Megan Barkdull

Last but certainly not least, a huge thank you to the funding sources that made this possible, including the National Science Foundation GRFP, @sse-evolution.bsky.social Rosemary Grant Award, @asn-amnat.bsky.social Student Research Award, @sicb.bsky.social Grant-in-Aid of Research, and others!

Megan's hand holding a hollow twig with a Cephalotes pupa hanging out of it.

A sunset over mangroves in the Florida Keys.

Megan and her dad eating lunch.

Noah in front of a large tree in the Florida Keys.

This project, which represents the bulk of my PhD research, was a ton of fun, from collecting ants in the FL Keys (sometimes w/ my dad and husband!) to thinking hard about the results with @corriemoreau.bsky.social, to illustrating many of our figures myself. It took a village to get to this point!

Schematic drawing of an ant egg hatching into a larvae, which either differentiates into a minor worker pupa and then adult (top, in green) or a soldier pupa and then adult (bottom, gold).

Finally, we identify a suite of processes that likely contribute to the extreme morphological and behavioral differentiation between turtle ant morphs: brain development, insulin signaling, and exciting, the Hippo pathway, a key regulator of growth previously linked to other insect polyphenisms!

Bar plots showing the log odds of differential expression between turtle ant morphs for genes of different evolutionary ages; older genes are significantly enriched, while younger genes are significantly depleted.

We also demonstrate that genes with differential expression between minor workers and soldiers are disproportionately evolutionarily ancient, suggesting that this novel worker polyphenism has evolved by co-opting old genes, rather than by using new genes.

Phylogenetic tree of three pairs of turtle ant species; each pair has one species that produces a soldier morph and one that does not. The species that produce a soldier experience selective constraint on regulatory elements but relaxed selection on genes, relative to the species that do not produce a soldier.

The title says it all (well, almost): we find that the worker plasticity shields protein-coding genes from selection, probably bc conditional expression reduces effective population size, whereas putative regulatory loci experience selective constraint, probably due to their developmental roles.

Image of Cephalotes varians workers and a soldier nestled in their twig nest. Image via https://stevenwang.smugmug.com/Ants/List-of-Genera/Cephalotes/i-CjXZ3b9

Thrilled to share that @corriemoreau.bsky.social and I have a new paper out in Evolution, digging into the varied ways that extreme worker plasticity impacts genome evolution in turtle ants!

Paper 📃: doi.org/10.1093/evol...

Image 📸: Steven Wang, tinyurl.com/2rbjbyjh

Opportunities ***PhD and MSc openings – Movement ecology and conservation*** I will periodically support graduate students, postdocs, and other staff through the Biology Department at the University of New…

I’m recruiting a PhD and MSC student for fall 2026 working on the movement ecology and conservation of Mexican spotted owls in SW forests and rocky canyonlands. Exciting partnership with Los Alamos National Laboratory. Great vibrant lab group, high impact research! 🦉

gavinmjones.com/opportunities/

AI tools are 'deskilling' workers, philosophy professor says A philosophy professor warns that AI reliance is weakening workers' judgment, creativity, and problem-solving.

We can't really say this enough...

> Anastasia Berg [at UCL Irvine] said that new research — and what she's hearing directly from colleagues across various industries — shows that employees who heavily rely on AI are losing core skills at a startling rate.

www.businessinsider.com/ai-tools-are...

The UC Davis Ecology and Evolution in Working Landscapes REU provides undergrads with research experience in ecology and evolution in natural and managed landscapes. Apply now through Feb 15 via etap.nsf.gov

Contact me or @clhom.bsky.social for questions!

This looks so cool, Greg!

Horrible idea. AI will regress all grants towards the mean since AI is trained to produce the average output.

Grants require expertise that ignores bad literature and rejects author assertions if false. no AI review I've seen has ever challenged the author's assertions as fundamentally flawed.

Investors expect AI use to soar. That’s not happening Recent surveys point to flatlining business adoption

“we estimate employment-weighted share of Americans using AI at work has fallen by a percentage point & now sits at 11%. Adoption has fallen sharply at the largest businesses, those employing +250 people. 3 yrs into the genAI wave, demand looks surprisingly flimsy” www.economist.com/finance-and-...

​The @mortonarboretum.bsky.social NSF REU program ​is open for summer 2026! $7500 stipend + housing / travel. Apply by 31 Jan 2026 and share with your networks!

Details at ​​https://mortonarb.org/science/opportunities-in-science/research-experiences-for-undergraduates-program/

Ticks on an Eel: Museum Specimen is a First of its Kind Two ticks found on an 1873 electric eel specimen mark the first recorded case of ticks parasitizing a fish—but only documented just this year.

An eel donated to a natural history museum in 1873 had two ticks embedded in its skin, making it the first known instance of ticks parasitizing a fish. But it was only first documented this year, when a tick specialist identified the ticks and reported the case in the Journal of Medical Entomology.

Guess I have three new pins coming for my work lanyard… 🤩

Curator of Natural Sciences - Warwick,Warwickshire job with Warwickshire County Council | 250490 About Heritage and Culture Warwickshire Heritage and Culture Warwickshire (HCW) provide a wide range of services that help local communities and ...

Curatorial job with significant geological and palaeontological collections at Warwick Museums.

www.wmjobs.co.uk/job/250490/c...

Putting on my hat as @asn-amnat.bsky.social ASN President for a minute for a string of announcements, please share widely!!!

1. Student research awards are open for applications, to fund research expenses for 10 graduate students ($2000 each)
nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com?url=https%3A...

Mandeville Lab Fish are so delightfully weird. We study the evolutionary genetics and ecology of freshwater fishes, plus a few more things, at Northern Michigan University

I'm recruiting a new master's student for fall 2026 in my lab at Northern Michigan University @bionmu.bsky.social ! Students with interests in evolution of freshwater fish are encouraged to apply. Please see our lab website lizmandeville.github.io and the attached advertisement for more information.

Looking for input on rodenticide testing . . .
Colleagues are using a lab that needs 1 gram of liver sample to test, but often has specimens with less than that. Does anyone know if that amount of sample is really needed and/or have leads on labs that might be able to work with less?
🧪

Depictions of evolution where a phylogeny often has humans on the far right or top can give an impression of evolution being progressive of leading to ‘increased complexity’ when it does not. Top figure shows such a phylogeny which can look the same as ‘the March of progress’ depiction most commonly used to depict evolution (showing monkey to man erroneous march of evolution) - instead swiveling some nodes on a phylogeny where humans are shown closer to the center (which doesn’t change relationships) can lead to better ‘tree thinking’

New post by me on #MITPressReader @mitpress.bsky.social

On the 100th anniversary of the #ScopesMonkeyTrial
the ways we depict #evolution can still give an erroneous progressive view (that evolution leads to humans or ‘increased complexity’).

thereader.mitpress.mit.edu/is-our-pictu...

Peppermint narwhal collage of many arthropod species drawn in cartoon extra cute style. Text: I am thankful for arthropods. Be thankful and protect what you love

Every day:

Sonoran Desert landscape looking west across Avra Valley from Tucson Mountain Park. In the foreground, a desert trail winds through cholla cacti, saguaros, ocotillo, and native shrubs. The valley stretches to distant mountain ranges on the horizon under a dramatic sky of blue patches and white cumulus clouds with rays of light breaking through.

Please pass along - We've extended the CAMBIUM fellowship deadline to December 15! Our NSF NRT supports new grad students to harness biodiversity big data to adapt to & mitigate climate change impacts. Great fit for evolutionary genomics, bioinformatics, ecology & more. cambium.arizona.edu 🧬🌐🌎

Global sampling decline erodes science potential of natural history collections - Nature Communications Natural history collections hold over two billion specimens representing Earth’s biodiversity, but their scientific value depends on continued specimen collection and digitisation. This study demonstr...

In an era marked by rapid climate change and biodiversity loss, it is imperative that we continue to invest in the unique value of natural history collections data

"Global sampling decline erodes science potential of natural history collections" 🧪

American Society of Naturalists Student Research Award Outcomes The American Society of Naturalists (ASN) gives out student research awards (generally $2000 each) to support activities of our student members. We request that Student Research Award recipients provi...

Did you receive a Student Research Award from the American Society of Naturalists @asn-amnat.bsky.social ? We'd love to hear what you achieved with those awards (or, please share with someone who had one), even going back many years:
docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

FAQ: Should I invent an acronym? “Moveable type” (Flickr, David DeSandro) Q. I’m writing a research article, and the text frequently mentions the biological process that is the subject of the article. I’m a…

@jbyoder.org - I’m losing track of how many times I’ve posted a link to this blog post in a review. A national landmark!

www.molecularecologist.com/2024/08/13/f...

Flyer that says American Society of Naturalists Diversity Committee. The DC works to promote diversity, equity, and inclusiveness to enhance the study of evolution, ecology, and behavior and to foster the career of its developing scientists. We pursue initiatives that support marginalized groups, which include helping to create an inclusive, accessible environment at the Evolution conference, the stand-alone ASN meeting, and our field in general. Apply by November 1. Seeking two new members starting Jan 2026. 3 year term

Please apply to join the Diversity Committee of the American Society of Naturalists!
www.amnat.org/announcement...

👀 Eco/evo tweeps teaching undergraduate courses ...

Can interactive web apps help biology students become better modellers? Stephan Peischl's group is running an ethics-approved study. Learn more at: peischllab.github.io/MEEW.html Contact ana-hermina.ghenu@unibe.ch to receive the survey link.

USAJOBS connects job seekers with federal jobs across the United States and around the world as the official employment site for the federal government These positions may be filled for a six month seasonal period, but can vary due to weather conditions, project needs, or funding. Anticipated Entry on Duty: <strong>April 2026</strong> <p>For more par...

New seasonal paleontology positions available for Dinosaur National Monument, Petrified Forest National Park and Fossil Butte National Monument. Apply soon, they close after they receive a certain number of apps! #NPSpaleo #PaleoJobs

www.usajobs.gov/job/850816000

www.usajobs.gov/job/850816700

A green promotional graphic announcing that several BSA awards are now open. At the top, large white text reads: “These BSA Awards Are Now Open!” Listed below are five award opportunities, each preceded by a small white leaf icon: – Donald R. Kaplan Memorial Lecture Nominations Deadline Jan. 15, 2026 – Corresponding Member Awards Deadline Feb. 2, 2026 – $10,000 – Donald R. Kaplan Dissertation Award in Comparative Morphology Deadline Feb. 2, 2026 – $10,000 – Graduate Student Dissertation Award in Phylogenetic Comparative Plant Biology Deadline Feb. 2, 2026 – $1500 – Graduate Student Research Awards (J.S. Karling Graduate Student Research Award and AJ Harris Graduate Student Research Award) Deadline Feb. 16, 2026 At the bottom is the URL “www.botany.org/home/awards.html,” a QR code, and a close-up image of a bright green leaf. BSA partner logos appear in the lower-left corner.

BSA’s 2026 awards cycle is now open! Kaplan Lecture, Corresponding Member, two $10k dissertation awards, and Graduate Student Research Awards—all with early 2026 deadlines. Join or renew now to be eligible and take advantage of these opportunities.

www.botany.org/home/awards.html

#BSAawards

Oops. Ooooooooooooops.

I do hope that nobody has been given or denied a job/promotion based on their SpringerNature citation counts in the past 15 years.

arxiv.org/pdf/2511.01675

h/t @nathlarigaldie.bsky.social