Authors | Ecology of the past

Hugo de Vries prize 2025

December 16, 2025
WDG

The annual PhD thesis prize from the Koninklijk Nederlandse Botanische Vereniging (Royal Dutch Botanical Association) is now open. The prize of EURO 5000 will be awarded to the best PhD thesis defended between January and December 2025 at a Dutch university. The subject matter of the thesis is broadly defined within the field of botany, and includs topics such as taxonomy, (palaeo- / macro-) ecology, and cell biology.

For details of past winners, and how to nominate someone for this years prize visit:
https://www.knbv.eu/hugo-de-vries-prijs/

The winner of the prize last year was one of our blog contributors, Nina Witteveen, read about her thesis and award here.

Herbivory and vegetation openness in a pre-farming European landscape

November 19, 2025
WDG

Gosling, W. D., de Wolf, I. K., Witteveen, N. H., de Zwaan, S. B., Van Teulingen, C., Föllmi, D., Thissen, W., Vink, V. B., Woutersen, A., Philip, A. L., van Herk, M. J., Nascimento, M. N., Prins, M. A., & McMichael, C. N. H. (2025). Herbivory and vegetation openness in a pre-farming European landscape. Plant Ecology & Diversity, 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1080/17550874.2025.2576566

This manuscript has been developed over many years through the contributions of many MSc and BSc students based at the University of Amsterdam.

Vegetation and climate dynamics in a 16,600-year marine sequence offshore Mozambique in Delagoa Bight, south-eastern Africa

September 8, 2025
WDG

Mapping Ancient Africa Quaternary International special issue article #8

Open access:

Neumann, F. H., Finch, J., Hahn, A., Miller, C. S., Scott, L., Schefuß, E., Dupont, L., Cawthra, H. C., & Engelbrecht, F. (2025). Vegetation and climate dynamics in a 16,600-year marine sequence offshore Mozambique in Delagoa Bight, south-eastern Africa. Quaternary International, 747, 109956. DOI: 10.1016/j.quaint.2025.109956

To find the complete list of articles in the Mapping Ancient Africa special issue of Quaternary International click here.

A multi-model approach to the spatial and temporal characterization of the African Humid Period

July 25, 2025
WDG

Mapping Ancient Africa Quaternary International special issue article #7

Open access:

Gosling, W.D., Chevalier, M., Fischer, M.L., Holewijn, M., Finch, J., Gil-Romera, G., Hill, T., Houngnon, A., Leonardi, M., Manica, A., & Kaboth-Bahr, S. (2025). A multi-model approach to the spatial and temporal characterization of the African Humid Period. Quaternary International 744, 109933. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2025.109933

Gosling, W.D., Chevalier, M., Lothar Fischer, M., Holewijn, M., Finch, J. M., Gil-Romera, G., Hill, T. R., Houngnon, A., Leonardi, M., Manica, A., & Kaboth-Bahr, S. (2025). Code from: A multi-model approach to the spatial and temporal characterization of the African Humid Period. Figshare. https://doi.org/10.6084/M9.FIGSHARE.29608400.V1

To find the complete list of articles in the Mapping Ancient Africa special issue of Quaternary International click here.

Call for sessions: Species – Ecosystems – People

July 2, 2025
WDG

9th European Conference of Tropical Ecology

University of Passau, Germany

23–27 February 2026

The call for sessions for the next edition of the Society for Tropical Ecology’s, European Conference of Tropical Ecology is open until 8 July 2025. The meeting will be held in Passau (Germany) and will cover all aspects of tropical ecological research. To make sure that your interests are well represented submit a session idea now by visiting the conference web site: https://gtoe2026-passau.de/

Hugo de Vries Prijs winner!

June 18, 2025
WDG

Ecology of the Past blog contributor Nina Witteveen was awarded the Hugo de Vries prize on 13 June 2025 at the Botanic Gardens in Nijmegen. The Hugo de Vries prize is awarded by the KNbv (Royal Dutch Botanical Society) and the Stichting Hugo de Vries fonds (Hugo de Vries foundation) for the best PhD thesis in Botany defended at a Dutch University. This years prize was awarded to Nina for her thesis “Long-term Forest Recovery in Amazonia: Insights from Phytolith Analysis” (University of Amsterdam) which was completed under the supervision of Crystal McMichael.

After much debate the jury decided to award two first prizes this year, with the other prize also going to a tropical PhD thesis. That of Tomonari Matsuo for his thesis “Drivers and mechanisms of tropical secondary forest succession” (Wageningen University & Research).

To find out more about the prize and how to submit a thesis for the award visit: https://www.knbv.eu/hugo-de-vries-prijs/

Follow Nina’s journey into tropical palaeoecology through her blog posts here: https://ecologyofthepast.info/?s=nina+witteveen

Nina presenting here PhD thesis at the prize giving of the Hugo de Vries award 2025!

Evidence for millennial-scale interactions between Hg cycling and hydroclimate from Lake Bosumtwi, Ghana

June 12, 2025
WDG

Open access:

Paine AR, Frieling J, Shanahan TM, Mather TA, McKay N, Robinson SA, Pyle DM, Fendley IM, Kiely R, Gosling WD. 2025. Evidence for millennial-scale interactions between Hg cycling and hydroclimate from Lake Bosumtwi, Ghana. Climate of the Past 21(4): 817–839. DOI: 10.5194/cp-21-817-2025

Charcoal insights on the vegetation, climate and subsistence patterns at Wonderwerk Cave

June 10, 2025
WDG

Mapping Ancient Africa Quaternary International special issue article #6

Hlophe B. & Bamford M.K. (2025) Charcoal insights on the vegetation, climate and subsistence patterns at Wonderwerk Cave. Quaternary International 728,109755. DOI: 10.1016/j.quaint.2025.109755

To find the complete list of articles in the Mapping Ancient Africa special issue of Quaternary International click here.

Dutch Palynological Society: Annual meeting and seminar series

May 14, 2025
WDG

Palynologische Kring: Jaarvergadering en lezingenmiddag

Date: 20 June 2025 / 20 juni 2025
Location: Minnaertgebouw, Utrecht Science Park

13.15: arrival / inloop

13.30-14.30: Annual meeting / Jaarvergadering

14.30-14.55: Tobias Vervaart MSc (Universiteit Utrecht): Introducing PhD project ‘Looking back to plan ahead: unfolding the natural heritage of Dutch landscapes’.

14.55-15.15: coffee break

15.15-15.40: Yannick Bats MSc (Universiteit Utrecht): Impact of chemical treatments on the molecular and stable carbon isotopic composition of sporomorphs.

15.40-16.10: Prof Dr. Corrie Bakels (Faculteit der Archeologie, Universiteit Leiden): Results from stable isotope analysis applied to charred grain preserved in two storage rooms found in Tell Damiyah, Jordan.

16.10-16.35: Dr. Otto Brinkkemper (Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed): The optimal sample size of cereal grains for stable isotope research.

16.35: Drinks/ borrel

For further information: https://www.palynologischekring.nl/

Drivers of vegetation change in tropical Africa

April 9, 2025
WDG

I was delighted to be invited to give a seminar as part of the Max Planck Institute for Geoanthropology “Human Palaeo-systems Research Group” series. In case you missed it the seminar is will soon be available to watch online (click here).

To see the full list of seminars in the series click here.