How to choose a thesis project?

The MSc thesis projects are clustered in research themes that cover the fields of interest of our lecturers, post-docs and PhD students. They are listed as supervisors. Many subjects are also suitable for a BSc thesis. Length and content of a thesis project may be tailored to your wishes. An overview of available project can be found in the TIP-database http://tip.wur.nl. New projects will be added to this database throughout the year.

If you are interested in a particular thesis project you can contact the supervisor of the project directly. Alternatively, if you are interested in a theme but you cannot find a suitable project, you may consult the contact person of the theme. When you have difficulties choosing a theme, please contact Juul Limpens (juul.limpens@wur.nl).

You can also do a thesis project at a research institute or a different university in the Netherlands or abroad, on the condition that the project and the supervision are of sufficient scientific quality (PhD supervisor) and a supervisor from PEN is involved.

Start in time with looking for a thesis project and contacting people: preferably 3 to 9 months before the start of your project. Preparations for projects abroad take a long time. Some projects may require following an additional course.

Information on procedures around theses and internships and instructions for doing a thesis project are presented in the ‘Guidelines for preparing an MSc-thesis’. A hard copy can be obtained at the secretary’s office after registration for a thesis. The Guidelines also give an overview of prerequisite and recommended courses for a thesis PEN.

Theme 1 Environment and ecosystem functioning

Contact person: Juul Limpens

Other supervisors: Monique Heijmans, José van Paassen, Rúna Magnússon

Background: This theme covers our research on large-scale human influences on ecosystem functioning. Increased greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere, climate change and nitrogen deposition strongly affect nutrient- and water cycling within ecosystems, plant growth, and competitive relations between plant species. Such effects may change vegetation succession and biodiversity. Conversely, the resulting changes in the vegetation can have important consequences for ecosystem processes such as biomass production, carbon sequestration and emission, evapotranspiration, erosion, absorption and reflection of solar radiation.

Research: Peatlands equal forests as carbon (C) stores due to slow decomposition of the water-locked plant material. Large-scale draining of peatlands and extraction of peat have removed the lock on the stored carbon, turning them into sources for greenhouse gasses. At PEN we study functioning of intact, degraded and rewetted peatlands in the Netherlands and abroad to 1) understand how the ecosystem services change with environmental and human stressors and 2) how we can use these relationships to best manage and restore these ecosystems. (José van Paassen, Juul Limpens)

Northern ecosystems are facing rapid climate warming. In response, shrub vegetation is expanding. Good news, as shrubs can store carbon and protect permafrost soils from warming up in summer through shading. Bad news, as shrubs can warm up the soil in winter by capturing snow. Climate change, shrub expansion, permafrost degradation and vegetation succession - and their many interactions! - make for an exciting puzzle to work on in challenging environments. (Rúna Magnússon, Juul Limpens, Monique Heijmans)

Coastal ecosystems protect a large part of the world’s shores against flooding, harbour their own special species and often serve as recreation areas. One of the big questions is to what extent these ecosystems can keep on offering these services as the sea level keeps on rising: how resilient are salt marshes and dunes? (Juul Limpens)

Type of work: The research involves field observations, experimental work in field, garden or greenhouses, remote sensing, simulation studies on long-term dynamics of ecosystems and tree-ring studies on polar shrubs.

Theme 2 Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning

Contact person: Fons van der Plas

Other supervisors: Amanda Taylor, Coline Boonman, Philippine Vergeer

Background: The biodiversity within ecosystems is an important aspect of the conservation value of ecosystems, because species rich communities are rare and many endangered species occur mainly in species rich communities. After many years of research the regulation of biodiversity is still poorly understood. How can we explain that 40 or more plant species of higher plants per m2 coexist in some communities, while other communities contain only a few species? How do species manage to survive under the pressure of competition, stress and disturbance? What circumstances are favourable to species richness and how can we promote and maintain or destroy these circumstances? The role of biodiversity in ecosystem functioning is even more obscure. Species richness could have important impacts on other ecosystem properties and functions such as resource use, biomass production, and resistance to invasions.

Several projects are united under this theme.

A. The importance of biodiversity for ecosystem processes

The rapid loss of species has inspired ecologists to investigate the importance of biodiversity for the functioning of ecosystems. For some ecosystem processes, such as primary productivity in grasslands, several experiments have shown loss of plant species is detrimental. This negative effect has been ascribed to a loss of beneficial interactions among species. However, we still do not fully understand which interactions and, more importantly, how they work. In addition, the importance of biodiversity for many other ecosystem processes, in different ecosystems, is unclear. For example, some experiments have shown biodiversity effects for decomposition of dead organic material, a crucial process driving C and N cycles and ultimately productivity, but other studies found no effect or even negative effects! So far, we cannot explain these conflicting results. New clever experiments are strongly needed.

B. Regulation of plant species richness

In nature conservation it is important to know which circumstances are important for the development of species rich communities and how can we restore species rich communities. The relation between species richness and nutrient availability is especially important, since nutrient availability is influenced unintentionally by environmental problems, like eutrophication, and agricultural practices, like drainage. It can also be manipulated deliberately by conservation management practices (like grazing, mowing, sod cutting, hydrological measures, and fertilisation). The highest species richness is usually found at intermediate levels of biomass production, as set by the availability of the most limiting nutrient. We investigate how species richness depends on biomass production, above-ground structure of the vegetation, identity and number of (co-)limiting nutrients. To determine which factors limit the various coexisting species we measure biomass nutrient concentrations and  responses to fertilisation with separate nutrients in the field. To understand differences in response we investigate nutrient uptake efficiency and nutrient use efficiency in pot and water culture experiments in the greenhouse.

C. Ecological patterns in biodiversity

Spatial patterns in biodiversity may determine the location of specific ecosystem services and may guide conservation efforts. Ecological questions regarding a shift in spatial patterns or community adjustments due to disturbance (e.g. climate change, fire, management) can be answered at various scales, from local to global and from species to community levels. The research focus of PEN lies within grasslands, urban environments, and global spatial scale patterns, where field studies and large database analyses are combined. Applying the latest biodiversity models enables us to link patterns in biodiversity to environmental conditions and functional traits.

Theme 3 Nature conservation in agricultural landscapes

Contact person: Prof.Dr. David Kleijn. E-mail

Other supervisors: Jeroen Scheper, Thijs Fijen

Background: In Europe, some of the most species-rich ecosystems have developed as a result of prolonged and extensive use by mankind (e.g. calcareous grasslands, sub-alpine meadows). The diversity and species richness of these habitats is currently under threat, particularly in agricultural areas. Policy makers at the EU and member state level have recognised this and have started large-scale conservation initiatives. One of the initiatives to reverse the trend of progressive bio-diversity loss, ‘agri-environment schemes’ (financial compensations for farmers willing to enhance biodiversity on their land), aims to integrate nature conservation into farming. However, because agri-environment scheme fail to halt farmland biodiversity loss, there is an increasing number of grassroots, bottom-up conservation initiatives by municipalities, citizens and even scientists.

Research: The research within the theme ‘Nature conservation in agricultural landscapes’ focuses broadly on questions:

A. How can we optimize the effectiveness of nature conservation in agricultural landscapes?

Here we focus on gaining a better understanding of (the factors influencing) the effectiveness of conservation measures in agricultural landscapes. We study conservation, not only on farmland (e.g. wildflower strips, strip-cropping) but also in nearby public space (e.g. staggered mowing in road-side verges) and protected areas. The projects address a range of different questions. Does a landscape-scale approach where integrated conservation measures are being implemented by many different stakeholders work better than traditional conservation approaches? What are the ecological benefits of strip cropping for insect biodiversity and farmland birds? Do ambitious nature conservation strategies of municipalities result in significant biodiversity gain? Why are most farmers reluctant to integrate the management of biodiversity into their farm business? Is co-design of conservation measures with farmers more effective than science-led conservation? A range of species groups is included in these projects (plants, birds, bees and hover flies, invertebrates in general). Most project will take place in the Netherlands, but some projects offer opportunities for MSc theses and Internships in other European countries such as Latvia, Hungary and Spain.

B. What is the contribution of biodiversity to agricultural production?

A second line of attack under the theme ‘Nature conservation in agricultural landscapes‘ quantifies the contribution of biodiversity to agricultural production. Evidence for this can help convince farmers to support biodiversity on their farms. Research mainly focusses on pollination and pest control as key regulating services, although some projects include soil services such as carbon sequestration and nutrient cycling. The projects under this theme address research questions such as: What is the relationship of flower visitation rate by wild pollinators to yield of insect pollinated crops? Does extensification of grassland management result in significant ecosystem service benefits? Does nature-inclusive farming enhance pest control? Do the benefits of enhancing biodiversity on farms outweigh the opportunity costs to farmers? These questions are mainly being addressed by studying functionally important species groups such as bees, spiders and carabid beetles and mostly in research carried out in the Netherlands.