Dr. Thomas Kuhn

Dr. Thomas Kuhn

Scientific Researcher
INSTITUTE OF BIOLOGICAL RESEARCH – ICB Cluj-Napoca

I am a plant ecologist, studying a variety of topics in this domain, in general related to factors directly or indirectly affecting functions and biodiversity of grassland ecosystems. These topics include the effect of management and land-use history on grassland biodiversity, trait-based differentiation between invasive and naturalized plant species, landscape level habitat fragmentation and its effect on geneflow and hybridization.

Email:

kuhnthomas1989@gmail.com

  • REASEARCH
  • PROJECTS
  • PUBLICATIONS
My experience comprises the study of grassland ecosystems on the field (in-situ), through vegetation surveys and monitoring, but also experimental plant ecology conducted (ex-situ) through trait monitoring in common garden experiments. I also work with a diverse range of statistical modelling techniques like machine learning, ordinations, or niche models, to test hypothesis, reveal patterns in the data and formulate predictions. My research includes the following topics:
  • Trait based differentiation between casual, naturalized and invasive plant species, and trait-based predictions of newly introduced or naturalized plant species with high potential of becoming invasive.
 
  • Regeneration potential of grasslands from the seed banks of old-fields (abandoned croplands) and trait-based differentiation and prediction of persistent vs transient seed bank formers.
 
  • Grassland management, land-use history and vegetation monitoring, through the integration of multitemporal and multispectral satellite based remote-sensing data.
    • „FRUITDIV: Exploiting the Untapped Potential of Fruit Tree Wild Diversity for Sustainable Agriculture” Lider de proiect: Dr. Anamaria Roman Detalii proiect: HORIZON-CL6-2023-BIODIV-01-13-Biodiversity and ecosystem services Crop wild relatives for sustainable agriculture Funcție: Scientific Researcher
     
    • „Developing a national risk assessment scheme using the functional trait-based approach for early detection of future invasive plant species” Instituție: Universitatea Babeș-Bolyai, Cluj-Napoca Lider de proiect: Dr. Fenesi Annamária Detalii proiect: Grant național: PN-III-P1-1.1-TE-2019-0414 Poziție: Research Assistant
     
    • „Conserving the endemic flora of the Carpathian region” Instituție: Universitatea Babeș-Bolyai, Cluj-Napoca Lider de proiect: Conf. Dr. Mihai Pușcaș Detalii proiect: Grant internațional, Nr. 36244/12.12.2018 Poziție: Research Assistant
     
    • „STACCATO („SusTaining Agricultural Change Through ecological engineering and Optimal use of natural resources”)” Instituție: Babeș-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca Lider de proiect: Prof. Dr. Rákosy László Detalii proiect: PNIII - P3 – Cooperare europeană și internațională, ERA-NET/ERA-NET Cofund, 2016-2019 Poziție: Research Assistant
    • Kuhn, T. and Ruprecht E. (2023). Niche breadth and overlap of pseudogamous apomictic Crataegus hybrids and their progenitors in north-western Romania. Preslia, 95: 447-474.
     
    • Kuhn, T., Ruprecht, E. (2022). Flowering phenology may shape hybridization patterns of hawthorn (Crataegus) species. Contribuții Botanice 57, 95-107. https://doi.org/10.24193/Contrib.Bot.57.7
     
    • Kuhn, T., Györfi, O., Ruprecht, E. (2022). Seedling performance, allocation patterns and phenotypic plasticity of two sympatric hawthorn species and their natural hybrid. Flora 287, 151994. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.flora.2021.151994
     
    • Kuhn, T., Domokos, P., Kiss, R., Ruprecht, E. (2021). Grassland management and land use history shape species composition and diversity in Transylvanian semi-natural grasslands. Applied Vegetation Science 24, e12585. https://doi.org/10.1111/avsc.12585
     
    • Kuhn T., Jancsó B., Ruprecht E. (2020). Hawthorn (Crataegus) Taxa and their hybrids in North-Western Romania: a recommendation for national identification keys based on morphometric analysis. Contribuții Botanice 55, 7–26. https://doi.org/10.24193/Contrib.Bot.55.1
     
    • Kuhn, T., Fodor, E.I., Tripon, S., Fenesi, A., Ruprecht, E. (2016). Allometric relationships between seed morphology and seed coat anatomy of herbaceous species from Central-Eastern Europe. Seed Science Research, 26 (3): 264-272.
     
    • Ruprecht, Franz Essl, F., Moț, C.A. Balaji, B., Kuhn, T., Fenesi, A., Mardari, C., Miholcsa Zs. (2024). Ecological attributes promoting intra-continental range-expansion of a native annual forb triggered by intensified land-use. Flora, 310, 152416
     
    • Fenesi, A. Botta-Dukát, Z., Miholcsa, Zs., Szigeti, V., Molnár, Cs., Sándor, D., Szabó, A., Kuhn, T., Kovács-Hostyánszki, A. (2023). No consistencies in abundance-impact relationships across herbaceous invasive species and ecological impact metrics. Journal of Ecology, https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2745.14085
       
    • Mátis, A., Szabó, A., Lzscov, D., Sramkó, G., Kuhn, T., Bădărău, A. S., Bartha, L. (2017). Validating the systematic placement of Eriosynaphe in the genus Ferula (Apiaceae: Scandiceae: Ferulinae) linked with the description of Ferula mikraskythiana nov. from Romania. Phytotaxa 298, 239-252. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.298.3.3
     
    • Ruprecht, E., Fenesi, A., Fodor, E.I., Kuhn, T., Tökölyi, J. (2015). Shape determines fire tolerance of seeds in non-fire-prone temperate grasslands. Perspectives in Plant Ecology, Evolution and Systematics, 17(5): 397-404.
     
    • Ruprecht, E., Lukács, K., Domokos, P., Kuhn, T., Fenesi, A.(2015). Hydratation status influences seed fire tolerance in temperate European herbaceous species. Plant Biology, 18 (2): 295-300.
     
    • Ruprecht, E., Annamária F.,Fodor E.I., Kuhn, T. (2013). Prescribed burning as an alternative management in grasslands of temperate Europe: The impact on seeds. Basic and Applied Ecology, 14(8): 642–650.

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