Research Projects
Theme 1: Evolution of fishes and parasites
Principal investigator: Prof. Dr. Filip Volckaert
Our ecological and evolutionary research addresses fundamental biological questions. It clarifies the significance of fishes and their parasites in the ecosystem. We focus on issues in population genetics, genomics, ecology and evolution.
Applications of our research deal with ecosystem goods and services, such as environmental conservation, coastal zone management, pollution, fishing, aquaculture, forensics and human biology.
Research topics include:
- Phylogeography and dispersal ecology of marine fishes of the NE Atlantic (EU-FishPopTrace) and Southern Ocean (Belgian Science Policy )
- Fast local adaptation (GOA) and adaptation to fishing pressure (EU-FinE)
- The genomics of aquacultured fish (EU-BASSMAP & EU-AQUAFIRST)
- Conservation genetics of West-European freshwater fishes
- Host-parasite co-speciation, with focus on the Monogenean parasites of gobies and cichlids, and Schistosomiasis in humans (in collaboration with the Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp)
Theme 2: Bioarchaeology
Principal investigator: Prof. Dr. Wim Van Neer
Research in the Van Neer lab, housed at the Royal Museum of Natural Sciences in Brussels and at the Centre for Archeological Sciences of the K.U.Leuven, focuses on the relationship through time between man and his animal and plant environment, as reflected in faunal and botanical assemblages from archaeological sites in Europe, the Near East and Africa. Topics include:
- Study of food procurement and of animal and plant use through time (Interuniversity Poles of Attraction )
- Human impact on the environment through time: deforestation, overgrazing, overfishing, overhunting, local extinction, pollution (The Medieval Origins of Commercial Sea Fishing Project)
- Animal and plant remains as indicators of former trade relationships
- Animals in ritual and religion (Hierakonpolis, Egypt)
- Animal and plant food as indicator of status and identity
- Comparative morphological studies for identification purposes
Theme 3: Fish systematics
Principal investigator: Prof. Dr. Jos Snoeks
Senior Scientist & Curator of fishes at the Royal Museum for Central Afrika
We study the biodiversity of fishes, mainly African fresh- and brackish water fishes, including aspects of conservation, fisheries and aquaculture. We are based at the Royal Museum for Central Africa in Tervuren (Brussels)
Current research projects include:
- Systematics (morphology and genetics) of the endemic cichlids of the Great African lakes.
- A revision of the small Barbus taxa of Ivory Coast.
- Various studies on the enormous fish diversity of the Congo basin.
- A review of the riverine fishes of Burundi.
- Contribution to databases on African fresh and brackish water fishes (FishBase and IUCN Red species listing)
