Dissertation

Plant occurrence in space and time: the importance of land use, habitat structure, and pollination mode

Plant diversity is essential for us and our planet as it sustains the stability of our ecosystems, provides vital materials and food to us and supports many ecosystem services.

Author: Pan, K.
Date: 30 May 2023
Links: Thesis in Leiden Repository

However, plant diversity has shown a strong decline throughout human history, particularly in the past decades. Multiple factors have been and are threatening plant species persistence, particularly climate change and land use change that result from intensive human activities. However, it is well known that different species may respond differently to threats, with some species being vulnerable to environmental change while others are less likely to be threatened. To understand how anthropogenic pressures will affect plant communities and find proper plant conservation strategies, it is important to identify how species change over time and to what extent species differ in their response to environmental pressures. In this study, I identified the importance of natural land cover, habitat structure and pollination mode to different plant species and provided practical suggestions for the conservation of different species in the Netherlands.