Peter Goethals

Ghent University | UGhent · Department of Animal Sciences and Aquatic Ecology

Estuaries have been recognized as one of the major sources of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in aquatic systems; yet we still lack insights into the impact of both anthropogenic and natural factors on the dynamics of GHG emissions. Here, we assessed the spatiotemporal dynamics and underlying drivers of the GHG emissions from the Scheldt Estuary with a foc...

Freshwater navigation is expected to increase in the coming years, being promoted as a low-carbon form of transport. However, we currently lack knowledge on how this will impact biodiversity at large scales and interact with existing stressors. We addressed this knowledge gap by analyzing fish and macroinvertebrate community time series spanning th...

Owing to a long history of anthropogenic pressures, freshwater ecosystems are among the most vulnerable to biodiversity loss¹. Mitigation measures, including wastewater treatment and hydromorphological restoration, have aimed to improve environmental quality and foster the recovery of freshwater biodiversity². Here, using 1,816 time series of fresh...

Background Migration is a vital element of the life cycle of many freshwater fish species but is increasingly hampered globally by riverine barriers. Fish passes are a common approach to enable migration past barriers but are often ineffective. More knowledge is required on fish behaviour as they approach barriers such as habitat preferences. Meth...

Background Fish migration has severely been impacted by dam construction. Through the disruption of fish migration routes, freshwater fish communities have seen an incredible decline. Fishways, which have been constructed to mitigate the problem, have been shown to underperform. This is in part due to fish navigation still being largely misundersto...

Functional diversity (FD) is useful for the evaluation of freshwater ecosystems. The FD of macroinvertebrate families for river water quality (WQ) assessment in the Paute River Basin (PRB), Ecuador, was investigated. Macroinvertebrate samples and data about 26 physical, chemical, microbiological and hydro-geomorphological variables were available....

As alien invasive species are a key driver of biodiversity loss, understanding patterns of rapidly changing global species compositions depends upon knowledge of invasive species population dynamics and trends at large scales. Within this context, the Ponto-Caspian region is among the most notable donor regions for aquatic invasive species in Europ...

This paper provides a systematic overview of existing literature on the interdependence between terrestrial Ecosystem Services (ES) and agricultural landscape management. To this end, we constructed a structured methodological approach that future researchers and other stakeholders may use to explore potential gaps for potential avenues for researc...

Environmental epigenetics has become a key research focus in global climate change studies and environmental pollutant investigations impacting aquatic ecosystems. Specifically, triggered by environmental stress conditions, intergenerational DNA methylation changes contribute to biological adaptive responses and survival of organisms to increase th...

The Peruvian environmental action plan seeks headwaters protection as one of its integrated watershed management objectives. However, heterogeneous social and environmental conditions shape this freshwater management challenge at subnational scales. We have noticed different interpretations of this challenge. To map the debate, understand the diver...

The sixth mass extinction is a consequence of complex interplay between multiple stressors with negative impact on biodiversity. We here examine the interaction between two globally widespread anthropogenic drivers of amphibian declines: the fungal disease chytridiomycosis and antifungal use in agriculture. Field monitoring of 26 amphibian ponds in...

Schistosomiasis is one of the snail-borne diseases responsible for the second-highest burden of diseases among neglected tropical diseases. The use of mass drug administration to the populations most at risk is a backbone of the strategy to prevent and control schistosomiasis transmission. However, it offers no protection against re-infection, and...

In Ecuador, 30% of the population does not consume drinking water of good quality. One of the causes is related to the deficiency in the technical skills of water operators because some have not had access to elementary, high school or higher education due to factors of extreme vulnerability. The Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), having an inclu...

Pesticides are widely used for safeguarding agricultural yields and controlling malaria vectors, yet are simultaneously unintentionally introduced in aquatic environments. To assess the severity of this pressure in the Lake Tana Basin (Ethiopia), we evaluated the occurrence of 17 pesticide residues in the lake, tributary rivers, and associated wetl...

Only 35% of the Ecuadorian population consumes drinking water of “assured quality”. One of the causes is related to the deficiencies in the technical ability of the operators due to their lack of education, technical training, and experience. Massive open online courses (MOOCs) responsive to characteristics and learning needs are an option to stren...

Increasing anthropogenic activities are affecting water quality and related ecosystem services in river basins worldwide. There is a need to identify and act on synergies between the water-energy-food (WEF) elements and the other Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) while mediating trade-offs. The Guayas river basin (GRB), one of the major watershe...

As one of the earth's key ecosystems, rivers have been intensively studied and modelled through the application of machine learning (ML). With the amount of large data available, these computer algorithms are ever increasing in numerous fields, although there is ongoing scepticism and scholars still question the actual impact and deliverables of al...

Crabs are an outstanding source of many essential nutrients. Little research has been performed on the nutritional quality of the red mangrove crab (Ucides occidentalis). In this research we investigated the proximate composition, fatty acid profile, amino acid composition, and mineral concentrations of red mangrove crabs sampled at two reserves wi...

Video monitoring is a rapidly evolving tool in aquatic ecological research because of its non-destructive ability to assess fish assemblages. Nevertheless, methodological considerations of video monitoring techniques are often overlooked, especially in more complex sampling designs, causing inefficient data collection, processing, and interpretatio...

Recently, a wide range of models have been used in analyzing the costs and benefits of land utilization in river basins. Despite these advances, there is not enough information on how to select appropriate models to perform cost-benefit analyses. A literature search in the Web of Science (WOS) online database was implemented and resulted in the sel...

As alien invasive species are a key driver of biodiversity loss, understanding patterns of rapidly changing global species compositions depends upon knowledge of biological invasion dynamics and trends. The Ponto-Caspian region is among the most notable donor regions for aquatic invasive species in Europe. Using macroinvertebrate time series collec...

Mangroves provide multiple ecosystem services to coastal communities and their fisheries. In the Galapagos, mangroves have been primarily prized for their role as nursery grounds; though, the importance of cultural benefits, including the development of knowledge systems among fishers, needs to be further explored. Fishers’ local ecological knowled...

Mangroves provide multiple ecosystem services to coastal communities and their fisheries. In the Galapagos, mangroves have been primarily prized for their role as nursery grounds; though, the importance of cultural benefits, including the development of knowledge systems among fishers, needs to be further explored. Fishers' local ecological knowled...

Background In acoustic telemetry studies, detection range is usually evaluated as the relationship between the probability of detecting an individual transmission and the distance between the transmitter and receiver. When investigating animal presence, however, few detections will suffice to establish an animal’s presence within a certain time fra...

Globalization has led to the introduction of thousands of alien species worldwide. With growing impacts by invasive species, understanding the invasion process remains critical for predicting adverse effects and informing efficient management. Theoretically, invasion dynamics have been assumed to follow an “invasion curve” (S-shaped curve of availa...

Aim We studied the distribution of freshwater macroinvertebrate taxa and traits to distinguish ecological gradients among the mining‐controlled and natural headwaters, and rural and urban economic activity influences. Location In 2016’s dry season, macroinvertebrate samples were collected at 40 locations in the Mashcon watershed, northern Peruvian...

Rivers act as a natural source of greenhouse gases (GHGs). However, anthropogenic activities can largely alter the chemical composition and microbial communities of rivers, consequently affecting their GHG production. To investigate these impacts, we assessed the accumulation of CO2, CH4, and N2O in an urban river system (Cuenca, Ecuador). High var...

Stream–riparian networks are subject to multiple human pressures that threaten key functions of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, drive habitat and diversity losses, affect riparian connectivity and cause stakeholder conflicts. Designing riparian landscapes in a way that they can simultaneously meet multiple competing demands requires a clear und...

Ecological control of blackflies ( Simulium damnosum ) can be an alternative or additional tool to enhance onchocerciasis elimination efforts. However, limited research is conducted on the ecology of blackflies in Ethiopia. In this study, we determined the habitat preference of blackfly larvae and their relationship with aquatic macroinvertebrate p...

The cover image is based on the Viewpoint A global agenda for advancing freshwater biodiversity research by Alain Maasri et al., https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13931. Image Credit: Solvin Zankl. image

Despite devastating effects on global biodiversity, efficient mitigation strategies against amphibian chytridiomycosis are lacking. Since the free-living pathogenic zoospores of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), the infective stage of this disease, can serve as a nutritious food source for components of zooplankton communities, these groups may...

Divergences between community livelihoods and conservation efforts often result in changes to the access and use of natural capital in affected areas, negatively affecting the respective livelihoods. New tools and interdisciplinary approaches are more frequently required for solving these conflicts. In this paper, the socio-ecological systems (SES)...

Schistosomiasis is one of the snail-borne diseases responsible for the second-highest burden of diseases among neglected tropical diseases. The use of mass drug administration to the populations most at risk is a backbone of the strategy to prevent and control schistosomiasis transmission. However, it offers no protection against re-infection, and...

The present study investigates the relative importance of human disturbance, local environmental and spatial factors on variations in bird community composition in natural Ethiopian wetlands with high biodiversity conservation value. We quantified bird abundances, local environmental variables and human disturbances at 63 sites distributed over ten...

Global freshwater biodiversity is declining dramatically, and meeting the challenges of this crisis requires bold goals and the mobilisation of substantial resources. While the reasons are varied, investments in both research and conservation of freshwater biodiversity lag far behind those in the terrestrial and marine realms. Inspired by a global...

Riparian forest buffers have multiple benefits for biodiversity and ecosystem services in both freshwater and terrestrial habitats but are rarely implemented in water ecosystem management, partly reflecting the lack of information on the effectiveness of this measure. In this context, social learning is valuable to inform stakeholders of the effica...

Current mitigation strategies to offset marine plastic pollution, a global concern, typically rely on preventing floating debris from reaching coastal ecosystems. Specifically, clean-up technologies are designed to collect plastics by removing debris from the aquatic environment such as rivers and estuaries. However, to date, there is little publis...

In the original article [...]

This special issue consists of fourteen selected articles, that cover a wide spectrum of Ecosystem Services (ES) of lakes and reservoirs, including: (1) water purification [...]

Early nineties of previous century aquatic biodiversity was low in many West-European countries as a consequence of pollution, hydromorphological degradation and a lack of sound environmental legislation. Since the early 2000s and the implementation of the European Water Framework Directive a big step forward has been made to achieve a good ecologi...

Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis is responsible for amphibian declines worldwide. Decreasing the aquatic density of this chytrid through consumption of its infectious zoospores by Cladocera (water fleas) may mitigate the impact of chytridiomycosis. Understanding this predator-prey relationship requires insights in the zoospore ingestion rate of an av...

Aim This study aimed at investigating the taxonomic resolutions (TRs) of benthic macroinvertebrates for freshwater assessments in the scope of the functional trait approach (FTA). Location Macroinvertebrate samples were collected in 22 locations within the Paute River Basin (PRB), Ecuador, over three years (2010, 2011 and 2012). Methods Biologica...

While the amphibian disease chytridiomycosis is causing ongoing population declines and biodiversity losses around the globe, efficient mitigation strategies are lacking. The free‐living zoospores of the causative agents of this disease, the chytrid pathogens Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) and Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal), are a po...

Surrounded by intense anthropogenic activities, urban polluted rivers have increasingly been reported as a significant source of greenhouse gases (GHGs). However, unlike pollution and climate change, no integrated urban water models have investigated the GHG production in urban rivers due to system complexity. In this study, we proposed a novel int...

Anthropogenic pressure such as agricultural pollution globally affects amphibian populations. In this study, a total of 178 different compounds from five agrochemical groups (i.e. antimicrobial drugs residues (ADRs), coccidiostats and anthelmintics, heavy metals, mycotoxins and pesticides) were determined monthly, from March until June 2019 in 26 a...

Social-ecological systems and governance are complex systems and crises that affect those systems are likely to be complex as well. Environmental topics are multi-faceted with respect to both structure and content. Structural complexity is about societal and institutional organization and management, whereas contentual complexity deals with environ...

Mangrove wetlands provide essential ecosystem services such as coastal protection and fisheries. Metal pollution due to industrial and agricultural activities represents an issue of growing concern for the Guayas River Basin and related mangroves in Ecuador. Fisheries and the related human consumption of mangrove crabs are in need of scientific sup...

Mangroves are unique coastal ecosystems, located in tropical and subtropical regions. Yet, the functioning of these essential ecosystems is threatened by the presence of pollutants, including pesticides originating from agricultural activities. We investigated pesticide residues in the Guayas estuarine environment, since agricultural activities rap...

The aim of this study is to generate a first global overview of pressures and methods used to assess the environmental quality of rivers and streams using macroinvertebrates. In total, 314 peer-review studies were reviewed, published in the period 1997 – 2018, from developing economies in Africa, South-Central America, Mexico and Southern Asia. To...

This study presents possible applications of machine learning (ML) methods for estimating water levels without a throughout understanding of hydrological processes and complex databases of irrigation systems. The Bac-Hung-Hai catchment, the biggest irrigation and drainage area in Vietnam, is selected as a case study due to the large database on thi...

Malaria parasites are transmitted to humans by infectious female Anopheles mosquitoes. Chemical-insecticide-based mosquito control has been successful in reducing the burden of malaria. However, the emergence of insecticide resistance in malaria vectors and concerns about the effect of the chemicals on the environment, human health, and non-target...

Adequate environmental management in tropical aquatic ecosystems is imperative. Given the lack of knowledge about functional diversity and bioassessment programs, management is missing the needed evidence on pollution and its effect on biodiversity and functional ecology. Therefore, we investigated the composition and distribution of the macroinver...

Increasing habitat fragmentation is a major contributing factor to dramatic reductions in populations of migratory species worldwide. Diadromous fish species in particular are affected by this anthropogenic disturbance, resulting in historically low population abundances. Despite a plethora of management measures and considerable investment, desire...

As an “international aquatic ecosystem” in Northern Iran, the Anzali wetland is a nursery for fish and a breeding and wintering area for a wide variety of waterfowl. The wetland is threatened by human activities (deforestation, hunting, tourism, and urbanization), leading to habitat destruction, eutrophication, and sediment accumulation. To stop th...

Sustainably feeding a growing human population is one of the greatest food system challenges of the 21st century. Seafood plays a vital role in supporting human wellbeing, by providing bioavailable and nutrient-dense animal-source food. In Thailand, seafood demand is increasing, and wild capture fishery yields have plateaued, due to oceanic ecosyst...

Riparian zones form the interface between stream and terrestrial ecosystems and play a key role through their vegetation structure in determining stream biodiversity, ecosystem functioning and regulating human impacts, such as warming, nutrient enrichment and sedimentation. We assessed how differing riparian vegetation types influence the structura...

Oceanic islands harbor unique yet fragile marine ecosystems that require evidence-based environmental management. Among these islands, the Galapagos archipelago is well known for its fish diversity, but the factors that structure communities within and between its islands remain poorly understood. In this study, water quality, physical habitats and...

Worldwide river systems are under pressure from human development. River managers need to identify the most important stressors in a stream basin, to propose effective management interventions for river restoration. In the European Union, the Water Framework Directive proposes the ecological status as the management endpoint for these interventions...

Riparian zones form a boundary between aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, with dispro-portionate influences on food web dynamics and ecosystem functioning in both habitats. However,riparian boundaries are frequently degraded by human activities, including urbanization, leading todirect impacts on terrestrial communities and indirect changes that a...