New paper! Bird nests (Wood Warblers) are hubs of invertebrate biodiversity on forest floor, hosting more species/individuals than leaf litter. Probably due to heat & food detritus. Losing Wood Warblers = ecological networks lost. #ornithology resjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

New research article! 📰 Tschinkel reveals that the tiny ant P. adrianoi lines its multi‑chambered nests with sclerotia from pine ectomycorrhizal fungi, whose sprouting mycelium binds the surrounding sand 🍄 🔗 doi.org/10.1007/s000... #SocialInsects #SoilEngineering #DesertAdaptations #Behaviour

Queen-only parasitic parthogenetic ant. Cool combination! www.cell.com/current-biol...

Interested in the ecosystem services provided by leaf-litter arthropod communities? Read all about it in the latest 'Value in nature' post: 'Hidden treasures'. #biodiversity #nature 🌐 mscaterino.pika.page/posts/hidden...

Novel worker-like behavior observed in a socially parasitic ant. New from @pogonokwap.bsky.social & Francois Brassard: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

🐜 4-year #postdoc position in the @socialfluids.bsky.social lab @camzoology.bsky.social investigating metabolic cooperation between bodies in a BBSRC-funded project. www.cam.ac.uk/jobs/postdoc... #ants #socialtransfers #sociallytransferredmaterials #autophagy #socialinsects #aging #job (🧵1/n)

Join us at the University of Central Florida! 🍊🚀🌴 We’re seeking an Assistant Professor of Plant Physiology! We’ve got growth chambers, hoop houses, greenhouse space, an arboretum, and students chomping at the bit for more plant courses! #PlantPeopleFTW #IAmABotanist jobs.ucf.edu/jobs/assista...

Using Bayesian neural networks and evolutionary modelling, we show that trophallaxis evolved twice in ants: 130 million years ago when flowering plants became more abundant and ants began harvesting sugary liquids from plants and their insect partners, and again in others ~90 million years ago.

New research article! 📰 Kwapich @pogonokwap.bsky.social et al. revealed that H. dorsalis larvae parasitize P. badius colonies by intercepting insect prey meant for ant larvae🪲 doi.org/10.1007/s000... #InsectesSociaux #SocialInsects #Kleptoparasitism #InsectBehavior #Myrmecology #BeetleLarvae #ants

My lab has a new paper in @insectessociaux.bsky.social. We found that alleculine beetle larvae consume most insect prey collected by Florida harvester ant workers, and occur in up to 63% of nests. 1/n

A couple of favorite An'ts from last weekend: Holcencyrtus nugget wasp, and a silly little mopey thrips (Phlaeothripidae). Carry on, tiny friends 🖤

I'm looking for a graduate student (master's level) to join my lab starting Fall 2025. If you know any undergraduates interested in termite behavior and evolution, please let them know!