Apart from our own lab and mesocosm experiments, we are also taking part in a global microcosm experiment led by (among others) Gustavo Romero in Brazil and Pavel Kratina (QMUL, London). Our sites are located in mixed forests north of Ceske Budejovice and around the Plesne Lake in the Sumava Mts near the border with Austria and Germany. Especially the second site at more than 1100 m a.s.l. is quite scenic, and we are looking forward to go back there and retrieve the microcosms in September! On a side note, I also broke my personal best in the number of ticks brought home from a single trip: I collected five ticks in the beech forest...

(David Boukal)