Author | Lightnews

Reposted by Koenraad Van Meerbeek

Olivier Honnay @olivierhonnay.bsky.social · Apr 17

New paper in The Lancet Planetary Health where we show that Nitrogen enrichment not only substantially increases the pollen production of grasslands, but also the pollen allergenicity 🤧.

The impact of ecosystem nitrogen enrichment on pollen allergy: a cross-sectional paired comparison study

Nitrogen enrichment substantially increased pollen abundance and allergenicity, indicating a heightened allergy burden in nitrogen-rich environments. These findings underscore the need for policies ad...

www.thelancet.com

7 17

Reposted by Koenraad Van Meerbeek

Carlos P Carmona @cpcarmona.bsky.social · Apr 2

Excited to announce our new paper, “Global impoverishment of natural vegetation revealed by dark diversity,” out today in Nature – and it’s open access! Huge global collaboration led by Meelis Pärtel 🌐@macroecologyut.bsky.social

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Global impoverishment of natural vegetation revealed by dark diversity - Nature

A comparison of alpha diversity (number of plant species) and dark diversity (species that are currently absent from a site despite being ecologically suitable) demonstrates the negative effects of re...

www.nature.com

2 31 95

Reposted by Koenraad Van Meerbeek

Microclimate Ecology & Biogeography (MEB) conference @mebconf.bsky.social · Mar 28

We are very happy to announce that the next Microclimate Ecology & Biogeography (MEB) conference will happen in Montpellier (FRANCE), 1 - 5 June 2026 ☀️
meb-network.com/meb-2026/
Microclimate scientists: save the date in your agenda!!

2 27 32

Koenraad Van Meerbeek @kvanmeerbeek.bsky.social · Mar 3

🌍 Why it matters:

With more droughts on the horizon due to climate change, forest management needs to be species- & site-specific.

Want the full details? Read the article here:
🔗 doi.org/10.1016/j.fe...

🔚 5/5

Redirecting

doi.org

1 1

Koenraad Van Meerbeek @kvanmeerbeek.bsky.social · Mar 3

💡 The takeaway:

Competition reduction isn't a one-size-fits-all solution. Beech sees a trade-off: 🌿 more growth, but at very low competition, more drought stress.

For oak? Thinning didn't make much difference. 🌰

🧵4/5

1 1

Koenraad Van Meerbeek @kvanmeerbeek.bsky.social · Mar 3

🔬 How was it studied?

72 point dendrometers tracked daily water deficit (drought stress proxy) & growth along a competition gradient. 🌳📊

This gave a detailed look at how trees respond to competition & climate conditions.

🧵3/5

1 1

Koenraad Van Meerbeek @kvanmeerbeek.bsky.social · Mar 3

🌱 Key findings:

• Less competition boosted beech growth! 📈
• But... it sometimes made beech more drought-stressed.
• Oak? Unbothered—competition had no clear effect.
• Climate factors (rain ☔ & vapor pressure deficit 💨) influenced both species.

🧵2/5

1 2

Koenraad Van Meerbeek @kvanmeerbeek.bsky.social · Mar 3

📢 New research alert! How does reducing competition affect drought stress & growth in European beech and pedunculate oak? 🌳💦

A study led by Sanne Verdonck at @dfornatlan.bsky.social in @forestecosyst.bsky.social explores this in National Park Brabantse Wouden (Belgium). 🏞️

🔗 doi.org/10.1016/j.fe...

Redirecting

doi.org

1 2 6

Reposted by Koenraad Van Meerbeek

dfornatlan @dfornatlan.bsky.social · Feb 24

Ben jij benieuwd naar hoe publiek toegankelijk groen (zoals parken en bossen) jouw sociaal welzijn beïnvloedt? Wij ook!

Draag als student in het hoger onderwijs bij aan ons onderzoek door deze enquête (15') in te vullen: survey.kuleuven.cloud/88?lang=nl

Deel gerust!
@kuleuvenplantinst.bsky.social

3 3

Reposted by Koenraad Van Meerbeek

dfornatlan @dfornatlan.bsky.social · Feb 13

Each month, we shine a spotlight on one of our colleagues in our FNL division🌳and share their interesting research! 🔍Today, we present the topic of @saskiadroege.bsky.social: Environmental outcomes of food and forest management certification. 🍫🍃

1 1 3

Reposted by Koenraad Van Meerbeek

Jonas Lembrechts @jlembrechts.bsky.social · Feb 11

Today, we launch MicroFracNet, a global network exploring how biodiversity varies across SCALES - big and small. 🌍

If you love vegetation and want to be part of something both larger - and smaller - than yourself, join us!

Learn more & sign up: the3dlab.org/2025/02/10/m...

📢 Please share widely!

5 16

Koenraad Van Meerbeek @kvanmeerbeek.bsky.social · Feb 7

You'll be hosted by the sGlobe lab (@kvanmeerbeek.bsky.social, www.sglobelab.com) and the Earthmapps lab (@steflhermitte.bsky.social, www.earthmapps.io) at KU Leuven.

Interested? Get in touch! 🔗 #Postdoc #DeepLearning #Ecology #MarieCurie

Koenraad Van Meerbeek @kvanmeerbeek.bsky.social · Feb 7

Are you an expert in deep learning and eager to push the boundaries of species distribution modeling? 🌍🔍 We’re looking for a motivated candidate to apply for a Marie Curie postdoctoral fellowship!

1 4 5

Reposted by Koenraad Van Meerbeek

David N. Thomas @dnthomas01.bsky.social · Jan 12

Good to see UK universities beginning an exodus from Twitterx

www.reuters.com/world/uk/uk-...

UK universities join retreat from Elon Musk's X, citing misinformation on platform

Universities and other higher education establishments have joined a retreat among British institutions from Elon Musk's X social media platform, citing its role in spreading misinformation that fuelled race riots last year.

www.reuters.com

2 25 88

Reposted by Koenraad Van Meerbeek

Xavier Morin @xaviermorin.bsky.social · Jan 6

New paper out! 🌳 🌲 (and this one is very special to me)
➡️ Diversity boosts forest productivity also (and especially?) through its effect on the number of trees within forests
besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
@journalofecology.bsky.social @cnrsoccitanieest.bsky.social
More ⬇️ 1/7

4 43 110

Reposted by Koenraad Van Meerbeek

Jonathan Lenoir 🌳🌲🌴 @jonlen.bsky.social · Jan 8

🚨 Mosses on the spotlight ⬇️ We made the cover of the current issue of Journal of Ecology 😍🤩 for the last paper of Eva's PhD on the affinity of understory #plant species, including mosses, to #forest #microclimate buffering 🌳

Picture from Eva Gril

@journalofecology.bsky.social

shorturl.at/LVS7F

5 32

Reposted by Koenraad Van Meerbeek

Richard Waite @waiterich.bsky.social · Jan 4

Interesting story by @dancharles.bsky.social about what happens when farmers abandon land, and what types of ecosystems come back. (Globally agricultural land is still expanding on a net basis, but it is contracting in some places.)

Farmers are abandoning land worldwide. What should happen to it?

Ecologists differ on whether to steer recovery or let nature take its course

www.science.org

10 27 80

Reposted by Koenraad Van Meerbeek

Daniel P. Moriarity @dpmoriarity.bsky.social · Jan 4

"A study of federally funded research projects in the United States estimated that principal investigators spend on average about 45% of their time on administrative activities related to applying for and managing projects rather than conducting active research"

www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

34 470 1K

Koenraad Van Meerbeek @kvanmeerbeek.bsky.social · Jan 3

@kuleuvenuniversity.bsky.social @kuleuvenplantinst.bsky.social #ClimateChange #Drylands #MachineLearning #NatureClimateChange

1

Koenraad Van Meerbeek @kvanmeerbeek.bsky.social · Jan 3

Take-home message: ML-based EWS offer a scalable, data-driven way to predict and mitigate abrupt shifts in dryland ecosystems—essential in the face of climate change and increasing pressure on these vital regions (6/6)

1 2

Koenraad Van Meerbeek @kvanmeerbeek.bsky.social · Jan 3

The study focused on the Sudano–Sahelian drylands, a region highly vulnerable to climate change. Predictions for 2025 highlight a southern belt with high probabilities of abrupt ecosystem shifts, linked to long-term rainfall trends🌍🌱 (5/6)

1 4

Koenraad Van Meerbeek @kvanmeerbeek.bsky.social · Jan 3

Machine learning (ML) to the rescue! We used ML to analyze complex patterns in satellite data. By integrating resilience metrics (e.g., autocorrelation) with vegetation, rainfall, and other environmental factors, we achieved 75.1% accuracy and 76.6% precision (4/6)

1 3

Koenraad Van Meerbeek @kvanmeerbeek.bsky.social · Jan 3

Current methods for EWS rely on metrics like temporal autocorrelation to detect loss of resilience. However, applying these to large-scale satellite data is tricky due to noise & short time series. So, what’s the solution? 🤔 (3/6)

1 2

Koenraad Van Meerbeek @kvanmeerbeek.bsky.social · Jan 3

The problem: Drylands face degradation that threatens their ability to act as carbon sinks & provide resources. Abrupt shifts in ecosystem functioning—like desertification—can occur when thresholds are crossed. Early warning systems (EWS) are urgently needed (2/6)

1 2

Koenraad Van Meerbeek @kvanmeerbeek.bsky.social · Jan 3

New study alert! Drylands are critical to ~1/3 of the global population, but risk abrupt shifts due to climate change & land degradation. Can we predict these shifts? In a paper led by Paulo Bernardino in @natclimchange.bsky.social, we tackle this challenge: www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Predictability of abrupt shifts in dryland ecosystem functioning - Nature Climate Change

The authors develop a machine learning-based approach to derive abrupt shift probability in dryland ecosystem functioning in the Sudano–Sahel. They highlight areas with high probabilities of abrupt sh...

www.nature.com

2 8 22