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1/137
  • journal-article
    Liu, Chang; Van Meerbeek, Koenraad; 2024. Predicting the responses of European grassland communities to climate and land cover change.. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci; 2024; Vol. 379; iss. 1902; pp. 20230335 - ...
    LIRIAS4152265
    description
    European grasslands are among the most species-rich ecosystems on small spatial scales. However, human-induced activities like land use and climate change pose significant threats to this diversity. To explore how climate and land cover change will affect biodiversity and community composition in grassland ecosystems, we conducted joint species distribution models (SDMs) on the extensive vegetation-plot database sPlotOpen to project distributions of 1178 grassland species across Europe under current conditions and three future scenarios. We further compared model accuracy and computational efficiency between joint SDMs (JSDMs) and stacked SDMs, especially for rare species. Our results show that: (i) grassland communities in the mountain ranges are expected to suffer high rates of species loss, while those in western, northern and eastern Europe will experience substantial turnover; (ii) scaling anomalies were observed in the predicted species richness, reflecting regional differences in the dominant drivers of assembly processes; (iii) JSDMs did not outperform stacked SDMs in predictive power but demonstrated superior efficiency in model fitting and predicting; and (iv) incorporating co-occurrence datasets improved the model performance in predicting the distribution of rare species. This article is part of the theme issue 'Ecological novelty and planetary stewardship: biodiversity dynamics in a transforming biosphere'.

    Published
  • journal-article
    Kollert, Andreas; Mayr, Andreas; Dullinger, Stefan; Hülber, Karl; Moser, Dietmar; Lhermitte, Stefaan; Gascoin, Simon; Rutzinger, Martin; 2024. Downscaling MODIS NDSI to Sentinel-2 fractional snow cover by random forest regression. Remote Sensing Letters; 2024; Vol. 15; iss. 4; pp. 363 - 372
    LIRIAS4149029
    description

    Publisher: Taylor & Francis
    Published
  • journal-article
    Grünig, Marc; Rammer, Werner; Albrich, Katharina; André, Frédéric; Augustynczik, Andrey LD; Bohn, Friedrich; Bouwman, Meike; Bugmann, Harald; Collalti, Alessio; Cristal, Irina; Dalmonech, Daniela; De Caceres, Miguel; De Coligny, Francois; Dobor, Laura; Dollinger, Christina; Forrester, David I; Garcia-Gonzalo, Jordi; González, José Ramon; Hiltner, Ulrike; Hlásny, Tomas; Honkaniemi, Juha; Huber, Nica; Jonard, Mathieu; Maria Jönsson, Anna; Lagergren, Fredrik; Nieberg, Mats; Mina, Marco; Mohren, Fritz; Moos, Chrsitine; Morin, Xavier; Muys, Bart; Peltoniemi, Mikko; Reyer, Christopher PO; Storms, Ilié; Thom, Dominik; Toigo, Maude; Seidl, Rupert; 2024. A harmonized database of European forest simulations under climate change. Data in Brief; 2024; pp.
    LIRIAS4152175
    description
    Process-based forest models combine biological, physical, and chemical process understanding to simulate forest dynamics as an emergent property of the system. As such, they are valuable tools to investigate the effects of climate change on forest ecosystems. Specifically, they allow testing of hypotheses regarding long-term ecosystem dynamics and provide means to assess the impacts of climate scenarios on future forest development. As a consequence, numerous local-scale simulation studies have been conducted over the past decades to assess the impacts of climate change on forests. These studies apply the best available models tailored to local conditions, parameterized and evaluated by local experts. However, this treasure trove of knowledge on climate change responses remains underexplored to date, as a consistent and harmonized dataset of local model simulations is missing. Here, our objectives were (i) to compile existing local simulations on forest development under climate change in Europe in a common database, (ii) to harmonize them to a common suite of output variables, and (iii) to provide a standardized vector of auxiliary environmental variables for each simulated location to aid subsequent investigations. Our dataset of European stand- and landscape-level forest simulations contains over 1.1 million simulation runs representing 135 million simulation years for more than 13,000 unique locations spread across Europe. The data were harmonized to consistently describe forest development in terms of stand structure (dominant height), composition (dominant species, admixed species), and functioning (leaf area index). Auxiliary variables provided include consistent daily climate information (temperature, precipitation, radiation, vapor pressure deficit) as well as information on local site conditions (soil depth, soil physical properties, soil water holding capacity, plant-available nitrogen). The present dataset facilitates analyses across models and locations, with the aim to better harness the valuable information contained in local simulations for large-scale policy support, and for fostering a deeper understanding of the effects of climate change on forest ecosystems in Europe.
    Publisher: Elsevier
    Published online
  • journal-article
    Simões, Laura HP; Guillemot, Joannès; Ronquim, Carlos C; Weidlich, Emanuela WA; Muys, Bart; Fuza, Matheus S; Lima, Renato AF; Brancalion, Pedro HS; 2024. Green deserts, but not always: A global synthesis of native woody species regeneration under tropical tree monocultures.. Glob Chang Biol; 2024; Vol. 30; iss. 4; pp. e17269 - ...
    LIRIAS4152229
    description
    Tree monocultures constitute an increasing fraction of the global tree cover and are the dominant tree-growing strategy of forest landscape restoration commitments. Their advantages to produce timber are well known, but their value for biodiversity is highly controversial and context dependent. Therefore, understanding whether, and in which conditions, they can harbor native species regeneration is crucial. Here, we conducted meta-analyses based on a global survey of the literature and on a database created with local, unpublished studies throughout Brazil to evaluate the regeneration potential of native species under tree monocultures and the way management influences this regeneration. Native woody species regeneration under tree monocultures harbors a substantial fraction of the diversity (on average 40% and 68% in the global and Brazilian surveys, respectively) and abundance (on average 25% and 60% in the global and Brazilian surveys, respectively) of regeneration observed in natural forests. Plantations with longer rotation lengths, composed of native tree species, and located adjacent to forest remnants harbor more species. Pine plantations harbor more native individuals than eucalypt plantations, and the abundance of regenerating trees is higher in sites with higher mean temperatures. Species-area curves revealed that the number of woody species under pine and eucalypt plantations in Brazil is 606 and 598 species, respectively, over an aggregated sampled area of ca. 12 ha. We highlight that the understory of tree monocultures can harbor a considerable diversity of regenerating native species at the landscape and regional scales, but this diversity strongly depends on management. Long-rotation length and favorable location are key factors for woody regeneration success under tropical tree monocultures. Therefore, tree monocultures can play a role in forest landscape restoration and conservation, but only if they are planned and managed for achieving this purpose.

    Published
  • journal-article
    Maes, Sybryn; Perring, Michael; Cohen, Rachel; Akinnifesi, Festus; Bargués-Tobella, Aida; Bastin, Jean-François; Bauters, Marijn; Negri Bernardino, Paulo; Brancalion, Pedro; Bullock, James; Ellison, David; Fayolle, Adeline; Fremout, Tobias; Gann, George; Hishe, Hadgu; Holmgren, Milena; Ilstedt, Ullrik; Mahy, Grégory; Messier, Christian; Parr, Catherine; Ryan, Casey; Sacande, Moctar; Sankaran, Mahesh; Scheffer, Marten; Suding, Katharine; Van Meerbeek, Koenraad; Verbeeck, Hans; Verbist, Bruno; Verheyen, Kris; Winowiecki, Leigh; Muys, Bart; 2024. Explore Before You Restore: Incorporating Complex Systems thinking in Ecosystem Restoration. Journal Of Applied Ecology; 2024; pp.
    LIRIAS4139776
    description

    Publisher: Wiley
    Published online
  • journal-article
    Van Eupen, Camille; Maes, Dirk; Heremans, Stien; Swinnen, Kristijn RR; Somers, Ben; Luca, Stijn; 2024. Integrating citizen science and multispectral satellite data for multiscale habitat management. Biodiversity And Conservation; 2024; Vol. 33; iss. 4; pp. 1479 - 1501
    LIRIAS4151892
    description
    Habitat management is necessary for the conservation of threatened species, yet best practices in fragmented human-dominated landscapes have remained difficult to generalise. We show that multi-scale vegetation management decisions in heathlands can be supported by integrating opportunistic citizen science data and multispectral satellite data. Opportunistic observations were gathered from ten typical, mostly threatened animal species of dry heathlands in Flanders as point records with specified precision. We considered vegetation structure at the local scale, quantified by image texture within 0.25 ha derived from multispectral satellite data, and heathland heterogeneity at the habitat scale, quantified by the diversity in heathland vegetation communities within 50 ha. Additionally, locations inside heathlands were attributed to an open, closed or anthropogenic landscape context. Point process models were used to test the impact of heathland size, vegetation structure and heathland heterogeneity on the habitat suitability of the studied species. We found that (1) heathland vegetation management can benefit habitat suitability in fragmented heathlands, but with a different approach for local management of vegetation structure in small versus large heathlands (e.g. due to micro-fragmentation effects), (2) the landscape induces positive and negative edge effects (e.g. due to a high versus low resource availability), especially in small heathlands and (3) habitat suitability is driven by both vegetation structure and heathland heterogeneity but with different relative importance for birds, butterflies and grasshoppers (e.g. due to differences in mobility).
    Publisher: Springer (part of Springer Nature)
    Published
  • journal-article
    Vermeulen, Liezl Mari; Van Meerbeek, Koenraad; Somers, Ben; Verbist, Bruno; Slingsby, Jasper; Negri Bernardino, Paulo; 2024. Wetness severity increases abrupt shifts in ecosystem functioning in arid savannas. Global Change Biology; 2024; Vol. 30; iss. 13; pp.
    LIRIAS4148902
    description
    The accelerating pace of climate change has led to unprecedented shifts in surface temperature and precipitation patterns worldwide, with African savannas being among the most vulnerable regions. Understanding the impacts of these extreme changes on ecosystem health, functioning and stability is crucial. This paper focuses on the detection of breakpoints, indicative of shifts in ecosystem functioning, while also determining relevant ecosystem characteristics and climatic drivers that increase susceptibility to these shifts within the semi-arid to arid savanna biome. Utilising a remote sensing change detection approach and rain use efficiency (RaUE) as a proxy for ecosystem functioning, spatial and temporal patterns of breakpoints in the savanna biome were identified. We then employed a novel combination of survival analysis and remote sensing time series analysis to compare ecosystem characteristics and climatic drivers in areas experiencing breakpoints versus areas with stable ecosystem functioning. Key ecosystem factors increasing savanna breakpoint susceptibility were identified, namely higher soil sand content, flatter terrain and a cooler long-term mean temperature during the wet summer season. Moreover, the primary driver of changes in ecosystem functioning in arid savannas, as opposed to wetter tropical savannas, was found to be the increased frequency and severity of rainfall events, rather than drought pressures. This research highlights the importance of incorporating wetness severity metrics alongside drought metrics to comprehensively understand climate–ecosystem interactions leading to abrupt shifts in ecosystem functioning in arid biomes. The findings also emphasise the need to consider the underlying ecosystem characteristics, including soil, topography and vegetation composition, in assessing ecosystem responses to climate change. While this research primarily concentrated on the southern African savanna as a case study, the methodological robustness of this approach enables its application to diverse arid and semi-arid biomes for the assessment of climate–ecosystem interactions that contribute to abrupt shifts.
    Publisher: Wiley
    Published online
  • media
    Aerts, Raf; 2024. Natuur is gezond!.
    LIRIAS4148686
    description
    Avontuurlijke ontdekkers gezocht! Hoe voel jij je na een avontuurlijke boswandeling of een verfrissende dag aan zee? En wat dacht je van spelen in de tuin of het park? Voel je je dan niet lekker moe maar stiekem ook een beetje blij? Absoluut! En wist je dat wetenschappers steeds meer bewijs vinden dat de natuur supergoed is voor onze gezondheid? Wel, we hebben goed nieuws voor jou! Dit kindercollege gaat helemaal over dat fascinerende verband tussen natuur, biodiversiteit en onze gezondheid. En raad eens? We gaan niet alleen praten, maar ook experimenteren. Ontdek waarom de natuur zo geweldig is en waarom het overal om ons heen, zelfs in de stad, belangrijk is. Ben jij er klaar voor?

    Published online
  • journal-article
    Rosier, Ine; Diels, Jan; Somers, Ben; Van Orshoven, Jos; 2024. Maximising runoff retention by vegetated landscape elements positioned through spatial optimisation. Landscape And Urban Planning; 2024; Vol. 243C; pp.
    LIRIAS4128066
    description
    Ecosystem services provided by vegetated landscape elements (vLEs) are increasingly recognised. One of the services provided is the mitigation of downstream flood risk. Obviously, the type and spatial configuration of vLEs impact the magnitude and timing of the runoff retention. Hence policy programs focused on the conservation and restoration of vLEs would benefit from a capability to determine the optimal spatial configuration of vLEs leading to maximum impact for minimal cost. We integrated the Landlab rainfall-runoff model in an iterative spatial optimisation framework to deal with rasterised linear parcel boundaries whereby the cumulative capability to reduce discharge through the installation of vLEs is the ranking criterion. We applied the procedure to a 191 ha agricultural watershed situated in the Belgian Loess belt encompassing 34 km parcel boundaries. Our results demonstrated that discharge volume can be more effectively reduced when vLEs are implemented based on the priority ranking obtained through our approach compared to both a random positioning of vLEs of the same length and type and the existing vLE configuration. The priority parcel boundaries are mainly located along preferential flow paths, highlighting the importance of the upslope area associated with vLEs and the infiltration enhancement they provoke. The application potential of the optimisation approach is not limited to the topic of finding priority locations for vLEs to reduce discharge but can be applied in a variety of disciplines that require answering questions about the optimal spatial configuration of interventions.
    Publisher: Elsevier
    Published online
  • journal-article
    Arts, Wouter; Storms, Ilie; Van Aelst, Joost; Lagrain, Bert; Verbist, Bruno; Van Orshoven, Jos; Verkerk, Pieter Johannes; Vermeiren, Walter; Lange, Jean-Paul; Muys, Bart; Sels, Bert F; 2024. Feasibility of wood as a renewable carbon feedstock for the production of chemicals in Europe. Biofuels Bioproducts & Biorefining-Biofpr; 2024; Vol. 18; iss. 2; pp.
    LIRIAS4143856
    description
    In transitioning to a carbon- neutral chemical industry, the intake of fossil feedstocks will have to be reduced by maximizing end- of- life product recycling and introducing alternative feedstocks based on renewable carbon. This perspective article analyses the potential of domestically grown and sourced woody biomass for the supply of renewable carbon for chemicals in Europe. The European chemical industry can become a major consumer of woody biomass in a context where burning wood for energy production is viewed as an unsustainable practice. © 2024 Society of Industrial Chemistry and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
    Publisher: Wiley
    Published online
  • journal-article
    Kimaro, Oforo D; Desie, Ellen; Verbist, bruno; Kimaro, Didas Nahum; Vancampenhout, Karen; Feger, Karl-Heinz; 2024. Soil organic carbon stocks and fertility in smallholder indigenous agroforestry systems of the north-eastern mountains, Tanzania. Geoderma Regional; 2024; Vol. 36; pp.
    LIRIAS4136074
    description

    Publisher: Elsevier
    Accepted
  • report
    Willems, Hendrik; Dewaelheyns, Valerie; Aerts, Raf; Somers, Ben; 2024. Moderniseren van de Vlaamse groennormen. Opdracht ANB-AB-2022-209. Eindrapport. Moderniseren van de Vlaamse groennormen.; 2024; pp. 1 - 100 Publisher: Agentschap voor Natuur en Bos
    LIRIAS4145084
    description
    Elke woning heeft nood aan 3 zichtbare bomen, 30% 'klimaatgroen’ in zijn omgeving en toegankelijk groen op 300 meter. Dat zijn de nieuwe groennormen, ook wel de 3/30/300-regel genoemd, die het ruimtelijk beleid een onderbouwd kwantitatief kader bieden om onze verstedelijkte omgeving leefbaar te houden. Vlaanderen staat immers voor een waaier aan uitdagingen: de versterkte impact van klimaatverandering, negatieve impact van bebouwing op levenskwaliteit, de achteruitgang van de biodiversiteit... Stedelijke groenelementen zijn een effectieve strategie om daarbij te helpen.

    Published
  • journal-article
    Negri Bernardino, Paulo; Oliveira, Rafael S; Van Meerbeek, Koenraad; Hirota, Marina; Furtado, Mariana N; Sanches, Isabela A; Somers, Ben; 2024. Estimating vegetation water content from Sentinel-1 C-band SAR data over savanna and grassland ecosystems. Environmental Research Letters; 2024; Vol. 19; iss. 3; pp.
    LIRIAS4143868
    description
    Studying vegetation water content (VWC) dynamics is essential for understanding plant growth, water and carbon cycles, and ecosystem stability. However, acquiring field-based VWC estimates, consistently through space and time, is challenging due to time and resource constraints. This study investigates the potential of Sentinel-1 C-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data for estimating VWC in natural ecosystems in central Brazil. We assessed (i) how well Sentinel-1 SAR data can capture variations in VWC over three different vegetation types (i.e. dry and waterlogged grasslands, and savannas) and (ii) how the studied vegetation types respond to seasonal dry periods in terms of water content. Field data from 82 plots, distributed across the three vegetation types and revisited in four different seasons, were used to calibrate and validate a model for VWC estimation. The calibrated model, with an R2 of 0.52 and RMSE of 0.465 kg m−2, was then applied to Sentinel-1 SAR backscatter data to generate monthly VWC maps for grassland and savanna ecosystems at 30 m spatial resolution between April 2015 and September 2023. These maps, combined with rainfall and potential evapotranspiration data, provided insights into how the studied vegetation types respond to water shortage during the dry season at the community scale. More specifically, savannas showed to be better able to retain higher levels of water content during the dry season, probably due to a higher water holding capacity of the woody component together with its deep-root system ability to access deeper groundwater. This research demonstrates the potential of Sentinel-1 SAR data for monitoring VWC in natural ecosystems, allowing for future studies to assess ecosystems' response to drought events and changes in their functioning, ultimately supporting land management decisions.
    Publisher: IOP Publishing
    Published
  • presentation
    Haesen, Stef; Lembrechts, Jonas J; De Frenne, Pieter; Lenoir, Jonathan; SoilTemp consortium, ; Van Meerbeek, Koenraad; 2024. ForestClim: A novel set of bioclimatic temperature variables for European forests.
    LIRIAS4144334
    description


    Published
  • presentation
    Beele, Eva; Aerts, Raf; Reyniers, Maarten; Somers, Ben; 2024. Uran forests or urban savannas? Tailoring cooling strategies to spatial and temporal variability in urban environments.
    LIRIAS4143986
    description
    Outstanding poster award for PhD students

    Published
  • journal-article
    Tollenaar, Veronica; Zekollari, Harry; Pattyn, Frank; Russwurm, Marc; Kellenberger, Benjamin; Lhermitte, Stef; Izeboud, Maaike; Tuia, Devis; 2024. Where the White Continent Is Blue: Deep Learning Locates Bare Ice in Antarctica. Geophysical Research Letters; 2024; Vol. 51; iss. 3; pp.
    LIRIAS4143784
    description

    Publisher: American Geophysical Union
    Published
  • journal-article
    Wang, Mengxi; Calders, Kim; Verbeeck, Hans; Verheyen, Kris; Baeten, Lander; Blondeel, Haben; Muys, Bart; Ponette, Quentin; Armston, John; Van Coillie, Frieke; 2024. Exploring the influence of tree species richness on vertical structure variability in young plantations using terrestrial laser scanning. Forest Ecology And Management; 2024; Vol. 554; pp.
    LIRIAS4142548
    description

    Publisher: Elsevier
    Published
  • journal-article
    Casier, Margaux; Aelyn, Van Diest; Aerts, Raf; Peeters, Gerrit; Van Acker, Kasper; Hellemans, Bart; Honnay, Olivier; Muys, Bart; 2024. Genetic diversity and structure of endangered native yew Taxus baccata in remnant populations in Belgium. Forest Ecology And Management; 2024; Vol. 553; pp.
    LIRIAS4130340
    description

    Publisher: Elsevier
    Published
  • journal-article
    Amory, Charles; Buizert, Christo; Buzzard, Sammie; Case, Elizabeth; Clerx, Nicole; Culberg, Riley; Datta, Rajashree Tri; Dey, Rahul; Drews, Reinhard; Dunmire, Devon; Eayrs, Clare; Hansen, Nicolaj; Humbert, Angelika; Kaitheri, Athul; Keegan, Kaitlin; Kuipers Munneke, Peter; Lenaerts, Jan TM; Lhermitte, Stef; Mair, Doug; Mcdowell, Ian; Mejia, Jessica; Meyer, Colin R; Morris, Elizabeth; Moser, Dorothea; Oraschewski, Falk M; Pearce, Emma; de Roda Husman, Sophie; Schlegel, Nicole-Jeanne; Schultz, Timm; Simonsen, Sebastian B; Stevens, C Max; Thomas, Elizabeth R; Thompson-Munson, Megan; Wever, Nander; Wouters, Bert; 2024. Firn on ice sheets. Nature Reviews Earth & Environment; 2024; Vol. 5; iss. 2; pp. 79 - 99
    LIRIAS4141721
    description

    Publisher: Springer Nature
    Published
  • journal-article
    Depauw, Leen; De Lombaerde, Emiel; Dhiedt, Els; Blondeel, Haben; Abdala-Roberts, Luis; Auge, Harald; Barsoum, Nadia; Bauhus, Juergen; Chu, Chengjin; Damtew, Abebe; Eisenhauer, Nico; Fagundes, Marina V; Ganade, Gislene; Gendreau-Berthiaume, Benoit; Godbold, Douglas; Gravel, Dominique; Guillemot, Joannes; Hajek, Peter; Hector, Andrew; Herault, Bruno; Jactel, Herve; Koricheva, Julia; Kreft, Holger; Liu, Xiaojuan; Mereu, Simone; Messier, Christian; Muys, Bart; Nock, Charles A; Paquette, Alain; Parker, John D; Parker, William C; Paterno, Gustavo B; Perring, Michael P; Ponette, Quentin; Potvin, Catherine; Reich, Peter B; Rewald, Boris; Scherer-Lorenzen, Michael; Schnabel, Florian; Sousa-Silva, Rita; Weih, Martin; Zemp, Delphine Clara; Verheyen, Kris; Baeten, Lander; 2024. Enhancing Tree Performance Through Species Mixing: Review of a Quarter-Century of TreeDivNet Experiments Reveals Research Gaps and Practical Insights. Current Forestry Reports; 2024; Vol. 10; iss. 1; pp. 1 - 20
    LIRIAS4142547
    description

    Publisher: SpringerLink
    Published

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