Thomas Vanneste
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Research scientist: mountain plant ecology & global change |
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I have a passion for plants growing in different types of ecosystems, including mountains, temperate forests, hedgerows and grasslands. My research mostly focuses on how plant populations and communities respond to various global change drivers, with a particular focus on the mediating role of microclimates. In my current project, I study how climate change and land-use changes interactively impact mountain vegetation, in particular through the increase in shrub cover. Shrubs are generally the tallest plants in mountain environments, and changes in their canopy cover are likely to influence the microclimate near the ground. In turn, these microclimatic changes induced by shrubs can alter the response of the ground-layer mountain plant communities to larger-scale climate change.
Qualifications
Degrees
- PhD, Ghent University, 2021
- MSc. in Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, 2016
Employment history
- Postdoctoral Researcher, Ghent University & Meise Botanic Garden, 2025 – 2028
- Postdoctoral Researcher, Ghent University, 2022 – 2025
- Research Scientist, Ghent University, 2021 – 2022
- PhD Researcher, Ghent University, 2017 – 2021
Projects
- Unravelling the role of shrub microclimate dynamics in shaping alpine plant responses to climate change (Meise-FWO)
- Shrub encroachment and microclimate dynamics in alpine ecosystems (BOF – Ghent University)
- FORMICA: Forest Microclimate Assessment (ERC)
- CARAT: the CARbon Agroforestry Tool. An innovative tool for quantifying carbon stocks in agroforestry systems (Ghent University, ILVO, BDB)
- CoolTree: Large solitary trees in the face of climate change: contributions to biodiversity and ecosystem functions (FWO project)
- Linear landscape elements as ecological corridors for plant species under a changing climate (BOF – Ghent University)
Professional activities
- Site manager for the Global Observational Research Initiative in Alpine Environments (GLORIA)
- Member of the Microclimate Ecology & Biogeography network (MEB)
Publications
FRIS Research Portal
