Category Archives: Science

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 , , , , , , , , , | 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 , , , , , , , , , | 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 , , | 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 , , , , | Leave a comment

🌿 Can we mitigate global drought using vegetation-driven rainfall? 🌧️

Posted on November 26, 2024 by lembrechtsjonas

Check out this inspiring and creative video by our ecology students at Utrecht University! Combining humor, innovation, and scientific depth, they shine a spotlight on an urgent global issue: drought and its devastating impact on ecosystems, livelihoods, and the climate. … Continue reading →

Posted in Science | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Nitrogen deposition and distribution shifts of forest plants

Posted on October 15, 2024 by lembrechtsjonas

It intuitively makes a lot of sense, doesn’t it? As the climate warms, species should be moving north, racing to stay within the climatic conditions they can survive in. So, naturally, we thought the same when we set out to … Continue reading →

Posted in Science | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments