50 years of treeline- and ecological research at our @slfdavos.bsky.social research site at Stillberg in Davos. Great fun to present some findings together with @annekempel.bsky.social to a super interested audience and some junior scientists.

To investigate the role of the microbes in the plant’s prey digestion, we excluded macro-inquilines, provided prey to the pitchers, and sterilised the digestive fluid daily using UV light over a two-month period. We then compared the physiological responses of plants with and without microbes. 4/7

Despite the fluid’s acidity and enzymatic activity, a range of organisms – including arthropods, rotifers, and microbes – live inside the pitchers. These so-called inquilines may compete with the plant, aid digestion, N-enrich the fluid, or have no effect at all. 3/7

Nepenthes hemsleyana grows in nutrient-poor soils and acquires nutrients by capturing arthropods and collecting faeces from bats that roost inside its pitchers. It then secretes digestive enzymes into the fluid to break down prey and access nutrients. 2/7

That was fun! Creating a summary figure for a paper on pitcher plants escalated slightly when I couldn’t find what I needed and decided to draw it myself…

Thanks to @annekempel.bsky.social our @bugnet.bsky.social data collection workflow is now fully digitised which saves an incredible amount of time! Also, with access to our database in the field, we have all relevant information at hand… 🐛

Absolutely thrilled that our Biotremology meets Klangkunst tour with the fantastic Chuchchepati Orchestra from last year has been released on vinyl! And I can hardly believe that @monikaeberhard.bsky.social and I were invited to write the foreword - what an honour! unitrecords.com/artists/chuc...

Perfect day for fieldwork at our @bugnet.bsky.social site @slfdavos.bsky.social

Looking back on a very inspiring World Biodiversity Forum in Davos. I enjoyed especially the great mixture of talks from ecology, social sciences, philosophy and arts! #WBF2024

Very nice public lecture by @annekempel.bsky.social about Biodiversity (and why it’s important for our beer) @ the World Biodiversity Forum in Davos! Btw: the economic value that pollinators bring to humanity is equivalent to the annual revenue from beer consumption worldwide! #WBF2024

A very warm welcome to our @bugnet.bsky.social intern Léon Lepesant who will join our team @slfdavos.bsky.social for this summer!

Interested in novel plant-herbivore interactions caused by climate change? @annekempel.bsky.social and I are offering cool topics for a master thesis at @slfdavos.bsky.social this summer as part of @bugnet.bsky.social

Wanna be part of the @bugnet.bsky.social project and investigate plant-herbivore interactions in a changing world?

Join @annekempel.bsky.social
and me @slfdavos.bsky.social and apply for this very cool paid 4 months internship during summer: m.refline.ch/273855/1613/...

The @slfdavos.bsky.social
@bugnet.bsky.social team well represented #Biology24Zurich. Come to the poster of our master student Trix Junghardt to learn about first insights about drivers of herbivore and pathogen damage in alpine plant communities!
-with @annekempel.bsky.social