On the measurement of microclimate

Growing interest in microclimate ecology has been accompanied by the development of various compact temperature sensors, but errors obtained with these devices often exceed the effect size being measured.
Here I discuss the problem of measuring microclimate temperatures accurately and show how problems can be overcome.

Integrated macro- and paleoecological perspectives on the impacts of human-driven climate change on biodiversity, with attention to the role of topo- and microclimate

We are facing massive human-induced climate change, with likely major impacts on the biosphere. How these exactly will be, however, remains uncertain. As Earth has experienced massive climate change in the
past, studying their ecological effects offers source of information for forecasting the effects of future climate change. Therefore, in this talk, I will look at what an integrated macro- and paleoecological perspective tells us about the impacts of major climate change on species distributions and species
diversity, with focus on the role of micro- and topoclimate in modulating and buffering, or not, responses to macroclimatic change.

In the footsteps of Humboldt: understanding the ecology of our planet through global scientific collaboration

Alexander von Humboldt developed a way of doing science based on the use of a large number of observations of human and environmental variables over space and time. I will talk about how we are following Humboldt´s steps to study the ecology of global drylands using a multidisciplinary approach and the power of international collaboration. I will also provide some recommendations for those interested in
setting up an international and inclusive network of researchers to address ecological questions and problems at the global scale.

Microclimate and soil moisture in high-latitude ecosystems

The spatio-temporal variation of microclimate and soil moisture is evident from the boreal forests to the tundra. These patterns help us understand high-latitude ecosystems that are facing a rapid macroclimatic warming with possible feedbacks to global climate change. This highlights the role of microclimate and soil moisture in these ecosystems and also their importance beyond the scope of the high-latitudes.

Moving beyond air temperature to characterize how organisms experience climate variability and change

Characterizing how exposed and sensitive organisms are to climate variability and change is needed to understand their ecological and evolutionary responses. The talk will present case studies for montane
insects demonstrating the need to consider how organismal phenotypes interact with microclimate. I will also present TrEnCh project computational and visualization tools that meet the need to Translate Environmental Change into organismal responses.

Fine-scale microclimates modulate the vulnerability of insects to warming

Insects are small creatures and as such they use fine-scale microclimates at the cm scale. How do we get to such small scales? Integrative approaches relying on biophysics and ecophysiology are powerful to quantify the vulnerability of insects in a warming world by considering the thermal experience of these species. I will exemplify these aspects based on our research on plant-insect relationships. Fine-scale microclimates can both provide thermal refuges and expose to thermal danger depending on subtle biophysical mechanisms.

The impacts of logging on tropical rainforest microclimates

Habitat degradation by selective logging is extensive in the tropics, yet even intensively logged forests retain much of their biodiversity. To maintain high biodiversity into the future, logged forests must be able to support species under climate change – a feat that could be compromised by the structural simplification inherent in logging. Using both thermal imaging cameras and temperature loggers, we discovered a surprising and encouraging capacity for intensively logged tropical forests to thermally recover, which gives hope that at least some species will be capable of finding local thermal microrefugia as the climate warms.