ORCID Profile
0000-0002-9260-3815
Current Organisation
KU Leuven
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Publisher: Wiley
Date: 29-03-2021
Abstract: Characterizing how ecosystems are responding to rapid environmental change has become a major focus of ecological research. The empirical study of ecological stability, which aims to quantify these ecosystem responses, is therefore more relevant than ever. Based on a historical review and bibliometric mapping of the field of ecological stability, we show that the two main schools relating to the study of stability—one focusing on systems close to their equilibrium and the other on non‐equilibrium behaviour—have developed in parallel leading to ergence in both concepts and definitions. We synthesize and expand previous frameworks and capitalize on the latest developments in the field to build towards an integrated framework by elaborating the overarching concept of ecological stability and its properties. Finally, the broad applicability of our work is demonstrated in two empirical cases. Synthesis . With rapidly changing environmental conditions, the stability of ecosystems has become a major focus of ecological research. Still, the concept of stability remains a major source of confusion and disagreement among ecologists. The conceptual framework presented here provides a basis to integrate currently erging views on the study of ecological stability.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 31-12-2019
DOI: 10.1111/GCB.14904
Abstract: Plant traits—the morphological, anatomical, physiological, biochemical and phenological characteristics of plants—determine how plants respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic levels, and influence ecosystem properties and their benefits and detriments to people. Plant trait data thus represent the basis for a vast area of research spanning from evolutionary biology, community and functional ecology, to bio ersity conservation, ecosystem and landscape management, restoration, biogeography and earth system modelling. Since its foundation in 2007, the TRY database of plant traits has grown continuously. It now provides unprecedented data coverage under an open access data policy and is the main plant trait database used by the research community worldwide. Increasingly, the TRY database also supports new frontiers of trait‐based plant research, including the identification of data gaps and the subsequent mobilization or measurement of new data. To support this development, in this article we evaluate the extent of the trait data compiled in TRY and analyse emerging patterns of data coverage and representativeness. Best species coverage is achieved for categorical traits—almost complete coverage for ‘plant growth form’. However, most traits relevant for ecology and vegetation modelling are characterized by continuous intraspecific variation and trait–environmental relationships. These traits have to be measured on in idual plants in their respective environment. Despite unprecedented data coverage, we observe a humbling lack of completeness and representativeness of these continuous traits in many aspects. We, therefore, conclude that reducing data gaps and biases in the TRY database remains a key challenge and requires a coordinated approach to data mobilization and trait measurements. This can only be achieved in collaboration with other initiatives.
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 31-08-2021
DOI: 10.1101/2021.08.30.458254
Abstract: Natural pollination of species belonging to the pantropical orchid genus Vanilla remains poorly understood. Based on sporadic records, euglossine bees have been observed visiting flowers of Neotropical Vanilla species. Our research aimed at better understanding the pollinator attraction mechanism of the Neotropical species Vanilla pompona , a crop wild relative with valuable traits for vanilla crop improvement programs. Using video footage, we identified floral visitors and examined their behavior. The flowers of V. pompona attracted Eulaema cingulata males, which distinctively displayed two behaviors: floral scent collection and nectar search with the latter leading to pollen removal. Morphological measurements of floral and visitor traits showed that other Eulaema species may also act as potential pollinators. Additionally, we recorded natural fruit set in three populations and over a period of two years, tested for nectar presence and analyzed floral fragrances through gas chromatography - mass spectrometry. We observed a low natural fruit set (2.42%) and did not detect nectar. Twenty floral volatile compounds were identified, with the dominant compound trans-carvone oxide previously found to attract Eulaema cingulata males. We hypothesize a dual attraction of Eulaema cingulata males to V. pompona flowers, based on floral fragrance reward as the primary long-distance attraction, and food deception for successful pollen removal. Further research confirming this hypothesis is recommended to develop appropriate conservation policies for Vanilla crop wild relatives, which are the primary reserves of this crop’s genetic variation.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 24-06-2020
DOI: 10.1111/GCB.15123
Abstract: Current analyses and predictions of spatially explicit patterns and processes in ecology most often rely on climate data interpolated from standardized weather stations. This interpolated climate data represents long‐term average thermal conditions at coarse spatial resolutions only. Hence, many climate‐forcing factors that operate at fine spatiotemporal resolutions are overlooked. This is particularly important in relation to effects of observation height (e.g. vegetation, snow and soil characteristics) and in habitats varying in their exposure to radiation, moisture and wind (e.g. topography, radiative forcing or cold‐air pooling). Since organisms living close to the ground relate more strongly to these microclimatic conditions than to free‐air temperatures, microclimatic ground and near‐surface data are needed to provide realistic forecasts of the fate of such organisms under anthropogenic climate change, as well as of the functioning of the ecosystems they live in. To fill this critical gap, we highlight a call for temperature time series submissions to SoilTemp, a geospatial database initiative compiling soil and near‐surface temperature data from all over the world. Currently, this database contains time series from 7,538 temperature sensors from 51 countries across all key biomes. The database will pave the way toward an improved global understanding of microclimate and bridge the gap between the available climate data and the climate at fine spatiotemporal resolutions relevant to most organisms and ecosystem processes.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 03-10-2021
DOI: 10.1111/GCB.15892
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 15-11-2021
DOI: 10.1111/BTP.13034
Abstract: Natural pollination of Vanilla species remains poorly understood. Our research aimed at better understanding the pollinator attraction mechanism of the Neotropical species Vanilla pompona . Based on our results, we hypothesize that the identified pollinator Eulaema cingulata is attracted via a dual mechanism combining floral fragrance rewards and food deception. Abstract in Spanish is available with online material.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 11-02-2022
DOI: 10.1111/GCB.16060
Abstract: Research in global change ecology relies heavily on global climatic grids derived from estimates of air temperature in open areas at around 2 m above the ground. These climatic grids do not reflect conditions below vegetation canopies and near the ground surface, where critical ecosystem functions occur and most terrestrial species reside. Here, we provide global maps of soil temperature and bioclimatic variables at a 1-km
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 06-04-2200
DOI: 10.1111/GCB.16678
No related grants have been discovered for Koenraad Van Meerbeek.