Title | Promotor(s) | Funding partner | Research topic Reference | |
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Firmicute denitrification as paradigm for the ‘ecological coherence’ principle in soil functioning. |
Prof. Dr. Paul De Vos | FWO |
This project will investigate the recently proposed ecological coherence hypothesis, which states that bacteria in higher taxonomic ranks share specific ecological traits, and thus can be differentially affected by (changing) environmental conditions. Gram-positive denitrifiers will be used as... read more |
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Microbiomes of food-processing environments: the influences of microbial diversity, structure, and variability on pathogen survival, transmission, and evolution |
Prof. Dr. Kurt Houf | CSC grant |
under construction |
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Understanding biodiversity effects on the functioning of marine benthic ecosystems |
Prof. Dr. Anne Willems | GOA-BOF |
The combination of high biodiversity in complex, multilevel food webs and pronounced small-scale heterogeneity in abiotic, biotic and functional features makes marine sediments ideal model systems for studying biodiversity-ecosystem function relations in both in situ... read more |
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Improved genomic identification of lactic acid and acetic acid bacteria. |
Prof. Dr. Paul De Vos | Federaal Wetenschapsbeleid |
Identification databases for lactic acid and acetic acid bacteria currently rely on standardized, but non-automated and inter laboratory irreproducible fingerprints. For both bacterial groups, a robust multilocus sequence-based system will be set up and automated using a robotic system.... read more |
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Top-down and bottom-up controls in benthic food webs and their importance for the dynamics and functioning of meiobenthos and bacteria. |
Prof. Dr. Anne Willems | FWO |
In this project processes structuring complex meiobenthic communities are studied, particularly, the role of the trophic (predator-prey) relationships and indirect interactions between species. Focus is on the role of predatory nematodes and copepods as possibly selective grazers of... read more |
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Quest for gene redundancy of the denitrification pathway in Gram‐positive bacteria through whole genome sequencing. |
FWO |
Denitrification is an enzymatically redundant process. Previous research showed that presence of known key genes encoding relevant enzymes for the process could not be demonstrated for the majority of Gram-positive denitrifiers. This project follows the hypothesis that novel, currently unknown... read more |
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The role of photoheterotrophic and chemoautotrophic prokaryotes in the microbial food web in terrestrial Antarctica: a cultivation approach combined with functional analysis |
Prof. Dr. Anne Willems, Prof. Dr. Paul De Vos | FWO |
In continental Antarctica, where ecosystems are dominated by microorganisms and the food webs are relatively simple, the main primary source of organic carbon (and energy) and fixed nitrogen for microbial communities is generally thought to be photosynthesis by cyanobacteria. In this... read more |
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Improvement of the identification potential of fluorescent pseudomonads: a molecular approach. |
Prof. Dr. Paul De Vos | Federaal Wetenschapsbeleid |
The genus Pseudomonas has been a dumping ground for Gram negative rods, motile by polar flagella. As a consequence of this vague definition, the genus encompassed a number of species groups that were phylogenetically very diverse. This project aims at improving the taxonomic frame of the... read more |
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Flanders Research Consortium on Fermented Foods and Beverages |
Prof. Dr. Peter Vandamme | BOF-UGent |
No description. |
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Benchmarking dissimilatory nitrate reduction: focus on nitrate partitioning and nitrous oxide production in Firmicutes |
Prof. Dr. Paul De Vos | UGent-BOF |
With Bacillus azotoformans a strain that is (theoretically) are capable of both DNRA and denitrification, and with in addition an unexpected redundancy for nitrous oxide production, is at our disposal. This bacterium may finally allow the identification of differentiating... read more |