Climate change and polar bear blogs revisited: the importance of scientists speaking out
A paper by NIOO researcher Jeff Harvey on the fate of polar bears and its coverage by internet blogs has been widely read and cited by social and other media - including Newsweek and The New York Times - since coming out just over a year ago. But Harvey has also had to fend off some personal attacks from deniers of climate change. “Doom scenarios can be put on ice”, said a recent headline in...(read more)
30-01-2019
30-01-2019
Extreme weather of 2018 challenged ecologists "to think along broader lines"
The long, hot summer of 2018 goes down in Dutch history as the warmest in three centuries. But how long will its record stand? NIOO researchers Dedmer van de Waal, Annelein Meisner and Wietse de Boer are preparing for new challenges ahead. Dedmer van de Waal (NIOO-KNAW) Even before the summer started breaking weather records, aquatic ecologist Dedmer van de Waal was aware that something was out...(read more)
03-01-2019
03-01-2019
'Huge' mandate for worldwide soil biodiversity analysis
Biodiversity is under pressure throughout the world, but how much do we know about the worldwide state of that most vital of resources: the soil?(read more)
03-12-2018
03-12-2018
Jos Raaijmakers and Wim van der Putten on global list of highly cited researchers
Clarivate Analytics has published its annual Web of Science list of highly cited researchers. Included this year are NIOO researchers Jos Raaijmakers and Wim van der Putten. According to Clarivate, the list "recognizes world-class researchers selected for their exceptional research performance, demonstrated by production of multiple highly cited papers that rank in the top 1% by citations for...(read more)
28-11-2018
28-11-2018
A matter of ratio(s): how to relate to the elements in your life
It's elementary, my dear Watson! All life on earth is composed of the same, vital elements. Carbon (abbreviated as capital C) is crucial for our energy supply in the form of carbs, fats and sugars. Nitrogen (N) is an important part of proteins, the 'workhorse' molecules of life. And phosphorus (P) is a component of DNA as well as a key to the growth and repair of tissue, including our bones...(read more)
19-11-2018
19-11-2018
Soil Animal Days 2018: Woodlice back on top, slugs deterred by drought
The 4th edition of the Dutch Soil Animal Days saw 856 'citizen scientists' comb through more than 200 gardens and parks to find some 7500 soil creatures. Findings that stand out after this year's long, dry summer: woodlice have regained their ubiquitous status, while slugs were spotted in fewer...(read more)
Published 08-11-2018
"Rewilding landscapes can help to solve more than one problem"
Urbanisation, biodiversity loss, climate change: just some of the worldwide problems 'rewilding' - i.e. restoring food chains by returning 'missing' species to the landscape - can help tackle. Researcher Liesbeth Bakker (NIOO-KNAW) has edited a theme issue of the world's oldest life sciences...(read more)
Published 23-10-2018
'Biodiversity warrior' Louise Vet tops Dutch sustainability list
NIOO-KNAW director Louise Vet is the new number 1 in the Sustainable 100, the annual list of the Netherlands' "greenest thinkers and doers" published by the national newspaper Trouw . According to the jury, Vet is both: a scientific thinker about the decline of biodiversity, but also someone who takes action in the form of the ambitious Master Plan for Recovering Biodiversity . The many recent...(read more)
11-10-2018
11-10-2018
Project HEATSTORE: European boost to energy transition
With the commencement of the European HEATSTORE project to the tune of €16 million, six demonstration projects in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France and Switzerland aim to get technologies for the seasonal underground storage of heat transferred to industry and on to market. One of the Dutch 'showcases' for the project is NIOO-KNAW in Wageningen. The heating and cooling sector is vitally...(read more)
04-10-2018
04-10-2018
Festival season for NIOO
NIOO is a regular visitor at festivals, with festival stands explaining our research and demonstrating the necessity of ecological knowledge in a fun way. Earlier this month, we were present at not one but two popular events: the World Port Days 2018 and Wageningen UR's WUR100 centenary festival...(read more)
Published 18-09-2018
Marker Wadden: surprisingly rich banquet for birds & fish
On Saturday 8 September, the first island of the new Marker Wadden was opened to the public. Visitors will now be able to see for themselves how abundant nature has already become in this newest part of the Netherlands. Liesbeth Bakker at the official opening (photograph: Wouter van Steenis) The man-made archipelago is destined to become a paradise for all kinds of birds. Even though the official...(read more)
06-09-2018
06-09-2018
'Sustainable Ribbon' to honour NIOO director Louise Vet
The first Tuesday in September in the Netherlands is Sustainable Tuesday, an initiative aimed at giving 'sustainable' ideas from society a wider political platform. Each year on Sustainable Tuesday, three pioneers in the field of sustainability receive a special decoration. Among the recipients this year: NIOO director Louise Vet. Organised by the Institute for Nature Education and Sustainability...(read more)
04-09-2018
04-09-2018
Missing microbes and the wild side of plants
Wild relatives of crop plants tend to be less vulnerable to diseases and pests. A possible explanation lies in the 'microbiome', the sum total of micro-organisms in and around the plant. An article published recently by a team of NIOO-researchers points at significant differences between the microbiomes of wild plants and those of their domesticated cousins . Earlier research had already shown...(read more)
03-09-2018
03-09-2018
Root chemistry of range-expanding plants may predict invasiveness risk
Most plants that expand their range within their own continent - e.g. under pressure from climate change - won't end up dominating other species. According to NIOO-researcher Rutger Wilschut, possible invasiveness may be predicted by root chemistry not found in native plants. Wilschut recently...(read more)
Published 30-08-2018
Rubicon travel grant for two young NIOO researchers
Barbara Tomotani and Jasper Wubs, who both completed their PhD thesis last year based on research done at NIOO, are among the twenty winners of a Dutch Rubicon grant. The grants give young researchers the opportunity to do research at leading institutes abroad. Barbara Tomotani To find out more about the present, you sometimes have to go back into the past. That's no news to Barbara Mizumo...(read more)
26-07-2018
26-07-2018
Arctic geese speed up their migration but still face global warming trouble
As Arctic temperatures continue to rise, barnacle geese are increasingly at risk of arriving in their breeding areas too late. The good news is that they can speed up their 3,000 kilometre migration to the Arctic, by making fewer stops along the way. The bad news? Even if they do race through their journey, it may still not be enough... Fewer barnacle goose chicks survive long enough to leave...(read more)
19-07-2018
19-07-2018
Triple 'excellent' score for Dutch ecology
An independent committee of international researchers has given the Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW) top marks in all three categories of its assessment. The findings of the key, six-yearly review have just been published. NIOO-director Louise Vet has welcomed the committee's...(read more)
Published 19-07-2018
Protists: hidden majority in the soil
Our ecological knowledge used to end where the soil begins. That's slowly changing, but there are still some soil creatures we know very little about. Protists, for example. These tiny, mostly unicellular organisms are on their way to becoming a "fertile frontier" in biological research, argues NIOO-researcher Stefan Geisen. Stefan Geisen (NIOO-KNAW) So what's a protist?! It's a question NIOO's...(read more)
22-06-2018
22-06-2018
Backswimmer most counted water animal during Dutch Ditch Days
This past weekend, thousands of children and adults took part in the first nationwide 'citizen science' ditch survey in the Netherlands. During the Dutch Ditch Days, they counted aquatic animals and/or performed simple water quality tests at more than 120 locations. The most counted water animals...(read more)
Published 11-06-2018
'Dutch Ditch Days' kick off on 8 June: join the fun!
From 8 to 10 June, the Institute for Nature Education and Sustainability (IVN) will organise the fifth edition of the Dutch Ditch Days ('Slootjesdagen'). This time, the event includes a nationwide 'citizen science' project together with NIOO-KNAW, aimed at examining the state of health of ditches in the Netherlands. A Secchi disc IVN is a non-profit organisation that promotes awareness of nature...(read more)
05-06-2018
05-06-2018
