Ben

GLPSC 2025 attendees pose together on the sidewalk in front of the Grand River for a group photo

Thank you to everyone who attended the 1st Great Lakes Plant Science Conference and helped make it a success! This inaugural meeting brought together 416 registrants from 55 institutions. Together, we’ve built momentum for the future of #plantscience in the Great Lakes region and beyond! #GLPSC2025

The Whitehouse wants to cut $300 million from US Forest Service Research which is 95% of our budget.

Goodbye job.

The NSF Research Coordination Network in Undergraduate Biology Education program was cancelled. I'm on a team that was proposing to incorporate small natural history collections into college biology classes in VT. We are no longer submitting the proposal tomorrow — there goes my winter break work.

Fire and seed dormancy: A global meta-analysis AbstractBackground and Aims. Fire-released seed dormancy (SD) is a key trait for successful germination and plant persistence in many fire-prone ecosystems

Another paper on fire & seed dormancy is on its way! A global meta-analysis, @annbot.bsky.social
doi.org/10.1093/aob/...

By the way, find a glossary on this topic here: jgpausas.blogs.uv.es/2023/02/01/s...

🧪🌍🔥🌿🌾🪴🌱 wildfire #PlantBiology

Contemporary fires are less frequent but more severe in dry conifer forests of the southwestern United States - Communications Earth & Environment Contemporary fires are less frequent than those occurring in the past, but their severity results in higher tree mortality, based on a comparison of historical and contemporary fire severity using den...

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Please see our new paper! 'Contemporary fires are less frequent but more severe in dry conifer forests of the southwestern United States'.

#Wildfire

🧪🌏🔥

An elevation map of Wyoming with county lines overlaid

This is a cool map of elevation in Wyoming with County lines overlaid ⚒️ Cool to see the effect of the mountains on them! #Geology

A graph of wildfires and vegetation change in the Southwest USA, showing how ecosystems change with massive fires

I saw this graph last week and it has NOT left my brain since

The positive effect of plant diversity on soil carbon depends on climate - Nature Communications Soil carbon content is positively related with plant diversity in global grasslands, and this relationship is particularly strong in warm and arid climates. Plant diversity is related to soil carbon v...

A new study shows that grassland plant diversity leads to increased soil carbon capture, due to the quality of the carbon.

More reasons to protect and encourage diverse landscapes!
🌎🌿🧪

I knew it!

Two bison in a grassy field, with several orange pumpkins in it. The closer bison horns have been replaced by orange and white elongated gourds.

I don't think we should approach those bison.

...I don't want to get gourd!

Plenty of Ducks and a Swan stand on the edge of a Lake

A beautiful lake with trees surrounding it

Visited the Kellogg Biological Stations Bird Sanctuary today, lots of Ducks Geese and Swans. Super cool!

Can I be added as a contributor please! 🌎

Okapi for Unicorn 😹😹😹

Hi Sam! Have you been to Theodore Roosevelt National park? Those cool geologic formations were originally made by the Missouri River which flowed to Hudson Bay until glacial moraines changed the flow towards the Gulf of Mexico

Screencap of Ig Nobel website reading "The 2023 Ig Nobel Prize Winners, Chemistry and Geology Prize: Jan Zalaxiewicz, for explaining why many scientists like to lick rocks. Reference: "Eating Fossils," The Paleontological Association Newsletter"

Banner day for geologists: rock-licking got the Ig Nobel!!

That’s super cool

How cool! I wonder how does Mating habits and harem size effect group echolocation?

Haha what a fun game! I got it in 7

My favorite Sunset pictures from my adventures this summer (Victoria BC, Seattle, Hot Springs SD, Teddy Roosevelt NP ND)