The third Microclimate Ecology & Biogeography conference is on in Montpellier, France, this week! On the blog, some first quick thoughts about what this gathering of enthusiastic minds will show us about the state of the field: the3dlab.org/2026/06/02/m... #meb2026

The Mountain Invasion Research Network (MIREN) just turned 20! 🎉 We celebrate with a new paper in Biol Invasions on what 20 years of mountain monitoring taught us - and how ecological networks can survive (and thrive). Blog: the3dlab.org/2026/05/24/a... Paper: link.springer.com/epdf/10.1007...

This paper means a lot to me. Main finding: mountain roadsides can differ in temperature from adjacent vegetation as much as sites >200 elevational meters apart. A long-overdue crossover between MIREN and the MEB network. More here: the3dlab.org/2026/04/28/m...

Virtual trip to the Canary Islands! We mapped microrefugia across the archipelago by combining climate change with local landscape features. Key insight: refugia are rarer in the dry east, and shift from topography-driven → vegetation-buffered westward. More 👇 the3dlab.org/2026/04/16/f...

Where does Flanders actually sound nice? Using soundscape observations from ~4,000 citizens, our new paper (led by Ablenya Barros) shows how traffic and nature shape perceived pleasantness — and maps it spatially. Story: the3dlab.org/2026/03/11/w...

Last chance to register for this week's MEB General Assembly! During this online event, we’ll share updates on the network, highlight ongoing projects and collaborations, and create space for discussion, questions, and feedback. 👉 Sign up now via: www.meb-network.com!

New paper in PLOS Digital Health — on smartwatches, smartphones & sleep. How did I as an ecologist end up here? I wrote a short story about wandering through science, citizen science, and why that’s made me a better researcher: 👉 the3dlab.org/2026/02/17/f...

Non-native species can be a hell of a nuisance. Pines in Chile? Even after removal, the damage is done. I wrote a short blogpost - with well-deserved swear words - about our new paper in Journal of Vegetation Science 👇 the3dlab.org/2026/01/24/a...

This is how scientific discourse should operate. A respectful + insightful comment by Tomas Uxa on the limits of ML from @jlembrechts.bsky.social's high-impact paper, yet still celebrating it. In return, Jonas applauds Tomas for his detective work. Well done, Tomas and Jonas! A model for us all.

Did we rewrite the laws of physics - or did our ML model predict things that are physically impossible? Tomas Uxa just published a Commentary on our 'Global maps of soil temp', arguing the latter I break down the what, the how, and the what next here 👇 the3dlab.org/2025/12/22/d...

Twelve years of uninterrupted blogging on www.the3dlab.org! Safe to say I’ve learned a thing or two about what it means to maintain a science blog. Curious whether I’d recommend this to others? I wrote an honest reflection on my blog (obviously😉) the3dlab.org/2025/12/18/t...

Thanks @jlembrechts.bsky.social for this blog post about our new Oikos paper! Love your blog. :-)

**Help!** Are you working with environmental or biodiversity data and willing to help us out? We have a questionnaire for you --> the3dlab.org/2025/11/11/s...

How to not be swamped by your microclimate data? The rise of microclimate data may have opened Pandora’s box. Gone are the days of simple bioclimatic variables — now heads spin trying to summarize these timeseries. A much-needed paper by @krystofchytry.bsky.social: 🔗 the3dlab.org/2025/11/11/h...

Little brain-teaser: Would you expect non-native plant species to make mountain floras more diverse (more heterogeneous) or less so (more homogenised)? Find the answer in my latest blog, where I dive into a new global paper from the Mountain Invasion Research Network: the3dlab.org/2025/10/22/a...

New paper from the MIREN network! We tested how homogenisation (ecosystems becoming more alike through invasions) changes with scale. Global = clear pattern Local = not so simple Read more: the3dlab.org/2025/10/22/a... Paper, led by @mbuhaly.bsky.social: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Cliffhanger: Am I, as a climber, a threat or a treasure for plant diversity on rock cliffs? In her Vlaamse Scriptieprijs story, Sarane Coen finds that a bit of climbing would rather boost than harm diversity. Read more👉 the3dlab.org/2025/10/21/c... #Ecology #Biodiversity #Climbing

So here’s a question for you: would species that have historically experienced strong climate fluctuations not be better equipped to handle contemporary climate change than those from stable climates? Our new paper, led by Yuheng Chen, suggests they are! 🔗 the3dlab.org/2025/09/30/m...

New for all microclimate enthusiasts! A step-by-step workflow to build your own sensor network - with awesome R code for site selection + tips on engagement, fieldwork & outreach. Led with @thenaturedave.bsky.social and @rebeccasenior.bsky.social 🔗 the3dlab.org/2025/08/16/h...

Seen loads of monocultures on our #EcoFracNet trips across the Netherlands - but not all are the same. One even hosted a rare, shiny green surprise! 🐸💚 Where in our flat little country do you think the highest plant diversity hides? Suggestions welcome! 👉 the3dlab.org/2025/08/11/monocultures/

We suspected it: soil microbes don’t care much about our neat climate gradients. 🌱🦠 Across 7 Chinese mountains, their biogeography is messy - but not without patterns. I unpack it here 👉 the3dlab.org/2025/08/05/s... Paper by Kunwei Wang et al. in GEB 👉 authorservices.wiley.com/api/pdf/full...

“Most biodiversity studies still rely on coarse, long-term averages or climate station data far away from where organisms actually live. But extreme events are short-lived and highly local – meaning we need fine-scale data in both space and time to catch them”

Climate change hits fast and erratic - through extremes, not slow trends. In our new TREE paper (led by @lysoifer.bsky.social), we discuss what's needed for us to deal with the resulting unpredictable range shifts. Summary: the3dlab.org/2025/07/20/e... Paper: sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

A forest, a heatland/raised bog, a farm, two school yards and the university campus, our own data collecting for #EcoFracNet has been very successful so far! Now looking forward to the data from all over the world to come in - everyone still welcome to join! the3dlab.org/2025/02/10/m...

SERVICE MESSAGE: The MEB-network (www.meb-network.com) is cleaning out its mailing list! If you did not receive todays' email but would want to receive cool microclimate updates, please sign up here! docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

Thinking of joining EcoFracNet or MicroFracNet? Now’s a great time - we can finally offer you free second-hand TOMST TMS4 sensors to support your fieldwork! 🛰️ Limited sensors available, so act fast. 📍 Details + how to join: the3dlab.org/2025/07/04/j... @willpearse.bsky.social

The Belgian king - and our @uantwerpen.be rector - visited Chile! As the universities' longest collaboration with Chile, we (and especially @anibalpauchard.bsky.social got to highlight our long-standing collaboration with @iebchile.bsky.social on (micro)climate, invasive species, and biodiversity!

Bog appreciation post! We have started an #EcoFracNet site in the Fochteloerveen, one of the Netherlands' last remaining active raised bogs and a landscape that truly absorbs you. Throwback photo shoot from end of April, when summer was still far away : the3dlab.org/2025/06/28/b...

Are you an ecologist interested in spatial scaling? Of course you are, we all are! So join this new fractal network! I can say, with absolutely no bias or impartiality at all, that it's amazing!

e're kicking off a new EcoFracNet study, exploring how biodiversity varies across agricultural landscapes. As such an integral part of our landscape, it’s essential to understand at what scales biodiversity patterns play out on our farms! the3dlab.org/2025/06/21/e...

Great class idea: a Bioblitz! Nearly 400 first-year biology students at Utrecht University recorded 1100+ species on campus in just one month. A hands-on crash course in ecology, conservation & fieldwork — and yes, it was a lot of fun. Blog here 👇 the3dlab.org/2025/06/17/a...

Another reason to increase green spaces in our cities: they provide pleasant soundscapes!

What makes a place sound pleasant? In #DeOorzaak, 4,465 people told us: natural sounds made soundscapes sound better, even with traffic. 📝 Blog: the3dlab.org/2025/06/17/w... 📄 Paper: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

New global study! 🏔️🌱 Non-native plants don’t just follow mountain roads—they spread along hiking trails too, even off-trail. MIREN data from 9 regions shows trails are key invasion pathways. Full story & findings: the3dlab.org/2025/06/02/n... #InvasionEcology #MIREN #Mountains #Biodiversity

The word is out officially, now: SoilTemp has finished its transformation into 'The MEB-network' - a fully-fledged research network that goes far beyond just being a database. And boy, does that make me proud! Let me show you all the ways you can get involved here: the3dlab.org/2025/05/31/s...

🚨 To all #microclimate aficionados, this is a major update of the #SoilTemp initiative which has just metamorphosed into the beautiful #MEB network for #microclimate #ecology & #biogeography #network The #SoilTemp initiative 🐛 turns to #MEB network 🦋 ⬇️ Check it out ⬇️

#microclimate #SoilTemp project is dead! Long live to the new #MEB-network!

The word is out officially, now: SoilTemp has finished its transformation into 'The MEB-network' - a fully-fledged research network that goes far beyond just being a database. And boy, does that make me proud! Let me show you all the ways you can get involved here: the3dlab.org/2025/05/31/s...

**NEW DATABASE** - and it's a big one: BioTIME 2.0 is out! I'll guide you through why this database is a game changer for anyone interested in species on the move --> the3dlab.org/2025/05/21/b... The paper --> doi.org/10.1111/geb....

We’ve long tracked species’ responses to climate change - upslope, northward, earlier. But most studies look in just one direction. In our **NEW PAPER**, we call for a paradigm shift: species move across multiple dimensions. Blog: the3dlab.org/2025/05/15/r...

@bengoldfarb.bsky.social subterranean road ecology!!

What happens belowground when a mountain road cuts through nature? After epic fieldwork, root sequencing & modeling marathons, we found: roads unravel fungal interaction networks—fewer links and more generalists. @dajana-r.bsky.social 📖 Blog: the3dlab.org/2025/05/08/w...

What happens when you monitor vegetation on rock cliffs? you get jaw-dropping views and seriously cool science. that’s MIREN Rocks – a global survey of cliffside flora in all its colourful, gravity-defying glory. 📸 so yeah, we made an Instagram: 👉 @mirenrocks www.instagram.com/mirenrocks/

The Tea Bag Index: simple on the surface, complex beneath 🍃 A new blog post dives into the science of what we can say, based on a response to a response to our Ecology Letters paper. Worth a read if you’re using TBI! 👉 the3dlab.org/2025/04/20/t...

New study in @nature.com: we focus on the diversity that's missing - “dark diversity.” Human impact means only 1 in 5 species persist in disturbed areas versus 1 in 3 in pristine ones. My summary of the project & its implications: the3dlab.org/2025/04/03/g...

🚨 Published in Forest Ecology & Management 🚨 Moth communities under closed-canopy forests 🌳🌳🌳🌳 are richer in species than at edges or in open conditions ⬇️ Nighttime 🌡🌒 & forest cover in the surrounding landscape both had a ➕️ effect on moth activity density & species richness ⬇️ shorturl.at/C9Dwc

We are very happy to announce that the next Microclimate Ecology & Biogeography (MEB) conference will happen in Montpellier (FRANCE), 1 - 5 June 2026 ☀️ meb-network.com/meb-2026/ Microclimate scientists: save the date in your agenda!!

New paper by @jlembrechts.bsky.social in Ecological Solutions and Evidence using @gbif.org mediated data: GUBIC: The global urban biological invasions compendium for plants #CiteTheDOI: ✅ #OpenAccess: ⭐️ https://doi.org/10.1002/2688-8319.70020

New #MicroFracNet site on the Utrechtse Heuvelrug established! Still interested to join our global monitoring project on the scale at which biodiversity varies? Read all about it here --> the3dlab.org/2025/02/10/m...