Jon Waters

New Zealand bug of the year: moth named Avatar after mining threat crowned winner Arctesthes avatar moth, which won nearly half of the votes, was discovered in 2012 and is critically endangered

New Zealand bug of the year: moth named Avatar after mining threat crowned winner www.theguardian.com/world/2026/f...

thanks @gymnotus.bsky.social

Geological processes shaping freshwater biodiversity: a synthesis of global evidence Recent genomic data highlight the key roles of geological processes in shaping the diversification and biogeography of freshwater lineages. Specifically, physical processes such as tectonic uplift, e....

Thanks @universityofotago.bsky.social and @ucberkeleyofficial.bsky.social for supporting my sabbatical visit to UCB-Integrative Biology in 2024!
- this new synthesis paper is one of the key outputs:

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....

Excited to see our new genomics/oceanography study published @natcomms.nature.com
@universityofotago.bsky.social

Rafting Crustaceans’ Genomes Reveal Climate Adaptation In a groundbreaking study published recently in Nature Communications, Liu, Waters, Huang, and their colleagues have unveiled the extraordinary genomic adaptations of rafting crustaceans that enable

scienmag.com/rafting-crus...

Our new paper reviewing physical processes shaping freshwater biodiversity: doi.org/10.1002/brv....

Catherine Collins walking with us through the tāhuhu kōrero in DNA.

#GSA2025 #AotearoaGSA2025

Amazing talks in the Ecological and Evolutionary Genetics, and the Human Genetics concurrent sessions today.

Emma Carroll, Isabelly de Lima, Graham McCulloh, Amara Shaukat, Kathleen McLay, & some excellent lightning talks!

#GSA2025 #AotearoaGSA2025

Do freshwater insect assemblages in exotic plantations resemble those from native forest? Evidence from environmental DNA Widespread deforestation has impacted biodiversity patterns globally, but the potential for forest plantations to restore biodiversity remains unclear. Here we used environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis ...

Do freshwater insect assemblages in exotic plantations resemble those from native forest? Evidence from environmental DNA

#eDNA #environmenalDNA

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

Iguanas rafted more than 8,000 km from North America to Fiji: doi.org/10.1073/pnas...

#biogeography #phylogenetics #genomics #ecology #evolution

On the left: a map of stream eDNA detections for stoneflies, on the right: a phylogenetic tree of COI haplotypes, which reveals several distinct clades distributed along the streams from north to south.

Great example of targeted eDNA for population genetics and biodiversity management! Targeted eDNA Metabarcoding Reveals New Populations of a Range-Limited Stonefly: doi.org/10.1002/ece3...

@grahammccullochnz.bsky.social @jonwatersnz.bsky.social
#eDNA #popgen #ecology #genetics #biodiversity

There’s still time to vote for our amazing #stonefly in NZ Bug of the Year 2025

bugoftheyear.ento.org.nz/vote-here-2025/

Science magazine front cover. Picture of a walnut in its opened shell. The text reads "All about timing. Mating type evolution in walnuts and pecans"

graphical abstract: "In Juglans (top left) and Carya, two morphs show complementary temporal separation between male and female flowering (heterodichogamy). Mating types are controlled by two nonhomologous single-locus mechanisms that arose in the common ancestor of each genus, respectively. (Bottom left) Simplified schematic of a putative functional regulatory element at the Juglans locus. (Bottom right) Strong genotypic correlations across the Carya locus indicate a lack of recombination between two colinear haplotypes with similar gene content."

Congrats to @jeffgroh.bsky.social et al on publication of "Ancient structural variants control sex-specific flowering time morphs in walnuts and hickories"

www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

High-resolution genomic history of early medieval Europe Nature - Twigstats, a method for ancestry reconstruction, provides high-resolution genetic histories and movement patterns of people living in Europe during the first millennium ce.

rdcu.be/d5ojj

is this the global test across wolves/loci?

An insect with a reddish-brown abdomen that ends in pinchers, large translucent wings with gold elytra, and a reddish brown head. It is standing at the end of a leaf.

Good morning! This is your periodic reminder that earwigs have wings.

(Carcinophora sp.)
Tatama National Park, Colombia

Congrats to Anran Fan on her first publication: doi.org/10.1111/ecog...

A starter pack on aquatic insects: Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, Trichoptera. go.bsky.app/3irKfNa

This is the statement regarding Marsden Fund from the sector peak body, Universities NZ: www.universitiesnz.ac.nz/latest-news-...

Large-scale gene expression alterations introduced by structural variation drive morphotype diversification in Brassica oleracea - Nature Genetics De novo genome assemblies of 22 Brassica oleracea accessions and pan-genome analyses highlight the effects of structural variations on gene expression and their contributions to morphotype diversifica...

Wow! The complex genomic and epigenetic variation that builds the tasty diversity of Brassica oleracea (the single species that forms broccoli, cauliflower, kale, cabbage, Brussels sprouts)

🧪🥦🥬

'Parmesan tree' a more apt name?

Sea life on the Oregon Coast. Starfish, sea anemones and kelp photographed at low tide.

Stoneflies change colour in response to deforestation, suggesting humans can alter evolution – new research A new study shows that rapid loss of forests has prompted a colour change in stoneflies, caused by a genetic mutation. This means human change to the environment can drive evolution.

I had the opportunity to contribute to a study on mimicry! Shout out to Jon Waters & Graham McCulloch for inviting me to join the team!

@zoologyotago.bsky.social

theconversation.com/stoneflies-c...

Sunset in Berkeley as our fantastic months at UCB come to a close

Human-driven evolution of color in a stonefly mimic Rapid adaptation is thought to be critical for the survival of species under global change, but our understanding of human-induced evolution in the wild remains limited. We show that widespread defore...

Excited to see our team’s work on insect colour evolution published in Science www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...