Senckenberg Ocean Species Alliance (SOSA)’s Post

PhD stories: a very nice platform giving the floor to the PhD candidates to share about their PhD projects. What I like most is to see the candidates' excitement and connection to their projects. Here is a very good example by Mélody Rousseau who works on mapping the soil biodiversity in European forests using metabarcoding, remote sensing and geo-information systems. Are you interested? Then, here it is:

We are selecting post-doctoral researchers to work on site in England. The position is for the re.green project being run in partnership with the 4C: Cambridge Centre for Carbon Credits and is intended to determine the claims and consequences of nature-based solutions. The project is developing a remote sensing network to quantify the extent of leakage from forestry restoration activities and the impact on carbon and biodiversity in the Atlantic Forest and the Amazon. The position involves: Collecting terrestrial and remote sensing data we provide and developing methods to measure, track and assess the extent of leakage from agricultural production at these sites with ecological restoration processes and there effects on carbon and biodiversity. Contact Prof. Andrew Balmford using the email address below to find out more about the position and the project: apb12@cam.ac.uk. Join re.green on one of the most globally ambitious large-scale ecological restoration projects. #ForestRestoration #regreen #DeliveringNetZero #NatureBasedSolutions #Biodiversity #Sustainability #ScienceBasedSolutions #SustainableBusiness

We have new research out investigating the behavior of small sandeels (Ammodytes tobianus) when choosing sediment for burrowing. Read more in the link 🔗 All species of sandeels have specific habitat preferences, with the type of seabed playing a particularly important role. The study shows that the small sandeel prefers coarse sand and fine gravel, while it avoids very fine sand and coarse gravel, such as pebbles. This knowledge is essential for understanding the role of sandeels in marine ecosystems, where they act as a key species and energy transformer in the food chain. The study also highlights the importance of considering sandeel habitats in resource extraction and sand nourishment activities, as these can impact their habitats and consequently the entire ecosystem. Furthermore light also have a role to play here. Thanks to Louis Veilex for the many hours together in the fish stall, and to the rest of the team: Jane Behrens, Nicholas Moran, Peter Wright, Henrik Jensen, Mikael Van Deurs, Tobias Mildenberger, and Anders Nielsen. Funded by MARHAB lead by Even Moland

🌞 Solar parks: are they good for nature or not? To answer that question, the Rudolf Agricola School for Sustainable Development UG - in partnership with Provincie Groningen and Novar - is conducting research on the ecology of solar parks. Our partner Novar made this informative video interview with Dr. Klaassen in response to the first interim report on the ecology of solar parks. 🐦 🐞 ☘ ☘Ecologist Dr. Raymond Klaassen is supervising researcher Sylvia de Vries, who hopes to obtain her Ph.D. through this five year research. She has just completed the first year and has interesting findings. ☘ De Vries and Klaassen have recently published the first interim report of the research. The results are promising. Solar parks, if properly constructed, can indeed contribute to nature. Certain plant and animal species thrive in these environments. However, there are also areas for improvement. ▶ More on the research: https://lnkd.in/ee4ZjZec University of Groningen

My penultimate paper from my PhD thesis is now published in Ecological Engineering! 🥂 Over 200 hours of GoPro footage filming intertidal artificial rockpools at high tide were reviewed to reveal the species abundance and behaviour of mobile fauna interacting with these ecological enhancements. Overall, there was no significant difference in the abundance and species richness of mobile fauna using the artificial rockpools versus the unenhanced seawall. However, both the shanny 🐟 (small intertidal fish Lipophrys pholis) and shore crab 🦀 (Carcinus maenas, native in UK) generally spent more time in the rockpools than on the seawall. Both crabs and shanny preferentially engaged in feeding behaviours on the seawall, which was attributed to the high percentage cover of barnacle prey. Crabs and shanny spent more time resting in the rockpools than the seawall and the only reproductive behaviour observed occurred within the rockpools. This work suggests that artificial rockpools support the habitat needs and multiple life history requirements of these species at high tide. Both the seawall and rockpools provide valuable resources, which further emphasises the need for variety in eco-engineering feature designs! AVAILABLE OPEN ACCESS HERE: https://lnkd.in/eZSSrxcd Video shows seabass investigating the rockpools, with a crab partially hidden under seaweed in the rockpool basin in the first clip. Co authors Rick Stafford, Dr Alice Hall, Nazish Mir, Jeesa Benny, Roger Herbert. Rockpools made and installed by Artecology, Nigel George

Hiring in ecology can be a tough gig! So why not lean on a specialist... Venture into the intricate world of ecology recruitment with Immerge. We're passionate about going the extra mile, blending a deep understanding of niche skills with a tailored matchmaking process. For us, every placement isn't just a fit, but a deep dive into skill matching, candidate aspirations and your organisational ethos. Swipe to see how our expertise is tailored to alignment of skills, culture, and long-term potential: #Immerge #EcologyEngineering #Engineering #Ecology Iain MacHattie, Daniel Illingworth, Dominic Sheppard, Neil Groome

🔔 Interested in plant-specific phenology detected from Planetscope and PhenoCam imagery? - Take a look at our latest high-quality paper published in the "ISPRS Journal of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing" (IF = 12.7). 📝Short description: - PlanetScope has the ability to detect plant-specific phenology and to improve our understanding of phenology dynamics in heterogeneous semi-arid ecosystems at fine scales. - PlanetScope EVI2 was demonstrated to be capable of producing more consistent phenometrics compared to PlanetScope NDVI. - It suggests that EVI2 is optimal for monitoring vegetation phenology from both PlanetScope and PhenoCam. Cheers,

A summary article of my second published research output is now available at the #TransportEcoloygy website. Read all about this over at transportecology.info. https://lnkd.in/gDk95QWe

📢  𝐄𝐱𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐀𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐭!    🔍 Understanding the full life-cycle effects of chemicals on wildlife is crucial for accurate environmental protection. Traditionally, many studies focus only on the early-life stages, but this can lead to underestimations of long-term impacts.   🔬 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐰𝐞 𝐝𝐨 𝐢𝐭? This study, In collaboration with ARCHE Consulting, delves into the impact of copper (Cu) exposure on brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) populations. Using a population model, the effects across the entire life cycle of the trout were predicted, providing a more comprehensive understanding of ecological impacts.    🐟 The results revealed that relying solely on early-life stage data significantly underestimates the no-observed-effect concentrations of copper. By considering the full life-cycle, our models offer more accurate predictions and better ecological context.   👉 The full study, titled "Modeling Full Life-Cycle Effects of Copper on Brook Trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) Populations", and co-authored by Karel Viaene and Patrick Van Sprang, can be read here: https://lnkd.in/ed2Gdpvt   ARCHE Consulting is proud to contribute to the field of environmental science and to share these insights with our community. Stay tuned for more updates and feel free to reach out with any questions or comments!   #EnvironmentalScience #PopulationModeling #CopperEffects #BrookTrout #NewResearch #ARCHEConsulting 

🎊 New article. I am happy to share our new research article published in the "ISPRS Journal of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing" (IF = 12.7). Our groundbreaking study showcases the effectiveness of PlanetScope imagery in monitoring plant phenology within semi-arid ecosystems of the western United States. By comparing PlanetScope's vegetation index (EVI2 and NDVI) with infrared-enabled PhenoCam observations across 15 sites, we found significant consistency during the greenup phase and moderate comparability during senescence. This research highlights PlanetScope's potential to enhance our understanding of phenology dynamics in semi-arid areas, despite their unique challenges. Our findings invite further exploration into how remote sensing can revolutionize ecosystem monitoring and management, opening new avenues for environmental conservation and study. 🔗 Paper link: https://lnkd.in/gw8CSPuD