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Exeter Mechanical Ecology Lab

@mechecolab.bsky.social

We study how plants deal with the physics in their life or use physical principles to their advantage. We also love whacky plants, so we work a lot with carnivorous pitcher plants.

108 Followers  |  108 Following  |  25 Posts  |  Joined: 20.11.2024  |  1.8666

Latest posts by mechecolab.bsky.social on Bluesky

Opportunities โ€“ Mechanical Ecology Lab

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mechanicalecology.exeter.ac.uk?page_id=121

16.07.2025 09:10 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 0    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Funding covers university fees at UK home student level and a generous stipend. International applicants will need match funding to cover the difference in fees.

16.07.2025 09:07 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 0    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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You will use either carnivorous pitcher plants or floating aquatic plants as models to study the interplay of cuticular composition and surface topography in determining wetting and water spreading, as well as the genetic underpinnings of surface development and modification.

16.07.2025 08:57 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 0    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Looking for a #phdposition? We have 2 #fundedphd positions available from October 2025. The projects investigate how plants modify the wettability of their leaf surfaces. More info at mechanicalecology.exeter.ac.uk/page_id=121. #phd #phdopportunity #phdscholarship

16.07.2025 08:53 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 2    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 3    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
Opportunities โ€“ Mechanical Ecology Lab

mechanicalecology.exeter.ac.uk?page_id=121

16.07.2025 08:51 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 0    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Looking for a #phdposition? We have 2 #fundedphd positions available from October 2025. The projects investigate how plants modify the wettability of their leaf surfaces. More info at mechanicalecology.exeter.ac.uk/page_id=121. #phd #phdopportunity #phdscholarship

16.07.2025 08:44 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 5    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 2    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Amazing crowd at the Royal Society #SummerScience Exhibition today! We're having a blast! And they even put our exhibit right under the portrait of J.D. Hooker... Coincidence or cunning move?

05.07.2025 14:57 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 1    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Lots of exciting science to explore hands on and in great talks at the @royalsociety.org #SummerScience Exhibition this week. I'll be on the programme on Saturday 3pm, talking about the tricks and traps of insect-eating pitcher plants.

02.07.2025 13:48 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 1    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Only one week to go until we'll be at the Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition! Come and find us on Saturday 5th July! Step into the feet of an ant and explore the weird and wonderful world of carnivorous pitcher plants! See you there...

27.06.2025 08:59 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 1    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Do you want to hear me talk about the joys of field work and learn how insect-eating pitcher plants outsmart super-sticky ant feet, all that while sipping a cold beer? Then come to next week's @pintofscience.uk pintofscience.co.uk/event/insect... at City Gate Hotel Exeter!

12.05.2025 13:14 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 4    ๐Ÿ” 1    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Always mesmerising to watch a locust moult into adult...

12.05.2025 08:06 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 0    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Using a focused ion beam to cut a window into the trapping surface of a carnivorous pitcher plant - how cool is that??! ๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿคฉ๐Ÿ˜œ

29.04.2025 14:27 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 1    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Thrilled to be able to use one of the very few existing cryo OrbiSIMS systems in the world over the next three days to look at pitcher plant surfaces! @uniofnottingham.bsky.social

28.04.2025 14:14 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 1    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Poster prizes at conferences rarely go to Masters students because they naturally have fewer data to show than PhDs and postdocs. Really pleased to see my MbyRes student Igor win the runner-up prize at the UK Plant Biomechanics Day last Friday! Proud supervisor ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿ‘Š

04.04.2025 06:11 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 3    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Volume 135 Issue 4 | Annals of Botany | Oxford Academic An official journal of the Annals of Botany Company. Publishes original research in all areas of plant science, including those applying molecular, analytical, mathematical and statistical techniques.

Nice to see Oona's first paper make the cover of @annbot.bsky.social ! academic.oup.com/aob/issue/13...
Now I just need to track down a printed copy for my shelf... ๐Ÿ˜‰

13.03.2025 20:55 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 2    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Permanent research position in forest tree biomechanics (INRAE, France) Post a job in 3min, or find thousands of job offers like this one at jobRxiv!

Junior research scientist in forest tree biomechanics #ScienceJobs #AcademicSky jobrxiv.org/job/inra...

31.01.2025 13:41 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 1    ๐Ÿ” 2    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Interviewing PhD candidates is always joy and pain at once. Amazing to meet so many bright, talented, enthusiastic young minds. Tough to have to say no to all but one of them. I often wonder what happens to those that miss out narrowly.

18.01.2025 08:11 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 1    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Carnivorous sundews are more carnivorous in high-light bog microhabitats that are not also nutrient-rich. Christopher R Hatcher, Jonathan Millett This is a plain language summary of Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. Peatland coverage, the round leaved sundew and our study sitโ€ฆ

๐Ÿ“ฐPublished๐Ÿ“ฐ Carnivorous sundews are more carnivorous in high-light bog microhabitats that are not also nutrient-rich

https://buff.ly/3VKigQx

๐Ÿงช๐ŸŒ

18.12.2024 09:00 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 36    ๐Ÿ” 16    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 2

Don't forget to submit your application by Monday noon!

11.01.2025 14:23 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 0    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Excited to be invited to give a seminar at the @johninnescentre.bsky.social tomorrow!

09.01.2025 06:51 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 7    ๐Ÿ” 2    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

#Plantscience
#carnivorousplants

06.01.2025 16:35 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 0    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

One week left to apply for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to work with us on a fascinating plant-insect interaction in tropical Borneo:

06.01.2025 16:33 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 5    ๐Ÿ” 4    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 1
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Merry Christmas from the Mechanical Ecology Lab!!

25.12.2024 10:18 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 0    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Still time to apply for this interdisciplinary #PhDposition in #PlantScience #biomechanics #climatechange. Join a friendly and fun lab, shoot stuff at plants for #science, and learn how to use machine learning for high-speed video analysis. Deadline 11 December for a start in September 2025.

28.11.2024 12:37 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 1    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Another exciting #PhD opportunity in our lab: combine interdisciplinary approaches in lab and field to study the relationship of carnivorous pitcher plants and their prey:

26.11.2024 14:32 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 2    ๐Ÿ” 2    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 1
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Lots of great #PhD projects available in this year's BBSRC SWBio Studentship competition, including this one in our lab. Apply by 11 December to join us in beautiful Exeter in September 2025!

21.11.2024 10:42 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 0    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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๐Ÿ‘‹ Hello #PlantScience and #Biomechanics community on BlueSky! Like so many others, we've jumped the X ship, hoping for a better, brighter, more open experience here! Please follow us and check out our website at mechanicalecology.exeter.ac.uk! Here's a pitcher plant picture added for good measure...

20.11.2024 11:50 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 24    ๐Ÿ” 2    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

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