Ecology of the past

Past environments of the Veluwe

October 20, 2024
WDG

On the 17 and 18 October 2024 the Palynologische Kring (Dutch Palynological Society) held a seminar afternoon and excursion near Apeldoorn in the Netherlands.

During the seminar afternoon (17 October) we heard four talks. The first from Harm Smeenge and Ariët Kieskamp (both Bosgroep) introduced the sites we were to visit on the excursion the next day. This focused on the landscape ecology and ecological history of the bogs on the eastern slopes of the Veluwe. The second talk, by Roy van Beek (Wageningen University & Research), focused on the Celtic field systems around the Veluwe. He explained the latest archaeological and archaeobotaincal work investigating the age and origins of these field systems. The third presentation was by Jasper Candel (Wageningen University & Research) and focused on the geomorphological features from glacial activity in the Veluwe region and how this has effected the development of mire ecosystems. I (William Gosling) gave the final talk, presenting the outputs of the research theses of Sanna Wessel, Chiara Raino and Roos Dik who all completed projects at the University of Amsterdam and worked together to investigate how different mega-herbivore populations in the Dutch landscape were represented by the dung fungal spores preserved in the soil.

INQUA Fellowship journey: Alfred Hougnon (field work)

October 19, 2024
WDG

INQUA fellow Alfred Hougnon continues his research into past environmental change in the Dahomey Gap (Benin). In the fourth video documenting his progress a short background to the project, and insights into field work, are given. Field work took place near the Ewe-Adakplame forest in the south east of Benin and involved the recovery of sediments using a Russian corer. The video also shows how interactions and engagement with the local community was developed during the research expedition.

To find out more above Alfreds project read posts on:

To watch more videos about past environmental change visit the Ecology of the Past YouTube channel.

The University of Kwa-Zulu Natal

October 11, 2024
WDG

South Africa Research trip (part 2 of 3)

By Jelle Kraak

After visiting the SASQUA conference and presenting my work there (see SASQUA Conference post), we travelled to the University of Kwa-Zulu Natal in Pietermaritzburg (UKZN), where I would be staying for three weeks. During this period, my goal was to meet with local experts and to visit my site of study in the Drakensberg mountains. This would help me gain more insight into the environment I’m studying and provide me with an opportunity to collect more samples.

Pietermaritzburg

After the SASQUA congress finished, we flew from Port-Elisabeth to Durban. This would be my first time in one of the highly urbanised parts of South-Africa. We drove about an hour from Durban to Pietermaritzburg, better known locally as PMB, and I immediately noticed the stark difference between the countryside of the Western cape and the urbanised areas of Kwa-Zulu Natal. The city was rough around the edges and felt generally less safe than the laid-back countryside. Luckily, my accommodation was located in one of the better neighbourhoods close to campus. Macho the adorable dog of the AirBnB owners further assured my feeling of safety.

The UKZN

European Conference of Tropical Ecology: Call for abstracts open

October 10, 2024
WDG

ABSTRACT DEADLINE: 23 October 2024. Click here to submit your abstract NOW.

The European Conference of Tropical Ecology will take place in Amsterdam between 24 and 28 February 2025. The event will be centered around thematic oral and poster sessions. There are twenty-three different thematic sessions organized into seven broad topics:

Freshwater and marine ecosystems
Human-environment interactions
Monitoring and modelling
Patterns and processes
Restoration and conservation
Spatial and temporal scales
General ecology

For full details on the thematic sessions click here to download our Thematic Session booklet.

Or click here to explore the conference webpages:

Click here to submit your abstract NOW.

Palaeoecology Reference Collection

August 19, 2024
WDG

I am delighted to be able to report that the “Palaeoecology Reference Collection” housed at the Institute for Biodiversity & Ecosystem Dynamics (University of Amsterdam) is now listed as part of the national ecological research infrastructure of the Netherlands. It is great to get recognition for this important collection. Elements of the collection are available digitally and we continue to work to find resources to improve our physical and digital collections. To find out more about the ecological resources in the Netherlands visit the “Ecological research infrastructures in the Netherlands” or the specific “Palaeoecology Reference Collection” web pages.

Palynologische Kring: Palynologendagen 2024

August 15, 2024
WDG

The Dutch Palynology society (Palynologische Kring) will hold a two day excursion to the Veluwe in the autumn (17-18 October 2024).

Preliminary program

Thursday 17 October (Hotel Wipselerberg, Beekbergen)

13.00-13.30: Ontvangst met koffie / Arrival with coffee
13.30-14.00: Harm Smeenge & Ariet Kieskamp (Bosgroepen): Landscape ecological/historical ecological characteristics of bogs in the eastern slopes of the Veluwe
14.00-14.30: Roy van Beek (WUR): Archeological, archeobotanical and morphological aspects of the Celtic Field complex of Vaassen (Veluwe)
14.30-15.00: Koffiepauze / Coffee break
15.00-15.30 Jasper Candel (WUR): Geophysical research in the push moraine of the Veluwe and relation with peat development in valley mires
15.30-16.00: William Gosling (UvA): On the use of spores of coprophilous fungi in characterizing herbivory past and present in Dutch landscapes
16.00-17.30: Borrel / Social event

Friday 18 October

Fietsexcursie rondom Emst, Vaassen (totale afstand ca. 35 km). Fietshuur bij De Weerdt Rijwielen. / Bike tour around Emst, Vassen (total distance c. 35 km). Bike hire from De Weerdt Rijwielen.

Excursiepunten / excusion points:

Nijmolense Beek
Wisselse Veen
Gulbroek

Voor mensen die slecht ter been zijn, is er beperkte mogelijkheid om met eigen auto deel te nemen aan de excursie (max. 2 auto’s kunnen parkeren bij de excursiepunten). / For people with walking or cycling difficulties there is a limited opportunity to come in a car on the trip (maximum 2 cars can park at the excursion points).

For further information and costs please email Nelleke van Asch (secretary of the Palynologische Kring). Contact details can be found at: https://www.palynologischekring.nl/contact/

Mapping Ancient Africa: Scientists

August 14, 2024
WDG

During the Mapping Ancient Africa writing workshop in Kenya (3-6 June 2024) Stefanie Kaboth-Bahr conducted a series of short interviews with the scientists attending. In this, final, instalment of the interviews the thoughts of the instructors on the course are presented. Watch all the Mapping Ancient Africa videos on the Mapping Ancient Africa YouTube Playlist.

The instructors

Bruk Lemma (Free University of Berlin, Germany)

Rahab Kinyanjui (National Museums of Kenya, Kenya & Max Plank Institute for Geoanthropology, Germany)

Mapping Ancient Africa: Scientists

August 13, 2024
WDG

During the Mapping Ancient Africa writing workshop in Kenya (3-6 June 2024) Stefanie Kaboth-Bahr conducted a series of short interviews with the scientists attending. Below you can find part 2 (of 2) of the interviews with the participants in the workshop. Watch the videos to find out their scientific stories and top tips for academic writing. Watch all the Mapping Ancient Africa videos on the Mapping Ancient Africa YouTube Playlist.

The participants (part 2 of 2)

Ruth Kiely (University of Amsterdam, Netherlands)

Husna Mashaka (Arizona State University, USA & National Museums of Kenya, Kenya)

Mapping Ancient Africa: Scientists

August 12, 2024
WDG

During the Mapping Ancient Africa writing workshop in Kenya (3-6 June 2024) Stefanie Kaboth-Bahr conducted a series of short interviews with the scientists attending. During the interviews she asked the participants and instructors to describe their scientific background, what had motivated them to take part in the writing workshop, and what they thought the most important thing they had gained from it. You can now meet the first four of these scientists now by watching the videos below, or catch up with all the latest videos on the Mapping Ancient Africa YouTube Playlist.

The participants (part 1 of 2)

Olugbenga Boboye (University of Ibadan, Nigeria)

Angela Effiom (University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa)

European Conference of Tropical Ecology: Call for sessions open

July 31, 2024
WDG

The European Conference of Tropical Ecology will take place in Amsterdam between 24 and 28 February 2025. The call for session ideas is currently open (deadline 19 August). So please visit the conference web pages to find out more and submit your idea that will help shape the program and make this conference a success.

To find out how to submit your session idea click here.