Biology background

Although I have a background in tropical ecology and nature conservation, obtaining a degree at Wageningen University, I moved on via the temperate zone to the boreal, subarctic zone. I obtained a phd in mammal ecology from Royal Holloway, University of London working on the conservation of hedgehogs in Britain, and continued as a postdoc at Umeå University. My work there mainly focused on aiming to understand how future climate change may shape and affect the ecosystems in the (sub)arctics by means of species distribution modelling. At SLU I continued working on the impacts of future climate change on species communities in the boreal, subarctic zone, with a focus on forest restoration.

 
Working areas

• Forest restoration
• Landscape ecology
• Animal ecology
• Biogeography
• Climate change modelling
• Nature conservation
• Predator-prey interactions
  

Research interest

I have a special interest in predator-prey relationships, meta-populations and interactions between taxa and their environment, topics that have interlinked my past work. I currently work on the impact of boreal forest restoration on species communities, in the context of future climate change.

Research projects

I currently work as a postdoc within the RESTORE project ‘Ecosystem restoration in policy and practice: restore, develop, adapt’. The project examines ecological and biodiversity restoration measures at the landscape level, considering whether they are designed to meet expected changes in land-use and climate, and links them to societal actors’ interests and institutional structures. My role within the project is to investigate the impact of boreal forest restoration on species (e.g. the white-backed woodpecker, bats) and species communities, in the context of future climate change.

Furthermore, part of my time I work at the Landscape Ecology Group at the Department of Ecology and Environmental Sciences at Umeå University on a project lead by Christer Nilsson and Roland Jansson, aiming to understand how future climate change may shape and affect the ecosystems in The Barents Region.


Links

The impact of boreal forest restoration on species communities: http://www.restore-project.org/

The capacity of protected areas in the Barents Region to conserve biodiversity threatened by climate change: http://www.emg.umu.se/english/research/research-projects/the-capacity-of-protected-areas-in-the-barents-region-to-conserve-biodiversity-threatened-by-climate-change/

Scientific publications

Hof, AR. 2011. European terrestrial gastropod distribution. How may climate change affect their diversity and current distribution. In: Bianchi, A. and Fields, J. (eds), Gastropods: Diversity, Habitat and Genetics. Nova Science Publishers, Inc., Hauppauge, New York.

Hof AR, Bright PW. 2011. Factors affecting hedgehog presence on farmland as assessed by a questionnaire survey. Acta Theriologica, early view DOI 10.1007/s13364-011-0044-y.

Hof AR, Bright PW. 2010. The impact of grassy field margins on macro-invertebrate abundance in adjacent arable fields. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 139:280-283.

Hof AR, Bright PW. 2010. The value of agri-environment schemes for a generalist insectivore: hedgehogs in Britain. Animal Conservation, 13:467-473.

Hof AR, Bright PW. 2009. The value of green-spaces in built-up areas for hedgehogs. Lutra, 52:69-82.
 

Release of white-backed woodpecker sign