The 3D lab

This was 2017 (2)

Posted on December 23, 2017 by lembrechtsjonas

Here is part 2 of ‘2017 in stories’, our very own end-of-the-year list. Dive with us into what happened on this blog the last twelve months, with this list of the ten most visited posts. Missed part 1? It’s here!

A story of hotspots and stepping stones

Closing a chapter, it’s an amazing feeling. In 2017, we published the second paper on the experimental half of my PhD, a fascinating story on hotspots and stepping stones. Find out how non-native plants manage to beat all the odds at elevations far above their current elevational limits, and how that affects our predictions for the future of our mountains.

Science with doormats

Closing off some chapter, opening up many others, that is what 2017 was all about. We have been trying out some fascinating new things in preparation of our research for the next few years. Science with doormats is one of these experiments. Doormats, you might ask? Yes, indeed, boring, simple, non-sciency doormats, and you might be surprised about their scientific use!

That damn snow again

Our yearly fieldwork-adventures undeniably deserve a prominent spot in this list as well. Enjoy this happy reindeer, and our snowy summer special from right on top of the world!

The Yellowstone experience

Arguably the most important milestone of 2017 brought me to the greater Yellowstone region in Montana. There, we had a fruitfull meeting with the partners of MIREN, our global network of mountain scientists. A lot of talking resulting in an impressive list of fascinating future plans. And all of that in the most mindboggling natural environment.

Throwback december

We end this list with some nostalgia to the warm days of midnight summer in Lapland. To cheer up our hearts on this dark winter days, I made a much-appreciated picture gallery of the best of our summer fieldwork. You can find it here. Beautiful plants, breath-taking views, awesome animals. If you needed a reminder of why I love this job, it’s all there!

And with that, we slowly put 2017 to rest. It was an amazing year, with many accomplishments I am very proud of. But most of all, it was a year of preparations. Preparations for 2018, preparations for the future. Because as from 01/01/2018, the truly big things should start happening. Stay tuned, and cross your fingers that all our hopes and dreams will come true!

Posted in General | Tagged Ecology, Landscape photography, Mountains, Nature photography, PhD, Photography, Scandinavia, Science, Travel photography, Wildlife photography, Yellowstone | Leave a comment

This was 2017 (1)

Posted on December 20, 2017 by lembrechtsjonas

It’s list-season again! Oh yes, the end of the year approaches and everybody bombards you with their best-offs and unforgettables of 2017. Please forgive me that I want to join in on that fun. No better way to summarise what happened on this blog the last twelve months than with a list of the ten most visited posts. Here is part 1 of ‘2017 in stories’.

1) Blinded by a snowball

January kicked off with an intense cold spell. Our hands were freezing off enough to make us remember that US senator who brought a snowball to the parliament. A snowball, yes, to show it isn’t all as bad as it looks with climate change. Let me shortly summarise the story: his argument doesn’t hold.

2) The feel of the south

Little egret in the evening sun

From a memorably cold winter in Belgium to the heavenly warmth of spring in southern France. April brought me a visit to Montpellier, for a conference on Functional Ecology. Besides some eye-opening insights on how organisms interact with their environment, the stay also resulted in a nice picture gallery.

3) Plants do fly

Euphorbia in a sea of poplar fluff

These musings about flying plants are a good example of what came out of that conference. In several presentations at the conference, I heard the statement that plants cannot fly, a fact providing them with huge limitations compared to other organisms. Allow me to explain in this post why I care to disagree.

4) Species on the move

Some more on moving species (for a reason the main topic of my research), after the publication of a critical paper in Science. The authors discuss the impact of species movement – as driven by climate change – on our everyday lives. A true eye-opener, and hopefully in time for some much-needed action all over the world.

5) Hidden treasures on the campus

We end the highlights of the first half of 2017 a bit closer to home. In June, our Global Change Ecology center organised a quest for rare plant species… on the campus grounds. From beautiful orchids to an obscure plant in the car park called hairy ruptureworth, these little treasures on the campus proof that biodiversity can hide anywhere.

Posted in General | Tagged Ecology, Holidays, Landscape photography, Nature, Nature photography, Plant photography, Science, Travel, Travel photography | Leave a comment

Throwback december bis

Posted on December 12, 2017 by lembrechtsjonas

Worth your visit: our new picture gallery on the right of this blog, Sweden and Norway 2017!

Angelica archangelica along mountain road in the northern Scandes, Norway

Another post featuring some of the best pictures from this summers’ field trip, this time from the Norwegian side.

Overlooking the Skjomen valley

With steep mountains, stunning fjords and breath-taking views, the area of northern Norway around Narvik is a fantastic travel destination.

Summer in the Skjomen valley, northern Norway

Just imagine it being the backdrop of your office…

Scandinavia - 19

More pictures in the picture gallery on the right of this blog.

Overlooking the Skjomen fjord

Posted in Norway | Tagged Flowers, Landscape photography, Mountains, Nature, Nature photography, Outdoors, Photography, Plants, Scandinavia, Travel photography | Leave a comment

Throwback December

Posted on December 11, 2017 by lembrechtsjonas

Visit the new picture gallery on the right of this blog: Sweden and Norway 2017!

Oenanthe oenanthe (wheatear), owning the alpine tundra Abisko, Sweden

It’s never too late to remember the summer. With snow currently probably packed high on the Scandinavian mountain tops, and the sun again hidden beneath the horizon for the next few months, it is the perfect moment to look back at those glorious days of the midnight sun.

Husky overlooking lake Torneträsk – Laktatjakka valley

In this post, I’ll let you marvel at some amazing sights from Swedish Lapland, but I also created a little picture gallery on the right of this blog, showcasing the best pictures of our 2017 field season in Scandinavian Lapland. Admire the views and take in the stunning backdrop of mountains that every year temporarily becomes our office, while we all count down the days till a new Arctic midsummer.

Phyllodoce caerulea, blue heath

Reindeer herd on snow patch, Abisko, Lapland

Reindeer herd on a snowpatch

Posted in General, Norway, Sweden | Tagged Animal photography, Dog, Landscape photography, Mountains, Nature photography, Photography, Scandinavia, Sweden, Travel, Travel photography | Leave a comment

The final countdown

Posted on December 5, 2017 by lembrechtsjonas

Quietly and virtually unnoticed, this PhD entered its last year. For over 4 years (5 if you include my master thesis project), I have been working on the story of moving plants. Those readers following the blog from the start, in October 2013 (hello, you, thanks for sticking around!) have seen this story evolve with me, from my first thoughts on that very first experiment (what drives plant invasion in mountains?), to a broad topic with branches expanding in all directions.

Now, with the last year truly started, we are more than ever aiming for the future. I have to finish my doctoral thesis, of course, but mostly we will be developing new projects, applying for money, establishing new collaborations; getting new plans on the rails.

The road is never easy, but luckily roadmarks and trustworthy guides are never far away

So these are critical times. My little PhD-raft has clearly been caught onto a series of rapids on the river of science. Yet a raft built on great ideas, tied together with a network of fantastic colleagues, is not likely to sink, no matter how wild the rapids are. I can confirm I am still in control of the rudder of my raft, and enjoying the ride. And more than ever curious and excited about what is hiding downstreams.

Posted in Science | Tagged Ecology, Landscape photography, Mountains, Nature, PhD, Photography, Scandinavia, Science, Travel | 5 Comments

Autumn

Posted on November 23, 2017 by lembrechtsjonas

Autumn colours on the university campus

In autumn, leaves rapidly loose photosynthetic efficiency when chlorophyll is broken down, which reflects in their levels of chlorophyll fluorescence. This breaking down of chlorophyll is a patchy process, however, with increasing variation in fluorescence levels when leaves start coloring.

It might not be cutting-edge science, yet for the students in our Plant Ecology course it greatly exemplifies to the ease of fluorescence measures, regardless of how complicated and fundamental the theory might be.

As you see, it is that season again, another generation of students initiate into the wonderfull world of plant stress measurements!