Ruben Sommaruga
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rsommalab.bsky.social
Ruben Sommaruga
@rsommalab.bsky.social
110 followers 120 following 8 posts
Professor at the University of Innsbruck. Limnology| Microbial Ecology|Biogeochemistry|Photobiology
Posts Replies Media Videos
Reposted by Ruben Sommaruga
sebastianneun.bsky.social
I am thrilled to share our new study which has just come out in @journalofecology.bsky.social! We show how the wavelength spectrum of #light shapes #phytoplankton communities, and associated consequences for trophic transfer. Light spectrum matters! 🌈🌊
#livinginarainbow

➡️ doi.org/10.1111/1365...
Light spectrum matters: Interactive effects of light and nutrients on phytoplankton communities and trophic transfer
Overall, our results showed that the spectral quality of light has a significant impact on phytoplankton community dynamics and the biochemical composition of lake seston. Moreover, the results sugge....
doi.org
October 13, 2025 at 3:05 PM
Reposted by Ruben Sommaruga
sciencex.bsky.social
Conventional economic models often overlook the complex ways people value nature, highlighting the need for more inclusive approaches to address biodiversity loss.
Old-fashioned economic thinking is driving biodiversity loss—study calls for shift in how we value nature
Old-fashioned economic thinking is driving biodiversity loss, according to a new international study led by Aberystwyth University academics, which calls for a fundamental shift in how nature is valued.
phys.org
September 22, 2025 at 8:11 PM
Reposted by Ruben Sommaruga
o-delgiorgio.bsky.social
Just published a piece in BioScience with @mariapiquerr.bsky.social, Gabriela Fontanarrosa, and Silvia Lomáscolo on what systemic sexism looks like for us as early career researchers.

academic.oup.com/bioscience/a...
Systemic sexism in academia: an early-career viewpoint
Over the past years, a theme has recurrently popped up in conversation among us (the present authors): Discussions over Zoom, at conferences, on bumpy road
academic.oup.com
June 17, 2025 at 12:17 PM
rsommalab.bsky.social
#International Mountain Conference, Innsbruck #IMC
September 16, 2025 at 7:06 PM
rsommalab.bsky.social
worth to see:
youtu.be/voUwjsxsMfQ?...
LTSER Tyrolean Alps - long-term socio-ecological research in the Alpine heartland
YouTube video by Universität Innsbruck
youtu.be
September 15, 2025 at 8:14 AM
Reposted by Ruben Sommaruga
bjenquist.bsky.social
We need more provocative papers like this …
johnalroy.bsky.social John Alroy @johnalroy.bsky.social · Jul 24
Shannon's H, Simpson's D, and Pielou's J are useless in ecology. Fitting data with a compound abundance distribution based on the geometric series is a better way to quantify variation – and to estimate species richness. New paper in Ecology Letters.

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
September 10, 2025 at 5:05 AM
Reposted by Ruben Sommaruga
pitbullmtkerr.bsky.social
The threat of biodiversity loss is more evident the Amazon, which is being destroyed by record levels of deforestation despite being home to one third of the of planet’s species. The greatest concentration of biodiversity on earth

unfoundation.org/blog/post/ho...

unfoundation.org/blog/post/ho...
How Biodiversity Loss Harms Human Health | unfoundation.org
Biodiversity loss threatens the foundation of our planet’s future – and humanity’s well-being. Learn about the connections between biodiversity and health.
unfoundation.org
September 10, 2025 at 9:24 PM
Reposted by Ruben Sommaruga
drbradbrad.bsky.social
‼️ Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions postdoc fellowship ‼️
Details below 👇
drbradbrad.bsky.social James Bradley @drbradbrad.bsky.social · Apr 9
Interested in Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions postdoc fellowship in Marseille with @mioceanologie.bsky.social
@cnrs.fr?
🌊🇫🇷☀️⛵️
- Microbial adaptation to extremes 🌋
- Cryosphere geomicrobiology ❄️🦠
- Microbial dormancy 😴
- Biogeochemical cycles 🌎
Experimentalists & modellers welcome 🧪🖥️🧬
Get in touch!
ec.europa.eu European Commission @ec.europa.eu · Feb 11
The 2024 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Postdoctoral Fellowship call results are in.

With a budget of €417 million, we are funding nearly 1,700 researchers from 🇪🇺 and beyond.

They will strengthen EU research in key areas such as social inclusion, AI, and cancer research ↓

europa.eu/!BmWRkh
May 13, 2025 at 6:42 PM
rsommalab.bsky.social
just out of the press…a 50-y study of a mountain lake without good news…

link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Fifty-Year Trends Reveal Reversal from Recovery to Re-eutrophication and Reinforced Anoxia in a Managed Mountain Lake - Ecosystems
Anoxia in lakes has intensified in recent decades, threatening ecosystem functioning. Yet, the mechanisms driving long-term trends in anoxia intensity and duration are complex, especially in managed e...
link.springer.com
August 31, 2025 at 2:21 PM
Reposted by Ruben Sommaruga
ipbes.net
Lakes are crucial for biodiversity 🌍

#DYK Lake Ohrid, a European biodiversity hotspot, hosts unique species but faces threats from human activity?

.—@ipbes.net #GlobalAssessment🧪

On #WorldLakeDay, let’s highlight the value of lakes, their sustainable management & the ecosystems they support.
Landscape photograph of Lake Ohrid, showing a vast expanse of deep blue rippling water in the foreground. The lake stretches to distant mountains that form the horizon line. Snow-capped peaks are visible on the higher mountain ranges. Under a bright blue sky, scattered white clouds create a serene atmosphere. The shoreline visible in the distance shows green forested areas and some buildings nestled along the coast. The water's surface has a gentle wave pattern, creating a textured appearance across the lake.
August 27, 2025 at 1:33 PM
Reposted by Ruben Sommaruga
fischerlab.bsky.social
Lac de Louvie (2213 m elevation) was an incredibly stunning place to sample for microbes! Many thanks to altis.swiss for letting us use their maintenance cable car :)
#CAPSOLUTION
@mpimarinemicrobio.bsky.social
@erc.europa.eu
@hoeferlab.bsky.social
@maxemilschon.bsky.social
Lac de Louvie with the snow-covered Grand Combin in the background. Merci beaucoup à ALTIS et M. Olivier! A somewhat tricky location for our setup, but it worked! The samples are all bagged and cooled.
August 12, 2025 at 7:34 PM
Reposted by Ruben Sommaruga
unep.org
Lakes contain most of the liquid fresh water on the planet, but they are also among the most rapidly degrading ecosystems.

Ahead of #WorldLakeDay on August 27, see how you can take #GenerationRestoration action to safeguard these vital freshwater bodies: www.decadeonrestoration.org/lakes
A person stands on a boat in a lake, raising a hand holding aquatic plants, with mountains in the background and playful line drawings of birds, fish, and a palm tree overlaid. Large white text reads “LET’S REVIVE OUR LAKES” with “Join #GenerationRestoration” beneath, and the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021–2030 logo appears in the bottom left corner.
August 8, 2025 at 6:11 AM
Reposted by Ruben Sommaruga
instaar.bsky.social
Isabella Oleksy's Mountain Limnology Lab has taken over a 42-year-old monitoring project in Rocky Mountain National Park. Their investigations reveal how remote alpine watersheds are changing in the Anthropocene www.colorado.edu/instaar/2025...

@isabellaoleksy.bsky.social & @jbaron4.bsky.social
Air pollution and warming are changing Colorado’s remote alpine lakes
The Oleksy lab has taken over a 42-year-old monitoring project in Rocky Mountain National Park. Their investigations reveal how remote alpine watersheds are
www.colorado.edu
August 4, 2025 at 10:11 PM
Reposted by Ruben Sommaruga
sciencex.bsky.social
Plankton in alpine lakes use dynamic photoprotection, versatile energy strategies, and virus-mediated stability, offering insights into resilience under environmental stress in aquatic ecosystems worldwide. doi.org/g9v7nz
Unexpected survival strategies of plankton in alpine lakes have global relevance
Alpine lakes are among the most harsh aquatic environments on Earth. Located at high elevation, they are exposed to intense ultraviolet radiation (UVR), wide temperature and light fluctuations, and low nutrient availability.
phys.org
August 5, 2025 at 3:23 PM
Reposted by Ruben Sommaruga
drlimnology.bsky.social
Our overview of the impressive paper by Jensen et al in PNAS about under-ice oxygen levels is out.

"Small lakes are suffocating as winters warm"

www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Small lakes are suffocating as winters warm | PNAS
Small lakes are suffocating as winters warm
www.pnas.org
August 4, 2025 at 7:09 PM
Reposted by Ruben Sommaruga
fischerlab.bsky.social
Lago Nero (black lake) di Cornisello at 2240 m was rather green when we sampled it. An algal bloom!! This meant changing filters every few minutes.
That night, our faces were of similar color (stomach bug) and we skipped the last lake.
#CAPSOLUTION
@mpimarinemicrobio.bsky.social @erc.europa.eu
Lago Nero, one of the more accessible mountain lakes on our tour. Impressive backdrop, but we had little time to admire it. Millions of microscopic algae turned the waters green. What species will it be once we analyze the filters in the lab?
August 3, 2025 at 3:42 PM
rsommalab.bsky.social
doi.org/10.1038/s415...
Reconsidering space-for-time substitution in climate change ecology - Nature Climate Change
Ecologists often leverage patterns observed across spatial climate gradients to predict the impacts of climate change (space-for-time substitution). We highlight evidence that this can be misleading n...
doi.org
July 31, 2025 at 8:31 PM
rsommalab.bsky.social
sil-limnology.bsky.social SIL | International Society of Limnology @sil-limnology.bsky.social · Jul 29
Authored by the most recent awardee, Dr. Ruben Sommaruga @rsommalab.bsky.social, this thought-provoking synthesis explores how planktonic organisms survive in the harsh environmental conditions of alpine lakes and beyond.

#Limnology #TheoreticalLimnology #AquaticScience #Lakes #Plankton
July 31, 2025 at 4:46 PM
Reposted by Ruben Sommaruga
fischerlab.bsky.social
Our next set of mountain lakes is located in Italy's Adamella Brenta Nature Park. Lago Serodoli (2370 m elevation) is just downstream of Lago Gelato (2388 m), which lived up to its name and made us shiver with ice-cold winds.
#CAPSOLUTION
@mpimarinemicrobio.bsky.social @erc.europa.eu
With the Brenta Dolomites in view, it's a two-hour hike to the Serodoli/Gelato lakes. Lago Serodoli Lago Gelato, icy cold even in late July! Sampling polar waters can't be that different
July 28, 2025 at 5:09 PM
Reposted by Ruben Sommaruga
unep.org
🔥 2024 was the hottest year on record.

Decision makers must prioritize #ClimateAction for both people and the planet. The window to secure a livable future is rapidly closing.

Report: unstats.un.org/sdgs/report/... #SDGReport #SDGs #GlobalGoals
This graphic from the SDG Report 2025 shows that 2024 was the hottest year on record, with global temperatures reaching 1.55°C above pre-industrial levels. It features a rising temperature graph from 1850 to 2024 and includes SDG 13: Climate Action.
July 23, 2025 at 7:37 PM
Reposted by Ruben Sommaruga
fischerlab.bsky.social
The next two lakes on the sampling tour were Upper and Middle Plenderlessee in Austria. We got lots of water from the lakes, and also from the skies... Dinoflagellates live here!
#CAPSOLUTION
@mpimarinemicrobio.bsky.social @erc.europa.eu
Oberer Plenderlessee in the Stubai Alps Catching a break from the rain at Mittlerer Plenderlessee Testing if the pumps are waterproof Dinoflagellates and other protists
July 20, 2025 at 10:58 AM
Reposted by Ruben Sommaruga
lbolanos68.bsky.social
immeasurable value of plankton to humanity url: academic.oup.com/bioscience/a...
The immeasurable value of plankton to humanity
Abstract. Plankton, a diverse group of aquatic organisms, make Earth livable, regulate aquatic life, and provide benefits to human societies such as access
academic.oup.com
July 17, 2025 at 9:19 AM
Reposted by Ruben Sommaruga
fischerlab.bsky.social
The weather improved for our next tour in the Stubai Alps to Blaue Lacke (2287 m), Grünausee (2335 m), and Freiger See (2500 m), three mountain lakes above the treeline. Strenuous hikes alternated with wet & cold weather during filtration. #CAPSOLUTION
@mpimarinemicrobio.bsky.social @erc.europa.eu
Sampling Blaue Lacke Grünausee with @lqueiss.bsky.social and @drjmpetersen.bsky.social Freiger See with its muddy shores High above Grünausee
July 16, 2025 at 8:17 PM
Reposted by Ruben Sommaruga
bejalab.bsky.social
Taxonomically distinct diatom viruses differentially impact microbial processing of organic matter www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Taxonomically distinct diatom viruses differentially impact microbial processing of organic matter
RNA virus infection alters the landscape of diatom organic matter, temporally decoupling the viral shunt and the microbial loop.
www.science.org
July 17, 2025 at 4:04 AM
rsommalab.bsky.social
just out of the press…maybe the last single author publication in my career….

www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Survival strategies of planktonic organisms in alpine lakes and beyond
Recent research on alpine lakes has revealed both novel adaptive strategies and established ones, now examined from a new perspective, that planktonic organisms use to persist under the harsh envir...
www.tandfonline.com
July 16, 2025 at 6:20 PM