@ltkelly.bsky.social
Associate Professor in Quantitative Ecology at University of Melbourne, Narrm. I like finding things out: where species live, how ecosystems work, and how we can conserve biodiversity.
How does the amount and configuration of remnant vegetation influence birds in working lands?
Our new paper, led by Eliza Thompson who surveyed birds at 288 sites, explores this question in landscapes with forest plantations.
link.springer.com/article/10.1... #birds #LandscapeEcology
It was a real treat contributing to research on bilbies and fire mosaics last week - led by @ecology-sam.bsky.social - out at AWC's Scotia Wildlife Sanctuary. Big shout out to @australianwildlife.bsky.social for supporting the project!
19.11.2025 03:44 — 👍 27 🔁 2 💬 1 📌 0
🔥New Paper!🔥 from Julianna Santos,
@ltkelly.bsky.social @lluisbrotons.bsky.social @urbanfrogger.bsky.social @cristinaaponte.bsky.social , Lauren Ponisio, Stephen Mason, and David Keith!
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Downloaded and ready to have a close read of it!
29.08.2025 06:38 — 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0Brooke nailed some key ideas: "We, too, have to learn to live within the fire regimes in which we find ourselves — that we have, in fact, created for ourselves. Like it or not, we have to become fire-adapted."
29.08.2025 03:58 — 👍 5 🔁 2 💬 1 📌 0
A thoughtful look at fire, resilience and the future of ecosystems in SoCal and beyond.
It was a pleasure joining @brookejarvis.bsky.social in the field for this @nytimes.com piece, with @mwtingley.bsky.social, @kendallcalhoun.bsky.social & Miroslava Munguia Ramos.
www.nytimes.com/2025/08/26/m...
A bunch of wonderful scientists are working to study how the LA fires in January impacted our local nature. We had a great time working with @brookejarvis.bsky.social and @nytimes.com on this beautiful article.
feat. @kendallcalhoun.bsky.social @ltkelly.bsky.social et al.
In Spain, several pyroCb events have triggered the largest wildfires ever recorded in the country. We talk about it in the media ⬇️
www.eldiario.es/sociedad/ver...
How does pyrodiversity influence small mammal abundance and genetic diversity?
Our new paper led by Julianna Santos in @jappliedecology.bsky.social
doi.org/10.1111/1365...
#Biodiversity #FireEcology #EcoEvo 🔥🐭🧬
I normally think about #fire from an ecological perspective, so really enjoyed thinking about the role of fire in the evolutionary past and future with @ltkelly.bsky.social. Take a look, it's a short read!
26.07.2025 01:40 — 👍 14 🔁 7 💬 0 📌 0
A big thanks to UCLA Ecology and Evolutionary Biology for hosting me while I worked on this, and to all the legends in the Tingley Lab that shared ideas with me and showed me around LA and surrounds. Plus this fox squirrel outside my office window that encouraged the example in Figure 1 #GoBruins
25.07.2025 06:55 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0Our thinking was shaped by some excellent empirical work on intraspecific variation.
To name a few:
🪲Boheman weevils (Santos et al. 2025)
🐿️Eastern fox squirrels (Potash et al. 2020)
🦗Pygmy grasshoppers (Forsman et al. 2011)
🦎The Mediterranean lizard Psammodromus algirus (Álvarez-Ruiz et al. 2021)
We show that fire-related traits in animals can vary within species, affect fitness, and be heritable – and extend a recent plant-focused application of ‘trait-fire mismatch’ to animals.
25.07.2025 06:55 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0What are the evolutionary implications of changes in fire regimes for animals?
We explore this in our new paper in @globalchangebio.bsky.social
📖 onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
with @mwtingley.bsky.social @jgpausas.bsky.social & team
#Biodiversity #FireEcology #EcoEvo 🔥🦎🧬
And we develop the concept of 'trait–fire mismatch':
A type of phenotype-environment mismatch that brings together ecological and evolutionary fire science and supports forecasts of fire-driven environmental change.
We show that variation in fire-related traits – such as bark thickness, resprouting, serotiny, and smoke-induced germination – is widespread within plant species.
22.07.2025 07:48 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
We examine plant traits through the lens of fire science.
Traits such as resprouting and serotiny help plants thrive in fire-prone areas.
Can plants keep up with fire regime changes through evolution?
Our new paper is out in the July issue of @cp-trendsecolevo.bsky.social
📖 www.cell.com/trends/ecolo...
with Hoffmann, Nitschke & @jgpausas.bsky.social
#fireecology #PlantBiology #ecoevo 🔥🌿🧬
🔥 Hot off the press ! 🔥
Originally “sparked” from a conversation between @sarahmccg.bsky.social , Luke Collins , @brian-j-harvey.bsky.social , Meg Krawchuk and I. besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Excited to be at #ICCB2025 in Brisbane this week! If you're interested in plant traits, fire or rapid evolution, come along to my talk on 'trait-fire mismatch' Monday at 2:55 PM in Room P5. Hope to see you there! 🌿🔥
15.06.2025 22:10 — 👍 16 🔁 3 💬 0 📌 0
@ltkelly.bsky.social @jgpausas.bsky.social et al.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Can plants keep up with fire regime changes through evolution? by @ltkelly.bsky.social et al. @cp-trendsecolevo.bsky.social
authors.elsevier.com/a/1l8-bcZ3X3...
To what extent do novel fire regimes generate trait-fire regime mismatches?
🧪🌍🔥🌳🌿🌾🪴 wildfre #ecoevo #PlantBiology
Our new paper 'Can plants keep up with fire regime changes through evolution?' is in press at Trends in Ecology & Evolution - with Hoffmann, Nitschke & @jgpausas.bsky.social
Free to read & download: authors.elsevier.com/a/1l8-bcZ3X3...
@cp-trendsecolevo.bsky.social #fireecology #plants 🔥🌿
Thank you! Feels good to share this work. And it was fun to learn more about bats while working on this with microbat expert and lead author Amanda!
19.03.2025 04:05 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Little forest bat in southeastern Australia (photo: Amanda Lo Cascio).
Our new paper, led by Amanda Lo Cascio, explores how pyrodiversity shapes bat communities—featuring this little forest bat.🔥🦇
Check it out here: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
A small fire used to manage hunting areas
A fire mosaic created by a mix of burning and cutting
Common heather Calluna vulgaris
Exploring #fireecology in the UK this week with colleagues from The University of Cambridge. In heather-dominated landscapes (Calluna vulgaris), small burns are used to create pyrodiversity for a range of ecological and management goals. This burn? Designed to enhance red grouse habitat—for hunting.
07.03.2025 10:49 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Australian governments are failing to conserve biodiversity, meaning their extraordinary values are being lost and global conservation targets will likely fail. The next federal government must do better.
My letter with @biodiversityguy.bsky.social in @science.org.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
🔥 My first post! 🔥
I joined Carolina Baruzzi on the Fire University podcast to explore #biodiversity, #fireecology and #codesign in research.
If you're curious about how fires shape biodiversity - and how we can promote biodiversity - give it a listen!
fireuniversity.libsyn.com/the-impact-o...
