LJ (Lotte) Bouwman MSc

Lotte Bouwman works on the PhD project Biodiversity in Marine Shellfish Culture.

Mussel culture is the largest form of aquaculture in the Netherlands and exclusively takes place in the Wadden Sea and Eastern Scheldt. Wild mussels are important marine ecosystem engineers because they form complex biogenic habitats that attract a diverse array of species to which they provide refuge, nursery areas and/or foraging grounds. While mussels on commercial mussel plots provide similar biogenic habitats, it is unclear to what extent they fulfil the same ecological functions, as the interactions between mussel aquaculture and biodiversity remain largely unknown. The PhD project Biodiversity in Marine Shellfish Culture aims to elucidate the impact of mussel bottom culture on biodiversity, with a particular focus on mobile species at higher trophic levels. By using a combination of research techniques in both the Wadden Sea and Eastern Scheldt, the project explores the aquaculture-environment interactions between mussel cultivation and biodiversity in Dutch marine ecosystems.