[Science News] - AMPEE8: The Belgian flora facing the challenges of a changing world

This year, Meise Botanic Garden hosts the Annual Meeting on Plant Ecology and Evolution (AMPEE), a scientific event that highlights research on flora, fungi and algae, including studies in ecology, taxonomy, morphology, evolution and plant conservation. Organised jointly with the Royal Botanical Society of Belgium, AMPEE provides a unique opportunity for researchers, students and plant enthusiasts to discuss the major botanical and mycological issues of today.

The 8th edition of AMPEE took place on 7 November. Its theme was “The Belgian flora in a changing world: Challenges and opportunities.” Open to all, the event especially encouraged participation from students and young researchers, and they turned up in impressive numbers! 

A day full of exchange and discovery

The day unfolded with a series of keynote lectures and scientific presentations covering a wide range of topics: bryophyte ecology, forest genetics, taxonomy, microclimate modelling, conservation, and the impacts of climate change on the flora.

The first keynote, delivered by Annelies Jacobs (Natuurpunt), explored the relationship between biodiversity and habitat restoration. She was followed by student presentations addressing, among other topics, the effects of air pollution on bryophytes and the demographic history of alpine flora in the context of global changes.

Prof. Dr. Bart Van de Vijver (Meise Botanic Garden) then gave the second keynote lecture about the assessment of water-quality in Brussels based on in diatoms in historical and recent water samples, followed by another round of talks focusing on bryophyte distribution, lichen diversity, and the contribution of neophytes to species and functional diversity.

The afternoon session began with an inspiring keynote by Prof. Dr. Vincent Merckx (Naturalis Biodiversity Center), presenting the power of mobilizing biodiversity data by building a national‐scale infrastructure for DNA barcoding using automated pipelines for species identification and monitoring. Subsequent talks reflected the dynamism of Belgian plant research, including studies on eDNA-based plant diversity monitoring, the ecophysiology of mistletoe (Viscum album), the impacts of rock climbing on limestone cliffs, and microclimate modelling.

Researchers from Meise Botanic Garden also played an active role in this edition, presenting studies on genetic responses of plants to forest edge dynamics, and introducing a new tool to analyse phylogenetic diversity.

Awards

The day concluded with the presentation of the biennial Emiel Van Rompaey Award, which honours outstanding contributions to floristics in Belgium, followed by the award for the best student presentation and a convivial reception in the historic setting of the Garden.

The Van Rompaey Award was presented to Jos Gysels and the Micrasterias working group for their work “Sieralgen in Vlaanderen en Brussel. Soorten, verspreiding, ecologie”. The prize for the best student presentation was awarded to Alix Milis (University of Liège) for her talk on on automatized identification of moss species from their spore morphology.

The 2025 edition of AMPEE once again showcased the richness and dynamism of botanical research in Belgium.

Presentation of the Van Rompaey Award by Filip Vandelook from Meise Botanic Garden (right).	Presentation of the prize for the best student presentation to Alix Milis (ULg) by Frederik Leliaert from Meise Botanic Garden (left)