Ecology of the past

Scientific Archaeology 2020

November 20, 2020
WDG

This year my contribution to the Science in Archaeology course (VU Amsterdam) was done online due to the COVID-19 restrictions. The course comprised live online lectures, pre-recorded video clips and case study discussions. The focus was how to detect past human impacts on the landscape and we explored many proxies including: charcoal, diatoms, egg shells, non-pollen palynomorphs, phytoliths, and pollen. In the final session of the humans impacts section of the course each student presented a case study paper that they had chosen. Here is what they chose:

Eric Grimm – RIP

November 16, 2020
WDG

This note is to acknowledge the passing yesterday of one of the most influential figures in the fields of palynology and palaeoecology, Eric Grimm. While I did not know Eric well he did visit Amsterdam twice in recent years. Firstly, as part of a collaborative initiative to digitise pollen data from the University of Amsterdam archives (March-July 2017), and secondly to train Data Stewards for the African Pollen Database (January 2020). During these visits Eric was generous with his time, masterful with his knowledge, and infectious with his enthusiasm. He will be sadly missed. My deepest condolences to his family and friends. Rest in peace Eric.

Some photos from the meeting in January

Eric Grimm (Amsterdam, January, 2020)

Participants of the African Pollen Database data steward training event (Amsterdam, Jan 2020)

From leaf to soil: n-alkane signal preservation, despite degradation along an environmental gradient in the tropical Andes

November 13, 2020
WDG

Open access:

Teunissen van Manen, Milan L, Jansen, B., Cuesta, F., León-Yánez, S. & Gosling, W.D. (2020) From leaf to soil: n-alkane signal preservation, despite degradation along an environmental gradient in the tropical Andes. Biogeosciences Discussions 17, 5465–5487. https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-5465-2020

Professor of Marine Palaeobiodiversity

October 8, 2020
WDG

Prof. dr. Willem Renema Special Chair in Marine Palaeobiodiversity

Willem Renema, head of the Marine Biodiversity research group at Naturalis, has been appointed as a Special Chair in Marine Palaeobiodiversity within the Department of Ecosystem & Landscape Dynamics at the University of Amsterdam. I am delighted that Willem has joined the team coupling his expertise in marine tropical systems with our existing focus on terrestrial tropical settings will, I am sure, provide many new avenues of scientific endeavour. Catalysing collaboration between Naturalis and UvA will be five PhD researchers, employed on the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Innovative Training Network, who will be jointly supervised by Naturalis and UvA staff.

To find out more about Willem and his appointment click here.
To visit Willem’s Naturalis web site click here.
To find out more about 4D-Reef click here.

New and repeating tipping points: The interplay of fire, climate change, and deforestation in Neotropical ecosystems

September 30, 2020
WDG

Bush MB. 2020. New and repeating tipping points: The interplay of fire, climate change, and deforestation in Neotropical ecosystems. Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden 105:393-404. DOI: 10.3417/2020565

Ecological legacies of past human activities in Amazonian forests

September 29, 2020
WDG

Online open access:

McMichael CNH. 2020. Ecological legacies of past human activities in Amazonian forests. New Phytologist. DOI: 10.1111/nph.16888

Job: Post-doc “Digital Environmental Sustainability”

September 28, 2020
WDG

Do you have a PhD in Physical Geography, Environmental Sciences, Landscape Ecology or Soil Ecology? Have you got educational and research experience working with digital data to contribute to climate, geographic or biodiversity science? If so please consider applying for the 4-year post-doctoral position “Digital Environmental Sustainability” currently available within the Department of Ecosystem & Landscape Dynamics (Institute for Biodiversity & Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam).

Closing data: 29 November 2020

For full information click here.

In search for the historical roots of grasses

August 11, 2020
WDG

In search for the historical roots of grasses: A review of Neogene grass history in the Amazon drainage basin

Corresponding article: Kirschner, J. A., & Hoorn, C. (2019). The onset of grasses in the Amazon drainage basin, evidence from the fossil record. Frontiers of Biogeography. DOI: 10.21425/F5FBG44827

Meet team “Global change & vegetation dynamics” @ Plant Ecology & Diversity

August 4, 2020
WDG

Within the overarching context of Plant Ecology & Diversity the “Global change & vegetation dynamics” subject area aims to place a temporal component on key themes such as biodiversity, conservation and ecosystem function. Manuscripts are welcome that use long-term (palaeo-) ecological approaches, modern field observations and laboratory experiments, and computational modelling to explore change and dynamics within ecosystems. We welcome all formats of manuscripts to this section (original research articles, rapid communication articles, review articles, and perspectives articles). If you have any questions about the potential suitability of your research in the journal please do not hesitate to get in contact.

The editorial team handling this section of the journal currently comprises myself as Subject Editor and six Associate Editors. To find out more about us, our research interests and expertise read on…

Identifying drivers of forest resilience in long-term records from the Neotropics on ALPHA’s lab meeting

August 4, 2020
Majoi Nascimento

Hello everyone,

My name is Majoi Nascimento, I just started a new job as a postdoc researcher at the University of Amsterdam working on an ERC project named ALPHA (Assessing Legacies of Past Human Activities in Amazonia with Crystal McMichael). The main focus of ALPHA is to investigate the role of human disturbance and recovery processes that have occurred over the past few millennia in Amazonia, and their effects on the biodiversity and carbon dynamics that are observed there today. To do a good job, it is important that we understand the concepts of disturbance and recovery, but also the processes that underlie forest resilience. That is the reason why we decided to read and discuss this work from Adolf et al. 2020 “Identifying drivers of forest resilience in long-term records from the Neotropics”, published in the journal Biology Letters, during one of our lab meetings.