Erik Verbruggen

Research interest

I have a strong interest in community and population ecology of plants and fungi. In my current project, I study the interactions between plant-mutualistic “mycorrhizal fungi” and their environment, asking questions like “how does the environment shape mycorrhizal communities?” and in response “how do different AMF communities influence their environment?”. Answering these questions will enhance our understandinf of soil-ecological processes, and benefits conferred to us as ecosystem services.

Selected Publications

Verbruggen E., Kiers E.T., Bakelaar P.N.C., Röling W.F.M. and Van der Heijden M.G.A. (in press) Provision of contrasting ecosystem services by soil communities from different agricultural fields. 2011. Plant and Soil DOI: 10.1007/s11104-011-0828-5

Kiers E.T., Duhamel M., Beesetty Y., Mensah J.A., Franken O., Verbruggen E., Fellbaum C., Kowalchuk G.A., Hart M.M., Bago A., Palmer T.M., West S.A., Vandenkoornhuyse P., Jansa J. and Bücking H. (2011) Reciprocal rewards stabilize cooperation in the mycorrhizal symbiosis. Science333: 880-882

Verbruggen E. and Kiers E.T. (2010) Evolutionary ecology of mycorrhizal functional diversity in agricultural systems. Evolutionary Applications3: 547-560.

Verbruggen E., Röling W.F.M., Gamper H.A., Kowalchuk G.A., Verhoef H.A. and Van der Heijden M.G.A. (2010) Positive effects of organic farming on below-ground mutualists: large-scale comparison of mycorrhizal fungal communities in agricultural soils. New Phytologist186: 968-979.

Pollux B.J.A., Jong M.D.E., Steegh A., Verbruggen E., Van Groenendael J.M. and Ouborg N.J. (2007) Reproductive strategy, clonal structure and genetic diversity in populations of the aquatic macrophyte Sparganium emersum in river systems. Molecular Ecology16: 313-325.

Research project

Effects of genetically modified crops on beneficial soil fungi

Beneficial soil fungi play several key roles in agro-ecosystems by providing important ecosystem services such as nutrient acquisition, organic matter recycling and antagonism against plant pests. Until now, the impact of genetically modified (GM) crops on beneficial soil fungi is poorly documented. This is surprising not only in view of their ecological significance, but also because several of these fungi live inside plant roots, or are otherwise intimately associated with plant materials. Therefore, these fungi are directly exposed to changes in plant genotype and physiology. This project addresses a number of crucial issues concerning the evaluation of GM crop-induced effects on soil-borne fungal communities and their key functions. Specific program goals include:

1. To establish data on the normal operating range regarding the structure, diversity and function of beneficial fungal communities across a wide range of agro-ecosystems in different seasons.

2. To test the effects of specific model GM crops (BT maize with introduced insect resistance) on beneficial fungal communities and their activities, and to test whether potential GM crop-induced changes in fungal communities fall within the range of natural variation observed in Dutch agro-ecosystems.

3. To develop robust, standardized and broadly applicable molecular methods, including high throughput sequencing, for future risk assessment of beneficial fungal communities in agro-ecosystems.

Participants:
Marcel van der Heijden, Toby Kiers, Wilfred Röling, George Kowalchuk, Herman Verhoef, Eiko Kuramae, Remy Hillekes.