UW–Madison scientists have published new research about the makeup of death cap mushrooms (Amanita phalloides) after learning that its spread across continents has changed the chemistry of the species. 🍄‍🟫

"Rewilding"

Functional response experiments have proven to be very useful in predictive risk assessment of nonnative species. However, the interpretation of FR data is affected by the choice of methodologies regarding experimental habitat complexity & model selection. To read: link.springer.com/article/10.1...

The 2023 IPBES report, authored by 86 international experts, is the most comprehensive assessment of invasive alien species ever conducted. It offers clear & undeniable evidence of the growing global threat of biological invasions to ecosystems, economies, and human well being. #bioinvasions

"We find that the principal drive for global warming acceleration began in about 2015, which implies that 2°C global warming is likely to be reached in the 2030s, not at midcentury" - James Hansen et al. mailchi.mp/caa/another-...

The audio version of my Very Short Introduction on Invasive Species is out. This is a quick read that provides a comprehensive overview of invasion science! rbmediaglobal.com/audiobook/97...

Honeybees have never been in danger of extinction. But scientists are finding that they can accelerate the demise of native bee populations. wapo.st/3ZhkdWf

Most people are worried about climate change - but most don't hear or talk about regularly. That's why I started my free newsletter Talking Climate. Every week I share good news, not so good news, and what people can do. If you aren't a reader yet, see below. I have 6 different ways to subscribe!

Discontinuity is here. Climate and ecological disruptions are having unprecedented impacts in the lives of every person on Earth. And, yes, that has profound security implications. "Nature is a foundation of national security" is exactly right. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Alien range size, habitat breadth, origin location, and domestication of alien species matter to their impact risks 🌎🌐🧪 onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

The significance of this is that pigs act as "mixing vessels" for genetic exchange & re-assortment of viral genomes, which facilitates the potential emergence of novel flu strains that cause epidemics/pandemics among humans. www.producer.com/livestock/av...

Biodiversity loss is continuing at an unprecedented rate, with species becoming extinct at between 100 and 1,000 times the average pre-human, or ‘background’, rate go.nature.com/4rxrWvn

It is not an exaggerration to state that biodiversity loss should be recognized as a national security issue for every country. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

A great explanation on how to define a species. It’s complicated… www.scienceofbirds.com/blog/how-do-...

The false promise of de-extinction gives people (& governments) permission to act less concerned about biodiversity loss.

Hebrand Russel also responsible for Chinese Water Deer which has spread into arable from initial wetland habitat. I think chainsaws, tractor flails and bulldozers may have had more impact on hedges and shrubland than deer. Turtle Doves need weeds also, scarcer due to herbicides. Doves need ponds.

Quote: "Muntjac deer were imported into Britain by Herbrand Russell, the 11th Duke of Bedford, during the late Victorian period for his private collection. The 11th Duke also helped to introduce grey squirrels, which have devastated the red squirrel population." www.telegraph.co.uk/business/202...

Island land snails have experienced dramatic extinction rates, particularly in the Pacific, with habitat loss and invasive species driving declines; conservation efforts are underway to protect remaining diversity. doi.org/hbmw8n

Support for both the diversity-resistance and diversity-productivity hypotheses.

There is a cost to science denial.

From the UK govt: national security assessment on global biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse & national security, showing how "environmental degradation can disrupt food, water, health and supply chains, and trigger wider geopolitical instability." assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/696e0e...

Quote: “Ecosystem degradation is occurring across all regions. Every critical ecosystem is on a pathway to collapse."

Very glad to have a copy of Dan Simberloff's latest book - his magnum opus.

New paper out in Biological Invasions! We show that “genetic rescue” can unintentionally boost invasive fallow deer in Australia. Genomic data & simulations reveal how escaped genotypes from farms may increase pop growth & spread → key implications for management. link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Global evidence that plant diversity suppresses pests and promotes plant performance and crop production | Nature Ecology & Evolution share.google/cvA7CqS1EB1z...

David Dudgeon & Jia Huan Liew (2026) Welcome to the Homogenocene? Trajectories of change in global #freshwater #fish biodiversity during the Anthropocene: evidence from tropical East Asia 🔓 via Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci @royalsocietypublishing.org doi.org/10.1098/rstb... #BioInvasions 🧪🌏🐟

Same here. I strongly discourage any student/early career scientist from publishing in journals like MDPI and FrontiersIn. It will only taint their CV.

Thousands of scientists inflate their CVs with self-published studies that cost millions of dollars of public money 1 in 8 'special issues' is filled with articles written by the editor, particularly at the publisher MDPI @manuelansede.bsky.social english.elpais.com/science-tech...

The question is whether marketing invasive species as a food delicacy will ultimately suppress/control them - or will it create perverse incentives to cultivate & distribute them. How do you convince the public that a species should be removed after giving it value? www.popsci.com/environment/...

Excellent essay by @jeffvandermeer.bsky.social on how a faith-based focus on non-existent creatures detracts from our awareness & appreciation of the real (& marvelous) animals living around us. 🧪🐻🐾

On the subject of penguins and madness, did you know that 9 King Penguins were released in 1936 in Arctic Norway by the Norwegian Nature Protection Society? At least a couple possibly survived until 1944. So for a brief period Polar Bears and penguins could in theory have met. #biologicalinvasions

One of the things we need to restore as a society is a sense of responsibility to each other. You don't get to act on your own feelings and preferences if doing so is irresponsible and causes harm to someone else. You need to get vaxxed. You need to vote for the non-MAGA candidate. And so on.

Cats and foxes did it. Leading Scientists refute “Invasive Species Denialism,” reaffirming introduced predators as a major cause of mammal extinctions https://www.newsbeep.com/au/431553/ It follows a scientific uproar over a widely publicised and controversial 2025 paper in BioScience by Dr …

"The Fiji iguanas stand apart, marooned in the Pacific. Four species live on Fiji and Tonga, all listed as endangered because of habitat destruction, invasive rats, and illegal exploitation for the pet trade." 🏝️🦎🌏 #FijiIguanas #Evolution #Travel #Biology #Wildlife #Nature #AmazingCritters

The color drained from Scott Fisher's face when a member of the Maui Invasive Species Committee told him a little red fire ant had been found at Waihe'e Coastal Dunes and Wetlands Refuge on the island's north shore.

Quote: "Some have argued the impact of introduced species has been overstated, and that introduced species should be seen as a legitimate part of Australia’s ecosystems. Scientific evidence and conservation outcomes do not support this." theconversation.com/yes-feral-ca...

Two very problematic crop pests have interbred in Brazil to create hybrids that could be even more problematic 🧪 If soya farmers in Brazil fall behind in this arms race, there could be knock-on effect on food prices worldwide www.newscientist.com/article/2512...

Most/all of these are quagga mussels.

AI slop is everywhere in scientific publishing, we’re only catching the easy-to-detect stuff (like when you happen to peer review a manuscript with a AI-hallucinated reference of a paper you apparently wrote) www.theatlantic.com/science/2026...

Greenland, a fragile ecosystem... "A new invasive species in sight!" "Which one?" "A big orange pig!"

Quote: "The real choice is between directly killing a nonnative predator and sentencing many more native animals to die because the nonnative predators are left alive."

Science denialism called out. "We refute a recent article (Wallach and Lundgren 2025) that discounted the role of introduced predators (domestic cat & red fox) in the extinctions of Australian mammal fauna, finding fault in its premises, analyses, data & conclusions" academic.oup.com/bioscience/a...

It was an embarrassment that biosciences published that obvious piece of disinformation. Invasive species denialism is dangerous, and as someone in the humanities it is disappointing that there is so much support for it my section of the academia.

Confronting invasive species denialism. Quote: "Inaccurate publications have the potential to fuel misinformation, undermine social license for pest management, and ultimately increase the risks of further extinctions". biodiversitycouncil.org.au/news/leading...

Five freshwater fishes that went extinct. How it happened. Why it matters. tnature.substack.com/p/five-cool-... #Extinction #Freshwater #Biodiversity #Conservation #EdgeEffects #NatureWriting