DNA barcoding reference dataset revealed overlooked diversity and clarified biogeography of fishes in the largest European river system – Volga River. 🔗 doi.org/10.3897/arph... @mbmg.pensoft.net

🌊 A few weeks ago I shared my PhD roadmap on metabarcoding for river biomonitoring — with a focus on peninsular Spain. What’s working, what isn’t, and what’s next for our freshwater ecosystems. 🔬

Looking for openly available: - before-after data in space - with a restoration measure inbetween (e.g. dam/invasive spec. removal, urban green space creation...) - min. 10 sites (quadrats / random places along a stream / ponds...) - species data, env. data of some sort, GPS coordinates

New Publication in The Journal of Fish Biology! "Hidden in the gut: Metabarcoding reveals overlooked predation by the invasive European catfish (Silurus glanis)" onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Had a great time at the SEM Malacology Forum presenting two research projects — one poster on the restoration of the Piles River and an oral communication on the sequencing of Iberian freshwater molluscs. 🐚🌊 #Malacology #Biodiversity #Metabarcoding

DNA metabarcoding identifies more invertebrate species under the Water Framework Directive than conventional methods, showing promise for faster and finer river health monitoring in Slovakia’s Carpathian streams. 🔗 doi.org/10.3897/mbmg...

In massive #collaborative #effort, we assembled published & unpublished #fish 🐟 #eDNA 🧬 metabarcoding datasets, covering ~2000 sampling sites/>100 river systems globally. 🐟 🐠 🐡 🌐 🌍 Now results out in 2 #parallel #preprints @biorxiv-ecology.bsky.social #aquatic #biodiversity #meta-analysis 1/6🧵

📢 We’ve just published the discussion & roadmap from my PhD thesis: a critical look at how metabarcoding of macroinvertebrates can (and cannot yet) be used for routine river biomonitoring. Let me walk you through the key take-homes, and where the method still needs work. 🧵 doi.org/10.1002/2688...

Our new paper shows how a small Iberian stream, dry for 50 years, bounced back to good ecological status in <2 years after environmental flows were restored. 🌊🪱 👉 doi.org/10.1111/rec.70198 #RiverRestoration #EnvironmentalFlows #FreshwaterEcology

It's actually amazing how long I've been waiting for this. No more guessing which column has the querycovperc! Plus, gzipped fastas for makeblastdb! Finally!

🌎👩‍🔬 For 15+ years biology has accumulated petabytes (million gigabytes) of🧬DNA sequencing data🧬 from the far reaches of our planet.🦠🍄🌵 Logan now democratizes efficient access to the world’s most comprehensive genetics dataset. Free and open. doi.org/10.1101/2024...

This is great - we a huge need in the #eDNA community to have data-informed standards for eDNA identity cutoffs, not just the bog-standard 97% besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.... For Chordata there is no cutoff that leads to 0% error when assigning species!! (Table S4)

Researchers have filmed thousands of climbing catfish scaling waterfalls, providing a rare insight into the daring migration of an enigmatic fish. Learn more: https://scim.ag/4lDlFux

Replication Crisis xkcd.com/3117/

📖Published📖 Sources of uncertainty in DNA metabarcoding of whole communities: Implications for its use in biomonitoring 🧬 🌍 🧪 Find the article here 👇 buff.ly/6zJRh9R

We want to thank reviewer #2 for the very constructive comments. We were able to incorporate all of them. The manuscript is now much more clear.

A monumental taxonomy unification effort has just been published - thanks to all those who've collaborated for years to make this happen! birdsoftheworld.org/bow/news/avi...

🧵 #HiloTesis | ¿Cómo se mide el estado de un río? ¿Puede el ADN decirnos si un río está sano? ¡Te cuento cómo he aplicado tecnologías basadas en ADN para evaluar la salud ecológica de los ríos en la Península Ibérica!

Any excuse to post this blast from the past from the last AEET conference that I went to in Almería. Still probably the best poster I've seen in the last few years courtesy of @ibartomeus.bsky.social. #SIBECOLAEET2025

The taxonomic biases in biodiversity data are growing over time. The amount of data we are collecting is growing, but the biases get bigger. We need to make a conscious effort to study the understudied! #SciComms #Science #Taxonomy 🧪 image from Troudet et al 2018 @natureportfolio.bsky.social

I will forever be haunted by this footage. Trawling has only been filmed underwater a few times in documentary history, and never with such clarity. What’s so heart-rending about these shots is watching how the animals don’t just get swept up — they swim for their lives. 🌎🦑🧪

Ok people. I’m drawing silhouettes this afternoon. If you have a paper coming up and you are in need of a #silhouette please let me know and I will have it ready today. As always I upload all my silhouettes to phylopic.org I also have tutorials on how to put a silhouette in a plot in R.

Can insect bulk samples be used in #metabarcoding without homogenising them? Our research shows: it’s technically possible but yields poorer data and is more expensive and time-consuming. Paper out now: @mbmg.pensoft.net mbmg.pensoft.net/article/1298... @leeselab.bsky.social #nondestructivelysis

Let‘s try a #metabarcoding starter pack to nucleate people interested. Welcome molecular #biodiversity monitoring people. Let’s try to keep us posted on updates regarding papers, projects, methods. Happy weekend.☀️#eDNA go.bsky.app/Qvqgknp

Left the other place run by Trump's buddy? Here's a starter pack of freshwater scientists to get you started. Also, if you're a freshwater scientist and want to be added, let me know. Still space available. go.bsky.app/K5ubDhb

hey everyone! i made a list of some useful starter packs (primarily biology/earth sciences with a few bonus things thrown in) to share with friends who have joined bsky in the last week and thought it may be useful for some people here too! 🌍🧪 #SciSky #BioSky docs.google.com/document/d/1...

Starter packs are genius, but I was surprised there wasn't a list of them for people to find. So I built it: blueskydirectory.com/starter-pack... The website monitors the packs being shared and adds the ones it finds to the database. Missed your stater pack? Message me and I'll get it added.

Look at our new paper: #DNA-based marine #benthic #assessment methods can perform as morphological ones, but an intercalibration is needed #GES4SEAS Obama-Next #uraEJGV #WFD fully open access👇 www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

ALERT! We’ve just confirmed the first record of the invasive Vespa soror (Southern Giant Hornet) in Europe, identified through both morphology and genetic tools. Early detection is key! 🐝 #InvasiveSpecies #Genetics #Biodiversity #Vespasoror doi.org/10.1002/ece3...

Thrilled to share that my thesis is now published! 🎉 Assessing DNA metabarcoding and environmental DNA for biomonitoring fluvial ecosystems using macroinvertebrates in peninsular Spain. You can access it here: dx.doi.org/10.13140/RG.... 🌱🔬 #Macroinvertebrates #eDNA #Metabarcoding #FluvialEcosystems

I started an #eDNA starter pack as one didn’t exist yet. Feel free to message me to get your name added. Open to all! go.bsky.app/U2vgV5Q