I am a Dutch PhD-candidate and biology and chemistry teacher in secondary education. My research is oriented at coral-associated fauna, with a focus on the relation to their host in a rapidly changing environment. Is the coral suffering from its epibionts? Do they cause stress and health reduction of their host? Or is it a balanced symbiosis in which the species are reliant on each other?
Keywords
Coral-associated fauna, symbionts, epibionts, host, parasites, eutrophication
Researchinterest
Coral-associated fauna contribute largely to the biodiversity on coral reefs. Many organisms in this group are dependant on their host for survival.
In my research I focus on the question: what does the symbiosis mean for the host? Is it a blessing or a curse? Many coral-symbiont associations have been described in the past centuries, yet the ecological relation between symbiont and host has often been neglected. More insight into the influence of coral-associated fauna on their hosts is essential for effective conservation measurements of the precious but vulnerable coral reefs which are under great pressure due to climate change.
Currenttopics
-Coral-associated fauna
-Eutrophication
-Coral damage
Keypublications
- Hoeksema, B. W., Harper, C. E., Langdon-Down, S. J., van der Schoot, R. J., Smith-Moorhouse, A., Spaargaren, R., & Timmerman, R. F. 2022. Host range of the coral-associated worm snail Petaloconchus sp.(Gastropoda: Vermetidae), a newly discovered cryptogenic pest species in the southern Caribbean. Diversity, 14, 196.
- Hoeksema, B. W., Timmerman, R. F., Spaargaren, R., Smith-Moorhouse, A., van der Schoot, R. J., Langdon-Down, S. J., & Harper, C. E. 2022. Morphological Modifications and Injuries of Corals Caused by Symbiotic Feather Duster Worms (Sabellidae) in the Caribbean. Diversity, 14, 332.
- Hoeksema, B. W., Smith-Moorhouse, A., Harper, C. E., van der Schoot, R. J., Timmerman, R. F., Spaargaren, R., & Langdon-Down, S. J. 2022. Black Mantle Tissue of Endolithic Mussels (Leiosolenus spp.) Is Cloaking Borehole Orifices in Caribbean Reef Corals. Diversity, 14, 401.
- Hoeksema, B. W., van der Schoot, R. J., Wels, D., Scott, C. M., & Ten Hove, H. A. 2019. Filamentous turf algae on tube worms intensify damage in massive Porites corals. Ecology, 100.
- Hoeksema, B. W., Wels, D., van der Schoot, R. J., & ten Hove, H. A. 2019. Coral injuries caused by Spirobranchus opercula with and without epibiotic turf algae at Curaçao. Marine Biology, 166, 1-8.
- van der Schoot, R.J., Scott, C. M., ten Hove, H. A., & Hoeksema, B. W. 2016. Christmas tree worms as epibionts of giant clams at Koh Tao, Gulf of Thailand. Marine Biodiversity, 46, 751-752.
