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Posts by Renske Onstein

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Legacy of the Lost and Pressure of the Present: Malagasy Plant Seeds Retain Megafauna Dispersal Signatures but Downsize Under Human Pressure Using structural equation models, we show that Malagasy assemblages with higher human pressure have smaller maximum seed sizes, especially through downsizing of extant frugivores. Furthermore, among ...

First PhD paper out!πŸŽ‰
Dive in here to see how past frugivores and present human pressure jointly shape seed size distributions on Madagascar: doi.org/10.1111/ele....
Huge thanks to Alexander Zizka and my supervisor Renske Onstein @renskeonstein.bsky.social
. Excited to keep going on this journey!

7 months ago 18 9 0 1
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Very proud of @acabral-bio.bsky.social and @yuansoup.bsky.social for defending their PhD theses at Leipzig Uni. Both experts in #frugivory, and #trait-based #ecology and #evolution! @idiv-research.bsky.social

4 months ago 14 3 0 0
Photo of a pair of fleshy seeds of ginkgo hanging in the tree, not yet dispersed. Photo by Scott Zona CCBYNC2.

Photo of a pair of fleshy seeds of ginkgo hanging in the tree, not yet dispersed. Photo by Scott Zona CCBYNC2.

The fleshy sarcotesta of Ginkgo biloba smells really nasty. Some biologists suggest that the stench evolved to attract scavenging dinosaurs (or ancient mammals), which dispersed the seeds. πŸ€·β€β™‚οΈ Maybe. If so, that vile smell is the aroma of Jurassic death. πŸ’€ #dispersal #Ginkgoaceae #Botany 🌾πŸ§ͺ🌱

6 months ago 79 14 9 2
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Human activities linked to declines of big seeds in Madagascar

Also, see here for the @idiv-research.bsky.social press release: www.idiv.de/human-activi...

7 months ago 2 0 0 0

Very proud of @yuansoup.bsky.social on getting this PhD chapter published- a synthesis that started due to travel restrictions from COVID-19 but turned out to be very insightful, highlighting the botanical consequences of defaunation 🦜🦣πŸ₯‘πŸ₯­

7 months ago 2 2 1 0
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Older species tend to have large ranges – unless they live on islands New Nature Communication publications sheds light on how ecological, evolutionary, and geographical processes can simultaneously shape species’ vulnerability to extinction.

A new @natcomms.nature.com study led by iDiv alumna @adrianaalzate.bsky.social @naturalis.bsky.social uncovered that across >26,000 species evolutionary age is positively linked to range size, except in marine mammals.

#Biodiversity #Evolution #iDivResearch
www.idiv.de/older-specie...

7 months ago 24 10 1 2
PNAS Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), a peer reviewed journal of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) - an authoritative source of high-impact, original research that broadly spans...

Ever wonder about what spatial scale of biodiversity #eDNA 🧬 samples capture?

We did. So we used data from the 16-ha Luquillo Forest Dynamics Plot πŸ‡΅πŸ‡· to investigate the spatial scale of soil eDNA samples for tree🌴🌳 diversity.

(Please share with #eDNA folks!)

www.pnas.org/doi/full/10....

7 months ago 25 10 1 0
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POSTDOCTORAL DATA SCIENTIST IN MACROECOLOGY AND MACROEVOLUTION (2+ YEARS IN PRAGUE) at Czech University of Life Sciences Prague in Prague, CZECHIA May 12, 2025 | We invite applications for a full-time, two-year data scientist postdoctoralposition (with potential for an extension) spanning large-scale... | NEW JOB

We’re hiring a postdoc (2+ years) in macroecology and macroevolution in my new lab at CZU Prague: www.researchgate.net/job/1021667_...

11 months ago 18 31 0 1
Different scenarios on co-phylogenies.

Different scenarios on co-phylogenies.

Interesting for epidemiology as well as macroevolution and biogeography.
Rates of species interactions from co-phylogenies.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
πŸ§ͺ βš’οΈ #Paleobio #EvoBio

11 months ago 26 10 0 0
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*** Academic BFD alert ***

We just published a new global bird phylogeny. It synthesizes the work of thousands of researchers before us, and it will grow and improve over time. @snacktavish.bsky.social @birdsoftheworld.bsky.social www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

11 months ago 136 52 3 11
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Ever wondered what explains the amazing fruit diversity in the custard apple family (Annonaceae)?
See what we found: nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

@renskeonstein.bsky.social @hsauquet.bsky.social @ingolfkuehn.bsky.social @josephtobias.bsky.social @tlpcouvreur.bsky.social, and others!

1 year ago 20 5 0 0
A conceptual framework figure from Cabral et al. 2025 Seed-dispersing vertebrates and the abiotic environment shapefunctional diversity of the pantropical Annonaceae. New Phytologist

A conceptual framework figure from Cabral et al. 2025 Seed-dispersing vertebrates and the abiotic environment shapefunctional diversity of the pantropical Annonaceae. New Phytologist

Heads-up for fans of trait-based models & trophic interactions! A fresh & fruity paper led superbly by Andressa Cabral & Renske Onstein @naturalis.bsky.social investigates the role of seed-dispersing animals in shaping pantropical plant diversity.

nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10....

1 year ago 39 11 0 1
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Renske Onstein: A Passion for "Big" Plant Questions Botany One interviews Dr Renske Onstein, a researcher passionate for the evolution of plants and their characteristics on a global scale.

In my latest interview for @botany.one, I present you the work of @renskeonstein.bsky.social, a researcher always looking for the "big picture" of plant evolution and biogeography #Botany #PlantScience #SciComm πŸ§ͺ🌍

Renske's research is something you don't want to miss! botany.one/2025/03/rens...

1 year ago 15 2 0 0
A figure from a paper shows a DNA tree of palms in Asia - each part of the tree is colour coded to the area of Asia that those families are found. There are also pictures of two species of large palm, and pollen fossils both ancient and modern

A figure from a paper shows a DNA tree of palms in Asia - each part of the tree is colour coded to the area of Asia that those families are found. There are also pictures of two species of large palm, and pollen fossils both ancient and modern

Using 90-million-year-old pollen fossils and DNA from a vast collection of global herbarium specimens, @benkuhnhaeuser.bsky.social has been able to map the spread of rattan palms across Asia, and understand the drivers that led to their astonishing diversity 🌴🏝️

πŸ‘‰ www.kew.org/read-and-wat...

1 year ago 30 8 2 0
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It’s been a while since I shared some updates, but here we go! New place, new grant, and successful PhD defenses. Check out my (forgotten and lost) blog at onsteinison.wordpress.com

1 year ago 8 1 0 0
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Nature Today | Landelijke Schelpenteldag: 22 maart Kom ook dit jaar naar het strand voor de landelijke Schelpenteldag. Weten wat je ziet op het strand maakt elk volgend bezoekje leuker! Je helpt ook wetenschappers om in kaart te brengen hoe het leven ...

Zet hem alvast in je agenda: over een maand is het weer Schelpenteldag. Op 20 Nederlandse stranden (meer dan ooit!) kun je strandschelpen verzamelen en op naam laten brengen bij de Schelpdesk. Leuk, leerzaam, en je helpt de wetenschap.
www.naturetoday.com/intl/nl/natu...

1 year ago 18 9 2 0
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We’re hiring again! Our new Leader Systematic Botany role at Botanic Gardens of Sydney is an exciting opportunity to join a vibrant, diverse, and inclusive team of 15 scientists working on systematics, phylogenomics, and macroevolution of the Australian flora.
iworkfor.nsw.gov.au/job/leader-s...

1 year ago 44 48 3 2
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Happy to share we have a new postdoc position in "Biogeography of genetic diversity changes or Macrogenetics" at @utu.fi to work on large-scale patterns of genetic diversity using Lepidoptera= moths and butterflies πŸ¦‹πŸ¦‹ Applications are open until March 10!
ats.talentadore.com/apply/tutkij...

1 year ago 68 41 0 6
Postdoctoral Fellow in Machine Learning & Butterfly Ecology Are you looking for a new opportunity to contribute to the science that is needed to understand the state of biodiversity and help develop tools that can be used to inform conservation strategy and po...

πŸ¦‹Job!πŸ¦‹
#Postdoc integrating South East Asian butterfly collections with machine learning & ecological modelling!πŸ“Š

Join us @naturalis.bsky.social
Unlock the power of museum collections and drive innovation in biodiversity scienceπŸŒπŸ¦‹
#butterflies #AI #ecology

πŸ‘‰Info: shorturl.at/xCM0t by 3 Mar 2025

1 year ago 6 5 0 0
Jobs for Scientists | Senckenberg Society for Nature Research

if you are looking for a PhD opportunity in paleobiology, check it out here!
www.senckenberg.de/en/career/sc...

1 year ago 11 9 0 1
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A phylogenetic approach to comparative genomics Nature Reviews Genetics - Controlling for phylogeny is essential in comparative genomics studies, because species, genomes and genes are not independent data points within statistical tests. The...

Our review is out in Nature Reviews Genetics! rdcu.be/d5AY2

We show how phylogeny-based methods can resolve the problem of non-independence in genomic datasets.

These methods must be considered an essential part of the comparative genomics toolkit.

@lauriebelch.bsky.social @stuwest.bsky.social

1 year ago 193 95 5 4

Me please!

1 year ago 1 0 1 0
Wat als een planteneter verdwijnt? Onderzoek naar de gevolgen Wat gebeurt er met planten als de dieren die hun zaden verspreiden uitsterven? Naturalis-onderzoeker Renske Onstein heeft een zogeheten VIDI-beurs gekregen om het te gaan onderzoeken.

Botanicus @renskeonstein.bsky.social onderzoekt de relaties tussen dieren en planten. Ze haalde laatst een grote onderzoekssubsidie binnen voor haar werk aan uitgestorven reuze-dieren.

1 year ago 4 1 1 0