Author Archives: lembrechtsjonas

The graph that surprises nobody

Posted on April 11, 2025 by lembrechtsjonas

Our recent paper in Nature summarizing the work of the Dark Diversity Network contains a simple – and for that reason rather horrifying – graph. It’s not much more than a linear regression, a line through some points: It summarizes … Continue reading →

Posted in General | Tagged Biodiversity, climate change, Environment, Nature, Sustainability | 1 Comment

Global impoverishment of natural vegetation revealed by ‘dark diversity’

Posted on April 3, 2025 by lembrechtsjonas

Back in 2019, we ventured into the field with a rather unusual mission: to search for the biodiversity that wasn’t there. At first glance, this might seem counterintuitive – after all, we’re accustomed to documenting what exists. Yet, by exploring … Continue reading →

Posted in Science | Tagged Biodiversity, Biology, climate change, Conservation, Dark diversity, Ecology, Ecosystems, Environment, Human influence, Nature | Leave a comment

Non-native plants in the worlds’ cities

Posted on February 24, 2025 by lembrechtsjonas

Non-native species have been widely studied for decades, and their affinity with urban environments is no surprise to anyone in the field. However, just how many non-native species dwell in our cities was so far unknown. With a global consortium … Continue reading →

Posted in Science | Tagged Biodiversity, Ecology, Environment, Global, Invasive species, Nature, Plant invasions, Plants, Research, Science | Leave a comment

MicroFracNet

Posted on February 10, 2025 by lembrechtsjonas

An add-on to the global EcoFracNet monitoring protocol Call to action: Monitor plant biodiversity and microclimate using a standardized design across scales from 0,5 m to 900 m to help us assess the scales at which biodiversity varies, and at … Continue reading →

Posted in Science | Tagged Biodiversity monitoring, EcoFracNet, MicroFracNet | Leave a comment

When the same data tells a different story

Posted on February 6, 2025 by lembrechtsjonas

Scientific research often presents itself as a search for truth—rigorous, objective, and driven by data. But what if the same dataset, analyzed by different researchers, leads to different conclusions? That’s exactly what happened when a group of ecologists, including myself, … Continue reading →

Posted in Science | Tagged Ecology, Research, Science, Statistical analysis, Statistics | Leave a comment

Sensors with a view

Posted on February 3, 2025 by lembrechtsjonas

Not all fieldwork pictures are equally breathtaking. While part of our team waded through the muddy mud of De Driehoek – one of our university campus’s last patches of nature – another group embarked on a rather more inspiring mission: … Continue reading →