My research focusses on four broad questions, addressing these in various research projects:

1. How do plants (and animals) move through landscapes?
2. How do these movements contribute to community assembly and biodiversity?
3. How are these movements affected by human-induced changes in landscapes (habitat fragmentation, land use change, climate change, conservation and restoration activities)?
4. How can we optimize biodiversity conservation and restoration measures?   

Current projects

• Flying, floating or hitching a ride: The dispersal of plants in heterogeneous landscapes (funded by the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO); personal VIDI and Aspasia grants), includes research of PhD students Erik Kleyheeg & Jelle Treep and postdoc Monique de Jager

• Plants on the move: The role of seed dispersal in the creation of spatial patterns and biodiversity (funded by the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO); personal MEERVOUD grant) 

• Spatial patterns of seed dispersal of Patagonian grasses (funded by CONICET, Argentina; personal grant to Gustavo Pazos), collaboration with Gustavo Pazos 

• REFRESH: Adaptive strategies to mitigate the impacts of climate change on European freshwater ecosystems (funded by the EU 7th Framework Programme; member of steering group and WP-leader of WP4 'Riparian wetlands'), includes research of PhD student Annemarie Garssen 

• Beekdalbreed hermeanderen: Winst in ecologische waterkwaliteit door innovatieve sturing op hydromorfologie in beeksystemen (funded by Stowa and Agentschap NL; project grant to Piet Verdonschot (Alterra), Ton Hoitink (WUR), Merel Soons (UU) and eight Dutch water boards for innovative stream restoration projects and applied research), includes research of PhD student Rob Fraaije 

• Smart Landscapes (funded by graduate school PE&RC; project grant to Arnaud Temme, Lammert Kooistra, Ryan Teuling, George van Voorn (WUR) & Merel Soons (UU) to develop guidelines for landscapes where vegetation and land cover patterns increase resilience to sudden shifts and/or promote desired shifts), includes research of postdoc Ype van der Velde

• PeatCap: Natural capping in the polluted Volgermeer Polder (the Netherlands) provides new chances for peat growth counteracting land subsidence (funded by the Netherlands Technology Foundation (STW); project grant to Leon Lamers & Jan Roelofs (RUN), Harm van der Geest & Wim Admiraal (UvA) and Merel Soons & Jos Verhoeven (UU) for applied research), includes research of postdoc Jeroen van Zuidam 

• Long-term vegetation and biodiversity developments in wetland area De Biesbosch (a collaboration with Staatsbosbeheer for fundamental and applied research)