2021 |
ArcticMigrants - Arctic migratory birds pushed over the edge? |
Due to its favourable location, the Netherlands harbours at times large numbers of migratory birds, and bears an international responsibility to accommodate... |
2021 |
AtlanticSwans: From individual movement to population distribution |
Bewick’s swans breed on the Russian tundra and the European population winters in the North Sea countries. Ring-resightings of Bewick’s swans have shown a >... |
2019 |
SPI-Birds |
We are a network of researchers working on populations of breeding, individually marked birds. On this website, you can learn more about our work, search for... |
2018 |
Ecological epigenetics and the brain: the evolutionary consequences of epigenomic modifications in a songbird |
This unique inter-disciplinary collaboration between three of the larger institutes of the KNAW aims to elucidate the function of epigenetic regulation in the... |
2018 |
Epigenetics of animal personality: DNA methylation and its influence on exploratory behaviour in great tits |
Recent studies have shown that early developmental effects and environmental conditions experienced by parents also affect personality traits, even over... |
2018 |
GooseScare: Indirect effects of goose disturbance |
Goose management is based on safeguarding (migratory) goose populations, while preventing excessive damage. Barnacle geese forage on agricultural grasslands... |
2018 |
Pair-bonds beyond the breeding season – a new approach to understanding divorce and fidelity using the power of Open Data |
In animals, as in humans, not all individuals pair for life. Pair-bonds and their stability likely affect survival and reproduction and hence influence all... |
2018 |
Predicting the evolution of an avian trait under human-induced natural selection |
This project aims to predict the genetic and the phenotypic changes of a trait that is expected to be under directional selection: beak size in great tits (... |
2018 |
Timing of growth and reproduction: ultimate functions and proximate mechanisms |
For many species, there is only a short period in the annual cycle in which conditions are suitable for reproduction or growth. This period is often determined... |
2017 |
ArcticPinkfeet: Response of geese to climate warming in the Arctic |
Climate is warming faster in the Arctic than elsewhere in the northern hemisphere. As a result, migratory Arctic-nesting birds may arrive too late to benefit... |
2017 |
CHIRP: Cumulative Human Impact on biRd Populations |
How do human impacts such as climate change affect bird populations, and in particular the oystercatcher? As part of the new Centre for Avian Population... |
2017 |
GooseHeart: A new style of life in a traditionally Arctic migratory bird |
Anthropogenic change paved the way for a traditionally arctic-breeding, long-distance migratory bird, the barnacle goose to stop migrating and also breed... |
2017 |
Next generation miniaturized microscopes for high-throughput screening and decoding neural correlates of naturalistic behaviour. |
Fluorescence imaging is a widely-used technique in the life sciences and has been applied to the study of cell division, in vivo tumour growth, but also... |
2016 |
Open Science in Ecology and Evolution |
Open Science is changing the way scientific research is conducted. Open Science includes open (i.e. available to anyone to access and use) data, code,... |
2015 |
Ageing in the light: the effect of light pollution on the rate of ageing in wild animals |
Artificial light at night (LAN) is an emerging problem. Recent studies have demonstrated short-term effects of LAN on animals, including humans, but the long-... |
2015 |
ArcticSwans: Unravelling the annual cycle of an Arctic migrant in search of its decline |
The decline of long-distance migratory birds is a great challenge for European nature conservation. The Netherlands harbours many migratory birds in winter and... |
2014 |
Evolutionary responses to a warming world: physiological genomics of seasonal timing |
The world is seasonal and organisms’ adjustment of their seasonal timing to this environmental variation is crucial for their fitness. Climate change is... |
2013 |
ArcticBarnies: How can Arctic-nesting geese cope with Arctic amplification? |
Most Arctic-nesting birds are long-distance migrants, wintering in tropical or temperate regions, many of those in The Netherlands (e.g., 85% of the flyway... |
2013 |
How is phenotypic variation in great tits maintained by sexual selection? |
Female choice for top quality males is expected to result in the evolution of exaggerated male secondary sexual characters. However, a strong directional... |
2010 |
Host-pathogen interaction |
Avian influenza has become one of the most dangerous infections for animals and humans at present. Around the world, surveillance programs are initiated to... |
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Adaptive management of migratory populations; developing novel tools at the interface between ecology, economy, agriculture and society (MIGRAPOP) |
Various management tools and economic incentives have been used to reduce the increasing agricultural damage caused by migratory geese wintering/staging in... |
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Artificial light |
What are the effects of nocturnal illumination on daily and seasonal timing of activity and how does this affect fitness? Research Nocturnal illumination leads... |
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E-Track: EGNOS and EDAS enhanced tracking of animal movement and behaviour |
E-Track will develop GPS animal tracking and analysis tools for sophisticated behavioural research on wild and domestic animals. The project makes use of the... |
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Horizon project |
Linking quantitative genetic variation in life-history traits with polymorphisms in genes that code for this variance is essential for our understanding of the... |
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Metawad 1: work package Brent Goose |
Brent geese Branta bernicla are high-arctic breeding birds that feed extensively on intertidal mudflats outside the breeding season, where they graze on... |
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Seasonal Timing |
Timing of growth and reproduction: ultimate functions and proximate mechanisms For many species, there is only a short period in the annual cycle in which... |
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Towards adaptive management of white-fronted geese wintering in the Netherlands |
In winter, the Netherlands harbours a large proportion of the arctic-nesting geese in Europe, and as such bears an international responsibility for these... |