With support from a VIDI grant, I’m leading a project using environmental DNA (eDNA) to better track invasive species and their hybridization with native species. We’ve built a strong team and are testing new ways to collect and analyze DNA from water. This helps us detect where native and invasive species are hybridizing. We’re also developing tools to tell the sex of animals from eDNA, something that hasn’t been done before. Early results have been shared through talks and publications, and we’re now working on models to predict how invasive species spread across Europe.

Freshwater biodiversity is highly impacted by mining activities as the effects of exploitation, alteration and pollution of water bodies can propagate for miles downstream of the mine. The transition to a carbon-neutral economy might further increase such impacts as it requires six times more raw materials than today. I will quantify for the first time the impacts of mining activities on freshwater biodiversity globally and integrate these impacts in sustainability assessment tools to evaluate biodiversity impacts of energy transition scenarios. This is crucial to guide raw materials sourcing towards more biodiversity-inclusive development strategies and avert the impending biodiversity crisis.

Fungi are important to soil functions such as provision of food, maintenance of biodiversity, nutrient cycling and carbon storage. Currently, soils are degraded due to human activities and their functions lost. In this project I will study how fungal communities function and how fungal diversity affects multiple ecosystem functions. Further, I will study how we can enhance fungal communities based on their traits to restore soil functions.

Pollinators are crucial for ecosystem functioning and food production. Understanding which pollinators are associated with which plants (plant-pollinator networks) and how these interactions change across time and space is of critical importance, especially given the current pace of human-induced environmental change. Our current understanding is limited to visual observations, which are extremely time-consuming, labour intensive and biased against rare species. This project aims to test the possibility and accuracy of using pollinator DNA extracted directly from flowers as a new method. If successful, this will revolutionize our understanding of plant-pollinator networks through a more efficient and accurate assessment.

Managing terrestrial ecosystems to increase the carbon contained in soils can remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. As such, it is recognised as one of a few realistic strategies to curb climate change. Soil carbon is also key to supporting ecosystem functioning and is therefore critical for sustainable land use. Investigating the role of the tremendous diversity of microscopic soil organisms in regulating soil carbon, this project will bridge fundamental knowledge gaps in climate science and ecology, and will inform farmers and policy makers of the potential benefits of promoting soil life for climate change mitigation and sustainable production.