Institute of Environmental Sciences (CML) Department of Conservation Biology (CB) Internship possibilities 2016‐2017 1 Dear student, This is the updated list 2015‐2016 of possible internships at the department of Conservation Biology of the Institute of Environmental Sciences (CML). We have deliberately chosen for a simple presentation, most projects have, a title a short description and the supervisor name and contact information, as we try to define the definite content of the projects with the students themselves. The projects are divided according to the different scale levels at which our department operates: Populations:  Individual species and populations in interaction with anthropogenic threats are the focus here Ecosystems and communities:  Species communities in relation to the functioning of ecosystem and their interactions are the focus here. In most topics, we evaluate its functioning in relation to human impacts Biodiversity and ecosystem services:  Drivers of regional and global biodiversity patterns; conservation and predictions;  The services provided by ecosystems, interactions with human needs and the role biodiversity plays in providing services for human kind are the focus here You can get more information from the CML‐instructors or students present at the stand or contact the appropriate supervisor through e‐mail or by phone. If you are interested in another or related environmental internship, you can also discuss that with your potential supervisor. For MSc‐students it is also possible to do an internship externally outside the Leiden University, with additional supervision by CML. For general questions, please contact: Krijn Trimbos: tel. 7457, e‐mail [email protected]
Populations Disentangling natural forces driving fungal community assembly on Svalbard. MSc or BSc project Soil fungal communities are known to drive many ecosystem processes including plant and animal diversity, nutrient cycling and carbon turnover. However little is known about processes controlling assembly of fungal communities, i.e. what forces underpin ultimate fungal community composition. In this project you will examine the role of climate vs soil conditions, vs natural dispersion in assembly of natural fungal communities in Svalbard. The research will includes two‐three weeks of filed work in Svalbard, in summer 2017 (preliminary planned for July). Both MSc and BSc projects are possible. Supervisor: dr. Nadia Soudzilovskaia: email [email protected], tel 7485 Seasonal patterns in activity of mycorrhizal fungi. MSc or BSc project Mycorrhiza is a symbiotic relationship between plant and fungi, in which plant provides fungi with carbon, and fungi supplies nutrients and water to plant. Mycorrhizas might have different forms depending on plant and fungal taxa involved. Recent findings show that distinct types of mycorrhiza strongly differ in their tolerance to cold temperature, suggesting that late autumn, early spring and even winter activities of some mycorrhizal fungi might constitute an important mechanism to plant survival and ecosystem level biogeochemical cycling in cold ecosystems. Within this research project we will shed more light on this subject. The research will (optionally) include filed work in North Sweden and processing of previously collected data. MSc and BSc projects are possible. 2 Supervisor: dr. Nadia Soudzilovskaia: email [email protected], tel 7485. Behavioral effects of nanoparticles and its underlying molecular mechanisms. Plastic debris in form of nano‐ and microparticles become an increasing threat to the aquatic environment due to its massive use in modern society. Such particles are ingested by organisms where they reduce the volume of nutrients and furthermore interact with many proteins important for fat metabolism and immune defense. Recently it was shown that polystyrene particles can affect fish behavior showing lower activity rates. In this study we will investigate behavioral effects on polystyrene nanoparticles on zebrafish embryos in their first week of development by recording their movement. To analyze underlying molecular mechanisms, RNA and Protein will be extracted and key genes or proteins, respectively, analyzed. The student participating in this project will be introduced into zebrafish husbandry and exposure, will learn how to conduct a behavioral study as well as cutting‐edge molecular techniques. The analysis of the data requires comprehensive thinking, connecting effects at cellular level with observed adverse effects at organism level. The data from this study will contribute to estimate potential effects for fish populations in threatened ecosystems. Supervisors: dr. Nadja Brun: [email protected] dr. Martina Vijver: [email protected] Shining a light on budburst When did you last see the Milky Way? Light pollution is very common in developed parts of the world. Many organisms are affected by the ever increasing light in their environment. Recent research in the UK has shown that trees that grow close to street lights have earlier budburst times. The timing of these events in turn affects the insect and other communities, so it is important to better understand the extent of these human‐induced changes. Combining citizen science compiled phenology data and satellite imagery of the nightlights, this project will assess if a similar pattern can be found across the Netherlands. Supervisor: Dr. Ellen Cieraad, ext 7484, [email protected] Healthy waterways? In the last decade or so, water quality and clarity have been improving in the province of South Holland. While overall this is good progress, other trends are not so positive or can create conflicts. For example, increasing water clarity can result in more aquatic plants, which can clog water ways for 3 recreation and transport. In addition, several invasive species are increasing rapidly in the Dutch waterways, but sometimes very little is known about the species’ ecology, distribution and abundance. In collaboration with the water board Hoogheemraadschap Rijnland, internships will involve mapping the distribution and abundance of aquatic species in the vicinity of Leiden, and analysing which environmental variables affect these distributions. Supervisor: Dr. Ellen Cieraad, ext 7484, [email protected] with a co‐supervisor at Hoogheemraadschap Rijnland Ring‐necked parakeet, improvement of molecular protocol for detecting the disease agent PBFV (Parrot beak and feather virus) PBFD, Parrot beak and feather disease, is an upcoming disease amongst wild and kept psittacine species in The Netherlands. A PCR‐based protocol had been successfully developed the last two years by students, to investigate the presence of the disease agent PBFV in faeces of Ring‐necked parakeets. However, the current protocol has some possible risks for false positive and false negative outcome. Further research to optimize the protocol (and to minimize false determinations) is needed by identification of droppings of individual birds and by development of smaller primerset for PBFV. Besides this methodological work sampling in the field has to be continued based on larger sample sizes, with an extra focus on the identification of the different strains present in the population. Period: no preference, 6 months MSC‐internship. BSc‐internship is only possible if the candidate has excellent molecular skills. Supervision: Dr. Wil Tamis, ext 7479, [email protected] and Dr. Krijn Trimbos (CML), ext 7457, [email protected] Ring‐necked parakeet, development of molecular protocol for diet analysis The Ring‐necked parakeet is an introduced species in The Netherlands, which has an (sub)tropical origin (mostly India/Pakistan). It probably survives our temperate winters by anthropogenic food sources (bird feeders etc.). In 2016 a start was made for the development of a molecular protocol for diet analysis based on faeces of Ring‐necked parakeets. This protocol has to be developed further and tested on historical samples. Also new samples have to be collected. A lot of bio‐informatic analyses have to be applied. Period: preferably winter period: December – June (6 months) MSC‐internship. BSc‐internship is only possible if the candidate has excellent molecular skills. Supervision: Dr. Wil Tamis, ext 7479, [email protected] and Dr. Krijn Trimbos (CML), ext 7457, [email protected] Ecosystems and Communities Impacts of mycorrhizas on soil carbon budgets. MSc or BSc project Mycorrhiza is a symbiotic relationship between plant and fungi, in which plant provides fungi with carbon, and fungi supplies nutrients and water to plant. Mycorrhizas might have different forms depending on plant and fungal taxa involved. These distinct types of mycorrhizas differently affect soil carbon budgets. However, the mechanisms underlying this phenomenon are mostly unknown. MSc and BSc projects are available within this subject, optionally including lab work, and .or modelling and large dataset analyses, and/or field work in Belgium / Netherlands / Scandinavian countries. Supervisor: dr. Nadia Soudzilovskaia: email [email protected], tel 7485. 4 Nutritional preferences of subarctic mycorrhizal fungi. MSc or BSc project Mycorrhiza is a symbiotic relationship between plant and fungi, in which plant provides fungi with carbon, and fungi supplies nutrients and water to plant, extracting it from decomposing plant litter. However, distinct fungal species, differing in physiology, might have different preferences for litter types differentiating between vascular plant litter, bryophyte (i.e. moss) litter or even living plant material. In this research you will discover whether it indeed happens and if so what are the biological mechanisms driving this process. The research will include filed work in North Sweden. Supervisor: dr. Nadia Soudzilovskaia: email [email protected], tel 7485. Mycorrhizal fungi occurrence in soil and plant roots. MSc or BSc project Mycorrhiza is a symbiotic relationship between plant and fungi, in which plant provides fungi with carbon, and fungi supplies nutrients and water to plant. Accordingly mycorrhizal fungi are found partly inside plant roots and partly in soil. In this project we will seek an answer to a question how mycorrhizal fungal mycelium biomass inside plant roots corresponds to the fungal biomass in soil, at ecosystem level. Answering this question will advance our understanding on the role of mycorrhizas in plant nutrition. The research includes field work in Belgium and analysis of literature data. Supervisor: dr. Nadia Soudzilovskaia: email [email protected], tel 7485. Effects of human stressors across ecosystem boundaries Understanding how existing and emerging human stressors can potentially affect our natural environment and the organisms living therein is essential to protect our environment. While the basic idea is straightforward, attaining such reliable estimates on the fate of ecosystems proved to be challenging and, to date, did not provide the means to tackle ongoing declines in biodiversity. So far, studies aiming to resolve impacts of stressors on biodiversity largely focused on a limited number of stressors and organisms in simple laboratory settings. While this provides useful data, it is difficult to extrapolate these results to the natural environments. This is because in the natural environment a number of additional effects can alter the impact of human stressors. For example, toxic stress and predation both affect an individual’s performance and these stressors might interact. Or, in contrast, a food surplus via nutrient loads in aquatic systems might reduce toxic stress. These interactions are heavily understudied as most studies focus on restricted ecosystem compartments, while human pressures likely extend beyond the boundaries of an ecosystem. We currently have a number of projects that aim to unravel these cross‐ecosystem linkages under human stressors by performing: 1) Large scale field experiments. In order to detect shift in species composition, trait distribution and food webs. And to monitor species’ fitness via in situ (such as cages) experiments. 2) Outdoor mesocosm experiment to determine functional responses of aquatic communities in a semi‐realistic field setting. 3) Indoor laboratory microcosm experiments. In order to reveal the underlying mechanisms of how human stressors affect certain species and determine small‐scale interactions. We aim to understand the effects of agricultural land use and practices (e.g. pesticide application, fertilization) on the biology of adjacent drainage ditches. Students participating in these projects will contribute to conceptualization, experimental work in both field and laboratory and data analysis, in which there is plenty of room for students to pursue their own interest. Supervisors: Henrik Barmentlo, MSc: tel. 5610, email [email protected] dr. Maarten Schrama: tel. 7481, email [email protected] 5 dr. Ellard Hunting: tel. 7475, email [email protected] dr. C.J.M. Musters: [email protected] dr. Martina Vijver: [email protected] Sun‐bleached links between detritivorous diversity and ecosystem functioning Leaves from terrestrial plants and trees often constitute one of the major organic matter (OM) inputs in the fringe areas of freshwater ecosystems, and serves as a major food source sustaining diverse food webs. The consumption and decomposition of OM is an essential component of the global carbon and nutrient cycles, and is governed by a complex interplay between its chemical composition, physical abrasion, microbial decomposition and consumption by invertebrates. Observed positive relationships between the (functional) diversity of organisms and processing of OM has been observed in various manipulative experiments under laboratory conditions, suggesting a tight link between the diversity of detritivorous microorganisms and invertebrates and ecosystem functioning that may serve to study and predict impacts of human pressures on our natural environment. However, these relationships are difficult to detect in natural environments, suggesting that these links are obscured or overruled by other drivers that are currently not considered. Although sunlight has been identified as principal driver of OM‐
degradation in terrestrial environments, it is only considered relevant for photo‐degradation and excitation of dissolved organic molecules in the water column in aquatic systems. However, both PAR and UV radiation can penetrate the entire water column and reach the bottom of shallow water bodies, fringe areas of lakes and wetlands, and alter the OM composition of the sediment as well as functional diversity of microorganisms and invertebrates residing on plant litter and within the sediment. This suggests that solar radiation may be more important within the link between detritivorous diversity and ecosystem functioning than previously anticipated. This project aims to disentangle the relative importance of solar radiation within the link between detritivorous diversity and OM processing. To this end, manipulative experiments will be performed in laboratory microcosms and outdoor mesocosms. dr. Ellard Hunting: tel. 7475, email [email protected] dr. C.J.M. Musters: [email protected] dr. Martina Vijver: [email protected] How do environmental changes drive intra‐ vs inter‐specific plant trait variation? MSc project Plant functional traits (morphological and physiological features) are important parameters ultimately determining plant life strategy and ecosystem functioning. These features include traits such as leaf and root mass, area, length and thickness, water contents, and chemical composition. Variation in species traits underpins functional diversity within an ecosystem and enables niche differentiation and therewith plant species coexistence. Environmental changes lead to alterations in plant traits, i.e. in nutrient rich conditions plant may have larder leaves; drought leads to thicker and smaller plants, etc. These alteration are known as ‘intraspecific variation’. However, more radical environmental change may also leads replacement of plant species, by those having traits more suitable for the new conditions. Which of the two processes do prevail, and how a direction intraspecific plant trait variations among different plant communities coincides trait variation among plant communities is not yet clear. The aim of this project is to resolve this question for a set of native alpine communities of North‐Western Caucasus. The project is aimed to result in a publication in a scientific journal. Supervisor: Dr. Nadia Soudzilovskaia. email : [email protected], tel 7485. The use of citizen science to monitor 25 characteristic ditch bank plants in the Leiden region For this internship in and around Leiden a large number of transects (100) in ditch banks are investigated. The presence of 25 characteristic ditch bank plant species are counted. The transects represent the full array of different conditions of the banks of the Leiden surface waters, using field knowledge from experts and historical relevée information. Also the general public and expert 6 volunteers have to be involved in this research, to test a simple surveying method.. For this a simple method have to be developed, including visual aids (app or photo‐key etc.). The results of your own results have to be compared to those of the general public and the expert volunteers. This is an internship which contributes to the program “Leidse Ommelanden” in which the municipalities of Leiden and surrounding areas want to enforce green recreational‐ecological connections between the center of Leiden and the surroundings of Leiden. Period: March ‐ July 2017 (5 months) MSc‐internship. Supervision: Dr. Wil Tamis (CML), ext 7479, [email protected] and Marco Roos (NCB), [email protected] Biodiversity research in the program Leidse Ommelanden In the program “Leidse Ommelanden” the municipalities of Leiden and surrounding areas want to enforce green recreational‐ecological connections between the center of Leiden and the surroundings of Leiden. In 2015 there were several student internships focused on monitoring of biodiversity in several projects of that program. For 2016 the following list (see below) topics is proposed. If you are interested, then first we arrange a meeting to discuss the possibilities and requirements. In these internships citizen science, the involvement of the general public in the sampling of the data, is a major component of the internship. Below, a number of possible topics are listed: ‐ Do the green connections between Singelpark (Centre Leiden) and the surroundings of Leiden function as ecological corridors for flora and fauna? ‐ The role of green roofs in the green network structure of the city of Leiden. ‐ The effectiveness of “bee hotels” for the conservation of solitary bees in Leiden and surroundings. ‐ Comparison of a Nature value scoring through citizen science (CS) and conventional methods of vegetation monitoring. ‐ Monitoring of nectar and pollen producing plants in extensively managed field orners. ‐ Monitoring breeding birds with a simplified survey‐instruction. Period: February – August 2017 MSc‐ and BSc‐internships, but most suited for MSc‐internships. Supervision: Dr. Wil Tamis (CML), ext 7479, [email protected] and Marco Roos (NCB), [email protected] and others. How do ecosystem changes drive mosquito born disease risks? (2 projects) Vector‐borne diseases remain a leading cause of human and livestock mortality, despite tremendous efforts. The vast majority of human infectious diseases have wildlife hosts and vectors. For many such infections, complete eradication is unlikely to be successful, largely as a result of widespread resistance of vectors against pesticides. However, to date, pesticides remain the leading course of action when outbreaks of mosquito borne diseases occur. Recent disease outbreaks (Zika, Ebola) have illustrated that a more thorough ecological understanding is crucial to prevent and mitigate disease risk. Anthropogenic pressures resulting from ecosystem changes have been coined as a primary driver of the recent surge in vector‐borne disease emergence. Associations between anthropogenic pressures and disease risk are likely to be particularly strong for mosquito‐borne viral infections because disease transmission is strongly linked to the ecological processes that influence mosquito population dynamics. Therefore, a broader understanding of the context in which host‐parasite interactions takes place is needed. 7 So far, very few studies have studied the ecological drivers (eutrophication, biodiversity loss, chemical pollution) underlying mosquito population dynamics, and no studies have looked at the possible interactions between these pressures. The aim of this project is therefore to understand and quantify the effects of relevant ecological pressures – both in isolation and in interaction ‐ on mosquito population dynamics. The outcomes of this project will thus facilitate more effective management of mosquito borne diseases. There are 2 potential projects 1) Experimental project. This emperical project can be carried out in Leiden (BSc) as well as South Africa/Kenya (only MSc*). and will focus on small scale mesocosm and microcom experiment in climate chambers and outdoor mesocosms to quantify the impact of interacting anthropogenic pressures on disease vector populations. Project can be started from 1st of October 2016. * When chosen as a master project, there is a possibility to combine small‐scale experiments in Leiden with experiments/field work for 1 month, carried out in Kruger NP, South Africa or experiments at the ICEPE in Kenya. 2) GIS‐based project (MSc project**). Map changes in land use in South Africa to changes in the abovementioned anthropogenic pressures. Subsequently link these to changes in mosquito community composition as well as potential disease risk. This project will be largely GIS based, but field validations in South Africa are necessary for validation purposes. Project can be started from 1st of October 2016. * BSc is possible, but without the field validation part Contact/Supervisors dr. Maarten Schrama [email protected] prof. Peter van Bodegom [email protected] How to define soil microbial strategies? Micro‐organisms constitute a substantial proportion of the living biomass in soils. Increasingly, we have information on the identity of soil micro‐organisms, we hardly know anything about who is doing what (and when). Moreover, we have no answers to fundamental questions related to the ecological strategies of soil micro‐organisms or their functional trade‐offs (e.g. what is the functional cost of bacteria that grow fast?). In international collaboration, we have compiled a database of genetic information of hundreds of soil microbial species to which we attached functional attributes. Here, you will evaluate the information available to define fundamental soil microbial strategies. Supervisor: prof.dr. Peter van bodegom; email [email protected] tel 7486. Can we determine species density through DNA measurements; understanding the influence of DNA shedding on environmental DNA concentrations within aquatic environments. Global biodiversity is facing a major crisis, which makes ecological monitoring studies ever more important, to facilitate science‐based effective management of biodiversity. A highly promising recent development to overcome current problems with community‐wide sampling strategies, on the basis of morphology, is to assess environmental DNA (eDNA). This technique is based on the fact that all species lose cells containing DNA to the environment they live in. While eDNA has been used to determine species presence/absence, its next level application to evaluate species densities is still in its infancy; it is still unclear how eDNA concentration truly relates to species abundance and biomass. Different species might be present in the same amount but might still show higher eDNA concentrations than other species due to higher DNA production patterns. For instance species with an exoskeleton are expected to show a lower speed of eDNA production in the aquatic environment than species without an exoskeleton, since exoskeletons form a natural barrier between the cells containing the DNA and the aquatic environment. The rate at which DNA of a certain species builds 8 up in the environment might also depend on how fast they move/how active they are/how high their metabolic rate is. For this research line we aim at developing a generic and comprehensive approach for determining species community composition freshwater environments. The research will include laboratory live set ups using water tanks and possibly artificially constructed ditches and ponds (mesocosms) with several freshwater macrofaunal species and molecular DNA work (extractions, PCR). To do this we need several BSc or MSc students for studying eDNA production in different freshwater macrofaunal species. Supervisor: dr. K.B. Trimbos, tel. 7457, e‐mail [email protected] Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services Global analysis of plant intraspecific trait variation patterns. MSc project The question to what extent are leaving organisms able to vary their morphology and physiology is the fundamental ecological challenge and is currently a very hot topic in ecological research. Within this project you will answer the question what are the intraspecific (i.e. within species) variation patterns of distinct plant functional traits; and how these variation patterns could help us to explain the evolution of mechanisms determining the ability of plants to adapt to their environment. The project is aimed to result in a publication in a scientific journal. Supervisor: Dr. Nadia Soudzilovskaia. email : [email protected], tel 7485. Ecosystem services of the Sand Motor Created in 2011, the Sand Motor is a large beach nourishment located at the coast, just south of Scheveningen beach (www.zandmotor.nl/en/). In the context of a large research program ‘NatureCoast’ (www.naturecoast.nl), numerous researchers have been monitoring and assessing many different aspects of the Sand Motor, including marine and terrestrial ecology, geomorphology and hydrology. Important overarching research themes are dune formation, ecological impacts of beach nourishments, habitat for flatfish and shrimp etc. In order to inform decision makers, it is of utmost importance to integrate available data and knowledge, find suitable indicators and quantify ecosystem services of the Sand Motor. Specific ecosystem services that will need to be quantified include coastal protection (erosion prevention & dune formation), nature‐based recreation, fresh water provision, habitat for juvenile and migratory species and various other cultural services. Supervisors: prof.dr. Peter van bodegom; email [email protected] tel 7486. Dr Alexander van Oudenhoven; email [email protected] tel 7473. Remote sensing of traits‐based (sub‐)arctic biodiversity. To protect (sub‐)arctic ecosystems, we need a better understanding of spatial biodiversity patterns and quantitative methodologies to assess biodiversity of this fragile environment. Using remote sensing to assess functional vegetation diversity is promising, as relating spectral data to canopy or individual leaf traits (chlorophyll content, specific leaf area, nitrogen content etc.), is possible. This project aims to develop a method to assess functional diversity from hyperspectral and LiDAR‐data gathered with drones. A first exploration of biodiversity scales and relationship of traits‐based diversity to hyperspectral signal has been made this year, the coming summer we will increase the scale and start flying drones. Fieldwork for this project will be carried out in Abisko, Sweden and/or on Svalbard (Norway), within the period June‐August. Specific contents of a student project within this project can be discussed based on your own interests and ideas. While the fieldwork will be in summer, preparations can start a few months beforehand (how long depending on fulltime or part‐time while you take other courses). Supervisor: MSc. E.M. de Goede. email : [email protected], tel 5645. 9 Beta diversity of aquatic communities Under pressure from human pressures, freshwater systems are amongst the fastest changing ecosystems. Responses to these pressures are often studied in a relatively small area (for example, the biodiversity in a river decreases; this describes changes in the alpha diversity). One key outstanding question is whether at different locations, different species are more abundant after such changes, or whether a small set of species has taken over at all sites. In other words, are sites now more similar than they were in the past (is beta‐diversity decreasing)? Using an existing dataset, this project will assess the spatial and temporal trends of the biodiversity in aquatic communities in South Holland, and assess how this is affected by different environmental variables. Supervisor: Dr. Ellen Cieraad, ext 7484, [email protected], Dr. Maarten Schrama, [email protected] and/or Dr. Kees Musters, [email protected] Urban trees City trees provide important ecosystem services, such as carbon storage, reduction of pollution, water distribution and climate extremes. However, cities like Leiden still have an incomplete view on the distribution of trees throughout the urban and sub‐urban areas, their connectivity and the extent of the services they provide. Such knowledge can guide decisions as to where future trees and other green space (green infrastructure) should be located to create a more climate‐adapted and liveable city. New tools make it possible to gather and analyse these data. Supervisor: Dr. Ellen Cieraad, ext 7484, [email protected] Pesticide atlas More than 50% of surface waters in the Netherlands have pesticide levels above acceptable standards. CML has compiled and annually updates a long‐term dataset on pesticides in surface waters across the Netherlands (www.pesticidesatlas.nl). There are many outstanding research questions for different internships that may be answered using this dataset in combination with other spatial data. They will often investigate the trends in space and/or time of exceedances of certain pesticides, and which factors contribute to these patterns? Supervisor: Dr. Martina Vijver, ext 1487, [email protected] and/or Dr. Ellen Cieraad, ext 7484, [email protected] Will biodiversity adapt to the near future? Global vegetation models have been used extensively during the last decade to make predictions about the projected vegetation changes upon climate change (e.g. used in the IPCC reports). Recently, we improved these models by incorporating variation in biodiversity, vegetation characteristics within these models. However, by including biodiversity, new questions were raised: How quickly will vegetation by able to change its characteristics, through which process (plasticity, adaptation, species replacement) and will each vegetation type be able to respond similarly quickly? Focus of this research is: how fast do species adapt to new conditions. Through a review of existing knowledge, extending existing databases and analyzing the patterns, you will evaluate these questions within the context of the ecological strategies of the species involved. Supervisor: prof.dr. Peter van Bodegom; email [email protected] tel 7486. Effects of extreme events on biodiversity With climate change, the number of extreme events will increase (and already has increased), think of extreme rainfall, drought or storms. An important –fundamental‐ ecological question is: Does nature consider this as another disturbance as respond correspondingly or do these extreme events lead to entirely new biodiversity responses? If so, does the existing information from experiments manipulating and simulating extreme events provide enough information on impacts of extreme events? In other words, when evaluating biodiversity impacts of extreme events, do patterns 10 emerge? In this research, you will extend an existing database and determine if and how extreme events deviate from normal disturbances. Supervisor: prof.dr. Peter van Bodegom; email [email protected] tel 7486. Remote sensing techniques to monitor the Oostvaardersplassen In the modern era of biology, big data can help us to better evaluate, understand and ultimately predict ecological patterns. For instance, remote sensing technologies have helped to provide high spatial maps of vegetation and vegetation characteristics (at higher resolutions than field surveys can achieve). In addition, remote sensing techniques have aided in tracking animals and understanding their behaviour. In this research, we will explore the feasibility of remote sensing technology to understand the ecology of the Oostvaardersplassen, one of the biggest nature reserves in the Netherlands with challenges with respect to e.g. grazing pressures. A better understanding of spatial patterns can aid developing appropriate nature conservation measures. Supervisor: prof.dr. Peter van Bodegom; email [email protected] tel 7486. Uncertainty in the temporal dynamics of RS‐related plant traits Plant trait trade‐offs have been well defined from an ecological standpoint over the last decade from peak biomass measurements. However, when applying Remote Sensing (RS) applications, many of these well‐defined traits are not applicable at RS scales, nor are they detectable or useful. This topic focuses on looking at remotely sensed traits (LAI, chlorophyll, leaf water, etc.) and their dynamics over an entire growing season. Sample collection of various plants will be conducted throughout the growing season and hyperspectral and satellite imagery will be used to create supplementary data. Projects can focuses solely on the temporal dynamics of traits or on the trade‐off dynamics (for other analysis ideas contact the supervisor). This project requires extensive fieldwork in varying parts of the globe in order to capture the temporal dynamics needed. Five continents, at least 8 different biomes requires fieldwork be done in Canada, Netherlands, Kenya, Australia, and others. Other locations are possible. BSc projects are available in Valkenburg/Speulderbos, and several MScs are available in any of the international locations. Supervisors: Amie Corbin MSc. [email protected] Prof.dr.ir. Peter van Bodegom [email protected] Can trees keep up with climate change? As the effects of climate change become more and more apparent, the demand for data on climate‐
vegetation feedbacks increases. These processes can currently be simulated by Dynamic Global Vegetation Models (e.g. as used by the IPCC). In the last few years criticism of the accuracy of these has increased due to its reliance on Plant Functional Types (PFTs) for parameterization. This shortcoming is addressed now with the application of vegetation characteristics. This allows the model to incorporate biodiversity and give a much more accurate result. However, by doing this new questions are raised. How quickly can vegetation characteristics change, and is this fast enough to keep up with the current climate change? Which characteristics make for a successful tree in a rapidly changing environment? Supervisor: Anne Uilhoorn, MSc., tel. 1479, e‐mail [email protected] Deriving plant functional traits from space The development of satellites for earth observation is continuously advancing to improve our understanding of global environmental changes. Currently, accurate retrieval of information regarding vegetation and soils of ecosystems can be achieved by inference of reflectance signals collected by satellite sensors. Inference from the reflectance can include plant functional traits such as chlorophyll, leaf area index, leaf water content and leaf thickness amongst others which are critical to study biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Nevertheless, the reflectance observed is constrained by the specifications of the satellite sensor that acquires the signal. Sensor specifications 11 thereby have implications on the information retrieved about plant functional traits and their interdependencies. Understanding these implications is important in the interpretation of earth observation data for biodiversity and ecosystems studies. This research aims to show the impact of spectral resolution and the considerations that need to be taken by researchers when studying plant canopy traits using earth observation data with medium spectral resolutions. Supervisor: Leon Hauser Msc.; tel. 5649, email [email protected] Ecosystem mapping using satellite remote sensing in the Oostvaardersplassen National Park Understanding the spatial composition of ecosystems is crucial for its management and conservation. Satellite earth observation can help acquire detailed information about the vegetation characteristics of ecosystems. Plant canopy functional traits can be derived through inverse modelling of the reflectance signal recorded by satellites. The advance of medium‐ and high‐ resolution satellites enables detailed and fine‐grained analysis of conservation sites such as the Oostvaardersplassen National Park. The aim of this research is to build an ecosystem classification scheme based on satellite remote sensing derived plant canopy traits to map the Oostvaardersplassen ecologically through a functional traits‐based approach. Supervisor: Leon Hauser Msc.; tel. 5649, email [email protected] 12