Picture of a mouse (Mus musculus).
Invasive rodents are a threat, especially in islands. Toxic baits work, but not everywhere. Study shows new genetic biocontrol tools that could help in the critical "last mile" of eradication. The 'Gravid Lethal' approach eradicated house mice in <2.3 years 🐀
doi.org/10.1111/eva.70238
Excited to share a new article from the lab & wonderful co-authors.
We argue that habitat fragmentation research needs to be recalibrated to focus on changes over time.
We hope that doing so will advance understanding, isolate attribution, and diminish heated debate.
www.cell.com/trends/ecolo...
So cool to see this study getting highlighted, but also so gutting to once again be reminded that Tom Johnson is no longer with us. Thanks for helping us see the invisible, TBJ. I hope wherever you are, all the birds are visible.
For migratory species, Key Biodiversity Areas can be breeding grounds, feeding areas, or stopover sites along the way.
The new State of the World’s Migratory Species: Interim Report 2026 shows that 9,372 KBAs have been identified as important for CMS-listed species: www.cms.int/publication/...
Genomic erosion across avian lineages in the context of their evolutionary history
academic.oup.com/mbe/article/...
Our new paper on the cover of PNAS, led by Anderson Bueno and Chase Mendenhall, shows that that terrestrial matrices and higher nearby tree cover reduce bird extirpations and boost species richness in forest remnants #ornithology www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/... 🪶🌍
Can you believe that until now there were more genomes sequenced for the woolly mammoth than for living African elephants?
Today, we bring you the first genomic, continent-scale analyses of 232 high-quality genomes of both species, the savanna and forest elephant.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Our new study, led by Sergi Herrando (EBCC chair, @ICOcells) published in Conservation Biology, shows that it is possible to create frequent and regular maps showing where farmland birds are disappearing across Europe by using the data from the Pan-European Common Bird Monitoring Scheme (PECBMS).
Forests that regrow on farmland are resilient and regain much of their lost biodiversity and species richness in 30 years — a finding with implications for conservation
go.nature.com/3O6gR6t
Four Asian elephants of different ages bathing on a pond.
Predicted DNA methylation age from the final epigenetic clock model. It shows a relationship close to 1 (r = 0.96).
Scientists built a DNA methylation clock for Asian elephants with 96% accuracy of age prediction, associating aging to genes for neurogenesis, oxytocin, and metabolism. This can be linked to-life history traits. Great tool for conservation and evolutionary biology 🐘⏰
doi.org/10.1111/eva.70236
🐜 "Ant larvae release a pheromone that prevents their parents from reproducing again. This ensures that the parents devote themselves fully to their offspring's development before laying more eggs." 🤩
Our PhD student Kennedy Orwa, who studies applications of AI to health care, was hastily deported today to Kenya along with his 13-year-old son without opportunity to speak to legal counsel.
King 5 reports that he held a valid visa that was rescinded without explanation.
This may be lost in the noise--this is as impactful or more than the cuts to NIH and NSF 🧪
Come join us on the campus of @umassamherst.bsky.social this summer for AOS 2026! It's shaping up to be a great meeting -- cool science, fun events, and great nearby birding opportunities. The Woodcock Waddle 5k, in particular, shouldn't be missed!!
Today marks a special day. 💚 We started this project nearly a decade ago when I was just a wee undergrad with a burning curiosity. Now to see it published in Oecologia as a PhD candidate is surreal... & on the one-year anniversary of my father's passing, no less. So grateful. doi.org/10.1007/s004...
Are you an early career professional (last two years of PhD or first five years in your job/post PhD?) attending #AOS26 in Amherst MA this summer? We're looking for a diverse range of speakers to be featured in our Early Professionals symposia. DM me for more details!
a small brown bird is paused at the mouth of a nest made of brown leaves and grasses and surrounded by ferns. it has a green insect in its mouth and in the nest is a baby bird with its bright yellow beak open
“I realized we actually didn’t know how the whole ecosystem worked at all,” said Felicity Newell.
A new study of the breeding seasons of tropical birds shows nearby communities can breed in opposite seasons in response to rainfall & resources.
🦗 Story:
www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/science/stud...
New preprint! We sequenced 175 'Alalā (Hawaiian crow) genomes to understand why >50% of eggs fail to hatch in a species recovered from just 9 individuals. What we found was a both exciting and surprising. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Hernán Casañas crop
Yesterday the Convention on Migratory Species COP15 closed in Campo Grande, Brazil, with government Parties committing to major advances in migratory bird conservation especially for #seabirds, #raptors, #shorebirds, landbirds & the Americas Flyways. #birds #CMSCOP15 #wildlife @cms.int 🧵1/12
We are destroying species' habitats, leading to a mass extinction event.
This habitat destruction also reduces the genetic diversity _within_ species.
Our latest work develops quantitative models to predict how much genetic diversity has been and _will be_ lost.
🧬🧪🧵
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
New, and sad, OA paper
We describe how the European polecat has recently vanished from its last stronghold in Catalonia
First chapter of Salvador Salvador's PhD, with Roger Puig-Gironés et al
Short thread below
@ebdonana.bsky.social
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Genetic diversity matters for species on the move in response to climate change ⬇️
We found that genetic diversity interacts w/ the velocity of climate change to explain the velocity at which species shift their range positions over time
shorturl.at/682E3
A major outcome from #CMSCOP15: Parties have officially approved the inclusion of 40 species in CMS Appendices I and/or II. 🐾
More updates on the newly listed species coming soon.
Open postdoc position in my lab at Cornell, conducting comparative and experimental studies on transcriptomic responses to diet and toxins, utilizing the milkweed-insect community. Background in molecular bio & herbivory desired. academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/31867
Now launched at #CMSCOP15: the Americas Flyways Atlas
This new CMS online platform, developed with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, brings together citizen-science data and expert modelling to highlight key sites for migratory birds across the Americas.
View the Atlas: www.cms.int/atlas-americ...
Good thread: reminder that crop-based biofuels are not "green" fuels
Project PhD student Rozy Bathrick has also put together an amazing interactive museum exhibit detailing our project's findings and ways to help solve the bird-window collision crisis. The exhibit will be opening on the UMass campus on April 2nd in the Olver Design Building. Come visit if you can!
Absolutely thrilled to share that our student-led Bird Safe UMass project was awarded a Massachusetts State Biodiversity Grant! We will use the $$ to place bird-safe window coverings on four of the deadliest buildings on the @umassamherst.bsky.social campus this spring. www.mass.gov/news/healey-...
