Biosystematics

The Biosystematics group, led by Eric Schranz, focuses on the evolution of biodiversity. We address fundamental questions about biodiversity and its origins and apply our knowledge to improve crops and ecosystems. Through our research, teaching, and outreach activities, we aim to increase societal appreciation for biodiversity.
Research themes
Education

Education by the Biosystematics group
At the Biosystematics group, we are committed to provide excellent education, both in the classroom and in the field. Our staff actively participates in a variety of undergraduate and graduate courses across different study programs. Our curriculum covers topics such as biodiversity, evolution, and ethnobotany. Additionally, we offer a wide range of thesis projects and internship opportunities.
Publications & Projects
The Biosystematics group researches a wide range of topics, both in a fundamental and applied setting. Topics and subjects include green roofs, diversity in crops, the evolution of important traits, and more. Our researchers publish on a regular basis, in scientific journals, professional journals, scientific and popular books, and proceedings.
Highlighted publications
- The Future Is in the Younger Generations: Baka Children in Southeast Cameroon Have Extensive Knowledge on Medicinal Plants
- Finding an egg in a haystack: Variation in chemical cue use by egg parasitoids of herbivorous insects
- Syntenet: an R/Bioconductor package for the inference and analysis of synteny networks
Chair Holder
Eric Schranz is chair and professor of the Biosystematics Group. He specialises in plant evolutionary genomics. At Wageningen University & Research he leads various research projects, working together with a wide international network, and also collaborates with an extensive international network, and monitors the educational activities. He has made multiple media appearances, for example on a plant gene that produces viable unfertilised seeds that was in part discovered by the Biosystematics Group.
prof.dr. ME (Eric) Schranz
Professor/Chairholder Biosystematics

