Jonas Lembrechts
@jlembrechts.bsky.social
Assistant professor at @UtrechtUniversity
Microclimate @MEB-network
Mountains @MIREN
Citizen science @CurieuzeNeuzen and @DeOorzaak
Ecological scaling @EcoFracNet
Environmental science
64%
Geography
18%
How to not be swamped by your microclimate data
Microclimate data are finally finding their way more routineously into ecological models – and rightly so. Hooray for that! The growing availability of in-situ measurements is helping us brid…
the3dlab.org
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...
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...
A tale of homogenisation
I’ve always been intrigued by ecological scaling – it’s literally in my title: Assistant Professor in Ecological Scaling. One of the main reasons we care so much about scaling is that ecologi…
the3dlab.org
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...
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...
Cliffhanger: Am I, as a climber, a threat or a treasure for plant diversity on rock cliffs?
Translation of the submission for the pop-sci writing competition ‘Vlaamse Scriptiepijs’ by team member Sarane Coen With the River Meuse flowing far below, I search for the way up to the top. With…
the3dlab.org
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
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
It definitely does, although we looked at plants in our study, so wouldn't dare to generalize that broadly :)
Jonas Lembrechts
@jlembrechts.bsky.social
· Sep 30
Identifying divergence time and paleoclimate change hotspots for better conservation under future climate change
Predicting species distributions under climate change is essential for biodiversity conservation and ecosystem management. However, the role of specie…
www.sciencedirect.com
Paper here: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Jonas Lembrechts
@jlembrechts.bsky.social
· Aug 16
A workflow for microclimate sensor networks: Integrating geographic tools, statistics, and local knowledge
Wireless environmental sensors have become integral tools in environmental and conservation research, offering diverse data streams that complement tr…
www.sciencedirect.com
Paper in Ecological Informatics here: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Jonas Lembrechts
@jlembrechts.bsky.social
· Aug 11
Monocultures
Our EcoFracNet biodiversity monitoring project is gathering momentum. Over the past months, we’ve been roaming the Netherlands, clipboards in hand, from endless heathlands to city parks, to record …
the3dlab.org
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/
Where in our flat little country do you think the highest plant diversity hides? Suggestions welcome!
👉 the3dlab.org/2025/08/11/monocultures/
Soil microbes care little about your climate gradients
We had a hunch: the biogeography of soil microbial communities was going to be messy. Even less than plants or animals, microbes aren’t paying attention to the broad-brush macroclimatic gradients t…
the3dlab.org
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...
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...
Reposted by Jonathan Lenoir, Julie L. Lockwood
Jonas Lembrechts
@jlembrechts.bsky.social
· Jul 20
Extremes
I’ve just returned from a field visit to northern Sweden – above the Arctic Circle. It was close to thirty degrees Celsius this week. We nearly got burned off the mountain. This kind of heat …
the3dlab.org
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...
Summary: the3dlab.org/2025/07/20/e...
Paper: sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Jonas Lembrechts
@jlembrechts.bsky.social
· Jul 12
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...
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...
Reposted by Jonathan von Oppen
Jonas Lembrechts
@jlembrechts.bsky.social
· Jul 11
MEB mailing list sign-up
docs.google.com
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...
docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
Join EcoFracNet – we’ve got sensors!
Whether you’re already knee-deep in site planning for EcoFracNet or MicroFracnet, or just hearing about it for the first time, we’ve got some exciting news to share—and maybe even a little in…
the3dlab.org
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
🛰️ Limited sensors available, so act fast.
📍 Details + how to join:
the3dlab.org/2025/07/04/j...
@willpearse.bsky.social
Reposted by Aníbal Pauchard
Jonas Lembrechts
@jlembrechts.bsky.social
· Jun 30
🌍🌱Esta mañana, nuestro director @anibalpauchard.bsky.social, participó como panelista en el Seminario "Innovation Together" sobre materias primas, valorización de residuos y acción climática.
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!
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!
Jonas Lembrechts
@jlembrechts.bsky.social
· Jun 28
Boots in the bog
Far in the north of the Netherlands, on the border of Friesland and Drenthe, lies an endless sea of moor-grass, heather, and rushes – spread out across one of the last active raised bogs in t…
the3dlab.org
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...
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...
Reposted by Aníbal Pauchard, Jonas J. Lembrechts
🌍🌱Esta mañana, nuestro director @anibalpauchard.bsky.social, participó como panelista en el Seminario "Innovation Together" sobre materias primas, valorización de residuos y acción climática.
Jonas Lembrechts
@jlembrechts.bsky.social
· Jun 21
Ecological Fractal Network - Home
Ecological Fractal Network.
ecofracnetwork.github.io
Very welcome!
All information here: ecofracnetwork.github.io
All information here: ecofracnetwork.github.io
Reposted by Juan Rocha
Jonas Lembrechts
@jlembrechts.bsky.social
· Jun 21
EcoFracNet at the farm
Our EcoFracNet project aims to uncover patterns of biodiversity across all kinds of landscapes — including those where biodiversity isn’t necessary a priority, like agricultural areas. Even these l…
the3dlab.org
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...
the3dlab.org/2025/06/21/e...
Jonas Lembrechts
@jlembrechts.bsky.social
· Jun 17
We just love hearing the sound of nature
In a region like Flanders – dense, busy, and full of human activities of all shapes and sizes – the problem of noise pollution is increasingly recognized. We often think of that noise a…
the3dlab.org
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...
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...
Beyond the Trail—Understanding Non‐Native Plant Invasions in Mountain Ecosystems
Aim We aimed to examine the abiotic, biotic and anthropogenic drivers of non-native plant species distribution along hiking trails in mountainous regions. Location Nine mountain regions across six...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
Paper led mainly by Agustina Barros, Eduardo Fuentes-Lillo and myself, published in GEB - you can find it here: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Jonas Lembrechts
@jlembrechts.bsky.social
· May 31
SoilTemp is now MEB!
Over the past six years, I’ve poured my heart into SoilTemp. What started as a vision for a global soil temperature database quickly grew into something much more: a living, breathing community of …
the3dlab.org
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...
Let me show you all the ways you can get involved here:
the3dlab.org/2025/05/31/s...
Reposted by Jonas J. Lembrechts
@bengoldfarb.bsky.social subterranean road ecology!!
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www.instagram.com
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/
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/
Jonas Lembrechts
@jlembrechts.bsky.social
· Apr 20
I think this is a Galium of some sort, no? Paris quadrifolia is supposed to have quadri folias - four leaves. Beautiful in any case!
Jonas Lembrechts
@jlembrechts.bsky.social
· Apr 20
The Assumptions of the Tea Bag Index and Their Implications: A Reply to Mori 2025
Responding to Mori (2025), we discuss that the TBI's simplifications are essential to its ease of use. However, their implications necessitate careful attention, especially regarding appropriate incu....
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
Paper led by Judith Sarneel here: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Jonas Lembrechts
@jlembrechts.bsky.social
· Apr 20
The Tea Bag Index: simple on the surface, complex beneath
Oftentimes the simplest scientific methods hide a whole iceberg of complexity. The Tea Bag Index (TBI) is no exception. On the face of it, it’s brilliantly straightforward: bury some green an…
the3dlab.org
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...
the3dlab.org/2025/04/20/t...
Reposted by Jonas J. Lembrechts
Jonathan Lenoir 🌳🌲🌴
@jonlen.bsky.social
· Mar 30
🚨 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
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!!
meb-network.com/meb-2026/
Microclimate scientists: save the date in your agenda!!
Reposted by Jonas J. Lembrechts
GBIF Morpho 🦋
@gbifmorpho.bsky.social
· Mar 18
GUBIC: The global urban biological invasions compendium for plants
By integrating multiple data sources, we compiled a Global Urban Biological Invasions Compendium (GUBIC) for vascular plants representing 553 urban centres from 61 countries across every continent ex...
doi.org
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
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...
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...
Spring has sprung! For us, that means the real start of our #MicroFracNet #biodiversity monitoring project across the Netherlands. All ecologists still invited to join! More info here --> the3dlab.org/2025/02/10/m...
Pictured: some little flowery surprises from Utrecht University
Pictured: some little flowery surprises from Utrecht University