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Project properties |
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| Title | Settlement of native and non-native barnacles |
| Group | Marine Animal Ecology |
| Project type | thesis |
| Credits | 24-39 |
| Supervisor(s) | Lara Jansen |
| Examiner(s) | Tinka Murk, Ronald Osinga, Reindert Nijland, Rosa van der Ven or Diede Maas |
| Contact info | lara.jansen@wur.nl
mae.education@wur.nl |
| Begin date | 2025/01/01 |
| End date | 2025/09/01 |
| Description | Anthropogenic activity, climate change and warming sea water temperatures cause animals to spread beyond their natural range. Once successfully introduced, non-indigenous species (NIS) may outcompete native animals. One such examples is the New Zealand barnacle Austrominius modestus. First described in the Dutch North Sea in 1946, it rapidly expanded its range thanks to its broad ecological tolerance. The native Balanus crenatus has a much narrower ecological tolerance and the assumption is that these animals live in competition.
In this student project, we want to know how well the free-living larvae of both species settle at different temperatures. You will carry out the settlement assays and data-analysis, but also help setting up housing and cultivation of barnacles, since little research has been performed on these species. There is space for two master students! |
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