Chris Neufeld

One mother for two species via obligate cross-species cloning in ants - Nature In a case of obligate cross-species cloning, female ants of Messor ibericus need to clone males of Messor structor to obtain sperm for producing the worker caste, resulting in males from the same mother having distinct genomes and morphologies.

It's never occurred to me that it IS an assumption. This is the most astonishing start to a paper I've read in years:

"Living organisms are assumed to produce same-species offspring. Here, we report a shift from this norm in Messor ibericus, an ant that lays individuals from two distinct species."

What the WTO’s deal to curb fisheries subsidies means and what it could achieve For decades, government subsidies have helped industrial fishing fleets to expand, often with little regard for sustainability.

"We’re now closer to that goal. Putting an end to billions in fishing subsidies would restore fish stocks, support coastal communities & improve ocean health for all. The job is not yet done." @drrashidsumaila.bsky.social & @drdanielskerritt.bsky.social theconversation.com/what-the-wto...

Oh no! My phone now compulsively corrects my name to "Christmas" in all my emails.

A New Citizen Science Project Tracks Gull Diets - American Birding Association A new citizen science project called Gulls Eating Stuff invites public submissions of gulls eating anything to help researchers study urbanization’s effects on gull diets and behavior.

Have you ever seen a gull eat something weird?

A new citizen science project, Gulls Eating Stuff, is tracking what gulls gobble, and anyone can participate! Submit your photos, explore the observations of other gullers, and help document the changing diets of gulls for science.

AI, peer review and the human activity of science When researchers cede their scientific judgement to machines, we lose something important.

A few months ago, Nature published how-to guide for using ChatGPT to write your peer reviews in 30 minutes.

This is, of course, a horrible idea. Here’s my response with @jbakcoleman.bsky.social .

I'm sure you made their day. We did exactly that 4 years ago, and it's the best. Kids weigh 55 & 70 lbs now, and it still works great to get around.

My coffee is telling me that I need to go camping 🔥⛺️.

I'm 3 for 6 on this stack! I keep a few around to prop up my monitor, so those don't count.

Beautiful 😍. I've spent a few unforgettable nights at Deer Park over the years, but never with lights like that!

Can kelp forests help tackle climate change? Highly productive kelp forests are being touted as a natural climate solution, but do we know enough to count them as such?

Can kelp forests help tackle climate change? 🌿

A study led by University of Victoria researchers suggests that Canadian kelp forests may export up to 400,000 metric tons of carbon to the deep ocean each year.
theconversation.com/can-kelp-for...

@uvicscience.bsky.social @ca.theconversation.com

New national blueprint for kelp forests as blue carbon - UVic News Kelp forests may offer an untapped option for natural climate solutions, a new study led by University of Victoria shows. Kelp forests may offer an untapped option for natural climate solutions, a new...

🌿 You’ve probably heard forests help fight climate change by storing carbon—but what about underwater forests?

Learn how the underwater kelp forests that line Canada’s coastlines may offer an untapped option for natural climate solutions: news.uvic.ca/media-releas...

@uvicscience.bsky.social

1/ Just in time for #WorldOceanDay:

Check out our new study in #npjOceanSustainability taking critical first look at whether Canada's kelp forests can be a source of natural climate solutions.

We offers a blueprint for other countries looking to do the same.

🔗 www.nature.com/articles/s44...

Found in the Fire Swamp, no doubt.

Part of figure 1 for the paper. There is a map of the field sites and an overview of the lab experiment. Field measurements were temperature and salinity. Lab was only salinity

My ✨new paper✨ looking at how low salinity and high temperatures alter the bacterial community of sugar #kelp was just published!

Lab and field results agree: the overall changes are small, but core taxa decrease under abiotic stress

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

#PhycologyFriday 🦑

Postdoc call in Mechanistic Biodiversity Modelling (up to 6 ya) at my lab @unibonn.bsky.social. We focus on modelling terrestrial plant communities, island biogeography, range dynamics, eco-evolutionary feedbacks, diversity gradients, tropical forests, vascular epiphytes. Pls rt! shorturl.at/CL1ny

"Cheers, Chris(tmas)"

Rather than signing with the conventional, "Chris", AI-enabled MS Outlook has recently decided that my emails will be betters signed as "Christmas". Super helpful when writing work emails.

More shots fired in the #causalInference #ecology literature! 🌍

For me: Hansel and Gretel, not cool.

For our kids: anything with a Tomten.

For anyone who grew up in 🇨🇦 in the '80s, this will make sense... #beachcombers, #relic

What a week working with Huu-ay-aht First Nations staff, citizens and youth to establish an intertidal monitoring program for culturally-important species like ḥay̓ištup (black chiton)!

So long for now, Bamfield friends.

For #PhycologyFriday, here's a smattering of gorgeous 🤩 NE Pacific kelps, including Laminaria setchellii, Costaria costata, Egregia menziesii, Alaria marginata, and a few other seaweeds for good measure.

Hope all who celebrate are enjoying this week's minus tides! #marinelife #intertidal 🐙

To everyone fighting for a fact-based and democratic society, I offer you some rays of hope from this 🇨🇦 sea star.

My fave in this genre is "sloooooow talkin' Wal-ter, the fire engine guy", by Deep Purple.

Sea Urchins love to wear things, like rocks and little shells, as hats. How many urchin hats can you count?

#UrchinSearchin #InvertFest

White-lined dirona 🤩
#InvertFest

They've always been a fave. My PhD advisor Rich Palmer used to use them in a crab phylogeny lab.

I was surveying chitons today, but I swear every hole or old giant barnacle test had one in there!

And such a cool name too!

Day 3 of minus tide surveys on Vancouver Island. Plenty of cool finds...

1. Granular claw crab. Most were sealed up in old barnacle shells, with their claw as a door, but this one was feeling adventurous.

2. Lined chiton 😍

3. Baby ochre star 🤩

4. Bonus tidepool pic
🦑 #InverteFest #MarineLife