Jan A . van Gils Matthijs van der Geest Jutta Leyrer

Toxin constraint explains diet choice, survival and population dynamics in a molluscivore shorebird

Recent insights suggest that predators should include (mildly) toxic prey when non-toxic food is scarce. However, the assumption that toxic prey is energetically as profitable as non-toxic prey misses the possibility that non-toxic prey have other ways to avoid being eaten, such as the formation of an indigestible armature. In that case, predators face a trade-off between avoiding toxins and mi...

A three-stage symbiosis forms the foundation of seagrass ecosystems.

Seagrasses evolved from terrestrial plants into marine foundation species around 100 million years ago. Their ecological success, however, remains a mystery because natural organic matter accumulation within the beds should result in toxic sediment sulfide levels. Using a meta-analysis, a field study, and a laboratory experiment, we reveal how an ancient three-stage symbiosis between seagrass, ...

How habitat-modifying organisms structure the food web of two coastal ecosystems.

The diversity and structure of ecosystems has been found to depend both on trophic interactions in food webs and on other species interactions such as habitat modification and mutualism that form non-trophic interaction networks. However, quantification of the dependencies between these two main interaction networks has remained elusive. In this study, we assessed how habitat-modifying organism...

The RNA-Binding Protein Quaking is a Critical Regulator of Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Phenotype

Eric P van der Veer, Ruben G de Bruin Adriaan O Kraaijeveld, Margreet R de Vries, Ilze Bot, Tonio Pera, Filip M Segers, Stella Trompet, Janine M van Gils, Marko K Roeten, Cora M Beckers, Peter J van Santbrink, Anique Janssen, Coen van Solingen, Jim Swildens, Hetty C de Boer, Erna A Peters, Roel Bijkerk, Mat Rousch, Merijn Doop, Martin Jan Schalij , Allard C van der Wal, Stéphane Richard, Theo J...

Untying the knot