More than 250 PhD students receive their PhDs at WUR every year. It is impossible to describe and summarize all these theses. In the column ‘PhD theses in a nutshell’ the selection of our science editors is briefly presented.
Playing with water
It is difficult to maintain the quality of water in a single isolated lake, let alone lakes that are connected to one another. In that situation, everything is interrelated. Lilith Kramer developed a model for predicting the effects of changes in the management of the lakes. She applied it to a series of Frisian lakes, the Friese Boezem. She found that the current management approach is not enough to get the desired ecosystems. It’s complex stuff, but she made it accessible by developing a game for water managers, called Flipping Lakes.
Connecting with Lakes.
Lilith Kramer. Supervisor Wolf Mooij
Now this virus
In the world of viruses, scientists are still explorers. Jirka Manuel Petersen, from Germany, studied the nudivirus genus. Nudiviruses, which have not received much attention from scientists, are a genus of viruses that affect numerous insects and shellfish. Peterson found the genomes of eight unknown nudiviruses in the online genetic data of various host species. He also looked at how nudiviruses infect the ova of a moth and trigger replication of the virus.
Nudivirus Nexus.
Jirka Manuel Petersen. Supervisor Monique van Oers
Baby intestines
The gut flora of a baby develop fast in its first 12 months. Polysaccharides in the mother’s milk play a key role, according to research by Athanasia Ioannou, from Greece. Bacteria help one another: the bacteria that can’t break down the polymer sugars themselves use the breakdown products of fellow bacteria that can. Ioannou studied that interplay by designing her own gut flora ecosystems. The simulations are a useful representation of what happens in real life. But she has a warning: small differences in the simulation composition can have a big impact on the results.
Paving the Way.
Athanasia Ioannou. Supervisor Clara Belzer
