Program Overview

Animal Ecology

The specialisation Animal Ecology focuses on the interaction between animal populations and their wider environment, the ecosystem. The environment can be natural or affected by human intervention, i.e. an agro-ecosystem. Mechanisms that underlie the impact of animals on their environment, by food intake behaviour, by interaction with other animals, are studied to understand animal and aquatic ecological systems.

Specialisation in a Nutshell

How do animals and their (natural) environment interact with each other? In this specialisation, the focus lies on wildlife, grazing animals, marine animals, and aquatic organisms.

Thesis Tracks

The specialisation has four thesis tracks:

• Aquaculture and Fisheries (AFI)
• Behavioural Ecology (BHE)
• Marine Animal Ecology (MAE)
• Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Group (WEC)

Thesis and Internship

A thesis or internship project for the specialisation Animal Ecology is conducted at the AFI, BHE, MAE, or WEC chair group and results in a scientific report and a presentation. A thesis project usually links up with ongoing research at one of these research groups or is conducted in cooperation with commercial or (non-)governmental organisations.

Examples of Thesis Projects

• AFI:
  • The new Fish Migration River between Lake IJsselmeer and the Wadden Sea: how to measure the effects?
  • Arrival of European eel and three-spined stickleback; a statistical analysis
• BHE:
  • Conservation biology - inc. human-wildlife conflicts, agricultural biodiversity, consequences of hybridization
  • Social organisation, communication and climate adaptation in birds
• MAE:
  • Coral reef responses to climate change to facilitate reef restoration
  • Biodiversity monitoring using state-of-the-art molecular techniques
• WEC:
  • Effects of droughts and foraging by goats on the ecosystems of Bonaire
  • The distribution of African Mammals, the quest for patterns and processes

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