Each spring, the European Geosciences Union (EGU) General Assembly brings together tens of thousands of Earth, planetary, and space scientists in Vienna for a week of exchange, insight, and inspiration. For LEMONTREE, this conference is a highlight of our calendar, offering an opportunity for the European members of our global team to reconnect, reflect on progress, and share our latest research rooted in Eco-Evolutionary Optimality (EEO) theory.
This year’s EGU General Assembly 2025 was no exception. With 14 presentations from our team, spanning early-career researchers to project leads, we showcased a diverse body of work that reflects the breadth and depth of the LEMONTREE project.
Highlights from the Programme
Our presence at EGU was marked by a mix of oral and poster presentations across a variety of sessions, covering plant respiration, stomatal regulation, wildfires, optimality in forest dynamics, and much more. Many of our PhD students had their first opportunity to present at a major international conference—an experience that is both challenging and rewarding.
“This meeting has provided me with a comprehensive understanding of the core challenges within our research field and the diverse perspectives surrounding them. I found the novel ideas and multi-angle discussions particularly enlightening, which has benefited me a lot.”
Boya Zhou- PhD student at the University of Reading
Two of our lead investigators, Prof. Sandy Harrison and Prof. Colin Prentice, were invited speakers, reflecting the growing recognition of EEO theory in the global scientific community.
Sandy’s talk titled “Vegetation responses to climate change: lessons from the past 1Ma of Earth history”, highlighted how insights from palaeoecology can inform and strengthen optimality-based modelling of plant responses to climate change. Her presentation underscored the value of long-term perspectives in testing and refining eco-evolutionary theories.
Colin’s presentation “Optimal trait theory: An emerging route towards better land ecosystem models”, laid out a forward-looking vision for incorporating trait-based optimality principles into next-generation land surface models. His talk illustrated how linking traits to function can improve the predictive power and realism of ecosystem simulations.
In total, our presenters spanned multiple institutions and career stages, reflecting LEMONTREE’s collaborative and inclusive ethos. These contributions sparked engaging discussions, many of which extended beyond sessions into hallways and coffee breaks—an essential part of the EGU experience.
“I was pleased to present my research following Colin’s talk, which provided an excellent foundation for introducing my own work on predicting plant traits using the P model. I had engaging discussions with fellow researchers who are developing models grounded in EEO, allowing us to compare approaches and explore opportunities for collaboration. It was a valuable opportunity to showcase my work and connect with the broader research community working on plant carbon allocation and terrestrial ecosystem”
Ruijie Ding, PhD Student, Imperial College London.
Here is the full list of presentations by the team and links to their abstract:
- Colin Prentice: Invited talk: Optimal trait theory: An emerging route towards better land ecosystem models
- Sandy Harrison: Invited talk: Vegetation responses to climate change: lessons from the past 1Ma of Earth history
- Boya Zhou: How much biomass is allocated to leaves?
- Ruijie Ding: Optimality-based modelling of plant traits and primary production along the Northeast China Transect.
- Jiaze Li: How deep-time climate change has influenced the diversity of plants
- Mengdi Gao: Shifting dynamics of water use: non-linear decline of transpiration-to-precipitation ratios with aridity.
- Cai Wenjia: Increasing CO2 seasonal cycle amplitude in the north: analysis with an eco-evolutionary optimality model.
- Joseph Ovwemuvwose: Uncertainty in land carbon fluxes simulated by CMIP6 models from treatment of crop distributions and photosynthetic pathways
- Akash Verma: Impact of elevated CO2 on plant water stress and vegetation productivity in India.
- Olivia Haas: Assessing the sensitivity of fire regimes to climate, atmospheric CO2 and human activity under past and future conditions.
- Theo Keeping: Understanding wildfire interannual variability using large ensembles.
- Ziqi Zhu: Optimal light use strategy explains seasonal dynamics and trends in vegetation greenness.
- Mengmeng Liu: Land albedo feedback may have shaped the ‘fast-slow’ pattern of Dansgaard-Oeschger cycles.
- Yicheng Shen: Global drivers of post-fire ecosystem recovery: Insights from solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence
“Attending EGU was an inspiring experience. I presented my research on deep-time climate impacts on plant diversity and received valuable feedback. The sessions sparked new ideas and potential collaborations, encouraging me to explore more interdisciplinary approaches.”
Jiaze Li- PhD student at Imperial College London
Strengthening Our Network
Beyond the formal sessions, EGU continues to serve as a hub for collaboration and community. For a project like LEMONTREE—with its international reach and interdisciplinary scope—EGU offers a rare chance to meet in person, reinforcing our connections and creating space for creative, spontaneous idea-sharing. We also connected with colleagues from other projects and institutions interested in applying or testing EEO principles, helping to expand the reach and impact of our work.
As always, LEMONTREE is proud to be part of this vibrant scientific community and grateful to our funders (Schmidt Sciences LLC), and we’re already looking forward to EGU 2026.
