PROMICROBE - Wageningen University & Research Center, The Aquaculture and Fisheries Group
Situation
The Aquaculture and Fisheries Group (AFI) is headed by Prof. J. Verreth and Associate Prof. J. Schrama. Dr. M. Verdegem and Ing. Eding coordinate systems research within AFI.
Research at AFI focuses on the adaptive capacity of fish and husbandry systems, with special attention to the interaction between fish performance (behaviour, feed intake, growth efficiency), fish metabolism (chyme and gut flora characteristics, metabolism) and microbial-mediated water quality parameters in aquatic systems, including recirculation systems. At organism level the research is focusing on robustness of aquatic organisms (assessed by the concept of residual feed intake) in relation to (coping) behaviour, immune functioning and gut microbial activity. At system level, the research focuses on the relation between metabolic waste production, water purification, water quality and fish performance with focus on microbial mediated processes. Species worked with include African catfish, common carp, European eel, tilapia, European sea bass and turbot.
From FP4 the AFI-group has contributed continuously to many EU-projects of which the most recent are WEALTH (Proj.nr: No501984), GRRAS (Proj.nr: 032556) and SustainAqua (COLL-CT-2006-030384).
Tasks within the project
This partner will participate in WP1 on the standardisation of protocols for MC typing and lead task on MC in tilapia. It will participate in WP2 on gnotobiotic tilapia and imprinting. The major contribution is in WP4 (leader) on the interaction of system -MC with intestinal-MC.
Staff profile
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Dr Marc Verdegem | has long standing experience in fish performance with focus on microbial mediated processes (44 international publications). |
Relevant publications
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Freeman, S. A., R. Sierra-Alvarez, M. Altinbas, J. Hollingsworth, A. J. M. Stams, and H. Smidt. 2007. Molecular characterization of mesophilic and thermophilic sulfate reducing microbial communities in expanded granular sludge bed (EGSB) reactors. Biodegradation in press
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Hari B., B.M. Kurup, J.T. Varghese, J.W. Schrama and M.C.J. Verdegem. 2006. The effect of carbohydrate addition on water quality and the nitrogen budget in extensive shrimp culture systems. Aquaculture 252: 248-263.
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Rajilić-Stojanović, M., H. Smidt, and W. M. de Vos. 2007. Diversity of the human gastrointestinal tract microbiota revisited. Environmental Microbiology 9:2125-2136.
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Schneider, O. M. Chabrillon-Popelka, H. Smidt, O. Haenen, V. Sereti, E.H. Eding, J.A.J. Verreth. 2007. HRT and nutrients affect bacterial communities grown on recirculation aquaculture system effluents. FEMS Microbiology Ecology 60: 207-219.
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Wagner, M., H. Smidt, A. Loy, and J. Zhou. 2007. Unravelling microbial communities with DNA-microarrays: challenges and future directions. Microbial Ecology 53:498-506.
