Distribution of a Non‐Native Amphibian in Britain Explained by a Complex History of Introductions and Translocations Aim Success in a biological invasion often depends on whether the non-native species can disperse from its introduction site and spread across the invaded landscape. The alpine newt, Ichthyosaura al...

New paper out today in @consbiog.bsky.social 🎉

How did the introduced alpine newt spread so widely across Britain?

Was it natural dispersal - or did humans help it along? 🧵👇

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

@jimlabisko.bsky.social @zslscience.bsky.social
@uclcber.bsky.social

A virtual wasp flying through a reimagined rewilded Grant Museum.

We are excited to share that we have been shortlisted for Best Use of Digital in the 2026 @museumsandheritage.com Awards for our work on the World of Wasps exhibition. Read more here: www.ucl.ac.uk/museums-coll...

Biodiversity shapes life on Earth - and it’s disappearing fast. Why does it matter, what’s driving the losses, and how can we turn things around? Watch our new film to hear from UCL experts tracking biodiversity change, building innovative tools, and driving nature‑positive solutions. bit.ly/4aNfrGA

New🗒️Aiming Higher to Test a Bend in the Curve of Biodiversity Loss: The Challenge of Halt-The-Loss Targets -
Mairenn C. Attwood, Richard D. Gregory, Nick J. B. Isaac, Fiona Burns @rspbscience.bsky.social @uclcber.bsky.social @ukceh.bsky.social 🐦🦋
doi.org/10.1002/ece3...

New🗒️@science.org this week - Shows patterns of sustained decline in North American birds are strongly linked to climate & agriculture - but increasing agricultural intensity is the main driver of accelerating decline @rspbscience.bsky.social @uclcber.bsky.social 📉🐦
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Amazing new tool from @birdsoftheworld.bsky.social - Birds of the World, The Cornell Lab - to help explore bird phylogenies ⬇️ @rspbscience.bsky.social @uclcber.bsky.social 🐦

Resource supplementation later in the colony cycle improves real‐world bumblebee colony survival Our findings suggest that B. terrestris colonies became food-limited towards the end of their colony cycle in early summer. We suggest ecological intensification through planting native wildflower sp....

I am absolutely thrilled to share my first chapter, published today in @jappliedecology.bsky.social! Results are summarised in the thread below, or you can read it OA here doi.org/10.1111/1365... @ellileadbeater.bsky.social @rhulbiology.bsky.social @uclcber.bsky.social @ucl-pnl.bsky.social 1/7 🧪

It was an honour to bring some #WaspLove to the #Oxford @naturerecovery.bsky.social last week, in the framework of the natural capital of wasps and their contributions to people. What a fabulous audience 🥰.
Thanks to @ymalhi.bsky.social for the invite!
@uclcber.bsky.social

Newly minted Dr Rachel Hester with PhD flowers plus an trídhathach (the Irish tricolour/flag of Ireland). Photo credit @ionace.bsky.social

Dr Rachel Hester (centre), with Prof. Trent Garner (Zoological Society of London) & Dr Jim Labisko (University College London) (left) and Dr Tamsyn Uren Webster (Swansea University) & Dr Gemma Murray (UCL) (right) looking happy, proud, and relieved while in complete control of a tasty celebratory beverage. Photo credit @ionace.bsky.social

Yesterday afternoon @rachelhester.bsky.social successfully defended her PhD thesis—𝗔 𝗺𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶-𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗰𝘀 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗼 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝗶𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀: 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘄𝘁 𝘐𝘤𝘩𝘵𝘩𝘺𝘰𝘴𝘢𝘶𝘳𝘢 𝘢𝘭𝘱𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘴 𝗶𝗻 𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗕𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻—we couldn't be more proud @uclcber.bsky.social @zslscience.bsky.social @ucllifesciences.bsky.social

🚨I have a new paper out! doi.org/10.1002/rse2...
How important is it to use top performing ML models when creating a classifier? We test this on two 📸 datasets from Kenya & Nepal and found that large, clean training sets are more important than ML architecture. Check it out!

I had a fantastic time this week at #Ento25 in Glasgow organized by @royentsoc.bsky.social. I presented a poster based on data generated our PhD student @femi-benny.bsky.social (with @waspwoman.bsky.social)! Thank to @ucl.ac.uk and @uclcber.bsky.social for the funding Research Progression Grant!

#HamOrJam #PicnicWaspSurvey

Offered ham (aka protein) and an apple (‘jam’ aka sweet) - It’s ‘jam’ for this wasp today!

Pls submit your wasp food choices at your picnic!

Help us reach 500 records for August!

Read about it & submit data here:
www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2025/au...

@uclcber.bsky.social

What do wasps eat? First molecular data for native zone Vespula Yellowjackets.

So happy to see this out, finally!
Started in 2018.. or maybe 2017.. 🫣involving @uclcber.bsky.social MRes (Ben Bellekom) and MSci (Georgia Law) students @ucllifesciences.bsky.social
@dr-bob-brown.bsky.social

Recent evidence on the effectiveness of European protected areas for species conservation in the face of climate change - Biodiversity and Conservation A dominant conservation strategy to safeguard the natural environment and biodiversity is the creation of protected areas (PAs) at international, regional, and national scales. To date, such PAs have ...

Our review 'Recent evidence on the effectiveness of European PAs for species conservation in the face of climate change' shows understanding is patchy - but their value to conservation under climate warming indisputable🐦
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
@rspbscience.bsky.social @uclcber.bsky.social

So fab to hear these stories of dining with wasps!
PLEASE submit your observations on the #HamOrJam #WaspPicnicSurvey to help us learn more about how wasp preferences change with season and location. docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
@uclnews.bsky.social @uclcber.bsky.social
#WaspLove

Practice I: Biological and environmental data for Species Distribution Modelling YouTube video by UCL CBER

Really great free course content on species distribution modelling from @uclcber.bsky.social. Really good for the underlying theory and easy to follow
www.youtube.com/watch?v=8inE...

#ecology #science

Wasps (and me!) in @thesundaytimes.bsky.social today. Thanks @ben-spencer.bsky.social for championing wasps!

Get involved with #WaspPicnicSurvey and #BigWaspSurvey!
#SummerOfWaspLove
Links below!
@uclcber.bsky.social @uclnews.bsky.social
@adamhartscience.bsky.social

Scientist reveals three things you can do to avoid a wasp sting Wasps seem to appear from nowhere in summer. Here’s how to deal with them

One of the great things about writing for @theconversation.com is that your article can be picked up & republished (under your name) elsewhere. Here's my #WaspPicnic #HAmOrJam article (free) in @the-independent.com

@uclnews.bsky.social @uclcber.bsky.social

www.independent.co.uk/life-style/h...

UCL People and Nature Lab are looking for partner organisations in the conservation sector for Nature Smart Challenge 2026! Could you be one of them?
#UCL @freshwaterizzy.bsky.social

What to do when wasps crash your picnic – a scientist’s guide to dining safely with these insects Did you know wasps switch from ham to jam foraging during the late summer?

It's a bumper-wasp year: here are my top tips on how to dine alongside wasps, without getting stung.

GET INVOLVED! Tell us what wasps want at YOUR picnic: www.sumnerlab.co.uk/wasp-picnic-...

theconversation.com/what-to-do-w...

@uclcber.bsky.social @uclnews.bsky.social @uk.theconversation.com

Have had a very exciting and unexpected start to this week, travelling to Salford for an interview with BBC Breakfast talking all things #wasps! Many thanks to @waspwoman.bsky.social for trusting me with this opportunity, and the fantastic #WorldOfWasps at @uclgrantmuseum.bsky.social for the props!

Persisting at the Edge of Ecological Collapse: The Impact of Urbanization on Fish and Amphibian Communities From Lake Xochimilco Freshwater ecosystems are globally threatened by habitat loss, pollution, and invasive species, all of which are particularly acute in urban areas. To assess the impacts of urbanization on freshwater....

We are happy to share a new paper featuring Dr Alejandro Maeda Obregon and Prof Julia Day. "Persisting at the Edge of Ecological Collapse: The Impact of Urbanization on Fish and Amphibian Communities From Lake Xochimilco" in Environmental DNA dx.doi.org/10.1002/edn3...

Jim Labisko and Richard Griffiths holding copies of their new book 'The Lives of Frogs' at the soft-launch event in May 2025. Frog-themed wine and beer consumed but not shown. Special mention of Richard's tropical forest and frog-themed shirt putting an underdressed Jim to shame Photo by Chloe Wellecomme

Very proud: 'The Lives of Frogs' is published today! Hardback and ebook available globally 🐸 #frogs #amphibians #conservation #ecology #naturalhistory #biodiversity 🐸 @princetonupress.bsky.social @uclcber.bsky.social @ucl-pnl.bsky.social @ucllifesciences.bsky.social @ucl.ac.uk ac.uk 🐸 🧪

ProcB

🔥 Super happy with this new paper led by @sbradshaw26.bsky.social and collab with @andrewpom.bsky.social 🔥 published in Proc B today

We find that meiotic drive impacts metabolic phenotypes: mito function, metabolic rate and food consumption

royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/epdf/10....

Izzy Bishop @freshwaterizzy.bsky.social at the Sustainable Stand Up UCL Comedy Course Show. Watch the livestream: youtube.com/live/rEWiUXy...

This Monday, another of our CBERians, @idrisadams.bsky.social shared a sneak peek of his fascinating PhD work on the evolution of solitary wasps 🧠🐝. He walked us through the evolutionary traits and behaviours that make these insects so unique. A big thank you for such a insightful talk!

This Monday, @cintiaoi.bsky.social gave us a glimpse into her fascinating research! 🧠🐝 She took us through her field expeditions and the challenges of working with stinging insects—experiences that are shaping the questions she asks about wasp behaviour. Thanks for such an engaging talk!

A couple of weeks ago, we had the pleasure of welcoming Prof. Ralf Seppelt from the University of Luxembourg for a fascinating seminar. He delivered an engaging talk on his work on biodiversity. A huge thank you to Prof. Seppelt for an inspiring and thought-provoking session!

New📄Embracing global biodiversity toward a better planet - delivering on the CBD's Global Biodiversity Framework by aligning national biodiversity goals & targets with local circumstances & building capacity @rspbscience.bsky.social @uclcber.bsky.social

doi.org/10.1016/j.ee...

Happy that everyone had a great time at the CBER retreat, featuring ECR research talks, PI career paths, great food and drink, and dastardly two truths and a lie with an ecological twist. And an eco haiku competition! @uclcber.bsky.social @ucl-pnl.bsky.social Thanks to my fellow organisers!