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CRC1211 3rd phase preparatory excursion to the Namib Desert

RouteFrom December 6 to 16, 2022 an interdisciplinary team of 11 PIs of the CRC1211 joined for an introductory fieldtrip to the northern part of the Namib Desert with the aim to initiate cross-disciplinary scientific exchange and future interdisciplinary work in the Namib Desert.

The trip was supported by the Gobabeb Namib Research Institute, mainly Eugene Marrais and Gillian Maggs-Kölling, who hosted the group in Namibia and shared their vast knowledge on the Namib Desert with the participants. The trip organizers Eugene Marrais, Dietmar Quandt, and Julia Bechteler introduced the PIs to various biological and geological sites: The route started from Windhoek to the northern towns of Uis with stops at the Brandberg massif and Palmwag with its table mountains.

The group then turned to the Atlantic coast with a stop at Cape Cross, where the PIs got introduced to an exemplary site of the CRC1211 coastal transect, at which cross-disciplinary science among botanists (B01), zoologists (B02), and geneticists (B06), is already happening. Turning again inland towards the core Namib Desert, the Gobabeb Namib Research Institute warmly welcomed the group with a barbeque and organized an expedition to the famous red dune system next to the research station including a unique night in the dunes, where the PIs were able to experience fog, and hence water income to the desert during early morning.

The trip ended with an interdisciplinary workshop discussing future collaborations and concluded with farewell dinner in Windhoek before most of the participants departed back to the German winter. The trip was very fruitful for all participants and new project ideas are already in realisation.

A big thank you to Gillian Maggs-Kölling and Eugene Marrais as well as the whole Gobabeb team for the warm welcoming and hospitability as well as sharing the great nature of Namibia with the group!

 

 

 

 

Day 1: Arrival

Day 1

 

 

Day 2: Brandberg Lodge. Jurassic Dolerites, pegmatites, termite circles and meerkats

Day 2

  Day 2

 

Day 2

 

 

Day 3: From Brandberg Lodge to Palmwag Lodge. Karoo Fm, lavas etc., Abandoned Brandberg West mine, Damara triangular facets scorpions

Day 3

  Day 3

 

 

Day 3 (also): Living fossil Welwitschia mirabilis, gymnosperm, two leaves only, and many interesting facts

Day 3

 

 

Day 4: Grootberg Lodge , giraffes and game, bitter melons and, nice trapp volcanics

Day 4

  Day 4

 

 

Day 5: Cape Cross seals and visit to the interdisciplinary CRC transect, salt pans, marine terraces

Day 5

  Day 5

 

 

Day 6: Swakopmund and the Gobabeb fieldsite

Day 6

 

 

Day 7: The Gobabeb fieldsite, sand, sand, sand and a fox and fog

Day 7

  Day 7

 

 

Day 7

 

 

Day 8: Leaving the Gobabeb field site to Windhoek

Day 8

Congratulations to Julia Bechteler for her Professorship at the University of Kaiserslautern-Landau (RPTU)

1st

We congratulate Dr. Julia Bechteler, PI in CRC1211 B07 and former research and teaching assistant at the Nees Institute for Plant Biodiversity at the University of Bonn, who has accepted an offer from the University of Kaiserslautern-Landau (RPTU) to join as Professor for Biodiversity and Ecology of Plants at the Department of Natural and Environmental Sciences.

We wish her all the best in establishing her junior research group and look forward to maintaining close collaboration within the CRC1211 and other joint research projects.

 

Prof. Dr. Julia Bechteler Prof. Dr. Gabriele E. Schaumann (Präsidentin RPTU in Landau)
Prof. Dr. Julia Bechteler Prof. Dr. Gabriele E. Schaumann (Präsidentin RPTU in Landau)

  Prof. Dr. Gabriele E. Schaumann (Präsidentin RPTU in Landau), Prof. Dr. Hermann Jungkunst, Prof. Dr. Julia Bechteler, Prof. Dr. Martin Entling, Prof. Dr. Oliver Frör
Prof. Dr. Gabriele E. Schaumann (Präsidentin RPTU in Landau), Prof. Dr. Hermann Jungkunst, Prof. Dr. Julia Bechteler, Prof. Dr. Martin Entling, Prof. Dr. Oliver Frör

 

 

 

B-cluster field campaign in Chile

An interdisciplinary team of botanists from the University of Bonn and University of Heidelberg as well as zoologists from the University of Hamburg were on fieldwork in Chile from February, 13 to March 15, 2023.

The focus was on conducting plant phenotyping and substrate sampling in the CRC1211 wide Tillandsia landbeckii field close to Caldera (B01) and in the coastal Huidobria fruticosa transect north of Paposo (B01, B07). It was nice to find the tagged Huidobria fruticosa plants in good shape and see that they have grown in volume since the last field campaign one year ago. A 10 km transect south of Taltal was newly established for genotyping and phenotyping of over 100 individuals of Huidobria chilensis, aiming at future comparative analyses of this close relative to Huidobria fruticosa (B01, B07).

At all study sites the scientists were keeping an eye open for potential animal-plant interactions and new project ideas. The team greatly acknowledges the support of our collaboration partners Alexandra Stoll (CEAZA La Serena) and Eduardo Campos (Universidad Católica del Norte Antofagasta).

 

 

 

Tillandsia landbeckii
At the Tillandsia landbeckii field close to Caldera
Photo:
Julia Bechteler

  The team.
The team after sampling Huidobria chilensis in the Andes. Left to right: Valentin Ehrenthal (Hamburg), Eric Stein (Heidelberg), Paloma Morales and Lara Iaboli (Bonn), Johanna Möbus (Heidelberg), and Julia Bechteler (Bonn). Team members missing on the photo: Danilo Harms and Stephanie Loria (Hamburg), Alina Peters (Heidelberg).
Photo:
Danilo Harms

 

Mosaic on a wall in Taltal.
Loasaceae flowers everywhere: This nice mosaic on a wall in Taltal is showing a relative to our study system Huidobria.
Photo:
Julia Bechteler

  Huidobria chilensis
Huidobria chilensis.
Photo: 
Julia Bechteler

 

Sampling Huidobria chilensis in our new transect.Sampling Huidobria chilensis in our new transect.
Photo: 
Julia Bechteler

  Huidobria fruticosa.
Huidobria fruticosa.
Photo:
 Julia Bechteler

 

Zoologists Danilo Harms and Valentin Ehrenthal searching for spiders and pseudoscorpions. Zoologists Danilo Harms and Valentin Ehrenthal searching for spiders and pseudoscorpions.
Photo:
 Julia Bechtele

CRC 1211 partakes in Graduate School Scholarship Programme awarded to GSGS, Cologne

logo GSGS DAADSupported by the Graduate School Scholarship Programme (GSSP) of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), the Graduate School of Geosciences (GSGS) at the University of Cologne offers two promising international doctoral candidates the opportunity to pursue a doctorate as a part of an existing coordinated research programme, including CRC1211, supervised by a Cologne Geoscientist.

Deadline for applications is 31. January, 2023.

Further information can be found through the call website.

B-clusters in Angola

From 2 to 16 February, fieldwork within the projects of the B-Cluster was carried out in the southern Angolan Namib. The trip was initiated to complement already existing data sets of projects B02 and B06, which were previously obtained in Namibia.

The main focus was to analyse the genetic patterns of Brinckia (Tenebrionidae) and Zygophyllum stapfi in this northernmost Namib region. In addition, we collected a number of endemic darkling beetles and silverfish in this hitherto poorly studied Angolan desert, which will expand our knowledge of the distribution and diversification of desert insects in general.

Our excursion ended successfully with valuable samples for our projects, including days full of adventure and experiences.

 

 

The team
The team, somewhere in Angola. Left to right: Reinhard Predel, Rosa-Stella Mbulu, Vollrat von Krosigk, Alvaro Zúñiga-Reinoso, and John Irish
Photo:
Vollrat von Krosigk

  For our achievements
For our achievements.
Photo: Rosa Mbulu

 

Collecting beetles carcasses
Collecting beetles carcasses under a car carcass.
Photo: 
Alvaro Zúñiga

  Better than five stars hotel
Better than five stars hotel.
Photo: 
Alvaro Zúñiga

 

Siesta timeSiesta time.
Photo: 
Alvaro Zúñiga

  The enigmatic Stylifera
The enigmatic Stylifera.
Photo: 
Alvaro Zúñiga

 

Zygophyllum stapfi The common Zygophyllum stapfi.
Photo: 
Rosa Mbulu

  Better than five stars hotel
The elusive Brinckia.
Photo:
Reinhard Predel

CRC 1211 Training Week “Geo-/ Biosciences in hyperarid environments

an opportunity for knowledge transfer, networking, and international co-operation

The threat of Covid-19 pandemic-related impediments (e.g. health issues, travel restrictions) forced the cancellation of the CRC 1211 summer school, which was originally planned to be conducted in Namibia in October/November 2022. In response to the cancellation, the IRTG (project Z05) provided an alternative opportunity for knowledge transfer, networking, and scientific debate by organising a training week. The event was conducted between 09th and 15th October 2022 in Koenigswinter, Germany. It was convened by Tibor Dunai and Dietmar Quandt, and organised by Joel Mohren. The training week was not only dedicated to represent a platform for interaction among the participants, but it also aimed at providing an introduction into scientific methods and state of the art science related to research conducted within the framework of CRC 1211.

Apart from including members of the CRC, efforts were made to invite students and PhD candidates affiliated to research institutions from the two focus countries of the CRC. As a result, we could welcome participants from the University of Namibia and from the universities Católica del Norte (Antofagasta) and Universidad de la Serena in Chile. The favourable conditions met at the venue promoted social interaction among the participants and may have provided the gametes for future collaboration. A great enrichment to the training week proved to be the presence of participants from outside the CRC, expanding the opportunities of scientific exchange. Apart from presenting their research, the participants who came from Namibia and Chile also shared their first-hand experiences on various research-related topics, which may help CRC members on future fieldworks and facilitate collaboration with our Chilean and Namibian partners.

Relocating the event to Germany implied a better control on disruptive factors at the expense of the general desert ambience present in Namibia. In terms of teaching, however, the conduction of the training week in Germany had positive effects on the availability of teaching capacities. The teaching aimed at including both theoretical and practical teaching blocks in the scientific fields of Bio- and Geosciences. Members of all CRC clusters prepared lectures tailored to the scopes of the training week. The participants could gain insights into the geological background, Earth surface processes and local biota associated to the Siebengebirge Volcanic Field and its vicinity during a one-day excursion led by Carsten Münker, Tibor Dunai, Julia Bechteler, and Joel Mohren. As a further scientific highlight, the conveners invited Prof Carina Hoorn from the University of Amsterdam to provide a glimpse into her research on past and present Geo-Bio feedbacks in the Amazonian region and in the Asian continental interior. In addition, the participants presented their own work on short orals during a poster session.

The training week was a great success as it did not only introduce the participants into the various research fields condensed within the domain of CRC 1211, but it also laid the foundation for future collaboration amongst the participants. Such events are vital to spread the spirit of interdisciplinarity and to establish a network between the early career scientists affiliated to the CRC and beyond, and will ultimately lead to more holistic scientific advances.

The conveners and the organiser thank all participants for showing their enthusiasm and open mindedness during the training week. Furthermore, we thank Esteban Acevedo-Trejos, Julia Bechteler, Steven Binnie, Bárbara Blanco, Dominik Brill, Patrick Grunert, Anna Hakobyan, Christine Heim, Carina Hoorn, Claudia Knief, Marcus Koch, Martin Melles, Carsten Münker, Stephanie Scheidt, Jan Schween, and Bernd Wagner for putting so many efforts in their teaching and presentations.

Author: Joel Mohren

 

 

 

Group Photo.
Fig.1: Group photo.
Photo:
Joel Mohren / Hannah Hartung

  Carsten Münker explains the geology of the Siebengebirge Volcanic Field
Fig.2: Carsten Münker explains the geology of the Siebengebirge Volcanic Field.
Photo: Joel Mohren

 

Group Photo.
Fig.3: Martin Melles explains the sedimentary sequence of drill cores from Chile.
Photo:
Joel Mohren

  Prof. Carina Hoorn presents her research
Fig.4: Prof. Carina Hoorn (University of Amsterdam) presents her research.
Photo: 
Joel Mohren

 

Participant presents her posterFig.5: A participant presents her poster.
Photo:
Joel Mohren

  Final schedule of the training week
Fig.6: The final schedule of the training week.


Contact

  Speaker:
Prof. Dr. Tibor J. Dunai
Institute of Geology and Mineralogy | University of Cologne
Zülpicher Str. 49b | 50674 Cologne
+49 (0)221 470-3229 | tdunai@uni-koeln.de
   
  Managing Director:
Christian Tiede
Institute of Geology and Mineralogy | University of Cologne

Zülpicher Str. 49b | 50674 Cologne
+49 (0)221 470-89833 | christian.tiede@uni-koeln.de

 _

  Co-Speaker:
Prof. Dr. Martin Melles
Institute of Geology and Mineralogy | University of Cologne

Zülpicher Str. 49a | 50674 Cologne
+49 (0)221 470-2262 | mmelles@uni-koeln.de
   
  Scientific Coordinator:
Dr. Benedikt Ritter
Institute of Geology and Mineralogy | University of Cologne

Zülpicher Str. 49b | 50674 Cologne
+49 (0)221 470-89868 | benedikt.ritter@uni-koeln.de

 _

  Co-Speaker:
Prof. Dr. Dietmar Quandt
Nees Institute for Biodiversity of Plants | University of Bonn

Meckenheimer Allee 170 | 53115 Bonn
+49 (0)228 73-3315 | quandt@uni-bonn.de
   
  Webmaster:
Tim Schlüter
Institute of Geography | University of Cologne

Otto-Fischer-Str. 4 | 50674 Cologne
+49 (0)221 470-3735 | webmaster@sfb1211.de
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