Academic ecosystems must evolve to support a sustainable postdoc workforce - Nature Ecology & Evolution The postdoctoral experience is in need of reform. Here the authors outline concrete steps that institutions, postdocs and mentors can take to improve the landscape.

In honour of "Postdoc Appreciation Week", a plug for a paper I was involved in 5 years ago (w/ @bjmjarrett.bsky.social, @muriellealund.bsky.social and others) in which we highlighted how academia could better support postdocs. There is much here that remains relevant! www.nature.com/articles/s41...

New PhD position on large mammals and land-use change in Europe | Conservation Biogeography Lab We are excited to invite applications for a new PhD position on large mammals and land-use change in Europe. Join us at the Conservation and Biogeography Lab at Humboldt University Berlin!

Come join us at the Conservation Biogeography Lab @biogeoberlin.bsky.social @humboldtuni.bsky.social and carry out work on megafauna in Europe

pages.cms.hu-berlin.de/biogeo/websi...

Rat-tailed maggots at a garden centre! These are aquatic larvae of hover flies 🐝 They breath through their tail snorkels 🤿 They break down organic waste 🌿 Their adult forms are important pollinating insects 🍎 They're so mesmerizing to watch! Info from @the-wildlifetrusts.bsky.social

A scoping review of evidence for the effects of seven global deer species on woody vegetation This scoping review summarises the current evidence for ecological effects of seven global deer species on woody vegetation, with a focus on the evenness of study across deer species, global distribu....

Here's a link to the full review, published open access.

The number of studies reporting the occurrence of each deer species, together with the different effects on woody vegetation that were studied. Note that the numbers in this matrix add up to more than the total number of studies (n = 455), as many studies reported more than one deer species present and more than one effect category.

High deer densities are one of the main challenges in temperate forest restoration and management. But not all deer are the same! In this review we consider the evidence for their impacts on woody vegetation ->

Agreed

I would be very interested to see the feasibility studies behind this, particularly habitat suitability assessments. You can't tell me the UK is a more suitable place for elk now than it was 3000 years ago..?! www.countryfile.com/wildlife/elk...

Are you a female deer stalker based in the UK? The British Deer Society want to hear from you 🦌🎯 www.surveymonkey.com/r/NK77K3S?fb...

My hand holding a small branch to inspect the male and female flowers of the English oak Quercus robur

Quercus robur flowers ~ tiny pink female flowers nestled next to the pendulous male catkins 🩷

England’s non-woodland trees mapped and available freely for the first time - Forest Research

Online map of non-woodland trees in England published by @forestresearchuk.bsky.social

Healthy forests require combined deer and invasive shrub control If left unchecked, both overabundant white-tailed deer populations and invasive shrubs like Amur honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii) can devastate deciduous native tree regeneration. Yet, a management stra...

2025. Healthy forests require combined deer and invasive shrub control [USA data] phys.org/news/2025-04...

Just 9.5% of plastic made in 2022 used recycled material, study shows Global research reveals most of 400m tonnes produced using fossil fuels, predominantly coal or oil

"Plastics recycling" is essentially a con.

Instead we are choking the planet (and our own bodies) with #PlasticWaste and #PlasticPollution
www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Well done for all the work you put in! Good things may yet come of it 😊

It is truly an honour to be shortlisted for the Elton Prize! Reflecting on this paper for the blog was really nice - we had such a great time writing it and it's driving so much of what we're doing in @foragingecology.bsky.social!

Check out the paper here: doi.org/10.1111/1365...

Had a blast this weekend at my first @mammalsociety.bsky.social conference with this lovely lot 🦌 🐿️ the talks were all superb, and it was great to be back in Bangor 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

Our @ukceh.bsky.social Kestrels lost their nest site at UKCEH Wallingford when it blew down in winter storms, so we've just provided them with a new nestbox on the office buildings. Kestrels are UK amber-listed after a 40% decline since the 1990s, so we didn't want to lose this pair.
#ukbirding

Very nice commentary on our study - "Ecological novelty is the new norm on our planet" ♨️🌍🍃🦌🌐

Large wild fauna are a natural part of, and crucial to, most ecosystems, performing all sorts of key roles.

Early humans killed off most planetary megafauna, and that artificial absence has many enduring negative effects. Follow @jcsvenning.bsky.social for more on this. (3)
bsky.app/profile/jcsv...

New from us: Lantau, Hong Kong, water buffalo ⬇️⬇️🐃🐃🐃 #Preprint ⬇️

Thousands of people are ditching Tesla. Here’s one of them with a message you can see from space.

Location: Black Rock Sands, Wales, UK

Led By Donkeys is 100% funded by small donations.

PhD opportunity with me (RSPB) at Sheffield Hallam combining ecology (building-nesting birds esp. Swift) + building design & planning (Net Zero goals & retrofit). We need a strong student interested in both! Is that you? url.uk.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/cNyjCR636C... Please repost.

From profiteroles to moles: project uncovers gulls’ surprising diet Salford University findings show gulls are predators – not just opportunists snatching people’s snacks

Brilliant case study of #CitizenScience

“The thing with gulls is, because they’re very smart these behaviours spread culturally"

www.theguardian.com/science/2025...

Definitely! Two sides to the coin, depends on your woodland management objectives :)

What deer poo can tell us about the future of Britain’s woodlands Research reveals that fallow deer have an unexpected appetite for brambles, a plant often seen as a woodland nuisance.

Hot off the press: a Conservation article on our recent work exploring patterns in the seasonal diet of fallow #deer in North Wales @graemeshannon.bsky.social @markuseichhorn.bsky.social @bangoruniversity.bsky.social

🌳🦌💩

theconversation.com/what-deer-po...

I saw a similar sign in Colombia with my mum and my genuine reaction was "what... no trumpets??" she couldn't stop laughing

Biodiversity for woodland resilience: the long-term functional ecology of tree diversity The benefits of biodiversity for forest resilience and delivery of many ecosystem services underpin “nature-based solutions”. However, there are major gaps in knowledge of the ecological mechanisms, l...

NEW PhD OPPORTUNITY 🌳🌲
"Biodiversity for woodland resilience: the long-term functional ecology of tree diversity"
www.envision-dtp.org/2025/biodive...
Closing date 17:00 on Wednesday 12th March 2025.
@bangoruniversity.bsky.social @ukceh.bsky.social

1 week left to apply to do a PhD with me & APHA on the Virome of British #bats 🦇🧬🦠 ⚠️⚠️⚠️ #OneHealth

Fallow deer diet in North Wales is dominated by bramble (Rubus fruticosus agg.) across seasons 🦌

Learn more here 👇

A PhD position has opened up in my old lab group in Uppsala with Anna Qvarnström! I can't recommend Uppsala and the group highly enough. This is a really great opportunity! If anyone wants to learn more about life in Uppsala or in the department, I'm very happy to talk.