Wageningen Animal Sciences

This is a Humans of WUR story of people of the Animal Sciences Group (ASG). With these stories, we aim to spotlight our people. Today we spoke with Davide Bottacini.   “I’m Davide Bottacini and I work as a PhD candidate at the Behavioural Ecology Group at ASG. Originally from Italy, I’ve been living in the Netherlands for five years. I completed two master’s degrees at WUR in 2022. Outside of work, I enjoy keeping tropical fish, diving, and bird watching/photography.”   𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐟𝐚𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐢𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤? “I’m passionate about everything related to fish: their biology, ecology, behaviour, and diversity. My PhD project brings all these elements together by studying lionfish (𝘗𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘴), one of the most fascinating predators on Earth. Lionfish are exceptional hunters but are also highly invasive. Native to the Indo-Pacific and Red Sea, they have spread to the western Atlantic, Caribbean, and now the Mediterranean, posing serious ecological threats.”   𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐮𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐫 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐣𝐨𝐫 𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐀𝐒𝐆 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐧? “My research contributes directly to understanding the biodiversity crisis. Invasive species, particularly predatory ones, are a major threat to native ecosystems. Studying their behaviour, how they interact with prey, and their overall impact helps us devise effective solutions.   A highlight of my work is a project in Crete where we study the ecological effects of removing lionfish through targeted spearfishing. After catching the lionfish, we provide them to local restaurants, helping establish a market for this sustainable food source. This approach has multiple benefits: reducing invasive populations, restoring ecosystem balance, and promoting sustainable fishing practices. It’s incredibly fulfilling to see these solutions embraced by local communities.”   𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 (𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞 𝐭𝐨) 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐚𝐭 𝐀𝐒𝐆/𝐖𝐔𝐑; 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐢𝐧 𝟏𝟎 𝐨𝐫 𝟐𝟎 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬' 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞? “The dynamic, inclusive environment at ASG makes it a great place to work. It’s non-hierarchical, and I have the freedom to pursue new ideas. For instance, I proposed a research project that grew into an interdisciplinary effort involving experts from various fields. Although much of my work involves desk research right now, I’m thrilled about returning to the field next year. Diving for lionfish and collecting new data is something I’m looking forward to!”   #HumansofWUR #animalscience #biodiversity

🐟 Comeback van Europese steur maakt goede kans Recentelijk heeft Niels Brevé met succes zijn PhD verdedigd onder begeleiding van zijn (co)promotoren Tinka Murk, Tom Buijse en Leo Nagelkerke. Zijn onderzoek richtte zich op de haalbaarheid van herintroductie van de Europese steur in de Rijn en de Noordzee. De Europese steur, ooit de grootste vis van Nederland, verdween rond 1950 door overbevissing, kanalisatie en watervervuiling. Nu wordt in het Rijnstroomgebied gewerkt aan herintroductie, met honderden uitgezette jonge steuren. Het promotieonderzoek draait om de vraag wat de steur in elke levensfase nodig heeft. “Door te kijken door het oog van de vis, ga je op een andere manier naar het ecosysteem en het waterbeheer kijken. In het kielzog van de steur zwemmen andere vissoorten die daar ook van gaan profiteren”, vertelt Brevé. 🤝 Dit project is in samenwerking met Sportvisserij Nederland, ARK Rewilding Nederland en het Wereld Natuur Fonds (WWF-NL). Gefeliciteerd, Niels! 🎉

🌍🔍 AI is opening doors for large-scale animal studies Smart computers and robots are opening new doors to animal research that isn’t feasible manually. Let’s take a look at two examples of projects our scientists are running. 🎣 𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐟𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬 In the Fully Documented Fisheries project of Wageningen Marine Research, work is being done on a system that creates a picture fully automatically of fishing catches, without the trawler crew or observers having to be involved. The catch is automatically detected and classified by number and by species as it passes along the conveyor belts. The system uses GPS, sensors and cameras plus an onboard computer. Researcher Edwin van Helmond and his colleagues are developing computer vision methods for analysing and interpreting the images. This technology makes complete documentation of the fish catch possible, which will help the sector become more sustainable and allow fish populations to be managed more responsibly. 🔊 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐚 New sensors can provide valuable information about the state of biodiversity in the oceans. Researcher Reindert Nijland and others in the Next Level Animal Sciences innovation programme are developing a smart biodiversity sensor box. This box makes underwater video and audio recordings and takes water samples for analysis of what is known as eDNA (environmental DNA). The ultimate aim is for the biodiversity box to take eDNA samples whenever the video or audio has detected an organism. The box can be deployed in places such as offshore wind farms for example in the North Sea, where diving is forbidden or hazardous, or where visibility is limited. The project is intended to generate an online database of the sounds of the North Sea. A dashboard will also be developed that combines sounds, video images and eDNA, which will allow anyone to observe marine animals in real time. #animalscience #AI #marineresearch

👑🌴 Royal spotlight on conservation! Recently, Princess Beatrix visited the Saba Research Centre, diving into the inspiring Diadema II Project. Led by our researchers Alwin Hylkema and Oliver Klokman, the project—collaborating with Van Hall Larenstein—is dedicated to restoring populations of the long-spined sea urchin (Diadema antillarum), vital herbivores for the health of coral reefs in the Dutch Caribbean around Saba and St. Eustatius. 🪸 These fascinating creatures play a key role in maintaining vibrant and resilient reef ecosystems. The Princess’s visit underscores the importance of preserving our oceans for future generations.

🏆🎓 Nominated: Teacher of the Year Award The jury surprised the nominated teachers in the top five this week. Each of them is to receive an individual education bonus of one thousand euros, to be spent as they wish. One of them is Sjouke Anne Kingma. The winner will be presented with a special sculpture on 10 December. Kingma: ‘Fantastic, a huge honour! Students’ appreciation motivates me. It gives me energy. I invest much energy in my teaching, and the fact that this does not go unnoticed is great. This is certainly an incentive to do the very best I can to deliver top-quality education. The students deserve it.’ 🦜 Dr. Sjouke Kingma is interested in why animals live in groups and whether and how the social environment determines individuals' behaviour and physiology and their ultimate success in survival and reproduction. His work integrates conceptual and comparative work with field observations, molecular genetic analyses and experiments, working on several different social species. His current work is centered around establishing how group membership is regulated and how conflict among individuals is resolved. 

🎧🧟♀️ Luistertip voor het weekend: Zombie-beesten Stel je voor: een muis die recht op de klauwen van een kat afrent. Of een rups die zonder reden omhoog klimt in een boom om daar te sterven… Het klinkt bizar, maar bij deze dieren is de controle volledig overgenomen door een virus of parasiet. Onze collega Vera Ros van Wageningen Plant Research is expert virologie bij insecten. Zij onderzoekt deze zombie-beesten en hun indringers. “Virussen kennen we natuurlijk als iets wat ons ziek maakt. Maar het kan ook hele fascinerende dingen doen, zoals gedrag veranderen.” Gelukkig gebeurt dit niet bij mensen... toch? Luister deze podcast van Universiteit van Nederland als je meer wilt weten: https://lnkd.in/egSy-Tqc

🌊🌬️ Windenergie op zee: klimaatdoel versus ecologische impact In de november-editie van het Pioneering Tech Magazine van de TU Delft deelt marien ecoloog en universitair hoofddocent Reindert Nijland zijn inzichten over de impact van offshore  windparken op het ecosysteem van de Noordzee. “We zijn het er allemaal over eens dat Nederland zijn ambitieuze klimaatdoelen moet halen, en windenergie op zee is een cruciaal onderdeel van deze energietransitie. Maar we moeten ervoor waken dat de haast waarmee we nu bouwen geen onherstelbare ecologische schade aanricht.” ⌛ “Er moet voldoende tijd en ruimte zijn voor ecologisch onderzoek en het verankeren van goede monitoringsinstrumenten. Zo kunnen we beter begrijpen wat de optelsom van ecologische effecten betekent voor de Noordzee, en hoe we onomkeerbare schade kunnen voorkomen.” Lees hieronder het volledige artikel 👇

This is a Humans of WUR story of people of the Animal Sciences Group (ASG). With these stories, we aim to spotlight our people. Today we spoke with Barry Rockx.   “I’m Barry Rockx and I work as a senior researcher at Wageningen Bioveterinary Research (WBVR). I obtained my PhD from Utrecht University and worked at RIVM and Erasmus MC. Now, I live in Houten with my wife and children. In my spare time, I like walking my dog and snowboarding.”   𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐟𝐚𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐢𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤? "As a senior researcher in Virology & Molecular Biology, I focus on virus infections, especially zoonotic viruses transmitted from animals to humans by vectors like mosquitoes, midges, and ticks. I'm fascinated by how something so tiny and non-living—a simple capsule of protein with genetic material—can have such a huge and devastating impact on humans, animals, and society. At WBVR, we study these dangerous viruses in both lab models and target animals. This allows us to test vaccines and quickly assess their real-world effectiveness in target groups."   𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐮𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐫 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐣𝐨𝐫 𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐀𝐒𝐆 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐧? "Agriculture and the use of land are rapidly changing, both locally and globally. This includes shifts toward circular and nature-inclusive farming, climate change, and efforts to boost biodiversity. While the goal is a sustainable food system with a focus on animal health and welfare, there are also new risks, like increased contact between farmed and wild animals, which may raise the chance of disease transmission. Climate change can also boost the number of vectors like mosquitoes, spreading new diseases. At WBVR, we map interactions between wild animals, livestock, and humans and identify viruses and bacteria in wildlife to pinpoint which pathogens could threaten human and animal health. A recent success story is the development of a human vaccine against the Rift Valley Fever virus. The fact that we, as a veterinary institute, have developed a human vaccine is of course very special."   𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐚𝐭 𝐖𝐔𝐑/𝐀𝐒𝐆 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐢𝐧 𝟏𝟎 𝐨𝐫 𝟐𝟎 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬' 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞? "The opportunity to collaborate across disciplines is what makes WBVR special. Here, experts in virology, vector biology, hosts, mathematical modelling, and intervention strategies come together to solve complex issues. I've been leading the 'Vector-borne Viruses' Expertise Team for two years and value this multidisciplinary approach. Additionally, WBVR offers a unique chance to work with target animals in high-containment biosafety labs, enabling groundbreaking research on viruses that pose threats to both humans and animals. This makes WUR the go-to place for One Health research in the Netherlands."   #HumansofWUR #animalscience #animalhealth

🏆🔬 Bioengineers Romy Dresken and Sophie van Oort were awarded for their contribution to developing alternatives to animal testing. The award was handed out at the recent Biotechnical Days in Den Bosch. Congratulations Romy and Sophie! 🎉 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐱 𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐬 At our institute Wageningen Bioveterinary Research (WBVR), the team where Romy and Sophie are a part of performs research into respiratory viruses based on complex cell systems for farm animals. The term complex cell systems refers to in vitro cell culture models that mimic tissues of living animals. For airway tissue this means that the researchers grow ciliated epithelial cells of the respiratory tract. The models have been used to study, among other things, the susceptibility of the airway epithelium of cows to infection with the avian flu virus. ‘Romy and Sophie have been essential in developing the complex cell systems for farm animals,’ said senior researcher Rik de Swart, responsible for the relevant research at WBVR. 𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞, 𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 An important benefit of the work with complex cell systems is that fewer animals are needed in experiments. The award by the Committee on Price Alternatives to Animal Testing is given to laboratory animal keepers, biotechnicians or lab technicians who make an outstanding contribution to replace, reduce and refine the use of laboratory animals for research or education. Wageningen University & Research makes continuous efforts in support of this goal. The development of the complex cell systems expertise was made possible partly thanks to support from the programs: Next Level Animal Science (NLAS) and Early Recognition and Rapid Action in Zoonotic Emergencies (ERRAZE@WUR). Read more about Next Level Animal Science (NLAS) 👇 https://lnkd.in/e_CzHCMu #award #organoids #virology

🎓 Last month Tiantong Zhao completed her PhD cum laude! Tiantong Zhao successfully defended her thesis 𝘊𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘉𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘳𝘴: 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘚𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘰𝘤𝘰𝘤𝘤𝘶𝘴 𝘴𝘶𝘪𝘴 𝘏𝘪𝘫𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘯-𝘗𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘮𝘪𝘯 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘰𝘭𝘺𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘚𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘮 𝘵𝘰 𝘐𝘯𝘷𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯 under the guidance of her promoter Jerry Wells. Tiantong Zhao was awarded her doctor’s title with honours. 🧠 𝘚𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘰𝘤𝘰𝘤𝘤𝘶𝘴 𝘴𝘶𝘪𝘴 is a zoonotic bacterium that causes invasive diseases in pigs and humans. A 𝘚. 𝘴𝘶𝘪𝘴 infection of the human brain can lead to serious meningitis, with high mortality and long-term complications such as hearing loss. The mechanisms by which 𝘚. 𝘴𝘶𝘪𝘴 invades the brain and the factors affecting its harmfulness are not fully understood. Researcher Tiantong Zhao and her colleagues developed human stem cell-based in vitro models that closely mimic the blood vessels in the brain (BBB barrier) and the choroid plexus epithelium, also known as the blood-cerebral spinal fluid barrier. These models were used to investigate how 𝘚. 𝘴𝘶𝘪𝘴 interacts with the brain barriers. “Using these models, we found that the enolase enzyme of 𝘚. 𝘴𝘶𝘪𝘴 hijacks the host plasminogen to facilitate the invasion of the brain”, explains the new doctor. Once the bacteria find their way to the brain, they may survive in different fluids, according to the researcher. The findings of Tiantong Zhao provide new insights into how 𝘚. 𝘴𝘶𝘪𝘴 can ‘hijack’ a host protease to facilitate crossing of these host barriers. Her thesis work opens the door to new research investigating the role of genes in translocation across the blood-central nervous system barrier (BCNSB) models. Congratulations on obtaining your doctorate with honours Wageningen University & Research, Tiantong Zhao! 🎈🎊