Harold Timans – Bijdrage IAL10 Congres: International Association for Lichenology 2026
Universiteit Leiden / Naturalis De tiende editie van het IAL congres (International Association for Lichenology) vond plaats tussen 26-31 juli in Triest. Het is het grootste wetenschappelijke evenement binnen het vakgebied van de lichenologie (de studie naar korstmossen). Samen met onderzoekers van BLWG en Naturalis maakte ik deel uit van de Nederlandse delegatie om Nederlands […]
Florian van Leerdam – De invloed van bosgatgrootte en -leeftijd op de interactie tussen bosregeneratie en herbivorie in de tropische bossen van Frans-Guyana
Universiteit Utrecht In the Amazon rainforest of French Guiana, as part of the long-running FoRAD project, we studied forest gaps and their role in forest regeneration. Within our experimental plots, we investigated plant growth and – diversity, and herbivory through browsing damage and camera traps. We also examined the leaf traits and chemical composition of […]
Sarah van Straaten – Browsing in Neotropical Forest Canopy Gaps: The Role of Plant Functional Traits and Microclimate
Universiteit Utrecht Large herbivores are essential for tropical forest composition and functioning, such as through their roles as seed dispersers and browsers1,2. However, their populations are declining due to anthropogenic pressures3. Browsing is an often-overlooked ecological role of herbivores, despite research indicating its importance for the composition and regeneration of tropical plant communities4. To predict […]
Ludovica Visca – The Effect of Edge Effect on Bat Acoustic Activity in Indonesian Borneo: A Bioacoustics Approach
Utrecht University Forest fragmentation and edge effects have risen in recent decades with expanding agriculture. IUCN declared that 50% of deforestation in Borneo from 2005 to 2015 was caused by palm oil production. Borneo is a habitat of many animals, which are responsible for the ecosystem’s health. For example, insectivorous bats are crucial for plants’ […]
Kees van Kollenburg – High spatiotemporal resolution microclimate modelling reveals fine-scale patterns of Arctic vegetation
Universiteit Utrecht Climate change is reshaping ecosystems worldwide, especially in the Arctic, which is warming much faster than the global average. However, the climate data commonly used in ecological studies often describe broad regional averages and may not reflect the temperatures that plants and animals experience close to the ground. In mountainous and Arctic landscapes, […]
Wies Bos – Adjusting PALMSIM model to fit the growth of the fronds of OxG oil palm hybrid
Wageningen University and Research Oil palm is the most cultivated oil crop worldwide by volume. Colombian palm oil cultivation has been suffering from the presence of bud rot disease (BD); the introduction of the tolerant interspecific OxG hybrid (E. oleifera x E. guineensis) has provided relief to farmers in Colombia. This thesis aims to adjust […]
Marije van de Poll – The influence of habitat structure, herbivore behaviour and leaf functional traits on browsing pressure in tropical forests of French Guiana
Universiteit Utrecht Large herbivores influence tropical forest regeneration through browsing, trampling, and selective feeding, yet the behavioural processes determining where and when browsing occurs remain poorly understood. This project aimed to investigate how habitat structure influences large Neotropical herbivore activity, behaviour, and browsing pressure in tropical forests of French Guiana. Specifically, the study compared canopy […]
Hugo de Vries Prijs 2026 voor Jelle Spooren
De Hugo de Vries Prijs wordt jaarlijks uitgereikt aan het beste proefschrift op botanisch gebied dat in het voorgaande jaar verdedigd is, en omvat de botanie in de volle breedte. Dit jaar is de prijs gewonnen door Dr. Jelle Spooren (Universiteit Utrecht) voor zijn onderzoek aan het mechanisme waarmee het microbioom op het blad van […]
Qiong Fang – Recent dispersal history of edible aroids (Araceae) via humans between continents
Wageningen University and Research Edible aroids (plants from the family Araceae) are among the top five most cultivated tuber crops globally, but their consumer acceptance is hindered by extreme acridity Acridity is caused by aroids sap that severely irritate the throat, lips or skin if not correctly processed. However, no in-depth studies exist on acridity […]
Symposium Hugo de Vries Prijs 12 juni 2026
12 juni 2026 – 13.00-17.00 uur – Hortus Botanicus Haren Op 12 juni 2026 zal de Hugo de Vries Prijs worden uitgereikt aan de persoon die afgelopen jaar het beste proefschrift op botanisch gebied heeft verdedigd. De prijs is een initiatief van de KNBV en het Hugo de Vries Fonds. Het symposium zal plaatsvinden ’s […]