Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Niklaus E. Zimmermann

@nezimmermann.bsky.social

2.1K followers 960 following 24 posts

Scientist: #macroecology #biodiversity #biomes #plantscience #climatechange #plants #remotesensing #conservation #vegetation ⛰️🌳🌵🌴🔥💦🛰️ www.wsl.ch - tinyurl.com/3fb5n5dv - @wsl-dme

Videos

Environmental science 60%

Geography 16%

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Reposted by Niklaus E. Zimmermann

Michael Nobis @michaelnobis.bsky.social · 17d

🔊 New paper: first integration of population genetics🧬 and dynamic species distribution modeling🌐 using #KISSMig to reconstruct postglacial dynamics of wild black pepper, endemic to India’s Western Ghats. #macroecology #popgen #phylogeography #biogeography

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

7 20

Reposted by Niklaus E. Zimmermann

YANG Geng-Chen | 杨庚宸 @yang-gengchen.bsky.social · Aug 1

This week, I presented my research on #BiomeConservatism at the @cpeg-cpb25.bsky.social in Zürich. 🌍 🌱 The analysis of 161 plant lineages across the globe provides clear evidence for biome conservatism and the mechanisms underlying current #biodiversity patterns and #biome dynamics. 💡

2 7

Reposted by Niklaus E. Zimmermann, Mark Walters

WSL Dynamic Macroecology @wsl-dme.bsky.social · Jul 29

📱🌱 Plant identification apps are booming – but which one is the best? And how reliable are the results? 🤔 Our researchers collected over 5,000 photos of 560 Swiss plant species from 85 habitat types and tested the most popular apps.🔎 Here are the findings: shorturl.at/lD0Cl

5 7

Reposted by Niklaus E. Zimmermann

Dr. Dirk N. Karger @dirknkarger.bsky.social · Apr 16

At WSL @wslresearch.bsky.social we are hiring a "Postdoc in Regional Climate Downscaling" for a forest/climate project in Armenia funded by the Swiss Development Cooperation (DEZA).
📍 Switzerland | 🕐 1.5 yrs | 📅 Start: Spring 2025
Details: apply.refline.ch/273855/1727/...
Please share widely.

1 6 11

Reposted by Niklaus E. Zimmermann

WSL Dynamic Macroecology @wsl-dme.bsky.social · Jul 10

@clechartre.bsky.social reimplemented #BIOME4 into a modular, high-performance #Julia version, enabling 1 km vegetation modeling 🌱 and integration of #CHELSA climate datasets. 🌦️ We can now simulate biome patterns across complex terrains ⛰️ and define biome boundaries with greater accuracy. 🎯

6 15

Reposted by Niklaus E. Zimmermann, Daniel Müller, Julian Schrader

Dr. Dirk N. Karger @dirknkarger.bsky.social · Jul 8

🌿 Join Our Team as Postdoctoral Researcher in Regional Climate Downscaling at the Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL in Switzerland and lead the development of regional, highresolution climate scenarios for Armenia. @wslresearch.bsky.social @wsl-dme.bsky.social apply.refline.ch/273855/1747/...

10 9

Reposted by Niklaus E. Zimmermann

WSL Dynamic Macroecology @wsl-dme.bsky.social · Jul 3

The 𝘑𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘈𝘱𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘌𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘺 has released a Special Feature on "𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹 𝗘𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗴𝘆 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: 𝗘𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁, 𝗠𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻", including an insightful editorial by our scientists Silke Bauer & @nezimmermann.bsky.social.🌍⚡🌱 #energytransition #ecology #renewablenergy #greenenergy

Towards a sustainable energy transition

Combining the goals of energy transition and biodiversity protection is both necessary and possible. With the costs of inaction increasing rapidly, we need to remember that combatting climate change ....

besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

3 6

Niklaus E. Zimmermann @nezimmermann.bsky.social · May 14

🍁🌷🌼Interessiert an Tipps zur KI-basierten Pflanzenbestimmung mit FlorApp/FlorID der neuen Bestimmungstool für die #Flora der #Schweiz?🥀🌳

👉Dann melde dich an am "Festival der Natur"!

shorturl.at/1fEEv
festivaldernatur.ch

#Natur #Biodiversität #FestivalderNatur #PflanzenBestimmen

Sicher bestimmen im Feld – mit KI zur Zweitmeinung

Schwierig zu bestimmende Pflanzen? Da hilft ein unabhängiger Blick. Das neue Tool FlorID der WSL bietet genau das: eine verlässliche Zweitmeinung – direkt im Feld. FlorID nutzt KI der neuesten Genera...

shorturl.at

5 9

Reposted by Niklaus E. Zimmermann

Michael Nobis @michaelnobis.bsky.social · May 7

🔉Version 2.0 of our #KISSMig #Rstats package for #SpeciesMigration modeling is now live on #CRAN. 🎉 Together with Dominik Landolt we boosted performance by implementing parallel computing—making this simple dynamic #SDM faster than ever. Learn more about KISSMig here 👉 purl.oclc.org/wsl/kissmig

8 22

Reposted by Niklaus E. Zimmermann

WSL Dynamic Macroecology @wsl-dme.bsky.social · May 7

What an amazing week at #EGU25 in Vienna! 🌍✨ We had a fantastic time connecting with fellow scientists from diverse fields, sharing our research and diving into inspiring discussions.💡 Grateful for the experience and already looking forward to next year! ❤️🚀

2 7

Reposted by Niklaus E. Zimmermann

WSL Dynamic Macroecology @wsl-dme.bsky.social · May 6

What drives the iconic buttress roots in tropical forests—mechanics or nutrients?🌳 At #EGU25, @haozhima.bsky.social presented his research on “The biogeography & functional understanding of buttress roots in tropical forests”. He’s part of our SNSF Advanced Grant project "BIOME.cc"🌎: rb.gy/r8vy1l

4 8

Reposted by Niklaus E. Zimmermann

WSL Dynamic Macroecology @wsl-dme.bsky.social · May 4

@clechartre.bsky.social held a session on "HP computing for mechanistic prediction of biome distribution" at #EGU25. She presented BIOME4.jl—a hi-res #Julia reimplementation of #BIOME4 to improve performance, modularity & scalability, enabling the simulation of biome dynamics in complex terrains.🌍🖥️

4 13

Reposted by Niklaus E. Zimmermann

WSL Dynamic Macroecology @wsl-dme.bsky.social · May 2

Mountain species are at risk of extinction as global temperatures rise—but how these risks will manifest remains unclear. 🌱🏔️ Bert Wuyts's research sheds light on this by exploring how habitats become fragmented & isolated as populations shift to higher elevations. He presented his results at #EGU25.

5 13

Reposted by Niklaus E. Zimmermann

WSL Dynamic Macroecology @wsl-dme.bsky.social · Apr 30

Elena Plekhanova gave an excellent talk on "SeCo-Eco: Global multiband seasonal pre-training dataset and self-supervised model for ecological applications" at the #EGU25. 🌍🛰️

🔗More information & presentation slides are available here:
plekhanovaelena.github.io/ssl4eco/

4 9

Reposted by Niklaus E. Zimmermann

WSL Dynamic Macroecology @wsl-dme.bsky.social · Apr 24

Thrilled to share that we will be participating in the European Geosciences Union General Assembly 2025 #EGU25 in #Vienna — with four sessions led by our scientists!🚀 Don’t miss the chance to join their talks and meet them in person for insightful discussions & future collaborations!💡🌱

3 12

Niklaus E. Zimmermann @nezimmermann.bsky.social · Apr 16

Great opportunity, cool topic. Apply, if interested!

Dr. Dirk N. Karger @dirknkarger.bsky.social · Apr 16

Niklaus E. Zimmermann @nezimmermann.bsky.social · Apr 16

Well done, Yaquan!

Niklaus E. Zimmermann @nezimmermann.bsky.social · Apr 9

Very honored to have contributed a keynote to the 25th Swiss Global Change Day #SGDC25, and very happy to have attended excellent talks and discussions, and having met many interesting persons from many different fields. A great anniversary!
@scnat.ch @wsl-dme.bsky.social

SCNAT @scnat.ch · Apr 9

🏞️ «Biodiversity is an insurance against risks from #climate extremes»: @nezimmermann.bsky.social (@wslresearch.bsky.social) is now sharing insights on conserving #biodiversity. Enhancing connectivity between habitants and developing joint solutions are key, he adds #SGCD25

The penultimate keynote speech of the Swiss Global Change Day 2025 is entitled «Co-Benefits and Joint Solutions: Biodiversity Conservation under Climate Change». It is given by Niklaus Zimmermann from WSL, the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research.

2 12

Reposted by Niklaus E. Zimmermann

SCNAT @scnat.ch · Apr 9

1 2 7

Reposted by Niklaus E. Zimmermann

WSL Dynamic Macroecology @wsl-dme.bsky.social · Mar 27

Last week, we gathered for a 3-day retreat in the stunning medieval castle of #Burgdorf🏰✨ – an inspiring setting and a fantastic opportunity for deep discussions, strategic planning, vison alignment, team building and lots of fun with hiking and VR game.❤️🥾🎮 Excited for what’s to come!🚀

3 12

Reposted by Niklaus E. Zimmermann

WSL Dynamic Macroecology @wsl-dme.bsky.social · Mar 6

We are excited to be a part of the Winter School & Symposium 2025: Harnessing #MachineLearning for Breakthroughs in Plant and Environmental Sciences @ethzurich.bsky.social !🤖🌱 Looking forward to inspiring discussions and collaborations!💡🚀
More information & registration: shorturl.at/PqT9c

4 12

Reposted by Niklaus E. Zimmermann

Dr. Dirk N. Karger @dirknkarger.bsky.social · Feb 6

1/ How often does a major droughts hit the Alps? A deep dive into the data. 🌍

Having free and accessible drought data makes it easy to check how climate change has already impacted a region. Using our global drought dataset envidat.ch#/metadata/gl..., I took a closer look at the Alps. 🧵👇

Envidat

envidat.ch

1 7 18

Niklaus E. Zimmermann @nezimmermann.bsky.social · Jan 29

Cool, Haozhi! Can butress roots also be used as functional characteristics of the tropical rainforest biome, or tropical forest biomes more broadly? Or can they also be found in other biomes? Just curious.

1 2

Reposted by Niklaus E. Zimmermann

WSL Dynamic Macroecology @wsl-dme.bsky.social · Jan 28

🌳Why are buttress roots almost exclusively found in tropical rainforests? Is it mechanical suppport or nutrient competition? Dr. Haozhi Ma is delving into these fascinating questions to uncover patterns and evolutionary advantages tied to buttress roots.🌎✨ shorturl.at/TtakH

1 6 20

Reposted by Niklaus E. Zimmermann, Pieter De Frenne

WSL Umweltforschung @wslresearch.bsky.social · Jan 17

More frequent, more intense, affecting larger areas: over the last 40 years, mega-droughts have become more severe and are increasingly damaging ecosystems. This is shown by a study led by the WSL and published in @science.org www.wsl.ch/en/news/mega... @dirknkarger.bsky.social
📷 Dirk Karger 🌐

Dead vines in the region around Los Andes in the western catchment area of Aconcagua, a region that has been particularly hard hit by the ongoing drought in Chile. Photo: Dirk Karger, WSL

1 7 15

Reposted by Niklaus E. Zimmermann

Liangzhi Chen @liangzhi-chen.bsky.social · Jan 16

New paper in @science.org !
Where and when did the #multiyear-droughts occur around the world? Have they become more prevailing? We identified over 10,000 such events and found that they have been increasingly occupying the terrestrial land. (1/6)
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.ado4245

5 41 100

Reposted by Niklaus E. Zimmermann

WSL Dynamic Macroecology @wsl-dme.bsky.social · Jan 15

Walter Jetz & @dirknkarger.bsky.social presented their work on “Mountain Thermal Belts in a Changing #Climate.”🤓 Using #CHELSA climate data on structuring the elevation belts of global #mountains by thermal belts anchored to the #alpine treeline has led to a new high-resolution (90m) dataset.⛰️🛰️💻

3 4 12

Reposted by Niklaus E. Zimmermann

Nicolas Mouquet @nmouquet.bsky.social · Jan 7

Want to download spatial shapefiles of protected areas for world countries using the World Database on Protected Areas API (WDPA) ?

👉 Here is the #CESAB worldpa #R pkg : frbcesab.github.io/worldpa/

👉 vignette : frbcesab.github.io/worldpa/arti...

Thx Nico Casajus for sharing this 🧙 !

🧪🌐 🌍🦤#rstat

2 16 64

Reposted by Niklaus E. Zimmermann

WSL Biodiversity Center @wslbiodiversity.bsky.social · Dec 2

⏰ Join us tomorrow at our 3rd Biodiversity Symposium: Communicating Biodiversity (or why it is so complicated)! We'll have three incredible speakers (with diverse perspectives & expertise) @colognaviktoria.bsky.social @bsaladin.bsky.social, and Bernhard Schmid.
Join us in person or online!

Poster for the 3rd Annual Biodiversity Symposium organized by the WSL Biodiversity Center. The theme is 'Communicating Biodiversity,' held on December 3, 15:30–17:15, at Englersaal and via Zoom webinar. Featured speakers are Viktoria Cologna discussing communication challenges in biodiversity crises, Bianca Saladin presenting on translating scientific insights into practice, and Bernhard Schmid. Event includes an apéro and a tombola. QR code for more information and registration provided. With photos of the speakers.

4 12

Reposted by Niklaus E. Zimmermann

Tom Lloyd @tomlloydnature.bsky.social · Nov 29

>47,000 tree species were recently added to the IUCN Red List, with 35% assessed as threatened. There's still another ~26,000 to assess, ~1/3 of which remain undescribed, but great to see plants getting more #conservation attention🌿🌳🦤🌍
📷 Antarctic Beech (VU), Tullawallal / Lamington NP, QLD, Aus

Antarctic Beech trees and mossy boulders on a misty mountaintop

1 12 50