Jurgen van Hal
I am working as an ecological research technician at the department of Ecological science. My current tasks and skills are:
Entomology
Determination of invertebrates, incl. Collembola.
Breeding of various invertebrates
Teaching assistant 1st years course: field-entomology and lab-determination
Experimental work and field experiments
Setting up and maintaining diverse field, greenhouse and climate room experiments. These experiments include work with mesocosms, stable isotopes, plants, plant-litter, invertebrates, algae and micro-organisms.
Chemical and animal traits measurements
Diverse chemical analysis and animal-traits such as Nutrient analysis, fat-content, drought tolerance, inundation tolerance, upper thermal limit.
Molecular
DNA isolation, PCR, high-throughput sequencing and microbial community analysis.
Histology
Histology of small invertebrates
Additional skills and useful hobbies
Allround microscopy
Maintaining technical and analytical equipment.
Macro and invertebrate photography
freediving (and scubadiving)
Selected Publications
Keuper F, Dorrepaal E, van Bodegom PM, van Logtestijn R, Venhuizen G, van Hal J, Aerts R. (2017) Experimentally increased nutrient availability at the permafrost thaw front selectively enhances biomass production of deep-rooting subarctic peatland species. Globe Change Biol.2017;23:4257266. Doi: 10.1111/gcb.13804
Zuo, J., Berg, M. P., Klein, R., Nusselder, J., Neurink, G., Decker, O., Hefting, M. M., Sass-Klaassen, U., van Logtestijn, R. S. P., Goudzwaard, L., van Hal, J., Sterck, F. J., Poorter, L. and Cornelissen, J. H. C. (2016), Faunal community consequence of interspecific bark trait dissimilarity in early-stage decomposing logs. Funct Ecol, 30: 1957–1966. Doi:10.1111/1365-2435.12676
Krab, E.J., Aerts, R., Berg, M.P., Hal, J.R. van & Keuper, F. (2014). Northern peatland Collembola communities unaffected by three summers of simulated extreme precipitation. Applied Soil Ecology, 2014(79), 70-76. Doi:10.1016/j.apsoil.2014.03.007
Cornelissen, J.H.C., Sass-Klaassen, U., Poorter, L., Geffen, K. van, Logtestijn, R.S.P van, Hal, J.R. van, Goudzwaard, L., Sterck, J.H., Klaassen, R.K.W.M., Freschet, G.T., Wal, A. van der, Eshuis, H., Zuo, J., Boer, W., Lamers, T., Weemstra, M., Cretin, V., Martin, R., Ouden, J. den, Berg, M.P., Aerts, R., Mohren, G.M.J. & Hefting, M.M. (2012). Controls on coarse wood decay in temperate tree species: Birth of the LOGLIFE experiment. AMBIO: A Journal of the Human Environment, 41, 231-245. Doi:10.1007/s13280-012-0304-3
Heemsbergen, D.A., Berg, M.P., Loreau, M., Hal, J.R. van, Faber, J.H. & Verhoef, H.A. (2004). Biodiversity effects on soil processes explained by interspecific functional dissimilarity. Science, 306, 1019-1020. Doi:10.1126/science.1101865