It is often proposed that most organisms on this planet are parasites. Their ubiquity, species richness and ecological and economic importance render them a fruitful model to study the processes underlying biodiversity, especially in aquatic environments with their high phylogenetic diversity of potential hosts. Therefore, our team studies the taxonomy, genomics, morphology and ecology of parasitic flatworms (and other parasites) of fishes and other aquatic animals. We focus on study systems with relevance to general evolutionary phenomena (e.g. adaptive radiation) or conservation (e.g. alien invasive species, fisheries, protected wetlands).

Thanks to strong ties with various capacity development initiatives funded by Belgian development cooperation, the team invests consistently in institutional partnerships in the Global South (e.g. co-tutelle PhDs), currently mainly in Africa. This has also led to a research line on biodiversity policy, covering aspects such as biodiversity indicators, stakeholder involvement in natural resource management, assessment of anthropogenic impacts on aquatic ecosystems, and perceptions of biodiversity. In an effort to couple the parasitological and policy-relevant research themes, we are active in the field of One Health, and in IUCN Red Listing.

This presentation will introduce the team, and showcase a selection of representative projects and outputs with emphasis on recent work. It is hoped this will only be the start of discussions on potential common interests and future collaborations