Dr Danny Hooftman

Current work

In general my work is in experimental population ecology and predictive (stochastic) modelling. My main focus is on effects of either shortage of gene flow, through fragmentation and deterioration, or unintended gene flow, like gene escape from crops, on the ecology of plant populations.

Explicit current themes

1. Declines in rare plant species: Funded by the EU project SCALES, we are analysing 70-year-old datasets to reconstruct and explain patterns of plant population extinction at local and national scales. We are testing for meta-population collapse and spatially explicit evidence of extinction debt.

2. GM risk assessment: a) We are developing population ecology methods to provide tools for the risk assessment of GM crop plants, in particular analysing fitness changes caused by gene flow in wild relatives and feral populations in semi-natural habitats and the effects of rotations on population persistence in agricultural areas.

3. Development of an outcomes model for evaluating the benefits of environmental stewardships, using optimisation statistics and GIS; funded by Natural England.

4. New Biogeographic Process: Technical and scientific support in relation to the Natura2000 Seminars Process. We perform niche modelling to depict the effects of changed management on habitat suitability for target species and compare expert with modelling predictions, identifying best practice methods for Natura 2000 management.

5. QTL development and modelling: Funded by Dutch Science foundation, we are developing (a) QTL maps for abiotic stress in Lactuca crop-wild relative hybrids for predicting likelihood of GM introgression under selective field conditions; (b) theoretical and applicable modelling tools to predict zones of lower and higher introgression potential of crop genes into wild relatives.

6. Non-target effects of species invasions: Funded by Dutch Science foundation, we are looking into the potential ecosystem effects of future GM crop introductions through establishment of crop / wild hybrids or feral populations. We focus on disruption / facilitation of pollination and occurrences of pathogens and herbivores.

Brief CV

Positions

2009-present: Higher Scientific Officer, Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Wallingford.

2007-2009: Postdoctoral fellow (NWO-ERGO 838.06.040). IBED, University of Amsterdam, Netherlands.

2006: Postdoctoral fellow (FP6-EU-SIGMEA), Risø National Laboratory, Roskilde, Denmark.

2002-2006: Postdoctoral fellow (FP5-EU-ANGEL). IBED, University of Amsterdam, Netherlands.

2002: Postdoctoral fellow, Institute of Experimental Ecology, University of Nijmegen, Netherlands.

Other

• PhD, University of Zurich, Switzerland (2002)
• BSc and MSc, Wageningen University, Netherlands (1997)
• Visiting Scientist University of Amsterdam, including externally supervising and advising two PhD-projects funded by the Dutch Science foundation
• Member of the Editorial board of Journal of Applied Ecology and Environmental Biosafety Research
• Major co-author, and former post-doc, in Dutch applications Dutch Science Foundation, projects ERGO 838.06.040 and 838.06.110 (total approx. €2,000,000)
• Author and manager of Natural England project 23992 (approx. £70,000)
• Author and manager of EC project New Biogeographic Process - DG ENV (sub-contract from ECNC-CPA3-35; approx. £55,000)
• Main contributor on a series of 12 papers on patterns and effects of hybridisation in Lettuce.

Selected publications

Six most recent and six most highly cited publications.

24 publications and 2 research reports, ISI: h-index = 9 (01-05-2012).

Van Hengstum, T., D.A.P. Hooftman*, J.C.M. den Nijs, P. van Tienderen. (2012). Does insect netting affect the containment of airborne pollen from (GM-) plants in greenhouses. Aerobiologia, in press. (*corresponding author) DOI: 10.1007/s10453-011-9237-8

Hartman, Y., D.A.P. Hooftman*, B. Uwinama, C.C.M. van de Wiel, M.J.M. Smulders, R.G.F. Visser & P.H. van Tienderen. (2012). Genomic regions in crop-wild hybrids of Lettuce are affected differently in different environments: implications for crop breeding. Evolutionary Applications, in press. (*corresponding author). DOI: 10.1111/j.1752-4571.2012.00240.x

Uwimana, B., L. D’Andrea, F. Felber, D.A.P. Hooftman, J.C.M. den Nijs, M. Smulders, C.C.M. van de Wiel & R.G.F. Visser. (2012). A Bayesian analysis of gene flow from crops to their wild relatives: cultivated (Lactuca sativa L.) and prickly lettuce (L. serriola L.), and the recent expansion of L. serriola in Europe. Molecular Ecology, in press. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-294X.2012.05489.x

Uwimana, B., M.J.M. Smulders. D.A.P. Hooftman, Y. Hartman, P.H. van Tienderen, J. Jansen, L.K. McHale, R.W. Michelmore, R.G.F. Visser & C.C.M. van de Wiel (2012). Crop to wild introgression in lettuce: following the fate of crop genome segments in backcross populations. BMC Plant Biology, 12:43.

Hooftman, D.A.P. and J.M. Bullock. (2012). Mapping to inform conservation: a case study in semi-natural habitats and their connectivity over 70 years. Biological Conservation, 145, 30-38.

Bullock, J.M., S.M. White, C. Prudhomme, C. Tansey, R. Perea, & D.A.P. Hooftman. (2012). Modelling spread of British wind dispersed plants under future wind speeds in a changing climate. Journal of Ecology, 100:104-115.

N.H. Syed, A. Sørensen, R. Antonise, C. van de Wiel, C.G. van der Linden, W. van ‘t Westende, D.A.P. Hooftman, J.C.M. den Nijs and A.J. Flavell. (2006). A detailed linkage map of lettuce based on SSAP, AFLP and NBS markers. Theoretical and Applied Genetics, 112: 517-527.

Hooftman, D.A.P., J.G.B. Oostermeijer and J.C.M. den Nijs. (2006). Invasive behaviour of Lactuca serriola L. (Asteraceae) in The Netherlands: spatial distribution and ecological amplitude. Basic and Applied Ecology, 7: 507-519.

Hooftman, D.A.P., J.G.B. Oostermeijer, M.M.J. Jacobs and J.C.M. den Nijs. (2005). Demographic vital rates determine the performance advantage of crop-wild hybrids in Lettuce. Journal of Applied Ecology, 42: 1086-1095.

Hooftman, D.A.P., R.C. Billeter, B. Schmid and M. Diemer. (2004). Genetic effects of habitat fragmentation in common species of Swiss fen meadows. Conservation Biology, 18: 1043-1051.

Hooftman, D.A.P., M. van Kleunen and M. Diemer. (2003). Effects of habitat fragmentation on the fitness of two common wetland species, Carex davalliana and Succisa pratensis. Oecologia, 134: 350-359.

Braakhekke, W.G. and D.A.P. Hooftman. (1999). The resource balance hypothesis of plant species diversity in grasslands. Journal of Vegetation Science, 10: 187-200.

See also the NERC Open Research Archive.