Lsg' Natuurbeheer

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Presentation NCP Thesis projects for 2008
January 24, 2008
Nature Conservation Plant Ecology Group (NCP)
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Presentation NCP Thesis Projects for 2008January
24, 2008

• Program
• Who we are and what we do
• Why you should do a thesis at NCP
• Prerequisite and recommended courses
• How to choose a thesis project?
• Research themes of NCP
• Impression of some projects
• Informal contact with potential supervisors

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Who we are the professors
Head of the group Frank Berendse (nature
conservation plant ecology)
Part time professors Karlè Sýkora (RWS)
(ecological management of infra-structure) Matthi
js Schouten (SBB) (ecology of nature
restoration) Geert de Snoo (CML) (social
organization of nature conservation in
agricultural landscapes) Joop Schaminee
(Alterra) (plant communities and eco-informatics)
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The assistant professorsand lecturers
Karlè Sýkora (vegetation ecology) Elmar
Veenendaal (systems ecology, greenhouse gas
research) Jan Bokdam (grazing management)
contact person
internships Dick van der Hoek (nature
conservation and eco-hydrology) Wim
Braakhekke (plant ecology, soil- vegetation)
contact person MSc thesis projects till June
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More lecturers
Juul Limpens (ecology and conservation of peat
bogs) contact person MSc thesis
projects from June Monique Heijmans (effects
of climate change on peat bogs)
Jasper van Ruijven (causes and
consequences of changes
in biodiversity)
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Post docs
André Schaffers (vegetation and insect

biodiversity) Gabriela Schaepman (remote
sensing in ecological and
climate change
studies) Liesje Mommer (root interactions
and root plasticity)
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PhD students
Jinze Noordijk (ecological road side management
and insect bio-diversity) Arina
Schrier (effect of ground water table on the
greenhouse gas budget
of fen meadows) Marleen Pierik (effects of
climate change on the
Dutch
flora) Flavia Geiger (effect of agricultural
policy on biodiversity
and ecosystem services) Veronique Vos (effects
of vegetation change on
carbon and nutrient cycles Daan Blok
(effects of vegetation change
on the albedo of tundra vegetation
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Technical staff and administration
Maurits Gleichman
Frans Möller Jan
van Walsem head laboratory
Petra Kloppenburg secretary NCP
Gerda Martin financial administration
Mirjam Bakker secretary NCP
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Why you should do a thesis at NCP

• scientifically interesting and socially relevant
  projects
• current themes in ecology
• excellent scientific quality
• large national and international network

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Why you should do a thesis at NCP

• good working conditions and facilities

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Why you should do a thesis at NCP

• enthusiastic supervisors

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Why you should do a thesis at NCP

• various job opportunities

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Which thesis for which students?
Two thesis names Nature Conservation and Plant
Ecology (NCP-80424, , -80439) Landscape Ecology
(NCP-91324, . , -91339)
Theses come in various lengths 24, 27, 30, 33,
36, 39 credits (16, 18, 20, 22, 26, 28 stp)
Major thesis NCP appears in 5 MSc programs MBI
Biology D Ecology MBI Biology E - Theoretical
Mathematical Biology MFN Forest Nature
Conservation B Ecology and Management MEA
Earth System Science MOA Organic Agriculture A -
Farm Rural Environment
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Prerequisites for a Thesis NCP
Scientific interest in nature and commitment to
its conservation
Prerequisite courses always Ecology of
Communities, Ecosystems and Landscapes
(Systeem- en landschapsecologie) (NCP-20306 P1,
3, 5)
and Field course Plant, Vegetation and
Systems Ecology (NCP-30306, P5) (Terschelling)
Or comparable courses (consult supervisor)
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Recommended courses for a Thesis NCP
Depending on the focus of your thesis
subject Plant - Vegetation Ecosystem - Nature
Conservation
Ecological methods I (TNV-31806, P4) Trends in
Forest and Nature Conservation (TNV-30306,
P1) Models for Forest and Nature Conservation
(INF-21806, P2) Habitat Analysis for Ecologists
( Vegetation site conditions) (SIL-21806,
P1) Soil, Water, Vegetation (ESS-30806,
P1) Ecological methods II (TNV-32306, P5) Capita
Selecta NCP (NCP-5030X, PX)
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How to choose your thesis project?
Is this really what I want to do for my MSc
thesis ?
Or should it be more like this?
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How to choose your thesis project?
Come to the yearly NCP Thesis market in November
(done) Study the thesis projects at the NCP web
site www.ncp.wur.nl/UK/education

• Our thesis projects are divided in research
  themes.
• Each theme has a contact person. You may either
• pick a thesis project youre interested in and
  directly contact the supervisor, or
• pick a theme youre interested in and consult the
  contact person, or
• consult the general contact person for thesis
• projects (Wim Braakhekke ? Juul Limpens)

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How to choose your thesis project?

• Note
• New projects appear throughout the year !
• You can also do your thesis at research
  institutes (NIOO, Alterra, Vlinderstichting,
  etc.)
• Projects can be done at other universities in
  Holland and abroad
• Thesis projects can be customized according to
  your interests
• Youre free to suggest your own thesis project

Dont wait too long ! Start orienting at least 3
months before the planned start of your
thesis. (9 months for projects abroad)
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Research objectives NCP
Ecosystems are our core business !
Aim Understanding the processes that drive
long-term changes in ecosystems. Why? ?To predict
natural development of ecosystems ?To
predict the effect of human activities on
ecosystems ?To optimize nature
management practices
How? ? By studying interactions between ecosystem
components at various levels abiotic factors,
plants and animals, populations, communities,
ecosystems, landscapes, globe ? By
building mechanistic ecosystem models ?
By studying chronosequences and historic
vegetation data to test our models
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Research objectives
Chronosequence on sandy soil at the Veluwe
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Research themes and contact persons
1. Environment ecosystem functioning
(Elmar
Veenendaal) 2. Biodiversity ecosystem
functioning (Jasper van Ruijven) 3. Grazing
ecology vegetation management (Jan
Bokdam) 4. Vegetation management fauna (Karlè
Sýkora) 5. Vegetation landscape ecology (Karlè
Sýkora) 6. Nature conservation in agricultural
urban landscapes (Geert de Snoo)
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Theme I. Environment and ecosystem functioning
Ecology of raised bogs and tundra
Frank Berendse
Matthijs Schouten
Juul Limpens
Monique Heijmans
Gabriela Schaepman
Daan Blok
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Theme I. Environment and ecosystem functioning
Greenhouse gas emission by ecosystems
Brian Mantlana
Elmar Veenendaal
Arina Schrier
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Theme II. Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning
Effects of nutrient availability on species
richness
Effects of biodiversity and ecosystem functioning
Effect of climate change on the Dutch flora
Wim Braakhekke
Jasper van Ruijven
Marleen Pierik
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Theme III. Grazing ecology and management
Effect of large grazing animals on seed
dispersal, nutrient cycling, cyclic succession in
vegetation patterns.
Jan Bokdam
Karlè Sýkora
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Theme IV. Vegetation management and fauna
Karlè Sýkora
Andre Schaffers
Jinze Noordijk
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Theme IV. Vegetation and landscape ecology
Karlè Sýkora
Dick van der Hoek
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Theme 6. Nature conservation in agricultural and
urban landscapes
Landscape structure and insect diversity Breeding
ecology of meadow birds
Jort Verhulst
Geert de Snoo
Flavia Geiger
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Guidelines for preparing an MSc thesis at the
Centre of Ecology (see NCP website)
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• Impressions of thesis projects by
• Karlè Sýkora
• Veronique Vos
• Flavia Geiger
• Elmar Veenendaal
• Informal contact with supervisors

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Questions ? Contact wim.braakhekke_at_wur.nl