I am a marine ecologist studying how biotic interactions shape the stability and functioning of coastal ecosystems. My research focuses on seagrass meadows and salt marshes as model systems to understand how interactions between foundation species, herbivores and sediments influence ecosystem resilience and carbon storage under environmental change. During my PhD I studied how both large and small grazers impact seagrass meadow functioning. I currently study seagrass and salt marsh ecology at Wageningen Marine Research, and supervise BSc and MSc projects on these topics. By combining field experiments across regions with ecosystem-scale analyses, my work aims to uncover the ecological mechanisms that drive the persistence and functioning of coastal ecosystems.

Contact: fee.smulders@wur.nl // feesmulders@gmail.com
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Selected publications

Smulders, FOH et al. (2025). Temperature drives seagrass recovery across the Western North Atlantic. Global Change Biology.
Smulders, FOH et al. (2023). Green turtles shape the seascape through grazing patch formation around habitat features: Experimental evidence. Ecology.
Christianen, MJA, Smulders, FOH et al. (2019). Megaherbivores may impact expansion of invasive seagrass in the Caribbean. Journal of Ecology.

Selected funding

2020 Lucie Burgers Foundation (€16,990)
—link to article and ongoing project
2019 KNAW Ecology grant (€5,000)
—link to output 1 , 2 and 3
2018 Alberta Mennega Foundation (€1,250)
—link to output
2014 Volkert van der Willigenbeurs (€3,000)
—link to output 1, 2 and 3

Ongoing projects

How turtle grazing shapes blue carbon storage
Trace metal pollution in Caribbean sea turtles
Nutrient uptake rates of native and non-native Caribbean seagrasses
Effects of herbivory and soil subsidence on salt marsh resilience
Implementing the EU Nature Restoration Regulation for seagrass restoration in the Netherlands
Harmonising coastal wetland monitoring along the East Atlantic Flyway