iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Kim L. Holzmann @kimholzmann.bsky.social · 28/06/2026

If you‘re at ATBC 2026 in China and interested in thermal limits: I will speak on „Limited thermal tolerance in tropical insects linked to biotic attrition in Amazonian rainforests“ Thursday in Plenary C (A180, 10:15 am) 🌡️🪲🪰

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Kim L. Holzmann @kimholzmann.bsky.social · 22/05/2026

I’m looking for creative students for an exciting transdisciplinary project! Please share with potentially interested people 🎥🌴 @ecoresearchzoo3.bsky.social @biologie-uniwue.bsky.social

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Kim L. Holzmann @kimholzmann.bsky.social · 07/05/2026

Fieldwork season of project #CAVIN has started! Let’s investigate the hidden world 🕷️🕸️🪰 @ecoresearchzoo3.bsky.social @uni-wuerzburg.de

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Kim L. Holzmann @kimholzmann.bsky.social · 12/04/2026

Interview with National Geographic on climate change effects on tropical insects www.nationalgeographic.com.es/mundo-animal...

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Kim L. Holzmann @kimholzmann.bsky.social · 25/03/2026

Dung beetles, providing important ecosystem functions, might be already showing decreasing diversity (biotic attrition) due to high temperatures. Microhabitats and forest connectivity along the Amazonian-Andean gradient are crucial to maintain and conserve biodiversity.

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Kim L. Holzmann @kimholzmann.bsky.social · 25/03/2026

While temperature and soil moisture (but not resources) explained overall diversity patterns along the gradient, this failed to explain the drop in the lowlands. Including critical temperatures improved the model, indicating that lowlands might be already too hot for heat-sensitive species 🔥

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Kim L. Holzmann @kimholzmann.bsky.social · 25/03/2026

For a mechanistic understanding we also tested thermal limits of dung beetles. As we showed for all insects in a previous article in Nature (doi.org/10.1038/s415...), also dung beetles in the lowlands have the smallest thermal safety margin.

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Kim L. Holzmann @kimholzmann.bsky.social · 25/03/2026

We sampled dung beetles using baited pitfall traps along a forested gradient from 250-3500 masl, and found the highest diversity at 500 masl with a remarkable drop in the lowlands.

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Kim L. Holzmann @kimholzmann.bsky.social · 25/03/2026

Our paper on the drivers of dung beetle diversity along a tropical elevational gradient is now out in #ProcB @royalsocietypublishing.org 🪲🪲🪲 doi.org/10.1098/rspb... @royalsociety.org @ecoresearchzoo3.bsky.social

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Kim L. Holzmann @kimholzmann.bsky.social · 19/03/2026

Really happy that a moth made it to the cover of @nature.com! Thanks to my co-author Gunnar Brehm for this great photo 📸 Find our study on thermal limits in this week's issue: www.nature.com/nature/volum... @ecoresearchzoo3.bsky.social @biologie-uniwue.bsky.social @uni-wuerzburg.de

The photo shows the cover of the nature journal, displaying a colorful moth sitting on moss. The caption says: Heat Sensitive. Tropical insects show limited ability to cope with a warming world.

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Kim L. Holzmann @kimholzmann.bsky.social · 12/03/2026

In December 2025, my research grant got accepted - meaning, we can now explore a hidden, dark and fascinating world... To find out more about the evolution of thermal tolerances in insects. #CAVIN

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Kim L. Holzmann @kimholzmann.bsky.social · 04/03/2026

While orthopterans 🦗 showed the highest heat tolerance, flies 🪰 appeared as the most sensitive group. Intact forests with high complexity, shade and connectivity are of high importance to prevent (further) species losses in the Earth's most biodiverse area.

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Kim L. Holzmann @kimholzmann.bsky.social · 04/03/2026

Importantly, we compared heat tolerance with surface and air temperatures predicted under three climate change scenarios. Most vulnerable are insects in the Amazonian rainforest, where over 50% of future air temperatures could induce a heat coma in half of the insect community.

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Kim L. Holzmann @kimholzmann.bsky.social · 04/03/2026

In addition, we used a deep learning model to predict the melting temperature of 1000 proteins in over 600 species. We found a high correlation of physiological thermal limits and protein stability, indicating that heat tolerance might be founded in fundamental protein architecture.

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Kim L. Holzmann @kimholzmann.bsky.social · 04/03/2026

We sampled ~8000 insects along two large elevational gradients and tested their thermal tolerance. Upper thermal limits declined with elevation and more closely related taxa had similar limits. Lowland insects did not show plasticity to adapt to higher temperatures.

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Kim L. Holzmann @kimholzmann.bsky.social · 28/01/2026

Fieldwork in the #Drakensberg mountains in South Africa with @btwnthefjords-uib.bsky.social. While learning a lot about #ecosystemgasfluxes, I have been exploring the potential for an exciting future #insect project along the gradient. @ecoresearchzoo3.bsky.social @biologie-uniwue.bsky.social

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Kim L. Holzmann @kimholzmann.bsky.social · 02/01/2026

Some weeks ago I submitted my first own research proposal. And now it got accepted! 😍 This means, @ecoresearchzoo3.bsky.social will go underground and start investigating the evolution of cave arthropods. So excited for this new chapter! 🦇 🪲🕷️ @biologie-uniwue.bsky.social @merge-master.bsky.social

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Kim L. Holzmann @kimholzmann.bsky.social · 18/12/2025

It's done - PhD thesis defended! Thanks to my creative and skilled colleagues for this awesome doctoral hat, which perfectly describes my project and hobbies! @ecoresearchzoo3.bsky.social @biologie-uniwue.bsky.social

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Kim L. Holzmann @kimholzmann.bsky.social · 03/12/2025

Next #expedition is coming closer! I'm grateful for the chance of joining a team from Norway and South Africa for field work along an elevational gradient in the #Drakensberg mountains 🇿🇦 Let's look for some insects!

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Kim L. Holzmann @kimholzmann.bsky.social · 24/11/2025

A year ago I started with #cave #research in my free time. The idea came while reading a random book I found at a field station in Peru. I told my colleagues "I want to become a caver" - Well, I'm fully addicted now. My future research might turn towards cave insects. #speleology #biospeleology

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Kim L. Holzmann @kimholzmann.bsky.social · 01/09/2025

First day at #gfoe2025 was a great experience with a very exciting session on climate change effects on biodiversity, which Hendrik Mohr and I have the pleasure to chair. Looking forward to hearing more in the coming days! 🌎 📈 @ecoresearchzoo3.bsky.social @gfoesoc.bsky.social

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Kim L. Holzmann @kimholzmann.bsky.social · 26/08/2025

You're attending #gfoe2025? Want to hear what animals do when the tropical rainforest is suddenly freezing? 🥶 I will talk about this on Monday afternoon @ecoresearchzoo3.bsky.social @biologie-uniwue.bsky.social @gfoesoc.bsky.social

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Kim L. Holzmann @kimholzmann.bsky.social · 04/08/2025

Heute im Interview mit SWR! Es geht um spannende Feldarbeit in den Tropen, Biodiversität, und unvergessliche Momente 🌄 www.swr.de/swrkultur/wi... @ecoresearchzoo3.bsky.social @biologie-uniwue.bsky.social @uni-wuerzburg.de

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Kim L. Holzmann @kimholzmann.bsky.social · 27/05/2025

@ecoresearchzoo3.bsky.social went for a little walk again, together with over 1000 other participants! 100 km in <24 hours while enjoying beautiful landscapes, from sunset to sunrise again. The next field work season can come, we're ready to walk! 🐝🪲🪰🐜🦗

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Kim L. Holzmann @kimholzmann.bsky.social · 14/04/2025

Snowy Carpathian #mountains and fresh brown bear tracks 🐻 #romania

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Kim L. Holzmann @kimholzmann.bsky.social · 12/03/2025

🧵5: our study highlights the importance of field-based #ecosystem data, cross-disciplinary work and productive, intact #rainforests to maintain diverse #mammal communities. Photos ©K.L. Holzmann

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Kim L. Holzmann @kimholzmann.bsky.social · 12/03/2025

🧵4: Mammal species richness was strongly correlated to abundance and NPP, partly confirming the more-individual hypothesis.

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Kim L. Holzmann @kimholzmann.bsky.social · 12/03/2025

🧵3: we recorded temperature, retrieved highly detailed net primary productivity data from another project (ABERG) and compared these to remotely sensed productivity proxies

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Kim L. Holzmann @kimholzmann.bsky.social · 12/03/2025

🧵2: we monitored mammals using camera traps from 250-3600 masl in southeast Peru, and investigated abundance and species richness pattern

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Kim L. Holzmann @kimholzmann.bsky.social · 21/02/2025

Of course we encounter bats - but also lots of smaller organisms. Moths, dipterans and spiders are the most abundant. And quite a few are covered in various #mold species - I'd be interested in knowing more about them, I assume they are Cordyceps.

Spider covered by a parasitic mold hanging in its net inside a cave

A cluster of four bats on a wall of a cave

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Kim L. Holzmann @kimholzmann.bsky.social · 21/02/2025

From squeezing through small tunnels to climbing sharp rocks in complete darkness: around a year ago I started a new hobby - #cave research. And this weekend will be our last #bat survey for this season. Counting them during hibernation makes it much easier to get comparable numbers across seasons 🦇

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Kim L. Holzmann @kimholzmann.bsky.social · 27/01/2025

Apart from insects and mammals, we also observed an eerie silence in the usually so vibrant rainforest and assume an effect on other taxa, like reptiles and birds, too. Maybe our article encourages more researchers to investigate this exciting phenomenon! 🧵6/6

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Kim L. Holzmann @kimholzmann.bsky.social · 27/01/2025

In our thermal experiments, insects surprisingly tolerated even lower temperatures than the minimum cold wave temperature🌡️- however, thermal safety margins are narrow ⚠️ 🧵5/6

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Kim L. Holzmann @kimholzmann.bsky.social · 27/01/2025

Using various methods, we assessed biodiversity before, during and after the cold wave and showed a drop in insect and mammal activity during the cold wave. Most groups recovered to the third season. 🧵4/6

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Kim L. Holzmann @kimholzmann.bsky.social · 27/01/2025

The drop was visible along a huge elevational gradient. In the lowlands the temperature decreased from ~24 to 10 °C and remained low for almost a week! 🧵3/6

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Kim L. Holzmann @kimholzmann.bsky.social · 22/12/2024

Drawing insect icons for an upcoming paper... Perfect activity for a rainy, grey Sunday afternoon

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Kim L. Holzmann @kimholzmann.bsky.social · 09/10/2024

Tried something new 🎨 Scientific illustration using aquarelle? Might give posters a nice individual touch...

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Kim L. Holzmann @kimholzmann.bsky.social · 09/09/2024

Making our research publicly accessible - atwe want to encourage people, and kids especially, to value the beauty and importance of nature. My first little children's book is based on my research in Arizona and educates about climate change 🔥🦎 imun-ev.de

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Kim L. Holzmann @kimholzmann.bsky.social · 17/08/2024

Intense and incredible week! #Glacier course in the #Alps, learning high alpine mountaineering and (ice) climbing techniques, equipment, safety/rescue training etc. Hopefully this new knowledge will be useful for future fieldwork one day! 🏔️

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Kim L. Holzmann @kimholzmann.bsky.social · 07/08/2024

Norway 🇳🇴 Challenging but absolutely beautiful 14-day hike through the wild mountains. Couldn't imagine a better summer holiday!

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Kim L. Holzmann @kimholzmann.bsky.social · 17/06/2024

All insect samples (almost 10,000!) collected along the tropical gradient @ANDIV1234 in Peru within a year of intense fieldwork are now on their way to the genetic lab for DNA #barcoding. Probably many of our samples will be new to the database. I'm very excited for the results!

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Kim L. Holzmann @kimholzmann.bsky.social · 24/05/2024

The fun part of my current manuscript on #mammals: trying to get some cute screenshots for a figure. Also very dangerous (!), got sucked into re-watching all the amazing camera trap videos until late night... 🐆

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Kim L. Holzmann @kimholzmann.bsky.social · 27/03/2024

Only 3 months ago this was what my daily life looked like. Data analysis is exciting, but so was the Peruvian jungle!

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Kim L. Holzmann @kimholzmann.bsky.social · 28/02/2024

New perspective on #tarantula feet! Does anyone know the purpose of those iridescent plates on this Avicularia sp. from the Peruvian Amazon?

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Kim L. Holzmann @kimholzmann.bsky.social · 12/02/2024

#gtoe2024 started today 🎉 Looking forward to an exciting week full of talks and posters! If you want to chat about dung beetle-mammal interactions, or biodiversity gradients in general, please come visit me at my poster S11 P02 🪲🐆

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Kim L. Holzmann @kimholzmann.bsky.social · 02/12/2023

Sorted my last pitfall trap of this 12 month long fieldwork @ANDIV1234 today, unbelievable how fast time flies by!

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Kim L. Holzmann @kimholzmann.bsky.social · 05/11/2023

Finished the last insect sampling session at our highest station at over 3600 m elevation @ANDIV1234! I will definitely miss the views - What an incredible landscape with incredible organisms, such as the high-elevation tarantulas (Hapalotremus sp.

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Kim L. Holzmann @kimholzmann.bsky.social · 02/10/2023

Elevational gradient fieldwork is exciting! For @ANDIV1234 we are moving back and forth between very hot rainforest and very cold Puna - sometimes within a day! This allows us to study the effect of climate without the need of a laboratory or extensive traveling along latitudes

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