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Reposted by WSL Biodiversity Center

WSL Umweltforschung @wslresearch.bsky.social · 3d

🌱 ♻️ #JobAlert! PhD in #EnvironmentalSciences and in-depth knowledge of #SoilScience and biogeochemical cycles? Strong skills in analysing large datasets? Our Research Unit Forest and #SoilEcology offers a #TenureTrack position in #NutrientCycling: apply.refline.ch/273855/1778/... #ScienceJobs

Job offer: The Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL is part of the ETH Domain. Approximately 600 people work on the sustainable use and protection of the environment and on the handling of natural hazards.

The Research Unit Forest and Soil Ecology studies the impact of environmental changes on biogeochemical cycles. Within the Long-term Forest Ecosystem Research (LWF) we offer a tenure track position as a
Research Scientist in Nutrient Cycling 80% (f/m/d)
You will be responsible for monitoring atmospheric deposition and soil solution chemistry across Switzerland. Your scientific responsibilities include the adequate sampling in the field and the analysis of samples in the laboratory. You will coordinate the involved technical staff, maintain the local database and forward the data to the European ICP Forests database. You will actively participate in the ICP Forests Expert Panels "Deposition" and "Soil and Soil Solution". By applying complex modelling, you will evaluate the data regarding the long-term development of nutrient fluxes and cycles. You will successfully acquire third-party funding for add-on studies, e.g. on nutrient dynamics in the rhizosphere or on gas exchange between soil and atmosphere.
You hold a Ph.D. degree in environmental sciences with in-depth knowledge of soil science, biogeochemical cycles and analytical-chemical methods. You are efficient in dealing with large amounts of data and have good statistical knowledge as well as experience in modelling biogeochemical processes. Furthermore, you know how to publish your results in international journals and make them accessible to stakeholders in forestry practice, politics and the public. Your skills as a good team player are in demand both in the collaboration with the other scientific staff of the LWF and in the coordination of technical staff. In addition, you possess excellent English skills and a good command of German.

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Reposted by WSL Biodiversity Center

ELE-ETHWSL.bsky.social @ele-ethwsl.bsky.social · 2d

🌍 New publication alert!

In our latest piece in Nature Cities, we highlight how biodiversity modeling can support urban planning by balancing human well-being with nature. This helps cities meet biodiversity targets while ensuring access to healthy ecosystems.

Read the article: buff.ly/zeRBrYh

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Reposted by WSL Biodiversity Center

WSL Umweltforschung @wslresearch.bsky.social · 13d

🌿🪲 #PostDoc Alert! PhD in #Biology or #EnvironmentalSciences? Strong background in plant-herbivore interactions and good knowledge in R programming? We offer a PostDoc position in the fields of #InvasionBiology, #Spectroscopy and #ChemicalEcology: apply.refline.ch/273855/1772/... #ScienceJobs

Job offer: PostDoc in “Invasion Biology, Spectroscopy, Chemical Ecology” 80-100% (f/m/d)
You will join the FORSAID initiative which is seeking to establish a novel and comprehensive paradigm for identifying, observing and containing pest proliferations across Europe. As part of FORSAID, your research will focus on the invasive emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis, EAB) which has killed millions of ash trees outside its native range over the past 20 years. Given the advancing threat of the EAB in central Europe, it is crucial to implement effective screening and diagnostic methods. These methods are essential for two main purposes: the early detection of the beetle in European ash populations and the identification of ash trees with increased resistance to the pest.

You will use controlled infestation experiments in biosafety greenhouses in combination with some field work to:
(i) monitor the leaf spectral and metabolomic responses of ash trees attacked by EAB,
(ii) use these response signals to distinguish EAB-induced stress from drought-related symptoms, and
(iii) identify tree genotypes with enhanced resistance to EAB.

You hold a PhD degree in Biology or Environmental Sciences and have a strong background in multivariate statistical analyses, chemical ecology, plant-herbivore interactions and experimental planning. Furthermore, we expect good knowledge in R programming, a good command of English, as well as strong skills in scientific paper writing. FORSAID encourages close collaborations among different European research groups. As such it is essential that you enjoy interacting with scientists of an interdisciplinary team and presenting your data to an international audience.

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Reposted by WSL Biodiversity Center

WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF @slfdavos.bsky.social · 7d

How do #alpine plants respond to #climatechange? Researchers from the #SLF are using warming chambers to investigate the long-term effects of rising temperatures. This is part of #ITEX, a global network for researching tundra and alpine vegetation.
www.slf.ch/en/news/plan...

Plant laboratory 2,480 metres above sea level

How the SLF is investigating the long-term effects of global warming on Alpine flora.

www.slf.ch

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Reposted by WSL Biodiversity Center

WSL Umweltforschung @wslresearch.bsky.social · 6d

🌳🐦‍ Introduced #insects often spread first in cities – can birds help to stop them? A WSL study shows that with 30% tree cover and more native ##trees, birds help with natural pest control. www.wsl.ch/en/news/bird... #Biodiversity #UrbanNature #InvasiveSpecies

Birds help with pest control

What role do birds and native trees play in the fight against invasive insects? The WSL investigated this in three Swiss cities.

www.wsl.ch

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WSL Biodiversity Center @wslbiodiversity.bsky.social · 14d

🗓️ Today @sofiavanmoorsel.bsky.social (University of Zurich) will present her work on drought sensitivity in European beech at our Seminar Series. Join us to hear more about intraspecific traits, VOCs, and imaging spectroscopy.
Everyone is welcome, in-person or online.

WSL Biodiversity Center @wslbiodiversity.bsky.social · 15d

How do physiological and biochemical traits underlie drought sensitivity in European beech?
Can imaging spectroscopy detect this intraspecific trait variation remotely?
Join our seminar tomorrow with @sofiavanmoorsel.bsky.social to discuss these questions.
biodiversitycenter.wsl.ch/en/events/de...

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WSL Biodiversity Center @wslbiodiversity.bsky.social · 15d

How do physiological and biochemical traits underlie drought sensitivity in European beech?
Can imaging spectroscopy detect this intraspecific trait variation remotely?
Join our seminar tomorrow with @sofiavanmoorsel.bsky.social to discuss these questions.
biodiversitycenter.wsl.ch/en/events/de...

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WSL Biodiversity Center @wslbiodiversity.bsky.social · 16d

Looking forward to the opening of this exhibition "Breaking the Code" tomorrow! 🧬🌳🍄

Christian Rellstab @christian-rellstab.bsky.social · 19d

exciting times ahead. the permanent exhibition "breaking the code" about genetic research at @wslresearch.bsky.social is opening soon!

with apprentices from ETH, we developed a computer game to assign white oak species (and their hybrids) based on leaf morphology and genetic markers.

stay tuned!

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Reposted by WSL Biodiversity Center

WSL Biodiversity Center @wslbiodiversity.bsky.social · 19d

Join us for our next Biodiversity Seminar (24 Sep) with @sofiavanmoorsel.bsky.social (University of Zurich):

Drought Responses and Intraspecific Variation in European Beech Across Europe.

All welcome, in-person or online!
biodiversitycenter.wsl.ch/en/events/de...

Announcement poster for a WSL Biodiversity Seminar titled "Drought Responses and Intraspecific Variation in European Beech Across Europe." The event features Sofia van Moorsel from the University of Zurich and takes place on September 24, 2025, from 11:00 to 12:00 CEST. It will be held in the Englersaal and online. The poster includes a photo of the speaker and the website biodiversitycenter.wsl.ch for more information.

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WSL Biodiversity Center @wslbiodiversity.bsky.social · 19d

Join us for our next Biodiversity Seminar (24 Sep) with @sofiavanmoorsel.bsky.social (University of Zurich):

Drought Responses and Intraspecific Variation in European Beech Across Europe.

All welcome, in-person or online!
biodiversitycenter.wsl.ch/en/events/de...

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Reposted by WSL Biodiversity Center

Christian Rellstab @christian-rellstab.bsky.social · 22d

Brand new!

Analyzing tree rings in common garden experiments in oak and beech, we show that phenotypic plasticity drives trait variation in both species. However, oak shows, in contrast to beech, also signs of adaptation and genetically-based plasticity.

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

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Reposted by WSL Biodiversity Center

Arthur Gessler @arthurobuntspecht.bsky.social · 21d

Air pollutants, biodiversity loss, and climate stress - the pressures on forests have changed. Long-term measurements are crucial for identifying impacts at an early stage. They are a basis for forest management and environmental policy. @waldwissen.bsky.social: www.waldwissen.net/en/technique...

Forest ecosystems in transition: the findings of 40 years of research

Air pollutants, biodiversity loss, climate stress - the pressures on forests have changed. Long-term measurements are essential to identify the effects at an early stage. The resulting data forms a ba...

www.waldwissen.net

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Reposted by WSL Biodiversity Center

WSL Umweltforschung @wslresearch.bsky.social · 21d

🌱🏙️ #PhDAlert! Interesse an transdisziplinärer Forschung? Erfahrung in empirischer #Sozialforschung und Kenntnisse zu #Raumentwicklung und #Partizipation? Unsere Wirtschafts- und Sozialwissenschaften bieten eine #PhD Stelle: apply.refline.ch/273855/1748/... #ScienceJobs #Umweltforschung

Stellenangebot: Die Forschungseinheit Wirtschafts- und Sozialwissenschaften bearbeitet wirtschaftliche, institutionelle und gesellschaftliche Fragen zu den WSL-Forschungsthemen Landschaft, natürlichen Ressourcen, Raumentwicklung und Naturgefahren und sucht im Rahmen des Projektes «RAVEN» des Nationalen Forschungsprogramms «Biodiversität und Ökosystemleistungen» (NFP 82) ab 1. Januar 2026 oder nach Vereinbarung für die Dauer von 4 Jahren eine/-n
Doktorandin / Doktoranden im Bereich sozialwissenschaftliche Umweltforschung (w/m/d)
Sie initiieren und begleiten in zwei Regionen in der Schweiz partizipative Prozesse, in denen Systemmodelle und darauf aufbauend räumlich explizite Visionen zur Förderung der Biodiversität in Landwirtschaft, Wald und Siedlung entwickelt werden. Sie führen selbständig qualitative und quantitative empirische Erhebungen durch (Interviews und standardisierte Befragungen), lassen die Ergebnisse in diese Prozesse einfliessen und verwenden sie zu deren Evaluation. Sie veröffentlichen Ihre Forschungsergebnisse in internationalen Fachzeitschriften und verfassen auf dieser Basis eine kumulative Dissertation. Daneben kommunizieren Sie gegenüber internen und externen Anspruchsgruppen und beteiligen sich bei der Ausarbeitung eines Leitfadens für die Praxis.
Sie weisen einen Hochschulabschluss in Sozial- oder Wirtschaftsgeographie, Umweltwissenschaften, Soziologie, Politikwissenschaft oder in verwandten Gebieten vor. Zudem haben Sie bereits Erfahrung in empirischer Sozialforschung, die Fähigkeit zur eigenständigen Projektbearbeitung, Kenntnisse zu Themen der räumlichen Entwicklung und Partizipation sowie Interesse an transdisziplinärer Forschung. Erfahrungen im Publizieren und Präsentieren eigener Arbeiten sind von Vorteil. Sehr gute Deutsch- und Englischkenntnisse sind unerlässlich. Sie sind initiativ, engagiert und kommunikativ, arbeiten gerne selbständig sowie in einem interdisziplinären Team.

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WSL Biodiversity Center @wslbiodiversity.bsky.social · 28d

What are the interconnections between livelihoods, biodiversity, and the services that connect the two?
Maria J. Santos (University of Zurich) will address this question at our Biodiversity Seminar today.
Join us in-person or online!
10 Sep at 11 am CEST
biodiversitycenter.wsl.ch/en/events/de...

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Reposted by WSL Biodiversity Center

Helena Vallicrosa @vallicrosah.bsky.social · Sep 5

Sampling success at the @arnoldarboretum.bsky.social with @alyssakullberg.bsky.social and Thibaut. What an amazing place to work! If you have temperature thresholds data and want to join forces, let us know! You'll make us and @charlottegrossiord.bsky.social happy.

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Reposted by WSL Biodiversity Center

ELE-ETHWSL.bsky.social @ele-ethwsl.bsky.social · Sep 8

Proud to see our work showcased at the Swiss Pavilion of the Expo 2025 in Osaka!

Over the years, we have co-designed robotic and eDNA technologies that can reveal the hidden presence of species and provide an early warning against invasive ones.

Image credits:

© FDFA, Presence Switzerland

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WSL Biodiversity Center @wslbiodiversity.bsky.social · 29d

Congratulations to Catherine Graham, Head of our Biodiversity Center, on being elected to the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina!
She and her group study the ecological and macro-evolutionary mechanisms, acting across different spatial scales, that influence biodiversity #WomenInSciences

WSL Umweltforschung @wslresearch.bsky.social · 29d

🌿🐝🌸Congratulations! 🌼🐞🌳 WSL scientist Catherine Graham has been elected to be a member of the German National Academy of Sciences – Leopodina 🐛🌲🦋 www.wsl.ch/en/news/wsl-... @leopoldina.org #research #biodiversity #evolution

WSL researcher appointed to German academy

The German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina has accepted the biodiversity researcher Catherine Graham and thus honoured her achievements.

www.wsl.ch

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Reposted by WSL Biodiversity Center

WSL Biodiversity Center @wslbiodiversity.bsky.social · Sep 8

Our biodiversity seminar series is back!
This Wednesday (10 Sep), Maria J. Santos (UZH) will discuss how social-ecological processes shape biodiversity, and how biodiversity in turn regulates these processes.
Join us in-person or online! Everyone is welcome
biodiversitycenter.wsl.ch/en/events/de...

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WSL Biodiversity Center @wslbiodiversity.bsky.social · Sep 8

Our biodiversity seminar series is back!
This Wednesday (10 Sep), Maria J. Santos (UZH) will discuss how social-ecological processes shape biodiversity, and how biodiversity in turn regulates these processes.
Join us in-person or online! Everyone is welcome
biodiversitycenter.wsl.ch/en/events/de...

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WSL Biodiversity Center @wslbiodiversity.bsky.social · Sep 5

🍂 Fall is here, and so is the WSL Biodiversity Seminar Series! From genetics to social-ecological systems, this semester we’ll have 7 fascinating talks on biodiversity research.
Everyone is welcome, in person or online!
biodiversitycenter.wsl.ch/en/events/
@wslresearch.bsky.social

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Reposted by WSL Biodiversity Center

WSL Umweltforschung @wslresearch.bsky.social · Aug 28

🪵 #PhDAlert! MSc in #Environmental Sciences or a related field? Experience in #radiocarbon and #StableIsotope measurements? Our #Dendrosciences group is offering a 4-year #PhD position in #palaeoclimatology & #palaeoecology: apply.refline.ch/273855/1764/... #ScienceJobs #dendrochronology #dendrology

Job offer:
PhD student in Palaeoclimatology/-ecology (f/m/d)
As part of the SNF-project Signatures of Global Late Glacial Climate Change in Tree-Ring Records (SiGnaL), co-led by the Dendrosciences group at WSL and the Laboratory of Ion Beam Physics (LIP) at ETH Zurich, you will, along with two other PhD students and technicians, contribute to understanding the nature and drivers of abrupt climate changes during the Late Glacial period (approximately 11’000-15’000 years ago). Your work will include the collection, measurement, and integration of fossil wood and tree-ring material from various global sites. Through a multi-proxy approach - combining radiocarbon dating, stable isotope ratios, and quantitative wood anatomy - you will help to date and synchronize records across regions and reconstruct regional to global climate dynamics. This will help refine our understanding of Late Glacial climate dynamics and contribute to improvements of the global radiocarbon calibration curve.

You have a Master's degree in Environmental Sciences, Earth Sciences, or a related field, and preferably have already gained experience with radio-carbon and stable isotope measurements. You are comfortable analyzing and visualizing data in R or Python and are motivated to publish your results in scientific journals. You enjoy to work in the lab, with large datasets, and have an interest in interdisciplinary and international research. You like to work independently, structured and accurate. You are communicative and team-oriented and have excellent spoken and written English language skills as well as at least the knowledge of one Swiss national language.

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Reposted by WSL Biodiversity Center

WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF @slfdavos.bsky.social · Aug 28

Data from 50 years of research at the #Stillberg afforestation site in #Davos shows that trees should be at least twice as high as the #snowpack to prevent avalanches. In addition, evergreen conifers hold back more #snow.

All details: www.slf.ch/en/news/when...

📷️ W. Schönenberger / #SLF

When trees can protect against avalanches

A question of height: SLF research shows when protection forests really work – 50 years of data from Stillberg.

www.slf.ch

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

New paper from the #Stillberg afforestation site (50 years of data!): Growing trees decrease the frequency of avalanche release in an alpine afforestation in the Swiss Alps
Link to the paper:
doi.org/10.1016/j.co...

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Reposted by WSL Biodiversity Center

WSL Extremes Research Program @extremeswsl.bsky.social · Aug 29

🔬 Ever wondered what #EXtremes researchers get up to?

🍃🐛 Here, the ALANex team are photographing beech leaves with a custom photo box to analyze herbivore activity under different light conditions—shedding light (literally!) on ecosystem responses.

📸 Credit: Julia Kappeler
#ScienceInAction

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WSL Biodiversity Center @wslbiodiversity.bsky.social · Sep 1

Congratulations on your new role, @arthurobuntspecht.bsky.social! We look forward to continuing and expanding our collaboration.

WSL Umweltforschung @wslresearch.bsky.social · Sep 1

🌳🐦‍⬛ Arthur Gessler @arthurobuntspecht.bsky.social is the new head of the Forest and Soil Ecology research unit at WSL. His work aims to understand how forests respond to environmental changes such as heat and drought. Congratulations! www.wsl.ch/en/news/new-... #forest #forestecology #drought

New head of the Forest and Soil Ecology Research Unit

The renowned forest ecologist Arthur Gessler is appointed head of the new WSL research unit.

www.wsl.ch

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