{"id":2869,"date":"2024-11-14T11:31:35","date_gmt":"2024-11-14T10:31:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ecology.ugent.be\/terec\/?page_id=2869"},"modified":"2024-11-14T11:32:27","modified_gmt":"2024-11-14T10:32:27","slug":"henri-rommel","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.ecology.ugent.be\/terec\/people\/henri-rommel\/","title":{"rendered":"Henri Rommel"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Drs. Henri Rommel
Terrestrial Ecology Unit
Department of Biology
Ghent University
K.L. Ledeganckstraat 35
9000 Gent Belgium<\/p>\n\n\n\n

E-mail:\u00a0Henri.Rommel@UGent.be<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Amphibians are considered the most threatened vertebrate groups. One of the emblematic European species, the Common Toad (Bufo bufo<\/em>), is also facing large-scale declines.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Traditionally conservation efforts prioritise species at an imminent risk of extinction, these are often rarer species, with limited ranges. However, common species, such as the Common Toad, contribute a significantly larger amount of biomass to ecosystem structures and are exploited by a larger number of species in biotic interactions. Small proportional losses in Common Toad populations can thus lead to disruptions of the structure and ecosystems they inhabit. As a pond-breeding amphibian, toads are an important energy transfer from the aquatic to the terrestrial environment. It also plays a role as a mesopredator on invertebrate communities and as prey to local predators, such as herons or grass snakes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To avert further decline of this archetypal amphibian, it is essential to understand the drivers behind its decline. My PhD will focus on the dynamics of survival, habitat use, and movement patterns of the Common Toad:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Metabolic rates of the Common Toad in different relevant microclimates. combined with movement data will allow the development of energetic landscape maps. These can be used to predict habitat use and movement patterns of the Common Toad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n