Ruben Sommaruga

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.

Conventional economic models often overlook the complex ways people value nature, highlighting the need for more inclusive approaches to address biodiversity loss.

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

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...

#International Mountain Conference, Innsbruck #IMC

YouTube video by Universität Innsbruck LTSER Tyrolean Alps - long-term socio-ecological research in the Alpine heartland

worth to see:
youtu.be/voUwjsxsMfQ?...

We need more provocative papers like this …

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.

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...

‼️ Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions postdoc fellowship ‼️
Details below 👇

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...

just out of the press…a 50-y study of a mountain lake without good news…

link.springer.com/article/10.1...

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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

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

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.

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

Small lakes are suffocating as winters warm | PNAS Small lakes are suffocating as winters warm

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/...

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?

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

I think they are right…time matters

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/10.1038/s415...

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

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

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.

🔥 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

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

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

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

immeasurable value of plankton to humanity url: academic.oup.com/bioscience/a...

Sampling Blaue Lacke

Grünausee with @lqueiss.bsky.social and @drjmpetersen.bsky.social

Freiger See with its muddy shores

High above Grünausee

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

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.

Taxonomically distinct diatom viruses differentially impact microbial processing of organic matter www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

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...

just out of the press…maybe the last single author publication in my career….

www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Prophages block cell surface receptors to preserve their viral progeny - Nature Zip promotes the accumulation of free phages in bacterial lysogen communities, safeguarding phage progeny.

Prophages block cell surface receptors to preserve their viral progeny www.nature.com/articles/s41...

but alpine….