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Project properties |
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| Title | Tree morphology changes by fertilization and herbivory |
| Group | Forest Ecology and Forest Management Group |
| Project type | thesis |
| Credits | 36 |
| Supervisor(s) | dr.ir. J (Jan) den Ouden
S (Sylvana) Harmsen MSc |
| Examiner(s) | prof.dr.ir. GMJ (Frits) Mohren |
| Contact info | sylvana.harmsen@wur.nl jan.denouden@wur.nl |
| Begin date | 2022/02/01 |
| End date | 2023/11/01 |
| Description | Research goal
Rock dust, a ground rock that acts as a slow-release fertilizer, has become immensely popular in forest management. In ecosystems degraded by enhanced nitrogen deposition, soil health is expected to increase with the use of rock, enhancing plant growth and viability. However, how (ungulate) herbivory interacts with these positive effects has remained unknown. In this study, you will look at the interaction between rock dust and herbivory on growth and other morphological changes in young trees. This will allow better evaluation of rock dust as a restoration measure in ecosystems affected by enhanced nitrogen deposition. Experimental set-up In April 2020, 8 temperate tree species varying in palatability, were planted in an experimental set-up. The in total 1080 planted trees were randomly assigned to 9 treatments; 3 levels of rock dust (control, Soilfeed rock dust, and Eifelgold rock dust) and 3 levels of simulated herbivory (0, 30% and 90% damage). Height and diameter were taken directly after planting and in January 2022. Herbivory will be simulated via shoot clipping in 2022. The height growth response is of particular interest, other traits are open for input from the student, see e.g. Hester et al. (2004) for ideas. Hester, A. J., Millard, P., Baillie, G. J., & Wendler, R. (2004). How does timing of browsing affect aboveâ€and belowâ€ground growth of Betula pendula, Pinus sylvestris and Sorbus aucuparia?. Oikos, 105(3), 536-550. More information about the project on the project page: https://www.wur.nl/en/project/Fertilization-impacts-on-interactions-between-ungulates-and-trees.htm Timeline Thesis will take place period 4-6(-1). Period 4: proposal writing. Period 5 and 6: lots of fun fieldwork, starting March/April and ending around July. After period 6/period 1: 4-6 weeks for data analysis and report writing. Could also be extended when doing courses in period 1, working on the thesis part-time after fieldwork. Topic(s): Plant-animal interactions/ Sustainable forest management/ Ecophysiology Region(s): The Netherlands Climate(s): Temperate zone Corona proof |
| Used skills | |
| Requirements | - WEC-31806 Ecological Methods I, or a comparable alternative course;
- One FEM course (at least), depending on the topic of the thesis: FEM-30306 Forest Ecology and Forest Management, FEM-30806 Resource Dynamics Sustainable Utilization, FEM-32306 Agroforestry, or Models for Ecological Systems FEM-31806 |