Institute record of ECOSPHERE

Information

Type

Organization

Type

https://marineinfo.org/ns/institutes/types#Scientific

Name

ECOSPHERE

Name

ECOSPHERE@en

Acronym

UA

Parent institute

Universiteit Antwerpen; Faculteit Wetenschappen; Departement Biologie

Address

Campus Drie Eiken, Building C, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium

Description @en

The ECOSPHERE research group has grown organically from the former ECOBE (Ecosystem Management) and the SPHERE (Systemic Physiological and Ecotoxicological Research) groups and combines the strengths of the available expertise in fundamental and applied research in aquatic ecotoxicology, ecophysiology and ecology. The research group aims to underpin environmental management decisions with fundamental knowledge at different levels of organisation, from cell to ecosystem. The group combines laboratory experiments, field investigations, and mathematical modelling and goes beyond the impact studies towards solution-based research (mitigation and nature-based solutions). Within this framework, ECOSPHERE focuses on the interactions between organisms and physicochemical factors on all levels of biological organisation. Our main research themes are:

• integrated water management and ecosystem services;
• water and soil risk assessments;
• macro- and micronutrients for healthy ecosystems;
• bioavailability and accumulation of macro- and microcontaminants;
• physiological and molecular stress and toxicity mechanisms and their consequences for organismal fitness and survival.

ECOSPHERE offers ecotoxicological and water quality risk assessments, as well as geospatial analysis and modelling of coastal and marine ecosystems with applications to ecosystem restoration. The group quantifies and maps the impact of changes in land, soil and water management on the supply of ecosystem services. ECOSPHERE designs, assesses and monitors Nature Based Solutions for societal challenges related to climate change, such as buffering drought and flood risks, and carbon sequestration.