Cocon

Our research focuses on understanding the structure, dynamics and diversity of ecological communities. Our research is done in both temperate and tropical ecosystems, with an emphasis on temperate coastal ecosystems (Wadden Sea), tropical savannas and tropical rainforests. We aim at both progressing the fundamental understanding of ecological communities, as well as applying this knowledge to conservation and restoration of biological diversity. For our study systems, we evaluate the consequences for biodiversity and ecosystem function of climate change, sea level rise, illegal hunting and land use changes. Important processes that we study are climate change, biodiversity consequences of spatial heterogeneity, plant-herbivore interactions, herbivore-predator interactions, plant dispersal, food web analysis, and the role of stochastic processes in mediating diversity.

 

Our main research sites are located in the Netherlands (Wadden Sea, Oostvaardersplassen, Overijsselse Vecht), Tanzania (Serengeti), South Africa (Hluhluwe-iMfolozi).