Resume of Dr. ir. T.A. (Thomas) Groen

Background

Dr. Thomas Groen is Assistant Professor in the Department of Natural Resources, focusing his research on the interactions between vegetation and climate change. Before he joined the ITC he worked for Alterra and the Resource Ecology Group of Wageningen University where received his PhD degree after studying vegetation patterning is savannas as a result of fire and grazing. His main interests lie in ecosystem modeling, vegetation patterning, spatial ecology and statistics. Finding relations between ecosystems dynamics and climate change using Remote Sensing techniques combined with fieldwork are the current focus of his research.

Activities in education

Teaching in topics related to:
Advanced GIS, Spatial Modeling, Dynamic Ecosystem Modeling, Statistics, Quantitative Ecology, Field Work Preparation.

Activities in research

Research is mainly executed through MSc and PhD activities, but cooperation with other scientific institutes is also an important part of the current research. Some topics covered by current and past research include

Using climate forecasts to assess future sediment loading in the Kagera river basin;
Unravelling the interaction between alpine vegetation and global warming, Nepal;
Interactions between savanna vegetation patterns and fire;
Effects of foraging by herbivores and vegetation patterning;
Foraging behaviour by herbivores.

Activities in project services

Thomas has recently undertaken consulting and advisory service work in Viet Nam and Greece. Next to that, contract teaching jobs with several visiting scientists have been undertaken.

Publications

ISI Journal Articles

Wei, O., Hao, F., Skidmore, A.K., Groen, T.A., Toxopeus, A.G. and Wang, T.J. (2012) Integration of multi - sensor data to assess grassland dynamics in a Yellow River sub - watershed. In: Ecological indicators : integrating monitoring, assessment and management, 18 (2012) pp. 163-170. Full text | Full text

Groen, T.A. and ... [et al.] (2011) A continental analysis of correlations between tree patterns in African savannas and human and environmental variables. In: Journal of arid environments, 75 (2011)8 pp. 724-733. Full text | Full text

Hengelveld, G.M., van Langevelde, F., Groen, T.A. and de Knegt, H.J. (2009) Optimal foraging for multiple resources in several food species. In: The American naturalist, 174(2009)1, pp. 102-110. Full text

de Knegt, H.J., Groen, T.A. and ... [et al.] (2008) Herbivores as architects of savannas : inducing and modifying spatial vegetation patterning. In: Oikos, 117(2008)4, pp. 543-554. Full text

Groen, T.A. and ... [et al.] (2008) Soil clay content and fire frequency affect clustering in trees in South African savannas. In: Journal of Tropical Ecology, 24(2008)3, pp. 269-279. Full text

Groen, T.A., Nabuurs, G.J and Schelhaas, M.J. (2006) Carbon accounting and cost estimation in forestry projects using CO2FIX V.3. In: Climatic change, 74(2006)1-3, pp.269-288. Full text | Full text

Kramer, K., Groen, T.A. and van Wieren, S.E. (2003) The interacting effects of ungulates and fire on forest dynamics : an analysis using the model FORSPACE. In: Forest ecology and management, 181 (2003)1-2 pp. 205-222. Full text | Full text

PhD Theses

Groen, T.A. (2007) Spatial matters : how spatial processes and patterns affect savanna dynamics. Wageningen, Wageningen University, 2007. ISBN: 978-90-8504-690-5.

Conference Proceedings (full papers)

Naimi, B., Skidmore, A.K., Hamm, N.A.S. and Groen, T.A. (2010) Positional error propagation analysis in habitat distribution modelling + poster. In: Proceedings of Accuracy 2010 : 9th International symposium on spatial accuracy assessment in natural resources and envionrmental sciences, 20-23 July, 2010, Leicester, United Kingdom. / ed. by, N.J.Tate and P.F. Fisher. Leicester; University of Leicester on behalf of the International Spatial Accuracy Research Association (ISARA), 2010. pp. 409-412. Full text | Full text

Scientific and Professional Publications

Niamir, A., Toxopeus, A.G. and Groen, T.A. (2010) Distribution modelling of the short - toed eagle : in relation to potential food availability. Saarbrücken, Lambert Academic Publishing, 2010. ISBN: 978-3-8383-7565-6.

Presentations

Diaz-Gomez, D.L., Toxopeus, A.G., Real, R. and Groen, T.A. (2011) Fuzzy gap analysis : conservation priorities for raptors in Andalucia, Spain : poster. Presented at Student Conference on Conservation Science, 22-24 March 2011, Cambridge, UK. 1 p. Full text

Naimi, B., Skidmore, A.K., Groen, T.A. and Hamm, N.A.S. (2011) Spatial autocorrelation in predictors reduces the impact of positional uncertainty in occurrence data on species distribution modelling : abstract. In: Proceedings of the 5th international conference of the International biogeography Society : The advancement of all studies of the geography of nature, 7-11 January, 2011, Irakleion, Crete, Greece. p. 161. Full text

Groen, T.A. (2011) Species distribution modelling : objectives, challenges and terminology : abstract + powerpoint. In: Netherlands annual ecology meeting, NAEM, 8-9 February 2011, Lunteren, the Netherlands : book of abstracts. - [s.l.] : [s.n.], 2011. - 48 p. ; 30 cm. pp. 39 + 27 slides. Full text | Full text

Naimi, B., Skidmore, A.K., Hamm, N.A.S. and Groen, T.A. (2011) Using local spatial autocorrelation to deal with positional uncertainty of occurence data in species distribution modelling : abstract. In: Spatial statistics 2011 : mapping global change, abstracts for the conference, 23-25 March, 2011, University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands / editor A. Stein, , E. Pebesma, , G.B.M. Heuvelink. - Enschede : University of Twente Faculty of Geo-Information and Earth Observation ITC, 2011. 1 p. Full text

Mwangi, P.K., Groen, T.A. and Toxopeus, A.G. (2010) The influence of landscape heterogeneity to amphibians : poster. Presented at the Netherlands Annual Ecology Meeting, 9-10 February 2010, Lunteren, The Netherlands. 1 p. Full text

Niamir, A., Toxopeus, A.G., Groen, T.A. and Muñoz, A.R. (2009) Modelling the short - toed eagle breeding distribution in southern Spain : abstract. In: 7th conference of the European Ornithologists' Union 21-26 August 2009 : abstract book / ed. by V. Keller and J. O'Halloran. Zurich, Switzerland. 2 p. Full text

Groen, T.A., van Langevelde, F. and van de Vijver, C.A.D.M. (2008) Fire as a spatial process affects the stability in savannas : powerpoint. Presented at The Netherlands Ecological Research Network, NERN annual meeting 2008, 12-13 February 2008, Lunteren, The Netherlands. 17 slides. Full text

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