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Danai Kontou

@danai-kontou

Postdoc Research Fellow @Leeds Uni πŸ‡¬πŸ‡§ PhD @Cambridge Uni πŸŽ“ MRes @UCL Aquatic Invasion Ecology, Population Genetics & ConservationπŸ’§πŸ¦ πŸ πŸ¦žπŸ‘½ πŸ§¬πŸ”¬

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28.11.2024
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Latest posts by Danai Kontou @danai-kontou

If you are a bio grad and the child inside of you can't decide between the NHM (aka dinosaurs) and the Zoo, that's the MRes for you πŸ˜πŸ¦’πŸ¦–

23.12.2025 11:01 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 1
Book cover for Reproducible Code guide. The cover has a red background with a large yellow-bodied black-headed stag beetle.

Book cover for Reproducible Code guide. The cover has a red background with a large yellow-bodied black-headed stag beetle.

Excited to launch the new improved Reproducible Code guide from @britishecologicalsociety.org @methodsinecoevol.bsky.social FREE online here! www.britishecologicalsociety.org//wp-content/... Amazing work by some very talented ECRs. We hope it’s useful!

16.12.2025 15:03 πŸ‘ 315 πŸ” 198 πŸ’¬ 6 πŸ“Œ 9

Many congratulations πŸŽ‰πŸ‘πŸ»

10.12.2025 21:08 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

So grateful to have been invited to participate in this incredible project! A week that was inspiring, thought provoking and (so much) fun and a chance to meet and collaborate with some of the best people I have met in my academic career so far! 😊
Well done Inva-Team and see you all soon! 🫢🏻

10.11.2025 10:08 πŸ‘ 4 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

Look to the past
Our work (see below), together with those of other colleagues, is highlighted in the editorial of the last issue of @natrevbiodiv.nature.com and inspired its cover
Thrilled and thankful to see that stuff
@ebdonana.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/s44...

14.10.2025 22:04 πŸ‘ 18 πŸ” 9 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

πŸ’”

06.10.2025 12:40 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

A full week to end a full month of training, learning and planning. Excellent conversations with great people!🐟🦞
Couldn't think of a better way to celebrate a whole year since I finished my PhD...

03.10.2025 11:16 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
Carbon Capture Has a Hard Limit and Wind Power’s Out Plans for carbon capture and sequestration have an effective limit of 0.7 degrees. So mitigation is perpetually proven to be the best green energy strategy.

πŸ€” coverage of our latest paper with @ecfreewoman.bsky.social @waterik.bsky.social (www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...) @forbes πŸŒ³πŸƒ Read the story πŸ‘‰ www.forbes.com/sites/suwann...

23.09.2025 09:55 πŸ‘ 3 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 1
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We are so excited our newest paper led by @ecfreewoman.bsky.social @camplantsci.bsky.social is now out @pnas.org 🀩
Read it here: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
🌲 We followed a forest as it was logged to understand what happens to soil carbon at a molecular-scale. Here's what we learned. 1/n

29.08.2025 13:01 πŸ‘ 9 πŸ” 7 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 1

A great example of why we need a bit more than just monitoring to understand species introductions!

02.09.2025 09:36 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
Biological invasions: a global assessment of geographic distributions, long‐term trends, and data gaps Biological invasions are one of the major drivers of biodiversity decline and have been shown to have far-reaching consequences for society and the economy. Preventing the introduction and spread of ....

The result of a huge amount of effort (by my co-authors) – "a comprehensive global assessment of the status and trends of alien species for major taxonomic groups (including Bacteria, Protozoa, fungi, plants, and animals) for IPBES regions."

#BioInvasions

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

18.08.2025 08:31 πŸ‘ 34 πŸ” 15 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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#BESAG2025: Aquatic Ecology Group Annual Meeting 2025 Get together with the freshwater and marine research community to hear the latest research, share skills, and build your network!

There is still time to register for our annual meeting! #BESAG2025. ZSL London Zoo, 15/16th Sept. We have great workshops and keynote talks! prices for #ECRs too. Join us if you are interested in anything #aquatic #marine #freshwater πŸ’§πŸŒŠπŸ§ͺπŸŒπŸ¦ πŸ‹πŸ¦ˆπŸ¦ͺπŸ¦πŸ¦€πŸͺΌπŸ¦‘ www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/besag2025-...

05.08.2025 08:11 πŸ‘ 7 πŸ” 5 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 1
Redirecting

Fish are a critical source of accessible food - but non-native species disrupt ecological networks. This could have unprecedented outcomes for nutrient and toxin accumulation when aquatic food is consumed by humans, with socioeconomically variable outcomes

doi.org/10.1016/j.tr...

24.07.2025 15:17 πŸ‘ 3 πŸ” 2 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 2
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The Sacred Waters and Fish: Traditional Practices and Fish Conservation in Indonesian Communities This paper explores the intersection of traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) and fish conservation within the context of sacred waters in Indonesian communities. Sacred waters, revered for their sp...

Rivers were historically regarded as gods - but freshwaters and the species within them are rapidly being destroyed.

Here we show how traditional knowledge and sacred sites offer sanctuary and reprieve for both humans and nature in Indonesia.

doi.org/10.1002/aqc....

@shoalorg.bsky.social

23.06.2025 08:15 πŸ‘ 13 πŸ” 7 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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New call for proposal: European Rapid-Response Fund for Invasive Alien Species - IUCN SOS 4 June 2025 – IUCN Save Our Species is pleased to announce that the call for proposals under the European Invasive Alien Species Rapid-Response Fund is now

πŸ”” New call for proposals!

IUCN and the EC have launched the EU IAS Rapid-Response Fund. We are accepting proposals to address #invasivealienspecies in the EU.

Apply now for grants to support the rapid eradication of species at an early stage of invasion.

iucnsos.org/new-call-for...

10.06.2025 18:49 πŸ‘ 6 πŸ” 4 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 2

Global stressors reduce biomass of both native & invasive plants, with invasive plants experiencing stronger negative effects.

This study contradicts the notion that invasive spp are more tolerant (& that they could be a "salvation" for stressed ecosystems, as some pop media articles have claimed).

10.06.2025 22:50 πŸ‘ 8 πŸ” 3 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

What a great day! Really enjoyed leading the discussion for this workshop together with the rest of the @universityofleeds.bsky.social @josiesouth.bsky.social team,
@matt-harwood96.bsky.social
@emma-baker.bsky.social & James Hodson 🦞✨

10.06.2025 17:52 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 1
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And then all about invasive crayfish in Yorkshire as disease vectors by @matt-harwood96.bsky.social

10.06.2025 10:47 πŸ‘ 3 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
Post image Post image

Third session started with @emma-baker.bsky.social and James Hodson from the University of Leeds talking about predicting invasive crayfish impacts across time and space and under different temperature scenarios🦞

10.06.2025 13:52 πŸ‘ 5 πŸ” 2 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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Parallels between biological invasions and human migration are flawed and undermine both disciplines. Response to Ahmed etΒ al. A recent article by Ahmed and colleagues (2025) attempt to draw parallels and assess distinctions between biological invasions and human migration. This co

In summary, by drawing untenable equivalencies between biological invasions & human migration, Ahmed & colleagues open the door for both intentional & unintentional misuse instead of preventing it

We strongly recommend such comparisons should be avoided altogether.

academic.oup.com/bioscience/a...

09.06.2025 16:03 πŸ‘ 21 πŸ” 9 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 3
Post image Post image

A recent article in Biol Reviews by Ahmed et al (2025) warns against 'deleterious' comparisons between human migrations & biological invasions, yet makes a series of scientifically dubious comparisons, described as "potentially fruitful to explore". See our critique: academic.oup.com/bioscience/a...

09.06.2025 16:06 πŸ‘ 20 πŸ” 10 πŸ’¬ 2 πŸ“Œ 0

As an ecologist who moved to the UK for studies during the worst of the Brexit chaos, seeing a peer-reviewed(!) article compare international scholars to invasive pests, brought back unpleasant memories. Words have power & it is important to speak up even if we simply need to spell out the obvious!

09.06.2025 15:58 πŸ‘ 6 πŸ” 4 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
Team of freshwater researchers and game rangers in the Kruger National Park South Africa - some are sitting on top of a hilux and others are at the bottom.

Team of freshwater researchers and game rangers in the Kruger National Park South Africa - some are sitting on top of a hilux and others are at the bottom.

Three freshwater researchers standing next to a hilux

Three freshwater researchers standing next to a hilux

The African crayfish hunt continues, with some new friends & some old friends. Heavy rains mean record high flows in the Kruger National Park - how will that affect distribution and ecology?

What a joy to be working with not one, but 3 members of your old team.

@bioscienceleeds.bsky.social

09.05.2025 18:53 πŸ‘ 4 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 1

Help us save this beautiful place and the special things in it. We are creating a Yayasan to formally caretake Pergam
forest & support the community to take ownership. Watch sanctuary here: vimeo.com/1077004302?s...

Please support us before it’s too late: gofund.me/a6804101

@shoalorg.bsky.social

08.05.2025 04:18 πŸ‘ 3 πŸ” 2 πŸ’¬ 2 πŸ“Œ 1
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BES Invasion Science SIG Annual Meeting 2025 This event will bring together academics, practitioners and policy makers to discuss and share ideas between different sectors.

A reminder that registration is now open for our exciting annual group meeting! πŸŒπŸ‘Ύ

Sign up using the link below, submit your abstract to present your research, and join us this June in Edinburgh to talk about all things #invasivespecies #ecology #policy #conservation #research #priorities! πŸ‘‡

30.04.2025 15:36 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 3 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
Microsoft Forms

πŸ“’We are also interested to hear from a wide range of backgrounds in #InvasiveSpecies management & research!
If you would like to share your work with us please submit your abstract by May 13th (5 pm, BST), using our form πŸ“πŸ“©

24.04.2025 13:25 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Don't forget to register & submit your abstract! We would love to see you there! 😁🏴󠁧󠁒󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

24.04.2025 13:30 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Still time to share your workshop ideas!!! πŸ’‘πŸ“ ➑️ forms.office.com/e/FMV66upCSy

#invasivespecies #ecology #conservation

08.04.2025 16:07 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
Image of conference advert for the BES Aquatic Group conference on the 15th and 16th of September 2025, in collaboration with the BES Microbial SIG.

Image of conference advert for the BES Aquatic Group conference on the 15th and 16th of September 2025, in collaboration with the BES Microbial SIG.

πŸ“’πŸ’§Aquatically-inclined AND keen on microbes?

This year, we are partnering with 🦠 BES Microbial SIG 🦠 to bring you additional workshops & talks on marine and freshwater microbial ecology!

Abstract submission + registration ⬇️:
www.britishecologicalsociety.org/content/besa...

27.03.2025 10:55 πŸ‘ 6 πŸ” 4 πŸ’¬ 2 πŸ“Œ 1
26.03.2025 15:51 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0