Johannes Merz
@mosssoup2.bsky.social
Master BiodivEcoEvo student in Leipzig, interested in (plant) Ecology, Conservation/Restoration; and evo approaches to eco questions ;)
Pinned
Johannes Merz
@mosssoup2.bsky.social
· Sep 9
Sphagnum fallax in a mesotrophic sloping fen in central Germany 🌿
Cladonia stellaris in the snow ❄️
January 22, 2026 at 5:22 PM
Cladonia stellaris in the snow ❄️
Reposted by Johannes Merz
New online! The biodiversity, genomics, ecology and evolution of mushroom-forming fungi
The biodiversity, genomics, ecology and evolution of mushroom-forming fungi
Nature Reviews Biodiversity, Published online: 02 December 2025; doi:10.1038/s44358-025-00107-zMushroom-forming fungi have along evolutionary history and a suite of important ecological roles. This Review highlights advances in understanding of Agaricomycetes evolution and ecology driven by genomic research.
bit.ly
December 2, 2025 at 5:06 PM
New online! The biodiversity, genomics, ecology and evolution of mushroom-forming fungi
Preprint available :)
Small-scale fen restoration brings back key species and ecosystem functions 🌿
Small-scale fen restoration brings back key species and ecosystem functions 🌿
January 13, 2026 at 3:58 PM
Preprint available :)
Small-scale fen restoration brings back key species and ecosystem functions 🌿
Small-scale fen restoration brings back key species and ecosystem functions 🌿
Reposted by Johannes Merz
Small-scale fen restoration brings back key species and ecosystem functions https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.01.01.697300v1
January 2, 2026 at 11:31 PM
Small-scale fen restoration brings back key species and ecosystem functions https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.01.01.697300v1
Did you know there are freshwater sponges in Germany?
Spongilla lancustris is a demosponge growing in shallow, clear and clean ponds, lakes etc. it becomes dormant in winter and can survive dry periods!
seen today in a dry pond in northern bavaria :)
Spongilla lancustris is a demosponge growing in shallow, clear and clean ponds, lakes etc. it becomes dormant in winter and can survive dry periods!
seen today in a dry pond in northern bavaria :)
December 26, 2025 at 5:46 PM
Did you know there are freshwater sponges in Germany?
Spongilla lancustris is a demosponge growing in shallow, clear and clean ponds, lakes etc. it becomes dormant in winter and can survive dry periods!
seen today in a dry pond in northern bavaria :)
Spongilla lancustris is a demosponge growing in shallow, clear and clean ponds, lakes etc. it becomes dormant in winter and can survive dry periods!
seen today in a dry pond in northern bavaria :)
Reposted by Johannes Merz
How to measure seed longevity in storage when comparing accessions or species? We looked in detail at the most widely used measure (p50) and found out that it is... suboptimal at best. We highlight alternatives. @gfoesoc.bsky.social @unimarburg.bsky.social
Limitations of p50 as a measure of seed longevity in comparative studies and the way forward
New in #AppsPlantSci by Klepka, Carta, Hay & @annabucharova.bsky.social
bsapubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.... #botany #plantscience #seedviability #seedbank #genebank #plantconservation
New in #AppsPlantSci by Klepka, Carta, Hay & @annabucharova.bsky.social
bsapubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.... #botany #plantscience #seedviability #seedbank #genebank #plantconservation
December 5, 2025 at 5:33 AM
How to measure seed longevity in storage when comparing accessions or species? We looked in detail at the most widely used measure (p50) and found out that it is... suboptimal at best. We highlight alternatives. @gfoesoc.bsky.social @unimarburg.bsky.social
Restored open pit coal mining site near Leipzig, quite interesting pioneer habitat :)
December 5, 2025 at 4:25 PM
Restored open pit coal mining site near Leipzig, quite interesting pioneer habitat :)
Some white beams endemic to franconia, northern bavaria :)
Karpatiosorbus franconica and Hedlundia pulchra
Karpatiosorbus franconica and Hedlundia pulchra
December 3, 2025 at 7:55 AM
Some white beams endemic to franconia, northern bavaria :)
Karpatiosorbus franconica and Hedlundia pulchra
Karpatiosorbus franconica and Hedlundia pulchra
Reposted by Johannes Merz
Happy to finally share this important article on barriers in ecology led by @canobarbacil.bsky.social in the journal Frontiers in Ecology & the Environment. The idea for this paper originated at the nice #ANdiNA workshop in Spain a couple of years ago.
Why do so many ecologists share common feelings of disconnection between their research goals and real-world impact? 🌍
Our new article in #FE&E explores the constraints that limit ecological research and how we can mitigate them. 👇
esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Our new article in #FE&E explores the constraints that limit ecological research and how we can mitigate them. 👇
esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Overcoming barriers that limit the impact of ecological research
Ecology and conservation researchers have diverse goals that often include both personal career aspirations and desires to enhance the well-being of the natural world and its inhabitants. Perception ....
esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
November 21, 2025 at 6:05 PM
Happy to finally share this important article on barriers in ecology led by @canobarbacil.bsky.social in the journal Frontiers in Ecology & the Environment. The idea for this paper originated at the nice #ANdiNA workshop in Spain a couple of years ago.
Reposted by Johannes Merz
New study led by @lsachsenmaier.bsky.social @agwirthweigelt.bsky.social shows: forest stands made up of tree species with different water-use strategies (not just many species) grow better in drought years. #iDivResearch #Biodiversity
www.idiv.de/diverse-fore...
www.idiv.de/diverse-fore...
Diverse forests are more resistant to climate change
www.idiv.de
November 13, 2025 at 11:04 AM
New study led by @lsachsenmaier.bsky.social @agwirthweigelt.bsky.social shows: forest stands made up of tree species with different water-use strategies (not just many species) grow better in drought years. #iDivResearch #Biodiversity
www.idiv.de/diverse-fore...
www.idiv.de/diverse-fore...
Reposted by Johannes Merz
📢 New publication ' #Bryophytes hold a larger gene family space than vascular plants' by Shanshan Dong et al. in @natgenet.nature.com 🧬🧪
doi.org/10.1038/s415...
#evolution #pangenome
doi.org/10.1038/s415...
#evolution #pangenome
Bryophytes hold a larger gene family space than vascular plants - Nature Genetics
A super-pangenome analysis incorporating 123 newly sequenced bryophyte genomes reveals that bryophytes exhibit a larger number of unique and lineage-specific gene families than vascular plants.
doi.org
October 20, 2025 at 12:29 AM
📢 New publication ' #Bryophytes hold a larger gene family space than vascular plants' by Shanshan Dong et al. in @natgenet.nature.com 🧬🧪
doi.org/10.1038/s415...
#evolution #pangenome
doi.org/10.1038/s415...
#evolution #pangenome
some fancy Ascophyllum🌿
October 2, 2025 at 5:25 AM
some fancy Ascophyllum🌿
Reposted by Johannes Merz
🌲 Boreal-tundra species drive Arctic plant borealization 🌲
Our new study in #EcologyLetters quantifies tundra plant borealization, assesses its main drivers and identifies the species & traits contributing to borealization.
doi.org/10.1111/ele....
🧵 (1/6) 🌐🧪🌱🌍
Our new study in #EcologyLetters quantifies tundra plant borealization, assesses its main drivers and identifies the species & traits contributing to borealization.
doi.org/10.1111/ele....
🧵 (1/6) 🌐🧪🌱🌍
September 22, 2025 at 7:29 AM
🌲 Boreal-tundra species drive Arctic plant borealization 🌲
Our new study in #EcologyLetters quantifies tundra plant borealization, assesses its main drivers and identifies the species & traits contributing to borealization.
doi.org/10.1111/ele....
🧵 (1/6) 🌐🧪🌱🌍
Our new study in #EcologyLetters quantifies tundra plant borealization, assesses its main drivers and identifies the species & traits contributing to borealization.
doi.org/10.1111/ele....
🧵 (1/6) 🌐🧪🌱🌍
Sphagnum fallax in a mesotrophic sloping fen in central Germany 🌿
September 9, 2025 at 5:26 AM
Sphagnum fallax in a mesotrophic sloping fen in central Germany 🌿
Its sometimes a narrow line between a "garden" and a protected boulder field with glacial relict species ;)
September 7, 2025 at 10:48 AM
Its sometimes a narrow line between a "garden" and a protected boulder field with glacial relict species ;)
Sphagnum girgensohnii in an alder carr in southern finland :)
September 4, 2025 at 11:39 AM
Sphagnum girgensohnii in an alder carr in southern finland :)
A collapsing Palsa in northern Finland; seen this week.
Palsas are peat-covered hills, often a few meters high, that contains a core of permafrost. They are only found in areas of discontinuous permafrost 🧊,
They will be likely gone soon due to climate change 🌿
nordia.journal.fi/article/view...
Palsas are peat-covered hills, often a few meters high, that contains a core of permafrost. They are only found in areas of discontinuous permafrost 🧊,
They will be likely gone soon due to climate change 🌿
nordia.journal.fi/article/view...
September 3, 2025 at 8:26 AM
A collapsing Palsa in northern Finland; seen this week.
Palsas are peat-covered hills, often a few meters high, that contains a core of permafrost. They are only found in areas of discontinuous permafrost 🧊,
They will be likely gone soon due to climate change 🌿
nordia.journal.fi/article/view...
Palsas are peat-covered hills, often a few meters high, that contains a core of permafrost. They are only found in areas of discontinuous permafrost 🧊,
They will be likely gone soon due to climate change 🌿
nordia.journal.fi/article/view...
Botrychium boreale in coastal dune vegetation, subarctic norway 🌿🌊
September 2, 2025 at 12:21 PM
Botrychium boreale in coastal dune vegetation, subarctic norway 🌿🌊
Have a nice weekend!
Sphagnum cuspidatum 🌿
Sphagnum cuspidatum 🌿
August 22, 2025 at 10:06 AM
Have a nice weekend!
Sphagnum cuspidatum 🌿
Sphagnum cuspidatum 🌿
Sphagnum divinum at its best
autom colors starting to sneak in 🍁🍂
autom colors starting to sneak in 🍁🍂
August 21, 2025 at 11:33 AM
Sphagnum divinum at its best
autom colors starting to sneak in 🍁🍂
autom colors starting to sneak in 🍁🍂
Gymnomitrion species from the arctic tundra :)
G. concinnatum, G. corallioides (with sporophyte), G. brevissimum
G. concinnatum, G. corallioides (with sporophyte), G. brevissimum
August 20, 2025 at 10:43 AM
Gymnomitrion species from the arctic tundra :)
G. concinnatum, G. corallioides (with sporophyte), G. brevissimum
G. concinnatum, G. corallioides (with sporophyte), G. brevissimum
Have a nice weekend!
Sphagnum tumidulum :)
Sphagnum tumidulum :)
August 8, 2025 at 2:58 PM
Have a nice weekend!
Sphagnum tumidulum :)
Sphagnum tumidulum :)