Vegetation dynamics in a tropical wetland ecosystem (Pantanal, Brazil)ΒΆ

Supervisors: Derek Karssenberg, Julia Arieira Couto

Short description:

Vegetation communities are known to have a particular distribution and pattern in space and time. Understanding the mechanisms that determine these patterns has been a key issue in ecological research. Two factors are important: spatial interactions in ecological processes and environmental factors. Ecological processes include a large number of spatial interactions between individuals and communities. These spatial interactions alone may cause the emergence of particular patterns in the distribution of vegetation communities. In addition, patterns in environmental factors such as soil and climate cause spatial patterns in vegetation communities because these determine the resources available. In fact, ecological processes and environmental factors are not necessarily operating in an exclusive way but rather act together at different spatio-temporal scales. This may lead to complex spatial patterns that are also continuously changing over time. As a result it is often difficult to infer the role of environmental factors from observed vegetation patterns. This is because the signal of the environment, i.e. the deterministic response, is disturbed by the spatial interactions in ecological processes. The objective of this research is to study the role of environmental factors in determining the spatial distribution and pattern of wetland vegetation communities, using the Pantanal wetland ecosystem (Brazil) as a case study. This will be done by developing a dynamic spatial model simulating a forest ecosystem at a detailed level of resolution, using a combination of field based and agent (individual) based modelling. The model will be evaluated against a large database of field observations describing the vegetation structure of the Pantanal. The Pantanal is a floodplain region in west Brazil. A variety of vegetation communities such as swamp, savanna, riparian forest, monodominant forest and natural fields occur across the floodplain, creating a mosaic of vegetation units constrained mainly by flooding conditions.

Location: Utrecht University, fieldwork in the Pantanal is optional

Number of students: 1-2

Programme / track: Hydrology/Earth Surface Hydrology, Physical Geography / Natural Hazards and Earth Observation

Prerequisites: environmental modelling, Spatial Analysis and GIS (preferable)

Contact / info: d.karssenberg@geo.uu.nl