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Ruben Sommaruga

@rsommalab.bsky.social

97 followers 120 following 8 posts

Professor at the University of Innsbruck. Limnology| Microbial Ecology|Biogeochemistry|Photobiology

Ruben Sommaruga is an Uruguayan-Austrian limnologist and university professor at the Institute of Ecology at the University of Innsbruck, Austria, where he served as director from 2012 to 2020. .. more

Environmental science 53%

Geography 16%

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Reposted by Rubén Sommaruga

Science X / Phys.org @sciencex.bsky.social · 18d

Conventional economic models often overlook the complex ways people value nature, highlighting the need for more inclusive approaches to address biodiversity loss.

Old-fashioned economic thinking is driving biodiversity loss—study calls for shift in how we value nature

Old-fashioned economic thinking is driving biodiversity loss, according to a new international study led by Aberystwyth University academics, which calls for a fundamental shift in how nature is valued.

phys.org

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Ruben Sommaruga @rsommalab.bsky.social · 24d

#International Mountain Conference, Innsbruck #IMC

Ruben Sommaruga @rsommalab.bsky.social · 26d

worth to see:
youtu.be/voUwjsxsMfQ?...

LTSER Tyrolean Alps - long-term socio-ecological research in the Alpine heartland

YouTube video by Universität Innsbruck

youtu.be

Reposted by Rubén Sommaruga

Rainforest @pitbullmtkerr.bsky.social · Sep 10

The threat of biodiversity loss is more evident the Amazon, which is being destroyed by record levels of deforestation despite being home to one third of the of planet’s species. The greatest concentration of biodiversity on earth

unfoundation.org/blog/post/ho...

unfoundation.org/blog/post/ho...

How Biodiversity Loss Harms Human Health | unfoundation.org

Biodiversity loss threatens the foundation of our planet’s future – and humanity’s well-being. Learn about the connections between biodiversity and health.

unfoundation.org

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Reposted by Rubén Sommaruga

Brian J. Enquist @bjenquist.bsky.social · Sep 10

We need more provocative papers like this …

John Alroy @johnalroy.bsky.social · Jul 24

Shannon's H, Simpson's D, and Pielou's J are useless in ecology. Fitting data with a compound abundance distribution based on the geometric series is a better way to quantify variation – and to estimate species richness. New paper in Ecology Letters.

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

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Ruben Sommaruga @rsommalab.bsky.social · Aug 31

just out of the press…a 50-y study of a mountain lake without good news…

link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Fifty-Year Trends Reveal Reversal from Recovery to Re-eutrophication and Reinforced Anoxia in a Managed Mountain Lake - Ecosystems

Anoxia in lakes has intensified in recent decades, threatening ecosystem functioning. Yet, the mechanisms driving long-term trends in anoxia intensity and duration are complex, especially in managed e...

link.springer.com

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Reposted by Anthony Ricciardi, Rubén Sommaruga

IPBES @ipbes.net · Aug 27

Lakes are crucial for biodiversity 🌍

#DYK Lake Ohrid, a European biodiversity hotspot, hosts unique species but faces threats from human activity?

.—@ipbes.net #GlobalAssessment🧪

On #WorldLakeDay, let’s highlight the value of lakes, their sustainable management & the ecosystems they support.

Landscape photograph of Lake Ohrid, showing a vast expanse of deep blue rippling water in the foreground. The lake stretches to distant mountains that form the horizon line. Snow-capped peaks are visible on the higher mountain ranges. Under a bright blue sky, scattered white clouds create a serene atmosphere. The shoreline visible in the distance shows green forested areas and some buildings nestled along the coast. The water's surface has a gentle wave pattern, creating a textured appearance across the lake.

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Reposted by Rubén Sommaruga

fischerlab.bsky.social @fischerlab.bsky.social · Aug 12

Lac de Louvie (2213 m elevation) was an incredibly stunning place to sample for microbes! Many thanks to altis.swiss for letting us use their maintenance cable car :)
#CAPSOLUTION
@mpimarinemicrobio.bsky.social
@erc.europa.eu
@hoeferlab.bsky.social
@maxemilschon.bsky.social

Lac de Louvie with the snow-covered Grand Combin in the background.

A somewhat tricky location for our setup, but it worked!

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Reposted by Rubén Sommaruga

UN Environment Programme @unep.org · Aug 8

Lakes contain most of the liquid fresh water on the planet, but they are also among the most rapidly degrading ecosystems.

Ahead of #WorldLakeDay on August 27, see how you can take #GenerationRestoration action to safeguard these vital freshwater bodies: www.decadeonrestoration.org/lakes

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Reposted by Rubén Sommaruga

Science X / Phys.org @sciencex.bsky.social · Aug 5

Plankton in alpine lakes use dynamic photoprotection, versatile energy strategies, and virus-mediated stability, offering insights into resilience under environmental stress in aquatic ecosystems worldwide. doi.org/g9v7nz

Unexpected survival strategies of plankton in alpine lakes have global relevance

Alpine lakes are among the most harsh aquatic environments on Earth. Located at high elevation, they are exposed to intense ultraviolet radiation (UVR), wide temperature and light fluctuations, and low nutrient availability.

phys.org

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Reposted by Rubén Sommaruga, Michael T. Meyer

INSTAAR 🏳️‍🌈 @instaar.bsky.social · Aug 4

Isabella Oleksy's Mountain Limnology Lab has taken over a 42-year-old monitoring project in Rocky Mountain National Park. Their investigations reveal how remote alpine watersheds are changing in the Anthropocene www.colorado.edu/instaar/2025...

@isabellaoleksy.bsky.social & @jbaron4.bsky.social

Air pollution and warming are changing Colorado’s remote alpine lakes

The Oleksy lab has taken over a 42-year-old monitoring project in Rocky Mountain National Park. Their investigations reveal how remote alpine watersheds are

www.colorado.edu

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Reposted by Rubén Sommaruga, Yves T. Prairie, Andrew L. Rypel

Jim Elser @drlimnology.bsky.social · Aug 4

Our overview of the impressive paper by Jensen et al in PNAS about under-ice oxygen levels is out.

"Small lakes are suffocating as winters warm"

www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

Small lakes are suffocating as winters warm | PNAS

Small lakes are suffocating as winters warm

www.pnas.org

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Reposted by Rubén Sommaruga

fischerlab.bsky.social @fischerlab.bsky.social · Aug 3

Lago Nero (black lake) di Cornisello at 2240 m was rather green when we sampled it. An algal bloom!! This meant changing filters every few minutes.
That night, our faces were of similar color (stomach bug) and we skipped the last lake.
#CAPSOLUTION
@mpimarinemicrobio.bsky.social @erc.europa.eu

Lago Nero, one of the more accessible mountain lakes on our tour.

Impressive backdrop, but we had little time to admire it.

Millions of microscopic algae turned the waters green.

What species will it be once we analyze the filters in the lab?

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Ruben Sommaruga @rsommalab.bsky.social · Jul 31

I think they are right…time matters

Ruben Sommaruga @rsommalab.bsky.social · Jul 31

doi.org/10.1038/s415...

Reconsidering space-for-time substitution in climate change ecology - Nature Climate Change

Ecologists often leverage patterns observed across spatial climate gradients to predict the impacts of climate change (space-for-time substitution). We highlight evidence that this can be misleading n...

doi.org

Reposted by Rubén Sommaruga

fischerlab.bsky.social @fischerlab.bsky.social · Jul 28

Our next set of mountain lakes is located in Italy's Adamella Brenta Nature Park. Lago Serodoli (2370 m elevation) is just downstream of Lago Gelato (2388 m), which lived up to its name and made us shiver with ice-cold winds.
#CAPSOLUTION
@mpimarinemicrobio.bsky.social @erc.europa.eu

With the Brenta Dolomites in view, it's a two-hour hike to the Serodoli/Gelato lakes.

Lago Gelato, icy cold even in late July!

Sampling polar waters can't be that different

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Reposted by Rubén Sommaruga

UN Environment Programme @unep.org · Jul 23

🔥 2024 was the hottest year on record.

Decision makers must prioritize #ClimateAction for both people and the planet. The window to secure a livable future is rapidly closing.

Report: unstats.un.org/sdgs/report/... #SDGReport #SDGs #GlobalGoals

This graphic from the SDG Report 2025 shows that 2024 was the hottest year on record, with global temperatures reaching 1.55°C above pre-industrial levels. It features a rising temperature graph from 1850 to 2024 and includes SDG 13: Climate Action.

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Reposted by Rubén Sommaruga

fischerlab.bsky.social @fischerlab.bsky.social · Jul 20

The next two lakes on the sampling tour were Upper and Middle Plenderlessee in Austria. We got lots of water from the lakes, and also from the skies... Dinoflagellates live here!
#CAPSOLUTION
@mpimarinemicrobio.bsky.social @erc.europa.eu

Catching a break from the rain at Mittlerer Plenderlessee

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Reposted by Rubén Sommaruga

Luis Bolaños @lbolanos68.bsky.social · Jul 17

immeasurable value of plankton to humanity url: academic.oup.com/bioscience/a...

The immeasurable value of plankton to humanity

Abstract. Plankton, a diverse group of aquatic organisms, make Earth livable, regulate aquatic life, and provide benefits to human societies such as access

academic.oup.com

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Reposted by Rubén Sommaruga

BejaLab @bejalab.bsky.social · Jul 17

Taxonomically distinct diatom viruses differentially impact microbial processing of organic matter www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Taxonomically distinct diatom viruses differentially impact microbial processing of organic matter

RNA virus infection alters the landscape of diatom organic matter, temporally decoupling the viral shunt and the microbial loop.

www.science.org

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Reposted by Rubén Sommaruga

fischerlab.bsky.social @fischerlab.bsky.social · Jul 16

The weather improved for our next tour in the Stubai Alps to Blaue Lacke (2287 m), Grünausee (2335 m), and Freiger See (2500 m), three mountain lakes above the treeline. Strenuous hikes alternated with wet & cold weather during filtration. #CAPSOLUTION
@mpimarinemicrobio.bsky.social @erc.europa.eu

Grünausee with @lqueiss.bsky.social and @drjmpetersen.bsky.social

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Ruben Sommaruga @rsommalab.bsky.social · Jul 16

just out of the press…maybe the last single author publication in my career….

www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Survival strategies of planktonic organisms in alpine lakes and beyond

Recent research on alpine lakes has revealed both novel adaptive strategies and established ones, now examined from a new perspective, that planktonic organisms use to persist under the harsh envir...

www.tandfonline.com

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Reposted by Rubén Sommaruga

BejaLab @bejalab.bsky.social · Jul 16

Prophages block cell surface receptors to preserve their viral progeny www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Prophages block cell surface receptors to preserve their viral progeny - Nature

Zip promotes the accumulation of free phages in bacterial lysogen communities, safeguarding phage progeny.

www.nature.com

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Ruben Sommaruga @rsommalab.bsky.social · Jul 15

but alpine….

Reposted by Rubén Sommaruga

Olivia del Giorgio @o-delgiorgio.bsky.social · Jun 17

Just published a piece in BioScience with @mariapiquerr.bsky.social, Gabriela Fontanarrosa, and Silvia Lomáscolo on what systemic sexism looks like for us as early career researchers.

academic.oup.com/bioscience/a...

Systemic sexism in academia: an early-career viewpoint

Over the past years, a theme has recurrently popped up in conversation among us (the present authors): Discussions over Zoom, at conferences, on bumpy road

academic.oup.com

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Reposted by Rubén Sommaruga

James Bradley @drbradbrad.bsky.social · Apr 9

Interested in Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions postdoc fellowship in Marseille with @mioceanologie.bsky.social
@cnrs.fr?
🌊🇫🇷☀️⛵️
- Microbial adaptation to extremes 🌋
- Cryosphere geomicrobiology ❄️🦠
- Microbial dormancy 😴
- Biogeochemical cycles 🌎
Experimentalists & modellers welcome 🧪🖥️🧬
Get in touch!

European Commission @ec.europa.eu · Feb 11

The 2024 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Postdoctoral Fellowship call results are in.

With a budget of €417 million, we are funding nearly 1,700 researchers from 🇪🇺 and beyond.

They will strengthen EU research in key areas such as social inclusion, AI, and cancer research ↓

europa.eu/!BmWRkh

A visual announcing the results of the 2024 call for MSCA (Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions) Postdoctoral Fellowships. It highlights 1,696 selected proposals and a €417 million budget. The European Commission and MSCA logos are included, along with scientific-themed visuals.

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