Some short term benefits but long term harm. Lemurs in these areas look underweight to me. No epiphytes that frogs and other critters rely on or mistletoes that feed and provide shelter to many birds and threatened lemurs.
If the strawberry guava plant feeds endangered wild lemurs of Madagascar, but is ecologically invasive and harmful... how to make decisions about what to do? Research by @amydunham.bsky.social, scicomm by @rachelnuwer.bsky.social #lemurs #primates #anthropology #plants #invasiveplants #conservation
Some short term benefits but long term harm. Lemurs in these areas look underweight to me. No epiphytes that frogs and other critters rely on or mistletoes that feed and provide shelter to many birds and threatened lemurs.
🌿 Postdoc opportunity in plant evolutionary ecology/genetics!
My lab in the Dept. of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology at the University of Michigan is recruiting a postdoctoral researcher to start Fall 2026.
We study plant adaptation, using weeds as model systems.
#Postdoc #EcoEvo
Pls RT!
Thanks Scott!
Strawberry guava is one of the top 100 most problematic invasive species worldwide. In the biodiversity hotspot of Madagascar we observed that it can arrest native forest succession causing long term ecological harm. But it also feeds endangered lemurs creating a challenging conservation problem.
This amazing lemur pic was taken by Natalie Phelps
Our work with Dr Matt McCary and team was featured in NYTimes! www.nytimes.com/2026/03/07/s...
Exciting announcement! My new department is launching a postdoc fellowship in quantitative biology. Fellows will be co-advised by two Bio faculty, one that is quant focused (not me) and one that is not (me???). I would love to co-sponsor a postdoc and build a collaboration so please reach out!
It's also incredibly difficult and expensive to eradicate, adding a very real financial consideration to any conversation efforts.
The stunted tree growth prevents regeneration of the rainforest after deforestation, even decades after deforestation has stopped.
But the plant isn't hated - its straight stalks (bottom left) make for good building materials, and its fruits (bottom right) attract beloved lemurs.
But strawberry guava can only grow in disturbed (deforested) parts of the rainforest. Once it's established, this study found it causes:
decreased soil quality
changed arthropod populations
stunted tree growth
Lemurs, the most well-known Madagascar animal, eat the strawberry guava fruit. (Humans do too!)
So the plant can have a very positive association - lemurs tend to be found around its groves.
Invasive strawberry guava is a favorite food of endangered Madagascar lemurs.
It also prevents native trees from growing past the seedling stage, halting the regeneration process after deforestation.
Study led by Amy Dunham and Matt McCary.
news.rice.edu/news/2026/st...
Photo looking down at a meadow with hundreds of yellow and red flowers.
Texas ground update.
A head on picture of a Parsons Chameleon standing next to two lichen covered leaves
Ahead of International #ChameleonDay here is a pic of a female Parson’s Chameleon (Calumma parsonii) looking like a lichen covered leaf
Environmental Science students @RiceUniversity learn a little bit about beekeeping during last class of the semester 🐝🐝
Rice University Ecology & Evolutionary Biology grad students enjoying a #PaintYourPhD workshop. #sciart
Our 1st Biodiversity Science-Policy 'starter pack' is now full (150 accounts). Access at: go.bsky.app/LjV86zg
There's a 2nd starter pack already filling up: go.bsky.app/GzM8eok
NB: these are mainly IPBES authors & stakeholders regularly engaged with IPBES work. Please follow & share widely! 🌍🧪
Purple Martin male perching on top of a Martin house
Two years in a row our Purple Martins have made first appearances on Valentines Day ❤️❤️❤️🐦 (Houston)
A frog in center frame, viewed from the side as it clings to a twig, diagonally with its head looking up to the upper right corner. The frog's belly is a stark white, and its back, head, and limbs are all black and covered with bright yellow oval spots. The eye is the same color as the belly, with a black pupil.
A White-bellied Reed Frog (Heterixalus alboguttatus) from near Ranomafana, Madagascar. Also called the Starry Night Frog ❤️ A species I had hoped to see on my visit, and I saw exactly one. This one. #herps #NaturePhotography #FrogFriday
We're relieved to hear from our friends at Centre ValBio that the #fire in Ranomafana National Park is finally out. Heavy rainfall finally came after months, ending an unseasonably long dry spell, and the community worked tirelessly each day to stop the fires from spreading.
A photo of Kory Evans, winner of the 2025 Carl Gans Award
Congratulations to Kory Evans @sternarchella.bsky.social, winner of this year’s @J_Exp_Biol sponsored Carl Gans Award at #SICB2025. His #biomechanics research examines the role of modularity in the evolution of the #fish skull. Don't miss his talk: 7 Jan at 13:30 in Marquis D
Please repost
red-bellied lemur eating fruit in a tree canopy
New paper led by former group member Jadelys Tonos! Simulations/empirical data reveal just a few trees bearing the most fruit in the landscape are critical for driving patterns of lemur movement & seed dispersal 🐒🥭🌱https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdfdirect/10.1111/1365-2435.14702
JOB OFFER: Postdoctoral researcher on biodiversity modelling and scenario development @ipbes.bsky.social @biodiversaplus.bsky.social @creaf.cat creaf.factorialhr.com/job_posting/...
Big picture: Biodiversity loss disrupts ecosystems. 🌳🐒 Defaunation weakens critical animal-plant interactions, jeopardizing tropical forest health and resilience. 🌿
🔗 Study: doi.org/10.1111/mec.17620
Authors: Lamperty et al., 2024
(5/5)
Defaunation doesn’t just affect large-seeded plants needing big animals like tapirs 🐾. Even "generalist" plants with small seeds and a range of dispersers can suffer. Losing long-distance dispersers alters forest dynamics in ways we’re only beginning to grasp. (4/5)
Why does this matter? When seeds aren't dispersed far:
📉 Gene flow drops
📈 Inbreeding risks rise
⚠️ Long-term resilience of plant populations may decline
(3/5)
Our study focused on Euterpe precatoria, a hyperdominant and small-seeded palm in Peru. Despite remaining small-bodied dispersers, seedlings in defaunated forests showed:
📍 Higher clustering
🧬 Increased genetic similarity
🗺️ Shorter seed dispersal distances
(2/5)
