M.b. (merel) Soons

Biography

My main research interests lie in the field of spatial ecology: the mechanisms of dispersal, colonization and migration of plants and animals, the interactions of these processes with ongoing global change (mainly habitat fragmentation and climate change), and their consequences for biodiversity patterns. In my research I investigate spatial ecological processes at the ecosystem to landscape scale, using a combination of field data collection, experiments and modeling approaches. In my dispersal research I use a movement ecology framework to investigate both plant and animal movement. I combine work on the building of fundamental ecological theory with the application of ecological knowledge in nature conservation and restoration. I consider this combination interesting, challenging, and important, as I believe the combination of fundamental science and its application to key environmental problems is what society needs from the scientific community. Most of my research is on wetlands and the ecology of freshwater ecosystems, which are globally threatened but of great natural and societal importance.

Research Interest

Earth and Sustainability