LABORATORY OF AQUATIC ECOLOGY (F. Ollevier, L. Brendonck, L. De Meester, R. Stoks, F. Volckaert) - Aquatic ecology and biodiversity including population genetics & evolutionary genetics of aquatic vertebrates & invertebrates. - Fish diseases (parasites, bacteria) and aquatic microbiology. - Management of aquatic ecosystems (trophical cascade) in relation with eutrophication. - Ecophysiology related with aquaculture, reproduction. - Aquatic ecotoxicology : as well fundamental aspects as their application in aquaculture and evironmental management. - Projects of applied hydrobiology are run in Africa (Zimbabwe, South Africa, Kenya), Asia (China, Vietnam) and South-America (Ecuador, Chili, Bolivia). LABORATORY FOR ENTOMOLOGY (J. Billen) Morphology and ultrastructure of exocrine glands in social insects, phylogeny of the Formicidae, chemical analysis of pheromone-producing glands in social insects, communication and pheromones in social insects, behavioural study of reproduction and dominance in ants. LABORATORY FOR COMPARATIVE ANATOMY AND BIODIVERSITY (K. Wouters, W. Van Neer, J. Snoeks) - Systematic revisions of African and South-East Asian fresh- water fishes. This research is focused on the economically important fish families such as the Cichlidae (tilapias and several groups from the East African Lakes), Clariidae, Schilbeidae, Bagridae (Chrysichtys) and Mastacembelidae. - Biodiversity studies, concentrated on Cameroon, Gabon, Congo, Brazzaville, Ivory Coast and the great East African Lakes (Victoria, Tanganyika and Malawi). - Osteology to elucidate relationships within certain fish groups such as the Polypteridae. - Taxonomic and (paleo)ecological study of ostracodes.
