Has anybody imported tree cores into the US and can give me some pointers on paperwork? 🌎🧪

Here's an exciting new publication from my research group! We analyzed long-term demographic data from two forests in the Cumberland Plateau and found that species composition changes align with tree mycorrhizal association www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

This is my first time going through the peer-review process as first author. Reviewer #2 was the harshest but I've gotta say, they make good points. I appreciate that they're making the paper better

One of the big issues I think Nashville has right now is the lack of shade around town. The sun beats down here and the lack of shade makes most roads unwalkable. The way cars super-heat in uncovered lots and the reflection off roads makes driving miserable too.

We’re launching the 2026 International Summer School on Complex Systems in Earth System 🌍 Explore resilience, tipping points, and climate dynamics through lectures, discussions, and hands-on work. 📍 Tsinghua University 📅 Aug 3–15, 2026 Deadline: June 15

One of the best things about public transit is not having to find parking. Today I met up with a friend at a cafe where there were only 3 free parking spots, and the rest were $12/hour. For reference, and all-day bus pass is $4. Obviously a better price, not to mention the savings on gas.

Trying to revise a paper that I converted from PDF to word, this is awful. I'd rather just do edits in red pen and retype the whole thing than deal with this formatting nightmare.

Penn State Biology is hiring! We have an opening for a tenure-line faculty position in plant biology - if you'd like to pursue awesome science in a supportive and interdisciplinary community of researchers, consider applying! psu.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/PSU_Ac...

I wish I could have a hobby. All work all the time is miserable. Considering starting over as a barista.

Please spread this widely!

Happy late Earth Day! My university's environmental science club picked up about 5 bags of trash from our local wetland to celebrate

Academics, did you use time in your PhD program to target a dream job? I'm interested in a small niche and would have to start incorporating things outside of my advisor's expertise to build the right resume. I don't know if that's a good idea if I want to graduate on time. Advice appreciated :)

Has anyone studied provoking societal change through social/cultural capital? E.g. are people more likely to use native plants for landscaping if they see someone they respect/admire doing it? Will more people adopt zero waste practices if they see attractive people modelling those practices?

“NSF Plant Biology Act.” H.R. 7949 www.congress.gov/bill/119th-c... This bill would expand NSF funding for plant and microbial biology grants with $150 million authorized each year from FY2026 through 2031. Reach out to your representatives. www.house.gov/representati...

The mountain azaleas are blooming, 5-lined skinks are running around, and leaf-out is in full swing! Fingers crossed we get some rain soon because I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of the mushrooms 🍄

I'm seeing a lot of newly planted street trees around Nashville, and none of them are invasive species (I checked)! Plus, the trees planted on my street last year are doing well. Things are really moving in the right direction here

Is anyone else cautiously optimistic about the silver linings of gas prices? I'm hoping this is what gets the average suburbanite to choose any form of transit other than massive SUVs/pickups. Maybe plastics won't be the cheap default packaging if prices stay high. Anything's possible

I now have a paper in review that cites another one of my papers that is also in review. Feeling very academic 😎

Revising figures in R you made a year ago when you're at the very end of writing a manuscript is like deciphering hieroglyphics

We had a university-wide power outage starting Saturday that PIs weren't informed of until Sunday. Lost a ton of samples, the other campus across town was also affected, and no reason has been given. At this point I think incompetence must be a requirement for administrative positions.

Always sad when you hear from an old classmate and it turns out they just want you to join an MLM.

Has anyone else noticed the lack of studies looking into why AM seedlings are less inhibited by ericaceous shrubs than ECM seedlings? I've collected a few citations showing that pattern, but none have measured root colonization by AM or looked at the community composition/structure changes

Nashville's public transit has improved so much in the four years I've lived here that the bus has actually become a commute option for me! Thanks Freddie @freddieoconnell.bsky.social

The long-awaited @robertmoor.com In Trees: An Exploration comes out Apr 7! I've been looking forward to this book since reading Moor's brilliant On Trails. I just preordered. You can, too. Support an excellent author & have something great to look forward to. www.publishersweekly.com/9781476739250

What a delight it is to come across people you know while browsing literature outside of your field. It's like finding an easter egg

Good news, I got health insurance. It won't cover anything unless it's an emergency but at least I can maintain employment (because Tennessee State University requires proof of health insurance for grad students but doesn't provide plans). Can't wait to immigrate to a civilized country.

Currently grading, one of the senior agriculture majors described part of the carbon cycle as "plants eat carbon". The word "photosynthesis" was nowhere to be found. This man should not be two months away from a college degree. What is happening to the education system!?

This is for my class, but it's here for anyone who wants to demonstrate why AI cannot do their homework for them. Prompt to Gemini: "Please create a carbon reservoir and flux diagram that includes fossil fuel deposits, earth's crust, the hydrosphere, the biosphere, and the atmosphere"

Prepping a lecture, lab, and exam questions for a class I'm TAing, studying for my own midterms, trying to get a revision through to submit a paper to a journal this week, and getting a purchase list ready for this summer's experiment. PhDs are exhausting

Any soil microbial community ecologists around here? I have some questions about sampling and would appreciate an expert's opinion 😊

Good news, we got a microscope camera! I can now make better ID guides for lab protocols, and that is very exciting

Anyone have a recommendation on fungicides? I'm looking for one that will kill all fungi and another that will spare mycorrhiza but kill pathogens

The to-do list doesn't end but hey, at least my paper revision is done. I'll take wins where I can get them

All of the men dropped out of my biogeochemistry class, most of the women are still standing! #WomeninSTEM

Does anyone come back to writing after a period of lab/field work and feel like a complete dunce? It's like I have to build skills and endurance back up every time I come back to work on manuscripts

Does anyone on here have expertise relating to dark septate endophytes? If so, I have some questions about how to distinguish the hyaline hyphae from other types of endophytic fungi

Can any urban ecologists tell me about something exciting in the field relating to invasive species? I'm preparing a lecture about invasive spp. and want to have something new about urban systems (since our university is in the middle of a big city and the students can relate)

Day 4 of not having electricity. Cheers to the friends letting me stay with them, boo to the apartment complex not sending updates.

One of the seniors in the class I'm TA-ing had the gall to complain about how "difficult" the class is after the first week.... dude didn't even do the first assignment! He came to my office, complained about the 3-page worksheet being too long, and then left to attend a basketball game.

First semester as a TA and they're straight up not reading the assignments before asking for help. Two students came to my office to ask "How do I do the lab" and hadn't read the instructions. How do I fix them? They're broken, that's not how normal people approach a task.

I just got the syllabus and textbook for my biogeochemistry class this semester, amazing stuff. I wish this had been part of my undergrad ecology curriculum!

Doing lab work that requires a hotplate today because my lab is 60 F.

If anyone doesn't know how universities are being affected by the Trump administration, my department was supposed to have 14 new grad students this semester and only 7 or 8 were able to get a visa interview in time to actually get here.

Two fungi Purple Jellydisc and Hairy Curtain Crust #fungi

My new year's resolution is to get 3 manuscripts submitted to journals and two of those through to publication. The main one is a greenhouse experiment that I started planning in fall 2022 and I really want to be done with it

Spending a full day in the lab would be so much easier if I could get lunch somewhere near campus. Sometimes I bring lunch but it's not ideal since there's no fridge in the break room. Sigh.

I'm so glad I have a good advisor. Being able to take a week long vacation has been wonderful, feeling ready to take on the revisions and lab work

There's a chapter (published Nov 2025 so there's no excuse) saying that all mycorrhiza are in Glomeromycotina, which is just false. They discuss ECM and ERM which are mostly in Ascomycota and Basidiomycota. What does one do to get this corrected? Will emailing the authors or publisher be better?

Good morning, it's 51 F in my lab this morning. Will the university ever turn on the heat in my building? Reporting live from my desk in a parka and knit bonnet