Does good policy depend on happiness? Happier places vote for governments that prioritize evidence & science. We need to make people happier. This means investing in education, infrastructure, health care, & a high quality of life. People then feel better about society.

I know it is nearing the end of the field season when we can no longer walk through our sample processing lab. These are bags full of plant material awaiting our drying ovens which are running 24/7

A great 4-day EMAPI conference in Christchurch, New Zealand. Lots of great research on understanding and managing plant invasions from around the world. confer.eventsair.com...

The fabulous postdoc Toby Tsang published a paper on where exotic ants are restricted indoors and where climate might release new invaders into outdoor environments. And it got a lot of press! onlinelibrary.wiley.... For some press: http://bit.ly/3V5EuvJ

I went back to my hometown of Hearst, ON. While cycling gravel logging roads, after I saw 3 wolves & a bear, I realized there was no major settlement/infrastructure for 800 km ahead of me. There are so few places left on Earth where #nature is larger than humans, we need to ensure they persist.

Ecological/conservation practitioners generate invaluable insights from projects, which can help science and practice. Most of this grey literature is not discoverable or permanent. Here we call for adoption of Open Grey Literature principles. zurl.co/M0kdW

Public health success or ecological problem? CBC interview about declining shore bird numbers on Toronto beaches. zurl.co/PO0Xl

Nice summary of Toby Tsang's paper on incipient ant invasions. Many species are restricted to indoors in introduced regions, esp. climatically different ones. With climate change we predict many species will move outdoors, including problematic invaders. www.utoronto.ca/news/invasiv...

Notes ready for radio interview about wild parsnip invasions

Ecological/conservation practitioners generate invaluable insights from projects, which can help science and practice. Most of this grey literature is not discoverable or permanent. Here we call for adoption of Open Grey Literature principles. besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

This is why, despite having 'super elite' status, I am increasingly booking with other airlines. @aircanada.bsky.social just silly.

📸 #Ecologists & #environmental #scientists gathered at the ANDINA workshop in the Conguillío National Park (Chile) last year to discuss the roles, obligations & accountability of professionals in this field amidst the #environmental crises. 🔓 Workshop Report: doi.org/10.3897/rio.....

Well, this is an interesting Deepseek feature. Watch until the end when it self deletes. Yes, Let's talk about something else...

An important part of a broader conversation about how we support scientists trying to wrestle with their roles. "Ecology for a social revolution: Re-defining the role of ecological and environmental science professionals and their responsibilities towards society" riojournal.com/articles.php...

I've been collaborating with a group in Yunnan on plant diversity and ecosystem properties across elevation gradients for many years. We've just published an expansive review on plant biodiversity and conservation across the Himalayas. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Beautiful Victoria, BC. A quick two-day trip to present to pension funds about investing in way that considers biodiversity

So sad to see this. John Measey was a great herpetologist and a fun person to be around.

The majestic beauty of #KrugerNationalPark

We are so excited to continue our work on urban biodiversity with an awesome team and the support from ESIIL @cu-esiil.bsky.social. @urban-sci.bsky.social esiil.org/working-groups

Invasive species are a greater and more globally ubiquitous ongoing threat to UNESCO world heritage sites, compared to pollution, deforestation and climate change. link.springer.com/ar...

Two studies in the same issue of Science examine macroecological biodiversity-ecosystem function relationships, showing that they fit broader scale sampling processes. Interesting, but with most things in ecology, the deviations are intriguing. https://bit.ly/4iGN0eQ https://bit.ly/4iWWUsv

Why aren't more researchers publishing in society journals? Two potential reasons: 1) They're often unfamiliar to early-career researchers, and/or 2) they need better promotion, a task for all of us.

The @besmacro.bsky.social group is one of the most active, dynamic and necessary networks in the @britishecologicalsociety.org. They're recruiting a new committee chair: could it be you?

The honeybee is an aggressive nonnative species that often has negative impacts on native bee communities and reduces pollination diversity

Online now: Plant invasion resistance due to 2D native diversity

Careers in ecology? Hear valuable experiences

Crop traits are altered through domestication. This shapes crop suitability to the soil environment, and informs variety selection. Data in our new paper 👇 It’s time for serious investment into breeding seed supplies for organic and agroecological systems. link.springer.com/article/10.1...

I knew immediately

And the meek shall inherit the Earth. The plant found in cities on all continents is... Erigeron canadensis (Canadian fleabane or horseweed). From the GUBIC database: 8K non-native species from 550 cities globally. bit.ly/3Fbj1wI. And the data available here: zenodo.org/records/1...

Coexistence theory can provide insights into microbial worlds; but why so many microbial species live together can help us refine coexistence theory!

Human-wildlife coexistence: The need for evidence-based solutions 💭🌎🧪 Calls for collective effort & identifies two key challenges: 👉the lack of sufficient evidence for interventions 👉the limited success of interventions in the marine realm Read the post: appliedecologistsblog.com/2025/03/13/h...

Populations of large-diameter trees are increasing across the United States | PNAS

Can we predict the affects of multiple environmental change drivers on biodiversity and ecosystem function? Yes, so long as we understand how ECDs impact individual species. Effects range from reducing biodiversity & function to enhancing - depending on emergent trade-offs. esajournals.onlineli...

Why do we fear some animals more than others? 🕷️🐍🐊 Check out our study in @peopleandnature.bsky.social with @karlzlr.bsky.social on danger and fear in shaping human biophobia. Fear isn’t just danger—social & cultural factors matter! 🔗 besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.... 🌐🧪🌍🦤

We need to have a conversation about ethical publishing. Researchers spend public $$, and it doesn't make sense to support companies that make massive profits when there are society and non-profit journals that give back to research communities. You have choices. evol-eco.blogspot.co...

Reading in journal club Move beyond ‘publish or perish’ by measuring behaviours that benefit academia A standardized system to measure contributions in mentorship, collaboration and more could bring about systemic change in science www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Fascinating article from Simonsen & Dinnage. They show that legume species establishing in a community is constrained by the phylogenetic conservation of compatible mutualistic partners more than for related species that do not form mutualistic symbiosis. bit.ly/3Dt5gce

For the past few months I've been working on bringing to life something that I think is really needed: a field guide to plant pathogens (focusing on fungi and oomycetes). It has gotten to the point where I feel I can share it publically - read more at irishplants.org/blog/2025/03... ! #FungiFriends

What an impressive & important achievement 👇 A database on the global non-native flora. The synthesis project sGubik is supported by #sDiv 😍 www.idiv.de/sgubik

Our paper is out, and it is distressing. Rapid butterfly declines across the United States during the 21st century | Science www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

The global urban non-native flora is out! Seven years of work with amazing colleagues. GUBIC includes >8K species for 550 cities across the globe. bit.ly/3Fbj1wI. And the data available here zenodo.org/records/1455.... @djli.bsky.social @flamontano.bsky.social @smartenwinter.bsky.social

🚨 we're looking for a Senior Editor to join our editorial board! 📝 details can be found here: buff.ly/3PxptAb ⌚ closing date is 13th February 2025, 23:59 GMT

Tracking my work hours reveals a crisis brewing in academia. Being a successful academic shouldn't require us to also be an accountant, HR manager, safety coordinator, travel agent, etc. #WorkLifeBalance #academia bit.ly/49Zc0KN

Another fantastic @britishecolsoc.bsky.social meeting. Great talks, great people, and great city. Off to Bristol now!

Our #BES2024 workshop on recognizing, defining, and guiding ecologists’ responsibilities was a huge success with breakout groups moved to hallways. @britishecolsoc.bsky.social @mixedforests.bsky.social

Those at #BES2024, do come by @britishecolsoc.bsky.social booth for speed reviews. Get feedback on your forthcoming papers from @aer-ese-bes.bsky.social editors at 17:00 today @dochpjones.bsky.social

Join us for a #peerreview workshop at #BES2024! Editors from the @britishecolsoc.bsky.social journals will cover: 🔸The PR process explained 🔸How to be a good reviewer 🔸Reviewer ethics 🔸The evolution of PR at the BES 🔸Receive your copy of the BES Guide to PR 📍12-Dec 13.45, Room 11A

Blue =! Orange. The Bizarro world monarch

Did you know that the monarch butterfly is not alone in its long migration? Other closely related butterflies also migrate. I visited an overwintering site for multiple Danaini (same tribe as monarchs) species in Hong Kong -1000s of butterflies! Scientists are not sure where they are migrating from.