Time for a transition

Over the past couple of months I’ve been running an ecological experiment investigating the effects of artificial light at night on plant growth and phenology. Some effects were clearly visible in flowering phenology of two of the three species. Especially yarrow plants flowered much earlier, and in larger numbers, under artificial light than with dark nights.

Now, that’s cool and all 😊. But I was more interested in what comes after.

Are there any legacy effects of light, passed on to the next generation, via soil?

This might sound like a weird pathway. But it’s pretty darn common. I wrote my whole PhD dissertation about soil legacy effects. It’s kind of a thing, really.

With the help of two colleagues, I transitioned this experiment from a conditioning phase, where plants under treatment generate specific soils, to a feedback phase, where we test responses of plants to these specific soils.

I’m excited. First results probably in around six weeks.

Until then, enjoy these silly pictures of pot filled with conditioned soil.