Berber Zandstra – Discovering species diversity and ecology of Sabah’s Aristolochiaceae
Wageningen University & Research – Leerstoelgroep Biosystematiek De Aristolochiaceae (pijpbloemen) familie vormt een belangrijke waardplant voor de kwetsbare Kinabalu vogelvlinder (Troides andromache) in Sabah (Maleisisch Borneo). De lianen van Aristolochia soorten worden door de inheemse volken van Sabah gebruikt voor medicinale doeleinden. Hoewel deze plantenfamilie een belangrijke ecologische en medicinale functie bekleedt, is er niet […]
Tom Veldhuis – De rol van visuele signalen in de seksuele deceptie door Ophrys orchideeën
De signalen die door bloemen gebruikt worden om bestuivers aan te trekken zijn niet alleen cruciaal voor de werking van de voortplanting van de bloem, maar zijn ook een sterke drijfveer van biodiversiteit. Een erg bijzonder geval van deze signalen zijn de deceptieve signalen van Ophrys orchideeën. Deze bloemen imiteren de geur- en kleursignalen van […]
Roosje Kemmink: Climate-growth interaction of trees in tropical Australia
Voor mijn onderzoek naar de invloed van klimaatomstandigheden op tropische boomgroei, heb ik in een team met 5 veldmedewerkers boomkernen geboord van Toona ciliata in het uiterste noordoosten van Australië. Doormiddel van hout bestuderen kun je de groeigeschiedenis van decennia lang terugzien, op deze plek is nog nooit eerder dit type onderzoek gedaan, dus ik […]
Thomas van Schaik: Assessing the relationship between avian seed disperser communities and the recovery and resilience of Mexican dry tropical forest
Universiteit Utrecht Tropical forests support much of Earth’s biodiversity and play key roles in carbon storage and the global water cycle. However, rapid deforestation and climate change threaten these functions, causing significant biodiversity loss. Despite these challenges, forest recovery after disturbances and exploitation offers a chance for negative carbon emissions. Understanding conditions for successful forest […]
Vera Renne: Assessing the relationship between avian communities and regeneration of dry tropical forests in Mexico using passive acoustic monitoring
Universiteit Utrecht Tropical forests, are home to over half of the world’s terrestrial biodiversity and are essential for regulating water cycles and providing global ecosystem services. However, these ecosystems face escalating threats, pushing them towards their resilience limit. Natural regeneration is crucial to their survival, and birds play a vital role in this process. By […]
Margit Smelt: The Effect Of Saltwater Intrusion On Terrestrial Vegetation In Village Forest Gardens On The Northeast Coast of Java and Its Socio-Economic Consequences
Wageningen Universiteit & Research Village forest gardens are special types of gardens with layers of shrubs, bamboos, palms, and trees around homes. These gardens provide a variety of things like fuel, building materials, fruits, food, and even medicine. In places like southeast Asia, these gardens are a tradition and a symbol of sustainability. Village forest […]
Ruben ter Harmsel: The History and Current Floristic and Abiotic State of Dutch Calcareous Grasslands
Radboud Universiteit Dutch calcareous grassland is a rare, semi-natural, species rich habitat type, protected by EU law. Understanding which factors influence its floristic composition could help conservation and restoration efforts. To research this, I made vegetation relevés and took soil samples across calcareous grasslands in Southern Limburg. I also collected historical vegetation data. My research […]
Maarten van Emmerik: Effect of Urban Heat Island on Germination of Common Dandelion
Radboud University During this MSc internship, I studied urban dandelions in Amsterdam, Nijmegen, and Maastricht. The aim was to investigate adaptation to the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect. This effect causes overheating of stony areas due to heat retention during sunny days. I sampled plants from the hot city center and compared these to plants […]
Lucas Chojnacki: Shaping Tropical Forests
Wageningen University & Research Secondary forests, most often regenerating from abandoned lands, offer insights into post-disturbance recovery. Succession, the dynamic process of change in forest structure and composition, is influenced by various factors. Understanding the role of dominant and rare species in driving forest attributes is essential is for estimating restorative potential of secondary forests. To […]
Fabiënne de Jager: The effect of stressors on the onset of pneumatophore development of black mangroves
Wageningen University & Research For my Master Thesis I went to Semarang to study the effects of flooding events on the Avicennia mangrove species in the Demak Regency (Timbulsloko). Seawater with a high salinity (30 ppt) flows further into the estuaries and rivers, which causes salinity concentrations in aquifers, aquaculture ponds and in ground water. […]