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Steven BOUILLON
Contact: steven.bouillon at vub.ac.be or s.bouillon at nioo.knaw.nl Phone : ++32 (0)2 629.12.65 or ext. 34.48, Fax : ext. 32.74
Research Interests 1999-2002: PhD in the framework of the EC-INCO project 'Mangrove degradation and resilience in the Indian sub-continent : the cases of Godavari Estuary and South West Sri Lanka'. October 2003 - September 2007: post-doctoral researcher funded by the Research Foundation - Flanders (FWO-Vlaanderen). October 2006-August 2007: research stay at the Netherlands Institute of Ecology, Centre for Estuarine and Marine Ecology (NIOO-CEME), Yerseke, The Netherlands. From October 2007: Postdoctoral researcher at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel and at the Netherlands Institute for Estuarine and Marine Ecology. Ongoing work focuses on: 1. Carbon and nitrogen cycling by microbial communities in sediments and water column in tropical coastal and freshwater ecosystems. 2. Origin and transformations of carbon in tropical coastal ecosystems and their importance in the oceanic carbon budget. 3. Trophic relationships; importance of various carbon sources for faunal communities in aquatic systems. 4. Development and application of stable isotope tools to study biogeochemical cycling in aquatic systems. Fieldwork has been carried out in the Gautami Godavari delta (Andhra Pradesh, India), Gazi Bay (Kenya, comprises the Kidogoweni and Mkurumuji estuary and an adjacent seagrass-covered bay), the Tana river delta (northern Kenya - sampling locations are located along the Tana river estuary near Kipini and in the tidal wetlands in the southern part of the Tana delta), and two mangrove sites near Dar es Salaam (Tanzania). In addition, analyses are carried out on samples collected in the Mekong delta and mangrove systems in the Ca Mau province (Vietnam) by the Unité d'Océanographie Chimique (Univ. of Liège).
Tana delta mangroves at Shekiko (Kenya)	Mangrove creek at Ras Dege (Tanzania)	Saco de Inhaca (Mozambique)
Coringa Creek, Andhra Pradesh, India	Kinondo Creek, Gazi Bay, Kenya	Galle, Sri Lanka
Publications Bouillon S, Chandra Mohan PC, Sreenivas N, & Dehairs F (2000) Sources of suspended organic matter and selective feeding by zooplankton in an estuarine mangrove ecosystem as traced by stable isotopes. Marine Ecology Progress Series 208: 79-92   Bouillon S, & Dehairs F (2000) Estimating spatial and seasonal phytoplankton δ13C variations in an estuarine mangrove ecosystem. Isotopes in Environmental and Health Studies 36 : 273-284. Bouillon S, Koedam N, Raman AV, & Dehairs F (2002a) Primary producers sustaining macro-invertebrate communities in intertidal mangrove forests. Oecologia 130 : 441-448. Bouillon S, Raman AV, Dauby P, & Dehairs F (2002b) Carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios of subtidal benthic invertebrates in an estuarine mangrove ecosystem (Andhra Pradesh, India). Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 54 : 901-913. Bouillon S, Koedam N, Rao AVVS, Dahdouh-Guebas F, & Dehairs F (2003) Sources of organic carbon in mangrove sediments : variability and possible implications for ecosystem functioning. Hydrobiologia 495 : 33-39. Bouillon S, Frankignoulle M, Dehairs F, Velimirov V, Eiler A, Etcheber H, Abril G, & Borges AV (2003) Inorganic and organic carbon biogeochemistry in the Gautami Godavari estuary (Andhra Pradesh, India) during pre-monsoon : the local impact of extensive mangrove forests. Global Biogeochemical Cycles 17 (4): 1114, doi:10.1029/2002GB002026. Copyright [2003] American Geophysical Union. Bouillon S, Baeyens W, Koedam N, Satyanarayana B, & Dehairs F (2004) Selectivity of subtidal benthic invertebrate communities for local microalgal production in an estuarine mangrove ecosystem during post-monsoon. Journal of Sea Research 51: 133-144 Bouillon S, Moens T, Koedam N, Dahdouh-Guebas F, Baeyens W, & Dehairs F (2004) Variability in the origin of carbon substrates for bacterial communities in mangrove sediments. FEMS Microbiology Ecology 49: 171-179 Bouillon S, Moens T, Overmeer I, Koedam N, & Dehairs F (2004) Resource utilization patterns of epifauna from mangrove forests with contrasting inputs of local versus imported organic matter. Marine Ecology Progress Series 278: 77-88. Bouillon S, Moens T, & Dehairs F (2004). Carbon sources sustaining benthic mineralization in mangrove and adjacent seagrass sediments (Gazi bay, Kenya). Biogeosciences 1: 71-78. Available online at http://www.biogeosciences.net Verheyden A, Roggeman M, Bouillon S, Elskens M, Beeckman H, & Koedam N (2005) Comparison between δ13C of a-cellulose and bulk wood in the mangrove tree Rhizophora mucronata: implications for dendrochemistry. Chemical Geology 219: 275-282 .   Moens T, Bouillon S, & Gallucci F (2005) Dual stable isotope abundances unravel trophic position of estuarine nematodes. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the UK 85: 1401-1407 Bouillon S, & Boschker HTS (2006) Bacterial carbon sources in coastal sediments: a cross-system analysis based on stable isotope data of biomarkers. Biogeosciences 3: 175-185. Available online (with supplementary material) here Gillikin DP, Lorrain A, Bouillon S, Willenz P, & Dehairs F (2006) Stable carbon isotope composition of Mytilus edulis shells: relation to metabolism and δ13C of DIC and phytoplankton. Organic Geochemistry 37: 1371-1382. Bouillon S, Korntheuer M, Baeyens W, & Dehairs F (2006) A new automated setup for stable isotope analysis of dissolved organic carbon. Limnology & Oceanography: Methods 4: 216-226. Bouillon S, Dehairs F, Schiettecatte LS, & Borges AV (2007) Biogeochemistry of the Tana estuary and delta (northern Kenya). Limnology and Oceanography 52: 46-57. Bouillon S, Dehairs F, Velimirov B, Abril G, & Borges AV (2007) Dynamics of organic and inorganic carbon across contiguous mangrove and seagrass systems (Gazi Bay, Kenya). Journal of Geophysical Research - Biogeosciences, vol. 112, G02018, doi:10.1029/2006JG00325. Bouillon S, Middelburg JJ, Dehairs F, Borges AV, Abril G, Flindt M, Ulomi S, & Kristensen E (2007) Importance of intertidal sediment processes and porewater exchange on the water column biogeochemistry in a pristine mangrove creek (Ras Dege, Tanzania). Biogeosciences 4: 311-322 . Gillikin DP, & Bouillon S (2007) Determination of δ18O of water and δ13C of dissolved inorganic carbon using a simple modification of an elemental analyzer – isotope ratio mass spectrometer (EA-IRMS): an evaluation. Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry 21: 1475-1478 . Bouillon S, Connolly R, & Lee SY (2008). Organic matter exchange and cycling in mangrove ecosystems: recent insights from stable isotope studies. Journal of Sea Research 59: 44-58. Nagelkerken I, Blaber S, Bouillon S, Green P, Haywood M, Kirton LG, Meynecke J-O, Pawlik J, Penrose HM, Sasekumar A, & Somerfield PJ (2008). The habitat function of mangroves for terrestrial and marine fauna. Aquatic Botany 89: 155-185. Kristensen E, Bouillon S, Dittmar T, & Marchand C (2008) Organic carbon dynamics in mangrove ecosystems. Aquatic Botany 89: 201-209. Bouillon S, Borges AV, Castaneda-Moya E, Diele K, Dittmar T, Duke NC , Kristensen E, Lee SY, Marchand C, Middelburg JJ, Rivera-Monroy V, Smith TJ, and Twilley RR (2008). Mangrove production and carbon sinks: a revision of global budget estimates.Global Biogeochemical Cycles 22, GB2013. doi:10.1029/2007GB003052. Ancillary data (ZIP file) available here. Ralison O, Dehairs F, Middelburg JJ, Borges AV, & Bouillon S (2008) Carbon biogeochemistry in the Betsiboka estuary (north-western Madagascar). Organic Geochemistry, in press.   Bouillon S, & Connolly R (in press) Carbon exchange among tropical coastal ecosystems. In: Nagelkerken, I (ed.) Ecological linkages across tropical coastal ecosystems.   Kristensen E, Flindt MR, Ulomi S, Borges AV, Abril G, & Bouillon S (in press). Emission of CO2 and CH4 from sediments and open water in two Tanzanian mangrove forests. Marine Ecology Progress Series, in press.   Nyunja J, Ntiba M, Onyari J, Mavuti K, Soetaert K, Bouillon S (in revision) Carbon sources sustaining a diverse fish community in a tropical coastal ecosystem (Gazi bay, Kenya).   Teugels B, Bouillon S, Veuger B, Middelburg JJ, & Koedam N (in revision) Kleptoplasts provide nitrogen to sea slugs.   Konn C, Charlou JL, Donval JP, Holm NG, Dehairs F, & Bouillon S (in review). Hydrocarbons and oxidized compounds in hydrothermal fluids from Rainbow and Lost City ultramafic-hosted vents: an origin of life perspective. In review.   Penha-Lopez G, Bouillon S, Mangion P, Macia A, & Paula J (in review) Population structure, density and food sources of Terebralia palustris (Potamididae: Gastropoda) in a low intertidal Avicennia marina mangrove stand (Inhaca Island, Mozambique).   Riou V, Halary S, Duperron S, Bouillon S, Elskens M, Bettencourt R, Santos R, Dehairs F, & Colaço A (submitted) Influence of chemosynthetic substrates availability on symbiont densities, carbon assimilation and transfer in the dual symbiotic vent mussel Bathymodiolus azoricus. Biogeosciences Discussions 5: 2279–2304
Presentations
Bouillon S, Sreenivas N, Chandramohan P, & Dehairs F. Stable carbon isotopes reveal selective feeding by zooplankton under natural conditions in an estuarine mangrove ecosystem. 2nd international conference on ‘Applications of stable isotope techniques to ecological studies’, Braunschweig, Germany, 8-11 May 2000. Bouillon S, Raman AV, Dahdouh-Guebas F, & Dehairs F. Importance of different primary producers for benthic invertebrates in an estuarine mangrove ecosystem (Andhra Pradesh, India): results from carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes. International Meeting on Mangrove Macrobenthos (MMM), 7-11 September 2000, Mombasa, Kenya Bouillon S, Koedam N, Raman AV, Dahdouh-Guebas F, & Dehairs F. Organic carbon in intertidal mangrove forests: sources and utilization by benthic invertebrates. Poster presented at the Young Scientist Day, VLIZ (Flemish Institute for Sea Research), Brugge, Belgium (February 2001). Bouillon S. Ecological fate of mangrove carbon : where does it all go ? NECOV symposium on ‘Ecological research in the tropical coastal zone’, Leiden, The Netherlands, June 21st, 2002. Bouillon S, Dehairs F, Borges AV, & Frankignoulle M. Carbon retention in mangrove ecosystems: a comparison of estuarine and lagoonal systems. Presented at the international conference on 'Assessment of mangrove degradation and resilience in the Indian sub-continent', Pondicherry, India, 21-25 October 2002. Bouillon S, Dehairs F, Rao AVVS, Raman AV, Koedam N, & Chandra Mohan P. Carbon dynamics and trophic relationships in the mangrove ecosystems of Coringa (India) and Galle, Pambala (Sri Lanka). Presented at the international conference on 'Assessment of mangrove degradation and resilience in the Indian sub-continent', Pondicherry, India, 21-25 October 2002. Bouillon S. Stable isotopes as natural tracers of organic matter: should we reconsider the role of mangroves in the coastal zone ? [Stabiele isotopen als natuurlijke merkers van organische stof: moeten we de rol van mangroves in de kustzone herzien ?]. Invited speaker at the annual NECOV symposium, Leiden, The Netherlands, January 16th, 2003. Bouillon S, & Dehairs F. A re-evaluation of the role of mangrove ecosystems in the tropical coastal zone. Meeting of the Benelux IRMS user group, Geel, Belgium, March 2003. Bouillon S, N Koedam, AV Borges, M Frankignoulle, & Dehairs F. Carbon dynamics in mangrove ecosystems : interactions between intertidal and subtidal habitats. Oral presentation at the EGS-AGU-EUG Joint Assembly, Nice (France), April 2003. Click here for a pdf version of the abstract. Bouillon S. Stable isotopes as tracers of carbon dynamics in mangrove ecosystems. Oral presentation presented at the Gazi Workshop, held at the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute, Mombasa (Kenya), July 2003. Verheyden A, Beeckman H, De Ridder F, Dehairs F, Bouillon S, André L, Navez J, & Koedam N. Potential of wood anatomy, stable carbon isotopic ratios and chemical composition of wood for evaluation of ecosystem health in a tropical mangrove forest. Presented at the 8th Eighth Symposium on Biogeochemistry of Wetlands, September 2003, Gent (Belgium). Verheyden A, Beeckman H, De Ridder F, Dehairs F, Bouillon S, André L, Navez J, & Koedam N. Potential of wood anatomy, stable carbon isotope ratios and chemical composition for tropical dendrochronology : a case study on the mangrove tree Rhizophora mucronata. Presented at EuroDendro, Conference of the European Working Group for Dendrochronology, Obergurgl (Austria), September 2003. Click here for a pdf version of the abstract. Moens T, Bouillon S, & Middelburg JJ (2003) The importance of microphytobenthos in intertidal food webs. Colloquium "The role of microphytobenthos in the functioning of estuarine environments". Amsterdam, the Netherlands, August 21-23, 2003. Borges AV, Frankignoulle M, Delille B, & Bouillon S (2004) DIC dyanamics in a tropical estuary (Kidogoweni, Kenya). 1st General Assembly of the EGU- European Geosciences Union, Nice (France),25-30 April 2004. Click here for a pdf version of the abstract or here for a pdf version of the poster (Ulg website). Teugels B, Bouillon S, & Koedam N (2004) The role of chloroplast retention for inorganic N assimilation in the sea slug Elysia viridis : indications from 15N-labeling experiments. Poster presented at the Young Botanists Day, November 18th 2004, Brussels, Belgium. Click here for a pdf version of the poster Bouillon S, & Boschker HTS (2005) Carbon sources driving benthic mineralization in coastal ecosystems: insights from stable isotope analysis of bacterial markers. General Assembly of the EGU- European Geosciences Union, Vienna (Austria), April 2005. Click here for a pdf version of the abstract or here for a pdf version of the poster Bouillon S, Dehairs F, & Borges AV (2005) Biogeochemistry of the Tana estuary and delta (northern Kenya). General Assembly of the EGU- European Geosciences Union, Vienna (Austria), April 2005. Click here for a pdf version of the abstract or here for a pdf version of the poster Bouillon S, Dehairs F, Abril G, and Borges AV (2005) Distribution and sources of organic carbon in a mangrove-seagrass ecosystem (Gazi Bay, Kenya). General Assembly of the EGU- European Geosciences Union, Vienna (Austria), April 2005.Click here for a pdf version of the abstract or here for a pdf version of the poster Borges AV, Kone YM, Schiettecatte LS, Delille B, Frankignoulle M, and Bouillon S (2005) Preliminary results on the biogeochemistry in the Mekong estuary and delta. General Assembly of the EGU- European Geosciences Union, Vienna (Austria), April 2005. Click here for a pdf version of the abstract or here for a pdf version of the poster Bouillon S, & Boschker HTS (2005) Bacterial carbon sources in coastal sediments: a meta-analysis based on stable carbon isotope data of biomarkers. ASLO summer meeting, Santiago (Spain), 19-24 June 2005 Bouillon S , & Boschker HTS (2006) The role of local vegetation in sustaining benthic mineralization in seagrass beds, mangroves, and salt marshes. Oral presentation, International Symposium on aquatic vascular plants, Brussels, January 11-14, 2006. Konn C, Charlou JL, Donval JP, Holm NG, Dumont M, Dehairs F, & Bouillon S. Fluids from ultramafic-hosted vents of the Mid Atlantic Ridge : biogenic or abiogenic organic compounds spotted. General Assembly of the EGU, Vienna, April 2006. Charlou JL, Donval JP, Konn C, Jean-Baptiste P, Holm N, Dehairs F, & Bouillon S. Mineral, gases and organic signature of hydrothermal fluids issued from ultramafics on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. General Assembly of the EGU, Vienna, April 2006. Guerreiro J, Bouillon S, Vannini M, Mgaya J, Kristensen E, Katima J, Rönnbäck P, & Daffa J (2006). Peri-urban mangroves as potential phytoremediators for sewage pollution in east Africa. 2nd International Conference on Environmental Science and Technology, Houston, USA, August 19-22, 2006. Bouillon S, Mangion P, Borges AV, Grue M, Abril G, Dehairs F, Brion N, Ulomi S, Flindt MR, Machiwa J, & Kristensen E (2006) Water column biogeochemistry of a pristine and a human-impacted Tanzanian mangrove system. 2nd Meeting on Mangrove Macrobenthos, Queensland, Australia, June 2006. Nyunja J, Bouillon S, Onyari J, Ntiba M, Mavuti K, & Vanreusel A (2006) Carbon sources for nekton in a tropical mangrove-fringed estuary, Gazi Bay, Kenya. 2nd Meeting on Mangrove Macrobenthos, held in Queensland, Australia, June 2006. Bouillon S (2006) Resource utilization patterns of mangrove-associated fauna in different geomorphological settings and across various spatial scales: clues from stable isotope studies. Invited keynote speaker at the 2nd Meeting on Mangrove Macrobenthos, held in Queensland, Australia, June 2006. Gillikin D, Lorrain A, Bouillon S, Willenz P, & Dehairs F (2006) Can the stable carbon isotopic composition of bivalve shells be used as a proxy of δ13C-DIC and provide an indication of estuarine salinity ? Annual Meeting of the Geological Society of America, Philadelphia (22–25 October 2006). Bouillon S, Middelburg JJ, Dehairs F, Borges AV, Abril G, Flindt M, Ulomi S, & Kristensen E (2007) Importance of intertidal sediment processes and porewater exchange on the water column biogeochemistry in a pristine mangrove creek ( Ras Dege , Tanzania ). European Geosciences Union general assembly, Vienna , April 2007. Bouillon S, Borges AV, Ralison OH, Dehairs F, and Middelburg JJ (2007) Origin of dissolved and particulate organic carbon in tropical coastal ecosystems: a comparison of stable isotope data from different systems. European Geosciences Union general assembly, Vienna, April 2007. Riou V, Halary S, Martins I, Korntheuer M, Valentina C, Laranjo M, Pires L, Leal C, Duperron S, Colaço A, Bouillon S, Serrão Santos R, & Dehairs F (2007) Nutrition study of Bathymodiolus azoricus from Menez Gwen: development of stable isotope enrichment techniques to follow the assimilation pathways by symbiosis versus filter-feeding. European Geosciences Union general assembly, Vienna , April 2007. Konn C, Charlou JL, Donval JP, Holm NG, Dehairs F, & Bouillon S (2007) Fluids from ultramafic-hosted hydrothermal systems of the Mid Atlantic Ridge - Organics and Life. European Geosciences Union general assembly, Vienna , April 2007. Borges AV, Delille B, Descy JP, Darchambeau F, Leporcq B, Servais P, Bouillon S, Abril G (2007). Carbon dioxide fluxes in Lake Kivu . BELLA workshop: Productivity and ecosystem function of large lakes, Brussels, June 2007. Bezerra TNC, de Mesel I, Bouillon S, Vanreusel A, & Moens T (2007) Diversity and structure of nematode communities across mangrove and seagrass vegetations at Gazi Bay, Kenya. 13th international meiofauna conference, Pernambuco, Brazil, July 2007. Moens T, Bouillon S, Bezerra TNC, de Mesel I, Dehairs F, & Vanreusel A (2007) Carbon sources supporting nematode communities in Kenyan mangrove and seagrass sediments. 13th international meiofauna conference, Pernambuco, Brazil, July 2007. Flindt MR, Lillebo AI, Bouillon S, Ulomi S, and Kristensen E (2007) The land-sea interface mangrove systems responses to human impacts. A monitoring and modeling activity in the EU-funded PUMPSEA project. 5 th WIOMSA Scientific Symposium, Durban, South Africa, October 2007. Konn C, Charlou JL, Donval JP, Holm NG, Dehairs F, Bouillon S, et al. (2008) Organics in hydrothermal fluids from 4 ultramafic-hosted vents of the MAR. Results from the SERPENTINE cruise (2007). European Geosciences Union general assembly, Vienna , April 2008. Riou V, Halary S, Colaço A, Bouillon S, Duperron S, Bettencourt R, Serrão Santos R, Dehairs F (2008) Chemotrophic carbon fixation and transfer in the dual endosymbiotic mytilid Bathymodiolus azoricus from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. European Geosciences Union general assembly, Vienna , April 2008. Riou V, Colaco A, Bouillon S, Mangion P, Chevalier E, Korntheuer M, Connelly D, Khripounoff A, Dehairs F, & Serrão Santos R (2008) Assimilation of carbon and nitrogen from dissolved and particulate material in the Mid-Atlantic Ridge deep sea hydrothermal mytilid Bathymodiolus azoricus. European Geosciences Union general assembly, Vienna , April 2008. Borges AV, Delille B, Descy JP, Darchambeau F, Leporcq B, Servais P, Lepoint G, Bouillon S, Abril G (2008) Carbon dioxide dynamics in lake Kivu during the dry and wet seasons. European Geosciences Union general assembly, Vienna , April 2008. Bouillon S , Borges AV, Castañeda-Moya E, Diele K, Dittmar T, Duke NC , Kristensen E, Lee SY, Marchand C, Middelburg JJ, Rivera-Monroy V, Smith TJ, and Twilley RR (2008) Mangrove production and carbon sinks: a revision of global budget estimates. European Geosciences Union general assembly, Vienna , April 2008. Bouillon S, Veuger B, Dehairs F, & Middelburg JJ (2008) Differential fate of C and N from labile organic matter in intertidal mangrove sediments: results from an in situ 13C- 15N labeling experiment. European Geosciences Union general assembly, Vienna , April 2008.
Last update : May, 2008 http://www.vub.ac.be/ANCH/CV/steven.html