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Wirong Chanthorn

    A recent photo of Wirong at Khao Yai National Park

Spatial analysis of tropical forests

Wirong is a lecturer and researcher at the department of environmental science, Kasetsart University, Thailand. In general, he is mainly interested in plant ecology including plant-animal interaction (seed dispersal). However, the applied topic such as Agroecology and related environmental policy (i.e. Life Cycle Impact Assessment) are also in his interest. His research is carried out basing on both empirical and theoretical perspective. The empirical perspective is field ecology, working in tropical forest, grassland ecosystem and agroecosystem. The tropical forest and grassland study are conducted in Khao Yai National Park, the UNESCO world heritage site in Thailand.

The current project for Wirongs visit at the OESA is the ecology of Cinnamomum subavenium, one of the most dominant tree in Khao Yai. This tree has a specific parasite (fungus) that seems to cause higher chance of mortality in infected juveniles. Moreover, Wirong will compare the spatial pattern between the host and parasite, including examining other spatial information by using my method.

The theoretical perspective is mainly the application of computer simulation to understand tree-liana interaction model and forest succession.
 

    The specific fungus (Taphrina sp.) growing at one C.subavenium plant.

   This is a grassland area in the central part of the Khao Yai National Park. Wirong

   is studying the succession in this grassland and impact of fire.

´    A hornbill and an ecologist at the Khao Yai National Park.