Emma Lythgoe

Announcement

With pleasure we announce that the 3rd International Workshop on Gypsum Ecosystems which will be held in 2022, in Almería, Spain. The Symposium is sponsored by the GYPWORLD H2020 and organised jointly by the University of Almería.

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Background

The main aim of the Workshop on Gypsum Ecosystems Research  is to bring together biologists. botanists, The main aim of the Workshop on Gypsum Ecosystems Research  is to bring together biologists. botanists, ecologist, and soil scientists from all around the world who work actively in this field. This conference is the third in a series of International workshops organised as part of the activities of the H2020 GYPWORLD project. It will continue to offer an International forum to interested scientists from around the world to present and discuss research results in all aspects related to GYPSUM ecology. Following the success of previous meetings of the GYPNET network and the first GYPWORLD events in Ankara (2018) and Reggio Calabria (2019). Almería University is now hosting this exciting event which aims at consolidating current research on all aspects related to gypsum ecosystem.

III GYPWORLD Workshop: Almería, Spain, 9-13 May 2022

Due to the pandemic outbreak the conference will no longer take place as planned. We are investigating new possible dates but this depends on how the global situation will evolve. We will provide further notice via the conference and GYPWORLD site once a decision is made. Stay healthy!

Dear Colleagues,

The second circular for the 2nd Gypsum Ecosystems Research Conference is now available here.

We would like to inform you that the project management team and local organisers are monitoring the situation regarding the coronavirus outbreak and would like to stress that the welfare of all the participants is our primary concern. Given that meetings all over the world are being cancelled or postponed, it is likely that our conference will be affected in some way. A decision regarding the conference will be taken by end of
March. Please be advised to purchase travel insurance and/or
flexible/refundable tickets in case you have to make changes to your
trip.

To keep up to date about the conference please see: https://sites.google.com/view/2nd-gypsum-conference/general-information/about-the-gypworld-project

Dear colleagues,

The GYPWORLD project is now offering travel grants to students interested in attending the 2nd Gypsum Ecosystems Research Conference (GERC-2020), to be held from the 27th April 2020 – 1st May 2020.

GYPWORLD has a total of 3000€ for the travel grants. Half of this amount will be reserved for students from low and middle income countries (as defined by the World Bank: https://datahelpdesk.worldbank.org/knowledgebase/articles/906519-world-bank-country-and-lending-groups), the criteria for the selection of candidates will be a motivation letter and the contribution to be presented at the conference, which will be evaluated by the scientific committee of the conference.

Candidates should send their motivation letter and contribution to the GYPWORLD project manager: Emma Lythgoe: emma.lythgoe@csic.es

Deadline: 15 March 2020

Further information about the 2nd Gypsum Ecosystems Research Conference (GERC-2020) can be found at the official website of the conference: https://sites.google.com/view/2nd-gypsum-conference/home?authuser=0

Dear Colleagues,

we have the pleasure to announce that the 2nd Gypsum Ecosystems Research Conference will be held in 2020 in Nicosia (Lefkosia) Cyprus. The Symposium is sponsored by the GYPWORLD H2020-MSCA-RISE project and organised jointly by the Open Univeristy of Cyprus and the Department of Forests, MANRE.

This conference originates from the activity of the GYPNET network, a network of scientists working on gypsum ecosystems and is part of the activities of the H2020-MSCA-RISE GYPWORLD project, aiming at promoting international research on gypsum ecosystems. As such, it aims to initiate a series of International Conferences focused on any research done on gypsum ecosystems. It will offer an International forum to interested scientists from around the world to present and discuss research results in all aspects related to gypsum ecology.

For Further details please see:

https://gypworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/FIRST-CIRCULAR_2ndGERCONFERENCE.pdf

Conference Website: https://sites.google.com/view/2nd-gypsum-conference/home?authuser=0

Georgia Chrysostmou (Department of Forests, Government of Cyprus) has just finalised the first part of her secondment to the University of Almeria.

The secondment has given her the opportunity to improve her knowledge and gain a better understanding of gypsum ecosystems and mechanisms for plant survival on gypsum. During her stay she also learnt about the Sentinet-Hub and how to recognize gypsum outcrops from satellite images.

The secondment has helped Georgia learn new techniques for sampling and has developed foundations for international collaboration.

“A special thank you to Professor Juan Mota, Fabian, Antonio, Esteban and Paco for all the support and guidance they provided for me during my stay. The experience was amazing! “
Georgia Chrysostmou

The GYPWORLD workshop took place in Reggio di Calabria from the 1st from the 1st of April 2019 until the 4th fo April hosted by Universita degli Studi Mediterranea di Reggio Calabria, Calabria (Italy). Please see the instagram and facebook links for highlights.

Read More “Highlights from the GYPWORLD workshop in Reggio di Calabria”

The organisers of the II GYPWORLD Workshop in Reggio di Calabria, Italy are delighted to announce the following people have accepted to be Key speakers:

Read More “Key Speakers announced for the II GYPWORLD Workshop in Reggio di Calabria, Italy”

Anibal Prina from the Universidad Nacional de La Pampa, Argentina hosted Portuguese, Turkish and Spanish teams from the university of Coimbra, the University of Ankara and the University Rey Juan Carlos respectively.They visited the gypsum area in Neuquén, Argentina in November 2018. Read More “Botanical trip to the gypsum area in Neuquén”

Alicia Montesinos Navarro, post-doctoral researcher from CSIC  kindly shares with us her experiences from her secondment hosted by Universidad de Concepción – Chile:

 

 

During the course of the expedition we had the opportunity to visit the study sites in which the host group was developing their research, and participated in some ongoing experiments that were taking place, exchanging ideas and providing the arena for future collaborations.

The group participated in research communication activities taking advantage of the Chilenean Ecological meeting taking place in Valdivia. A seminar and meetings with researchers interested in common topics was organized by Lohen Cavieres at the University of Concepción (host institution).  In particular, I gave a seminar entitled “the effect of mycorrhizal symbiosis on plant facilitation” on the 10^th of December, which allowed the interaction with other researchers in the host institution with whom potentially future collaborations might emerge.

Finally, we explored a valley in the Andes, close to Santiago where gypsum exploitation takes place and thus could be a good candidate area to find gypsum soils in non-perturbed areas close by.

 

Here we looked for non-perturbed areas close by where future filed studies could be developed, and identify the main plant species with the host group botanist.

We quantified functional traits of plant species in different semi-arid environments and participated in field experiments of neighbour’s removal to assess the effect of plant-plant interaction structuring plant community assemblages.

The expedition was an excellent opportunity to learn about the different techniques and eco-physiological and functional perspectives that the host group works on. It has enriched my view about other mechanisms that can influence plant-plant interactions and structure plant communities. Although this experience is studied in semi-arid environments in the Andes, it might be interesting to approach it to other semi-arid systems such as those where gypsum soils develop. It is likely that this research interaction will open future avenues for international collaborations with the host group, contributing to my scientific career.

Alicia Montesinos Navarro, post-doctoral researcher from CSIC