New paper in PLOS Digital Health — on smartwatches, smartphones & sleep.
How did I as an ecologist end up here? I wrote a short story about wandering through science, citizen science, and why that’s made me a better researcher:
👉 the3dlab.org/2026/02/17/f...
Non-native species can be a hell of a nuisance.
Pines in Chile? Even after removal, the damage is done.
I wrote a short blogpost - with well-deserved swear words - about our new paper in Journal of Vegetation Science 👇
the3dlab.org/2026/01/24/a...
Proof that ML is hard, and always, always wrong in one way or another.
Usually, in fact always, in a way you least expect/don’t know about until far too late.
This is how scientific discourse should operate. A respectful + insightful comment by Tomas Uxa on the limits of ML from @jlembrechts.bsky.social's high-impact paper, yet still celebrating it. In return, Jonas applauds Tomas for his detective work. Well done, Tomas and Jonas! A model for us all.
Did we rewrite the laws of physics - or did our ML model predict things that are physically impossible?
Tomas Uxa just published a Commentary on our 'Global maps of soil temp', arguing the latter
I break down the what, the how, and the what next here 👇
the3dlab.org/2025/12/22/d...
Twelve years of uninterrupted blogging on www.the3dlab.org!
Safe to say I’ve learned a thing or two about what it means to maintain a science blog.
Curious whether I’d recommend this to others? I wrote an honest reflection on my blog (obviously😉)
the3dlab.org/2025/12/18/t...
Thanks @jlembrechts.bsky.social for this blog post about our new Oikos paper! Love your blog. :-)
That would be quite impressive for sure :)!
Luckily it's just the Norwegian institute of that same name!
**Help!**
Are you working with environmental or biodiversity data and willing to help us out?
We have a questionnaire for you -->
the3dlab.org/2025/11/11/s...
How to not be swamped by your microclimate data?
The rise of microclimate data may have opened Pandora’s box. Gone are the days of simple bioclimatic variables — now heads spin trying to summarize these timeseries.
A much-needed paper by @krystofchytry.bsky.social:
🔗 the3dlab.org/2025/11/11/h...
Little brain-teaser:
Would you expect non-native plant species to make mountain floras more diverse (more heterogeneous) or less so (more homogenised)?
Find the answer in my latest blog, where I dive into a new global paper from the Mountain Invasion Research Network:
the3dlab.org/2025/10/22/a...
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?
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 :)
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...
Paper in Ecological Informatics here: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
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...
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/
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”
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...
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...
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!
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...
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!
