Jonas Lembrechts

A tale of homogenisation I’ve always been intrigued by ecological scaling – it’s literally in my title: Assistant Professor in Ecological Scaling. One of the main reasons we care so much about scaling is that ecologi…

New paper from the MIREN network!

We tested how homogenisation (ecosystems becoming more alike through invasions) changes with scale.

Global = clear pattern
Local = not so simple

Read more: the3dlab.org/2025/10/22/a...

Paper, led by @mbuhaly.bsky.social: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Cliffhanger: Am I, as a climber, a threat or a treasure for plant diversity on rock cliffs? Translation of  the submission for the pop-sci writing competition ‘Vlaamse Scriptiepijs’ by team member Sarane Coen With the River Meuse flowing far below, I search for the way up to the top. With…

Cliffhanger: Am I, as a climber, a threat or a treasure for plant diversity on rock cliffs?

In her Vlaamse Scriptieprijs story, Sarane Coen finds that a bit of climbing would rather boost than harm diversity.

Read more👉 the3dlab.org/2025/10/21/c...

#Ecology #Biodiversity #Climbing

It definitely does, although we looked at plants in our study, so wouldn't dare to generalize that broadly :)

Identifying divergence time and paleoclimate change hotspots for better conservation under future climate change Predicting species distributions under climate change is essential for biodiversity conservation and ecosystem management. However, the role of specie…

Paper here: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Mapping the past to predict the future Long-term followers of this blog know I’ve always been fascinated by species distribution changes. We’ve tracked non-native species moving into mountains and cities, studied how mountain plants tra…

So here’s a question for you: would species that have historically experienced strong climate fluctuations not be better equipped to handle contemporary climate change than those from stable climates?

Our new paper, led by Yuheng Chen, suggests they are!

🔗 the3dlab.org/2025/09/30/m...

A workflow for microclimate sensor networks: Integrating geographic tools, statistics, and local knowledge Wireless environmental sensors have become integral tools in environmental and conservation research, offering diverse data streams that complement tr…

Paper in Ecological Informatics here: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

How to set up your own microclimate network Back in 2021, we had an important thought: maybe we should start treating microclimate the same way we treat macroclimate. Weather and climate are monitored by national governments through organize…

New for all microclimate enthusiasts!

A step-by-step workflow to build your own sensor network - with awesome R code for site selection + tips on engagement, fieldwork & outreach.

Led with @thenaturedave.bsky.social and @rebeccasenior.bsky.social

🔗 the3dlab.org/2025/08/16/h...

Monocultures Our EcoFracNet biodiversity monitoring project is gathering momentum. Over the past months, we’ve been roaming the Netherlands, clipboards in hand, from endless heathlands to city parks, to record …

Seen loads of monocultures on our #EcoFracNet trips across the Netherlands - but not all are the same. One even hosted a rare, shiny green surprise! 🐸💚

Where in our flat little country do you think the highest plant diversity hides? Suggestions welcome!

👉 the3dlab.org/2025/08/11/monocultures/

Soil microbes care little about your climate gradients We had a hunch: the biogeography of soil microbial communities was going to be messy. Even less than plants or animals, microbes aren’t paying attention to the broad-brush macroclimatic gradients t…

We suspected it: soil microbes don’t care much about our neat climate gradients. 🌱🦠

Across 7 Chinese mountains, their biogeography is messy - but not without patterns.

I unpack it here 👉 the3dlab.org/2025/08/05/s...

Paper by Kunwei Wang et al. in GEB 👉 authorservices.wiley.com/api/pdf/full...

“Most biodiversity studies still rely on coarse, long-term averages or climate station data far away from where organisms actually live. But extreme events are short-lived and highly local – meaning we need fine-scale data in both space and time to catch them”

Extremes I’ve just returned from a field visit to northern Sweden – above the Arctic Circle. It was close to thirty degrees Celsius this week. We nearly got burned off the mountain. This kind of heat …

Climate change hits fast and erratic - through extremes, not slow trends. In our new TREE paper (led by @lysoifer.bsky.social), we discuss what's needed for us to deal with the resulting unpredictable range shifts.

Summary: the3dlab.org/2025/07/20/e...

Paper: sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

A forest, a heatland/raised bog, a farm, two school yards and the university campus, our own data collecting for #EcoFracNet has been very successful so far!

Now looking forward to the data from all over the world to come in - everyone still welcome to join!

the3dlab.org/2025/02/10/m...

MEB mailing list sign-up

SERVICE MESSAGE: The MEB-network (www.meb-network.com) is cleaning out its mailing list! If you did not receive todays' email but would want to receive cool microclimate updates, please sign up here!

docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

Join EcoFracNet – we’ve got sensors! Whether you’re already knee-deep in site planning for EcoFracNet or MicroFracnet, or just hearing about it for the first time, we’ve got some exciting news to share—and maybe even a little in…

Thinking of joining EcoFracNet or MicroFracNet? Now’s a great time - we can finally offer you free second-hand TOMST TMS4 sensors to support your fieldwork!

🛰️ Limited sensors available, so act fast.

📍 Details + how to join:

the3dlab.org/2025/07/04/j...

@willpearse.bsky.social

Since my PhD in 2013, we’ve worked closely together on MIREN (mountaininvasions.org), MEB (meb-network.com) & GUBIC (cubes-labs.com/gubic).

The Europe–Chile comparison has been instrumental in understanding plant invasions, biodiversity change & the roles of disturbance and microclimate.

The Belgian king - and our @uantwerpen.be rector - visited Chile!

As the universities' longest collaboration with Chile, we (and especially @anibalpauchard.bsky.social got to highlight our long-standing collaboration with @iebchile.bsky.social on (micro)climate, invasive species, and biodiversity!

Boots in the bog Far in the north of the Netherlands, on the border of Friesland and Drenthe, lies an endless sea of moor-grass, heather, and rushes – spread out across one of the last active raised bogs in t…

Bog appreciation post!

We have started an #EcoFracNet site in the Fochteloerveen, one of the Netherlands' last remaining active raised bogs and a landscape that truly absorbs you.

Throwback photo shoot from end of April, when summer was still far away :
the3dlab.org/2025/06/28/b...

Very welcome!
All information here: ecofracnetwork.github.io

Are you an ecologist interested in spatial scaling? Of course you are, we all are! So join this new fractal network! I can say, with absolutely no bias or impartiality at all, that it's amazing!

EcoFracNet at the farm Our EcoFracNet project aims to uncover patterns of biodiversity across all kinds of landscapes — including those where biodiversity isn’t necessary a priority, like agricultural areas. Even these l…

e're kicking off a new EcoFracNet study, exploring how biodiversity varies across agricultural landscapes. As such an integral part of our landscape, it’s essential to understand at what scales biodiversity patterns play out on our farms!

the3dlab.org/2025/06/21/e...

An army of scientists This year, I had the joy (and challenge) of teaching Ecology to first-year biology students at Utrecht University for the very first time. Nearly 400 students, fresh into their academic journey, di…

Great class idea: a Bioblitz!

Nearly 400 first-year biology students at Utrecht University recorded 1100+ species on campus in just one month.
A hands-on crash course in ecology, conservation & fieldwork — and yes, it was a lot of fun.

Blog here 👇
the3dlab.org/2025/06/17/a...

Another reason to increase green spaces in our cities: they provide pleasant soundscapes!

We just love hearing the sound of nature In a region like Flanders – dense, busy, and full of human activities of all shapes and sizes – the problem of noise pollution is increasingly recognized. We often think of that noise a…

What makes a place sound pleasant?

In #DeOorzaak, 4,465 people told us: natural sounds made soundscapes sound better, even with traffic.

📝 Blog: the3dlab.org/2025/06/17/w...
📄 Paper: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Beyond the Trail—Understanding Non‐Native Plant Invasions in Mountain Ecosystems Aim We aimed to examine the abiotic, biotic and anthropogenic drivers of non-native plant species distribution along hiking trails in mountainous regions. Location Nine mountain regions across six...

Paper led mainly by Agustina Barros, Eduardo Fuentes-Lillo and myself, published in GEB - you can find it here: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Non-native plants along mountain trails We had been studying the role of mountain roads as drivers of non-native plant invasions in mountains all the way back till 2007. Heck, we just published a first manuscript on the decadal dynamics …

New global study! 🏔️🌱 Non-native plants don’t just follow mountain roads—they spread along hiking trails too, even off-trail.

MIREN data from 9 regions shows trails are key invasion pathways.

Full story & findings: the3dlab.org/2025/06/02/n... #InvasionEcology #MIREN #Mountains #Biodiversity

SoilTemp is now MEB! Over the past six years, I’ve poured my heart into SoilTemp. What started as a vision for a global soil temperature database quickly grew into something much more: a living, breathing community of …

The word is out officially, now: SoilTemp has finished its transformation into 'The MEB-network' - a fully-fledged research network that goes far beyond just being a database. And boy, does that make me proud!

Let me show you all the ways you can get involved here:

the3dlab.org/2025/05/31/s...

🚨 To all #microclimate aficionados, this is a major update of the #SoilTemp initiative which has just metamorphosed into the beautiful #MEB network for #microclimate #ecology & #biogeography #network

The #SoilTemp initiative 🐛 turns to #MEB network 🦋

⬇️ Check it out ⬇️

#microclimate #SoilTemp project is dead!
Long live to the new #MEB-network!

SoilTemp is now MEB! Over the past six years, I’ve poured my heart into SoilTemp. What started as a vision for a global soil temperature database quickly grew into something much more: a living, breathing community of …

The word is out officially, now: SoilTemp has finished its transformation into 'The MEB-network' - a fully-fledged research network that goes far beyond just being a database. And boy, does that make me proud!

Let me show you all the ways you can get involved here:

the3dlab.org/2025/05/31/s...

BioTime 2.0 If we want to understand how biodiversity is shifting in this rapidly changing climate, we need two critical ingredients: microclimate time series and biodiversity time series. (And yes, let’s not …

**NEW DATABASE** - and it's a big one: BioTIME 2.0 is out!

I'll guide you through why this database is a game changer for anyone interested in species on the move
--> the3dlab.org/2025/05/21/b...

The paper --> doi.org/10.1111/geb....