David Kleijn
Researcher
Education
1992 MSc Wageningen University. Plant Breeding.
1997 PhD Wageningen University, Ecology of arable field boundary vegetation
Research
Nature is dynamic. Ecosystems change constantly. Some species decline, others increase. However, currently the decline of a disproportionate number of species can be attributed to the activities of mankind.
My main drive is to understand the causes of these declines and find sustainable conservation strategies. Because most of the European countryside is farmed in one way or another, the central theme of my research is best described as biodiversity and nature conservation in agricultural habitats. This requires both applied ‘cause-effects’ studies (e.g. evaluating the effectiveness of agri-environment schemes) and more fundamental studies that examine mechanisms and test hypotheses. As a result I’m using a wide range of different approaches (molecular studies, physiological studies, laboratory experiments, garden experiments, large-scale descriptive studies, biogeochemical studies, palaeo-ecological studies, behavioural studies) on plants, invertebrates and/or birds.
Effective conservation management needs a landscape perspective. To date, conservation ecology at the landscape scale has focused mainly on unraveling patterns in species richness. We now need to study, at least for a subset of species, what are the key factors that affect critical population stages of species at the ecosystem, landscape or even flyway scale. Only then will we be able to estimate the impact of local conservation management on regional or national populations. I aim to focus my future work on this topic using birds and bees as model species groups.
My current projects address amongst others the ecology and population dynamics of Greylag geese breeding in the Netherlands, population trends of waterbirds on African wintering grounds, promotion of pollinators and pollination services in agricultural landscapes and the resource ecology of farmland birds wintering in the Netherlands.
I was coordinator of the 5th Framework EU-project EASY (2002–2006; URL: http://www.ncp.wur.nl/UK/Research/EASY/)’ and currently participate in the 7th Framework EU project STEP (2010-2015; URL:http://www.step-project.net/) as leader of the work-package on mitigation strategies.
I’m associate editor of Journal and Applied Ecology and Ecology Letters, and editorial board member of Basic and Applied Ecology.
Key publications
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Kleijn, D., Rundlöf, M., Scheper, J., Smith, H.G. & Tscharntke, T. (2011) Does conservation on farmland contribute to halting the biodiversity decline? Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 26, 474-481.
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Kleijn, D., Munster, V.J. Ebbinge, B.S., Jonkers, D.A., Müskens, G.J.D.M., van Randen, Y. & Fouchier, R.A.M. (2010) Dynamics and ecological consequences of avian influenza virus infection in greater white-fronted geese in their winter staging areas. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 277, 2041-2048.
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Kleijn, D., Schekkerman, H., Dimmers, W.J., van Kats, R.J.M., Melman, T.C.P. & Teunissen, W.A. (2010) Adverse effects of agricultural intensification and climate change on breeding habitat quality of Black-tailed godwits Limosa l. limosa in the Netherlands. Ibis, 152, 475–486.
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Kleijn, D., Kohler, F., Báldi, A., Batáry, P., Concepción, E.D., Clough, Y., Díaz, M., Gabriel, D., Holzschuh, A., Knop, E., Marshall, E.J.P., Tscharntke, T. & Verhulst, J (2009) On the relationship between land-use intensity and farmland biodiversity in Europe. Proceedings of the Royal Society B., 276, 903–909.
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Kleijn, D. & Raemakers, I. (2008) A retrospective analysis of pollen host plant use by stable and declining bumblebee species. Ecology, 89, 1811–1823.
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Kleijn, D., Baquero R.A., Clough, Y., Díaz, M., De Esteban, J., Fernández, F., Gabriel, D., Herzog, F., Holzschuh, A., Jöhl, R., Knop, E., Kruess, A., Marshall, E. J. P., Steffan-Dewenter, I., Tscharntke, T., Verhulst, J., West T.M., & Yela, J. L. (2006) Mixed biodiversity benefits of agri-environment schemes in five European countries. Ecology Letters, 9, 243-254.
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Kleijn, D. & Sutherland, W.J. (2003) How effective are agri-environment schemes in maintaining and conserving biodiversity? Journal of Applied Ecology, 40, 947-969.
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Kleijn, D., Berendse, F., Smit, R. & Gilissen, N. (2001) Agri-environment schemes do not effectively protect biodiversity in Dutch agricultural landscapes. Nature, 413, 723-725.
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Comprehensive publication list