Central in my research is the evolution and ecology of large benthic foraminifera. To achieve this goal, role of large benthic foraminifera in their environment. These small calcifiers are an important component of the coral reef carbonate budget, and were even more so in the past. I rely on a thorough understanding of their morphological and molecular evolution. I look at all aspects of spatial and temporal variation in the fossil record of large benthic foraminifera.
At larger scales, my interests include the origins and maintenance of marine biodiversity, including the role of turbid environments as a possible cradle and refuge for coral reefs.
I am appointed as professor of Marine Palaeodiversity at the Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics in the Ecosystems and Landscape Dynamics group.
Keywords
Large benthic foraminifera, biogeography, paleoecology, Southeast Asia, coral reefs, marine biodiversity
Researchinterests
Taxonomy of large benthic foraminifera
Ecology of large benthic foraminifera
(Paleo)ecology of turbid reef ecosystems
Ongoingprojects
4D-REEF Research Programme
Keypublications
Renema, W., D. Bellwood, J.-C. Braga, K. Bromfield, R. Hall, K.G. Johnson, P. Lunt, C.P. Meyer, L. McMonagle, R.J. Morley, A. O’dea, J.A. Todd, F.P. Wesselingh, M.E.J. Wilson, and J.M. Pandolfi (2008) Hopping hotspots: Global shifts in marine biodiversity. Science 321: 654-657. DOI: 10.1126/science.1155674
Renema, W., Pandolfi, J. M., Kiessling, W., Bosellini, F. R., Klaus, J. S., Korpanty, C., ... & Johnson, K. G. (2016). Are coral reefs victims of their own past success? Science advances 2: e1500850. DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.1500850
Prazeres, M., & Renema, W. (2018) Evolutionary significance of the microbial assemblages of large benthic Foraminifera. Biological Reviews 94: 828-848. https://doi.org/10.1111/brv.12482
Renema, W. (2018) Terrestrial influence as a key driver of spatial variability in large benthic foraminiferal assemblage composition in the Central Indo-Pacific. Earth-Science Reviews 177: 514-544.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2017.12.013
Santodomingo, N., Renema, W. & Johnson, K.G. (2016) Understanding the murky history of the Coral Triangle: Miocene corals and reef habitats in East Kalimantan (Indonesia). Coral Reefs 35: 765-781.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-016-1427-y
Evans, D., Sagoo, N., Renema, W., Cotton, L. J., Müller, W., Todd, J. A., …, & Valdes, P. J. (2018) Eocene greenhouse climate revealed by coupled clumped isotope-Mg/Ca thermometry. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 115: 1174- 179. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1714744115
PhDsupervision
Daily supervisor
Co-supervisor
- Lisette Mekkes
- Mariya Perepelytsya (Deltares)
- Andrew Torres (Natural History Museum)
Teachingactivities
Current student projects:
- Ultrastructure of Nummulitidae and/or Calcarinidae
- Temporal dynamics in coral reef ecosystems
Completed student projects:
- Holocene mollusc faunas in marine lakes in Indonesia
- Terrestrial and marine biogeographical history of South-East Asia – Dynamic biodiversity