Vegetation and climate evolution during the Last Glaciation at Tengchong in Yunnan Province, Southwest China
Zhang, J., Xu, H., Gosling, W.D., Lan, J., Dodson, J., Lu, F., Yu, K., Sheng, E. & Liu, B. (2018) Vegetation and climate evolution during the Last Glaciation at Tengchong in Yunnan Province, Southwest China. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. DOI: 10.1016/j.palaeo.2018.11.008
Environments Through Time paper presentations
The 2018 edition of the University of Amsterdam masters course “Environments Through Time” is now up and running. The course sits at the interface between ecology, physical geography and archaeology and seeks to provide students with a better understanding of how long-term (>100’s years) datasets can provide insights in to past environmental change.
In the first week of the course the students had to present their ‘favourite’ paper in just three (3) minutes! Quite a challenge and lots of fun. This years selection of papers themed around:
- mega-fauna extinctions (Bakker et al., 2016; Gill et al., 2009; van der Kaars et al., 2017),
- impacts of human land use practices (Bitusik et al., 2018; Carson et al., 2014; Chepstow-Lusty et al., 2009; Gauthier et al., 2010; Tisdall et al., 2018), and
- climatic drivers of vegetation change (Haug et al., 2001; Tierney et al., 2017; Tudhope et al., 2001).
For full list of papers presented see below.
In the second and third weeks (now ongoing) students get to deconstruct published chronologies and conduct time series analsis of multi-proxy datasets. Data for these excercises is frequently is extracted from databases such as Neotoma, Pangea, NOAA – paleoclimatology datasets database and the Global Charcoal Database – which shows the importance of these open access databases for developing effective research led eductation, as well as pushing forward to frontiers of research.
Environments Through Time is taught in English, delivered by myself (William Gosling), Crystal McMichael and Milan Tunissen van Manen and currently has 31 registered students from MSc Biological Sciences and MSc Earth Sciences degrees.
Full list of papers presented by students on the Environments Through Time course in 2018 Read More
The Palynology Specialist Group Meeting
Where: Linnean Society of London
When: 22 November 2018
Organizer: Dr. Barry Lomax (University of Nottingham)
For full program click link: LinnSoc-Palynology2018
Advances in tropical research symposium
Treub Maatschappij – Society for the Advancement of Research in the Tropics &
The Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics (IBED), University of Amsterdam…
…invites you to join this symposium.
Date: 15 November 2018
Location: Amsterdam Science Park
Programme
13.30-13.45: Welcome
13.45-14.15: Dr Robert-Jan Wille
History Department, Utrecht University
Dutch colonial science in the age of Melchior Treub: evolution, development and symbiosis as political and scientific themes in the late nineteenth century
Job: Research Fellow in Palaeoecology (Amazonia)
University of St Andrews
School of Geography and Sustainable Development
Research Fellow in Palaeoecology (Amazonia) – AR2146HM
Working with: Dr. Ian Lawson and Dr. Katy Roucoux
Main purpose: Based at St Andrews, the PDRA will play an important role in a NERC-funded project working on the distribution and dynamics of peat-forming ecosystems in Amazonia. The post-holder will be required to undertake palaeoenvironmental research (including fieldwork, lab analyses, data analysis and write-up) in order to reconstruct the developmental history of the palm swamps, pole forests, and ‘open peatlands’ over the course of the Holocene. Some technical support for routine laboratory tasks will be available.
Deadline: 31 October 2018
For further information click here.
Variability in modern pollen rain from moist and wet tropical forest plots in Ghana, West Africa
Open access:
Julier, A.C.M., Jardine, P.E., Adu-Bredu, S., Coe, A.L., Fraser, W.T., Lomax, B.H., Malhi, Y., Moore, S. & Gosling, W.D. (2018) Variability in modern pollen rain from moist and wet tropical forest plots in Ghana, West Africa. Grana. DOI: 10.1080/00173134.2018.1510027
Palynologendagen 2018
I am delighted to be taking part in this years Palynologendagen (Palynology days) organised by the Palynologische Kring (Dutch Society for Palynology)
Location: Van Waddenplaat to the Drents Plateau
Date: 11-12 October 2018
For full program… Read More
Geological and climatic influences on mountain biodiversity
Antonelli, A., Kissling, W.D., Flantua, S.G.A., Bermúdez, M.A., Mulch, A., Muellner-Riehl, A.N., Kreft, H., Linder, H.P., Badgley, C., Fjeldså, J., Fritz, S.A., Rahbek, C., Herman, F., Hooghiemstra, H. & Hoorn, C. (2018) Geological and climatic influences on mountain biodiversity. Nature Geoscience, 11, 718-725. DOI: 10.1038/s41561-018-0236-z
Palaeoecology in Dutch…
Delighted to do an interview for Folia.nl recently. Discussions commenced around my contribution to the recent publication Nolan et al. (2018) and ranged onto various issues in palaeoecology. The resulting article (in Dutch) can be read on the Folia web site: ‘Toen het één of twéé graden warmer was, liepen hier nijlpaarden en apen’
Two jobs in IBED computational support
The Institute for Biodiversity & Ecosystem Dynamics is currently seeking two people to enhance our Computational Support team:
Click links for further details and how to apply. The closing date for both posts is 7 October 2018.
Job: PhD in Macroecology/Palaeoecology
There is a vacancy for a 3 or 4-year PhD position at the University of Bergen’s Department of Biological Sciences.
The successful candidate will be primarily responsible for developing tests for evaluating the effect of humans through space and time on species range sizes and developing analyses to compare diversity patterns and range sizes from different data sources in mountainous regions, interpretation of pollen-stratigraphical data for reconstructing range size through time, and applying mapping techniques to assess the patterns over time and space.
Special requirements for the position:
- The successful candidate must have knowledge and experience of quantitative analyses of ecological or palaeoecological data (preferably using the statistical software R), as well as documented skills in one or more research fields relevant to the position.
- Experience with large databases and some experience with geospatial analysis software, such as in ESRI ArcGIS, QGIS or R is an advantage.
- It would be beneficial to have a background in one or more of the following research fields: biogeography, macroecology, palaeoecology, mountain biodiversity, community ecology, applied statistics, numerical ecology.
Main PhD Supervisor: Prof. John-Arvid Grytnes. Co-supervised by: Dr. Suzette Flantua
To find out more click here.
Past and future global transformation of terrestrial ecosystems under climate change
Nolan, C., Overpeck, J.T., Allen, J.R.M., Anderson, P.M., Betancourt, J.L., Binney, H.A., Brewer, S., Bush, M.B., Chase, B.M., Cheddadi, R., Djamali, M., Dodson, J., Edwards, M.E., Gosling, W.D., Haberle, S., Hotchkiss, S.C., Huntley, B., Ivory, S.J., Kershaw, A.P., Kim, S., Latorre, C., Leydet, M., Lézine, A., Liu, K., Liu, Y., Lozhkin, A.V., McGlone, M.S., Marchant, R.A., Momohara, A., Moreno, P.I., Müller, S., Otto-Bliesner, B.L., Shen, C., Stevenson, J., Takahara, H., Tarasov, P.E., Tipton, J., Vincens, A., Weng, C., Xu, Q., Zheng, Z. & Jackson, S.T. (2018) Past and future global transformation of terrestrial ecosystems under climate change. Science 361, 920-923. DOI: 10.1126/science.aan5360
