Van de Sande, E., Vroman, S., Kratz, F., Mohamed, N. Z., Salim, J. M., Vandromme, M., & Vanschoenwinkel, B. (2026). Revisiting cacao pollination: New behavioural and pollen-based evidence for the key role of Ceratopogonidae. Basic and Applied Ecology, 94, 24–33. (SCI: 4.2)
Vandromme, M., van de Sande, E., Pinceel, T., Vanhove, W., Trekels, H., & Vanschoenwinkel, B. (2023). Resolving the identity and breeding habitats of cryptic dipteran cacao flower visitors in a neotropical cacao agroforestry system. Basic and Applied Ecology, 68. (SCI: 3.8)
Vandromme, M., Trekels, H., Sepúlveda Ruiz, N., Somarriba, E., & Vanschoenwinkel, B. (2018). Exploring the suitability of bromeliads as aquatic breeding habitats for cacao pollinators. Hydrobiologia, 828(1), 327-337.
Master project papers
Sara Vroman (2024) – CSI Chocolate : combining molecular tools and field observations to
identify the cryptic pollinators of cacao (Beneficiary of the Tropimundo best thesis award), VUB MSc thesis.
James Watson (2023) – Global variation in flowering phenology of the cacao tree (Theobroma
cacao), VUB MSc thesis.
Fanny Kratz (2023) – Unravelling the secret life of cacao pollinators – behaviour, breeding
habitats and relationships across the Neotropics, VUB MSc thesis.
Anaïs Van Malderen (2021) – Simulating potential effects of cacao-related deforestation on
biodiversity, ecosystem services, and climatic resilience in tropical landscapes, VUB MSc thesis.
Noémie Belanger (2018) – Evaluating the relative importance of different larval habitats for cacao pollinators in a cacao agroforestry system in Nicaragua, VUB MSc thesis.
Cacao Pollination (CACPOL) 