angelo Vermeulen & Drs. Peter Parren).

This study elaborates the use of Chironomid deformities as biological indicator for toxic sediment stress. Morphological deformities in Chironomid larvae (Diptera, Chironomidae) represent sublethal effects of exposure to heavy metals, organochloropesticides and other organic xenobiotics.

Because chironomid larvae live in close contact with sediment and feed on organic detritus associated with such abnormalities exhibit a substantial potential as monitoring tool for assessing sediment toxicity. Both field and laboratory research is conducted in order to identify causal toxicants and establish relationships between dose, severity and frequency of deformities.

The reproductive endocrine status of fish as a sentinel for pollution (Drs. Eugčne Rurangua and Drs. Ivo Roelants)

The main research lines touch different levels of endocrine control of reproduction and growth from the neurotransmitter control of release of relevant hormones to the hormonal control of maturation at the level of the gonads.

Ecological study of the fish parasites of two sympatric gobiids species (Drs. Gonda Geets)

Pomatoschistus minutus, the sand goby and P. Losanoi, Lozano’s goby are the most common goby species of the Belgian and Dutch coastal waters.

Gobies are important components in the food chain of this areas. Their role as hosts for ecto- and endoparasites is studied. Both goby species show distinct differences in ecological niche (e.g. food niche, reproductive niche). The aim of our study is to investigate whether these differences are reflected in differences in parasite fauna or parasite load. Monogenea of the genus Gyrodactylus are used as a model to test aspects of phylogenetic host specificity.

Ecology of gobiids in East African mangrove systems in Gazi Bay, Kenya. (Drs. Heidi Coenen)

The family of the gobiidae is the dominant fish family of the epibentic fauna in mangrove systems. Nevertheless, few studies on the species diversity and the ecological role of the gobiidae in the East African mangrove systems are known.

Our aim is to assess the biodiversity and densities of the gobies and to investigate the feeding ecology of the dominant goby species in Gazi Bay Kenya. The influence of diurnal and tidal cycles on feeding behaviour of gobies will be investigated.

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