Experimental Plant Ecology

Welcome to the department
Experimental Plant Ecology

Our department celebrates its 25th anniversary

On 11 June 2010 we celebrated that Experimental Plant Ecology exists for already 25 years. Current and past lab members were reunited on a field excursion to the south of Limburg. (see pictures)

Plant populations track rather than buffer climate Fluctuations
(Dutch press release - NU.NL - SCIENTIAS.NL)
Two mechanisms that were thought to help plants to buffer climate variation, are not detectable at the level of plant populations.  This makes plants vulnerable for the effects of increased climate variability between years, one of the aspects of climate change.

This study by Eelke Jongejans, Hans de Kroon, Shripad Tuljapurkar and Katriona Shea (June 2010 Ecology Letters) shows that evolution does not work through these mechanisms when weather conditions are increasingly unpredictable. Especially short-lived plants are at risk. The 40 plant species in this study:

Liesje Mommer is looking for a Master student interested in a project on Positive plant-microbe interactions in a biodiversity context. Read more...