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Higher trophic levels in the Southern North Sea
https://www.vliz.be/vmdcdata/midas/cruise.php?thiscamp=26
www.belspo.be/belspo/fedra/proj.asp?l=en&COD=EV/25
www.vliz.be/projects/trophos

Dutch title: Hogere trofische niveaus in de Zuidelijke Noordzee (TROPHOS)
Parent project: Research action SPSD-II: Second scientific support plan for a sustainable development policy, more
Funder identifier: EV/25 (Other contract id)
Acronym: TROPHOS
Period: February 2002 till April 2006
Status: Completed

Thesaurus terms: Benthos; Biodiversity; Ecology; Fish; Food webs; Marine birds; Phytoplankton; Trophic levels
Geographical terms: ANE, Belgium, Belgian Continental Shelf (BCS) [Marine Regions]; ANE, North Sea, Southern Bight [Marine Regions]
 Institutes | Publications | Datasets 

Institutes (7)  Top | Publications | Datasets 

Abstract
  • Context

    TROPHOS is a co-operation between five Belgian institutes (RUG-Marine Biology, KULeuven-Aquatic Ecology, Institute of Nature Conservation, MUMM and VLIZ) and one Dutch institute (NIOO-CEMO) and aims at a better understanding of processes structuring the higher trophic levels in the North Sea. As we will not ignore the link between ecosystem functioning and aquatic biodiversity, our results will also serve in aspects of sustainable management for those areas on the Belgian Continental Shelf (BCS) of the North Sea, which fulfil the criteria for protection status in marine reserves.


  • Project description

    • Objectives

      Research within TROPHOS will focus on processes structuring the higher trophic levels in the North Sea ecosystem. Special attention will be given to:

      - The food web interactions that shape the benthic communities. This will make it possible to unravel how food cascades into animal biomass. Detailed research on C-cycling within the benthic food web will be performed.
      - The dispersal mechanisms on the BCS. This is mainly of importance for those species that have a pelagic life-style or have pelagic larvae. The impact of certain behavioural aspects (swimming, sinking,...) on the dispersal will be investigated as well.
      - The importance of the benthic communities in the functioning of the total BCS ecosystem. It will be examined whether or not Phaeocystis can be used as a food source by the infauna of the benthos. In addition, sediment community oxygen consumption rates that will be performed in BCS sediments will shed light on total benthic metabolism.
      - The Belgian coastal waters are internationally very important areas for a number of sea and coastal birds. Studying the distribution patterns of the possible food sources (i.c. pelagic fish) of these birds will lead to a better understanding of their spatial distribution patterns. Population dynamics of gulls and terns in the outer harbour of Zeebrugge will be studied as well.


    • Methodology

      - Food web interactions: This task will be executed by RUG-Marine Biology Section and NIOO-CEMO and is focussed on meiobenthos. Monthly sampling of two stations, showing a clearly different food web structure, will allow describing changes in the composition and densities of the meiobenthos when changes in the primary production in the water column will occur. The primary production will sink to the sea floor and acts as an important food source for the benthos. Possible consumption of phytoplankton can be studied by comparing the natural occurring stable isotopes of the meiobenthos with those present in the phytoplankton. Changes in bacterial diversity will be assessed by means of DGGE. The benthic response to the sedimentation of the spring phytoplankton bloom will be evaluated trough experiments with enriched and labelled (stable isotopes 13C and 15N) phytoplankton. Benthic food web flows and the benthic contribution to the metabolism of the ecosystem will be inferred from inverse modelling.

      - Dispersal mechanisms of key species: This part of TROPHOS will be performed by KULeuven, RUG and MUMM. Larvae and post larvae of fish and Mesopodopsis, sole and gobies will be sampled using the appropriate sampling gear. Population-specific life history characteristics (e.g. fertility, survival, growth...) will be collected. Genotyping will be done with at least 8 DNA microsatellites per fish (KULeuven) or with SSCP combined with sequencing of variable nuclear and mitochondrial loci (Mesopodopsis (RUG) and Gyrodactylus (KULeuven)). The behaviour of the planktonic stages of the fishes and Mesopodopsis will be modelled with a combined 3-D hydrodynamic and particle tracking model by MUMM.

      - Coastal and sea birds: This part of TROPHOS will be a combined effort of RUG and IN. Pelagic fish will be collected monthly at 7 locations on the BCS by means of a MIC-net at the surface and near the bottom. Frequency of sampling will be diminished towards the end of the project. Species composition, length distribution, abundance, zooplankton density and a number of environmental variables will be measured. Distribution patterns of Common Tern, Sandwich Tern, Auk, Common Guillemot and Great Crested Grebe will be compared with the horizontal distribution of their prey fish. An analysis of the content of the stomach will be performed on fresh corpses of Guillemot, Auk and Great Crested Grebes found during beach bird surveys along the coast and birds accidentally caught in fishing nets. Population size of seabirds nesting in Zeebrugge will be determined. Laying date, clutch size, predation rate, hatching success, chick growth and survival will be measured. Nest attendance and prey specific foraging time will be established. Food intake and diet composition of Sandwich and Common Tern chicks will be measured from a hide. Food composition of adult terns will be identified by means of otholits and other food remains found in faeces and pellets. Variation in food composition will be compared to fluctuations in food availability. Reading of ringed Sandwich Tern, Common Tern, Herring Gull and Lesser Black-backed Gull will be analysed and migration between colonies will be assessed.


    • Interaction between the different partners

      Strong interactions between the various partners in this project are foreseen. The bentho-pelagic coupling theme will be a result of a strong co-operation between RUG and CEMO, while VLIZ offers ship time on their research vessel Zeeleeuw. Sampling campaigns will be a joint effort and researchers belonging to both institutes will conduct the experiments. KULeuven and RUG will work together on the theme covering the dispersal mechanisms of species having pelagic life stages. These mechanisms will be modelled as a result of collaboration between the KULeuven and RUG teams and the modellers at MUMM. IN and RUG will be the partners tackling the problems relating to the causal aspects of the distribution of seabirds: RUG will work on the pelagic fish data, while bird data will be analysed at IN.
      Data management and dissemination of results: VLIZ will be responsible for the data management, valorisation and exploitation. By developing databases and websites, data gathered in the framework of TROPHOS will be made available to the public. VLIZ will also develop and implement modalities and technical solutions for data-exchange between the partners within TROPHOS.


    • Link with international programmes

      - DIVERSITAS (ICSU, SCOPE, IUBS, IUMS, UNESCO-MAB).
      - IGBP (International Geosphere - Biosphere Programme).
      - LOICZ (Land Ocean Interactions in the Coastal Zone, IGBP, ICSU).


    • Expected results and/or products

      - Scientific results will be published in peer-reviewed journals.
      - Data of the benthos and seabirds on the BCS will be made public through the website. An atlas with distribution maps will be provided as well.
      - Monitoring designs for the follow-up of nature conservation will be developed (potential Marine Protected Areas).
      - Bio-indicator species and bio-indicator communities for anthropogenic threats will be identified and tested.
      - Detailed food-web interactions will be identified for the first time in the higher trophic levels of the North Sea.
      - Coupling between hydrodynamic models and dispersal mechanisms of selected species will be explained.
      - Population dynamics of gulls and terns will help in setting the criteria for protected areas, habitats and species.
      - Results will be made available to the public, end-users, governmental bodies.

Datasets (28)  Top | Institutes | Publications 
  • Crgulls: Observations of Belgian color ring-marked gulls from 1999 until 2010, more
  • Dispersal of invertebrate key species based on molecular methods., more
  • Dispersal of pelagic organisms of the Belgian Continental Shelf, more
  • Distribution of wintering gulls, more
  • Evolution of populations of coastal breeders at the inner port of Zeebrugge, more
  • Evolution of populations of coastal breeders at the inner port of Zeebrugge: breeding success, more
  • Evolution of populations of coastal breeders at the inner port of Zeebrugge: breeding success: eggsize, more
  • Evolution of populations of coastal breeders at the inner port of Zeebrugge: population size, more
  • Evolution of populations of coastal breeders at the inner port of Zeebrugge: population structure, more
  • Feeding ecology of adult Terns in the Belgian Part of the North sea, more
  • Feeding ecology of Terns chicks in the Belgian Part of the North sea, more
  • Feeding ecology of Terns in the Belgian Part of the North sea, more
  • IMERS: Integrated Marine Environmental Samples and Readings, more
  • Length/Width and biomass of nematodes from sandbanks on the Belgian Continental Shelf, more
  • Natural stable isotopes in the primary producents of the pelagic and the benthic heterotrophic cycle of the Belgian Continental Shelf, more
  • Population structure and dispersal in the North Sea of Pomatoschistus gobies, more
  • Population structure and dispersal of Solea solea (Common Sole) in the North Sea, more
  • Population structure and dispersal of the Pomatoschistus parasite Gyrodactylus in Belgian waters, more
  • Stomach analysis of stranded seabirds on the Belgian Coast, more
  • Survey dataset on Pomatoschistus minutus (Pallas, 1770) and other gobies at the Belgian Coast, Oosterschelde, Westerschelde and at nuclear plants near Doel & Borssele, more
  • Temporal patterns of bacterial diversity in a changing environment, more
  • TROPHOS Microsatellite data of Solea solea (Common sole) on the Belgian Coninental Shelf, more
  • TROPHOS/PODO-I integrated database, more
  • TROPHOS: Higher trophic levels in the Southern North Sea: Distribution of birds in the Belgian Part of the North Sea (2002-2006), more
  • TROPHOS: Higher trophic levels in the Southern North Sea: Phytoplankton species densities, nutrients and chlorophyll a and suspended solids concentrations (2003), more
  • TROPHOS: Nematode length/width measurements for stations 115bis and 330 in the Belgian Part of the North Sea (1999), more
  • TROPHOS: Temporal patterns for meiobenthos species at stations 115bis and 330 in the Belgian Part of the North Sea (2002-2003), more
  • Worldwide observations of gulls originating from Zeebruges, more

Publications (17)  Top | Institutes | Datasets 
  • Stienen, E.W.M.; Van Waeyenberge, J. (2002). Belang van de Thorntonbank voor de mariene avifauna. Advies van het Instituut voor Natuurbehoud, IN.A.2002.101. Instituut voor Natuurbehoud: Brussel. , more
  • Claus, S.; Cuvelier, D. (2004). De vissen van het Belgisch Continentaal Plat. Onze zee rijker dan je denkt. Vlaams Instituut voor de Zee (VLIZ): Oostende. 1 poster pp., more
  • Verstraete, H. (2006). Dieetanalyse van gestrande Zeekoeten Uria aalge en Alken Alca torda aan de hand van otholieten. [S.n.]: Ghent. , more
  • Lutterop, D.; Kasemir, G. (2006). Griend, vogels en bewaking 2005. Rapport Vereniging Natuurmonumenten. [S.n.]: 's Graveland. , more
  • Stienen, E.W.M.; Kuijken, E. (2003). Het belang van de Belgische zeegebieden voor zeevogels. Rapport Instituut voor Natuurbehoud, IN.A.2003.208. Instituut voor Natuurbehoud: Brussel. 33 pp., more
  • Claus, S.; Cuvelier, D. (2004). Het benthos: de bodembewoners van de zee. Onze zee rijker dan je denkt. Vlaams Instituut voor de Zee (VLIZ): Oostende. 1 poster pp., more
  • Claus, S.; Cuvelier, D. (2004). Het mariene voedselweb. Onze zee rijker dan je denkt. Vlaams Instituut voor de Zee (VLIZ): Oostende. 1 poster pp., more
  • Claus, S.; Cuvelier, D. (2004). Het plankton van het Belgisch Continentaal Plat. Onze zee rijker dan je denkt. Vlaams Instituut voor de Zee (VLIZ): Oostende. 1 poster pp., more
  • Vanaverbeke, J.; Franco, M.A.; Remerie, T.; Vanreusel, A.; Vincx, M.; Moodley, L.; Soetaert, K.; van Oevelen, D.; Courtens, W.; Stienen, E.; Van de walle, M.; Deneudt, K.; Vanden Berghe, E.; Draisma, S.; Hellemans, B.; Huyse, T.; Volckaert, F.A.M.J.; Van den Eynde, D. (2007). Higher trophic levels in the southern North Sea “TROPHOS”: Final report EV/25. Belgian Science Policy: Brussel. 89 pp., more
  • (2003). Hogere trofische niveaus in de Zuidelijke Noordzee 'TROPHOS': wetenschappelijk verslag voor de periode van 01/02/2002-31/01/2003. Instituut voor Natuurbehoud/Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Laboratorium voor Aquatische Ecologie/Universiteit Gent, Sektie Mariene Biologie: Brussel. 47 pp., more
  • (2004). Hogere trofische niveaus in de Zuidelijke Noordzee 'TROPHOS': wetenschappelijk verslag voor de periode van 01/02/2003-31/01/2004. CEME/Instituut voor Natuurbehoud/Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Laboratorium voor Aquatische Ecologie/NIOO/Universiteit Gent, Sektie Mariene Biologie: Brussel. 23 pp., more
  • Dumortier, M.; De Bruyn, L.; Peymen, J.; Schneiders, A.; Van Daele, T.; Weyembergh, G.; van Straaten, D.; Kuijken, E. (2003). Natuurrapport 2003: toestand van de natuur in Vlaanderen: cijfers voor het beleid. Mededelingen van het Instituut voor Natuur- en Bosonderzoek, 21. Instituut voor Natuurbehoud: Brussel. ISBN 90-403-0137-9. 352 pp., more
  • van Oevelen, D. (2005). The structure of marine benthic food webs: combining stable isotope techniques and inverse modeling. PhD Thesis. Rijksuniversiteit Groningen: Groningen. 143 pp., more
  • Claus, S.; Cuvelier, D. (2004). Wat maakt ons Belgisch stukje Noordzee zo uniek? Onze zee rijker dan je denkt. Vlaams Instituut voor de Zee (VLIZ): Oostende. 1 poster pp., more
  • Claus, S.; Cuvelier, D. (2004). Zeevogels van de Belgische mariene gebieden. Onze zee rijker dan je denkt. Vlaams Instituut voor de Zee (VLIZ): Oostende. 1 poster pp., more
  • Stienen, E.W.M.; Van Waeyenberge, J.; Kuijken, E. (2003). Zeezoogdieren in Belgisch mariene wateren. Rapport Instituut voor Natuurbehoud, A.2003.152. Instituut voor Natuurbehoud: Brussel. 15 pp., more
  • Claus, S.; Cuvelier, D. (2004). Zeezoogdieren van de Belgische mariene gebieden. Onze zee rijker dan je denkt. Vlaams Instituut voor de Zee (VLIZ): Oostende. 1 poster pp., more

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