Shahar Chaikin

Let us mourn, show compassion, and hold onto hope for better days and the immediate release of the hostages of October 7th.

This isn't about politics; this is about the basic right to human dignity and to live in security. And try explaining that to others—those distant, disconnected—that the situation is not simple at all, that the solution isn't slogans or clichés...

In those days, I asked myself, "Who even cares about ecology? Let the world go to hell; people are fighting for their lives." No child should have to grow up like this. And still, people are held captive in hell, while others fight for food. I will never forget October 7th.

Every other night, I wake up from a nightmare. And who would have believed that this nightmare isn't over?

After we came out, we understood the severity of the situation. Chaos all around. Hundreds murdered, raped, witnessing their family members killed beside them - children, grandparents, parents. People I knew are gone. Many are missing. A collective trauma that hasn't left my sleep to this day.

Two years ago today, just before dawn, my wife was next to me in bed, nursing our beloved daughter. She woke me: "Get up! Siren!" We rushed to the shelter. It was long—so many explosions overhead. I knew quickly this wasn't routine; something extraordinary was happening.

I've been debating for a long time whether or not to share this publicly. I'm doing it now because I believe that only by sharing the raw, personal trauma may some understand that this isn't politics—it's about the basic right to life and dignity.
#TwoYearsLater
#CollectiveTrauma
#October7th

Six actions for ecologists in times of planetary crisis - Nature Ecology & Evolution Nature Ecology & Evolution - Six actions for ecologists in times of planetary crisis

"don't look up"

#globalchange

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Happy to have attended the @mncn-bgcg.bsky.social department gathering in El Ventorrillo! ☀️

It was inspiring to hear about the high-quality research others are doing, sparking ideas for future collaborations. I was also happy to get the chance to present my own research interests and recent work.

Nature is incredible (and sometimes incredibly painful).

Physalia physalis

#Asturias

Record-breaking 2023 marine heatwaves The year 2023 witnessed an extraordinary surge in marine heatwaves (MHWs) across Earth’s oceans, setting new records in duration, extent, and intensity, with MHW activity totaling 53.6 billion °C days...

New data on 2023's marine heatwaves is alarming. Oceans hit unprecedented temps & durations, with some events so extreme they're considered once-in-centuries occurrences. It's a clear signal that warming climate impacts are accelerating.

www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
#unprecedented #oceanwarming

9 de cada 10 muertes en Madrid por la reciente ola de calor se atribuyen al cambio climático - Climática, el medio especializado en clima y biodiversidad El cambio climático estuvo detrás de casi 400 muertes en Madrid y Barcelona ocurridas durante la primera ola de calor del verano, según un estudio de atribución rápido.

9 de cada 10 muertes en Madrid por la reciente ola de calor se atribuyen al cambio climático
climatica.coop/muertes-madr...

Marine heatwaves as hot spots of climate change and impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem services - Nature Reviews Biodiversity Marine heatwaves (MHWs) have become more intense and widespread globally, affecting species, ecosystems and people. After summarizing how and why MHWs are changing, this Review explores these impacts ...

Looking forward to reading this one in detail!

#marineheatwaves #biodiversity

www.nature.com/articles/s44...

PhD candidate in species abundances modelling - Project Description Understanding species abundance patterns is essential to addressing fundamental questions in macroecology and biogeography, specifically about […]

PhD opportunity for enthusiastic ecologists curious about modeling species abundance @miguelbaraujo.bsky.social Lab.
#PhD #abundance #biogeography
www.maraujolab.eu/2025/07/04/p...

Looking for a nice underwater picture of European sprat (Sprattus sprattus) to be used in a publication with full credit
🙏
#fish #underwater #fishphoto #sprat #EuropeanSprat #SprattusSprattus #Ichthyology

Postdoctoral Researcher in Spatial Planning for Marine Protected Areas - Postdoctoral Researcher in Spatial Planning for Marine Protected Areas Candidate Profile: Educational and Research Expertise: Candidates should possess a PhD in ecology, marine biology, oceanography,...

Join us! Postdoc opportunity for marine ecologists that closely match the requirements.
@miguelbaraujo.bsky.social

www.maraujolab.eu/2025/06/18/p...

The oceans' seabed is not safeguarded from warming

Presented my research this week on the long-term and short-term impacts of #climatechange on #fish biomass! A huge thanks to @sibecol.bsky.social for the platform and for fostering connections with inspiring researchers across the Iberian Peninsula and beyond. #Ecology @mncn-bgcg.bsky.social

Our viewpoint made the cover of BioScience! Beautiful picture from Jean Marie Twambaze academic.oup.com/bioscience/a...

Global Decline in the Size of Sea Turtles

🔗 buff.ly/QKx3Sm8

Had a relaxing and insightful week at @miguelbaraujo.bsky.social lab retreat! 🌿 We presented our studies and gave each other feedback, which was super helpful. Plus, we got to enjoy some beautiful time in nature. Feeling refreshed and full of new ideas!

@mncn-bgcg.bsky.social

Crazy times worldwide. sad to hear about that…

BioTIME 2.0: Expanding and Improving a Database of Biodiversity Time Series Motivation Here, we make available a second version of the BioTIME database, which compiles records of abundance estimates for species in sample events of ecological assemblages through time. The up...

Super interesting papers are about to come out now --> BioTIME 2.0 is published- Huge database on temporal biodiversity change

Amazing work by Dornelas, her team, and authors willing to share their fieldwork data

#biodiversity #macroecology #BioTIME

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

In response to climate change #CC, #species #shift in many dimensions, moving in space along many climatic clines, including #microclimatic ones (horizontally & vertically) & adjusting their #phenology & #behaviour in time

🧪🌐🌍🍁🌳🌲🌴🦔🦅🦎🐝🦐🦑🐠🦈🐋

@cp-trendsecolevo.bsky.social

shorturl.at/W9fGd

Trump is stripping protections from marine protected areas – why that’s a problem for fishing’s future, and for whales, corals and other ocean life America’s marine protected areas help fish populations thrive. Trump’s plan to open them to industrial fishing may ultimately harm the fishing industry itself.

Claims by the Trump administration that marine protected areas are a heavy-handed restriction on the U.S. fishing industry do not hold water.

Science shows these refuges for sea life help local economies and allow fish populations to thrive

By @whysharksmatter.bsky.social

Trump proposes unprecedented budget cuts to US science Huge reductions, if enacted, could have ‘catastrophic’ effects on US competitiveness and the scientific pipeline, critics say.

US President Donald Trump’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2026 calls for unprecedented cuts to scientific agencies that, if enacted, would deal a devastating blow to US science, policy specialists say.

https://go.nature.com/4jYv3IP

North American bird declines are greatest where species are most abundant Efforts to address declines of North American birds have been constrained by limited availability of fine-scale information about population change. By using participatory science data from eBird, we ...

Looking forward to reading this one: "North American bird declines are greatest where species are most abundant"
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
@science.org

sRED | iDiv

Looking forward to the first Range Edge Dynamics working group meeting @idiv-research.bsky.social in early May! 🦋🌍 We will be working on the demographic consequences of range shifts”. #Biodiversity #ClimateChange @bugecology.bsky.social @kemarshall.bsky.social
www.idiv.de/research/sdi...

We show that marine communities around the world exhibit trophic convergence in similar environments — a global pattern echoing what we also found on land. This challenges classic biogeographic models and opens new doors for predicting biodiversity responses to change.

www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

I’m recruiting a PhD student in macrogenetics at Dalhousie University 🇨🇦! Focus will be on the biogeography of vertebrate genetic diversity or urban evolutionary ecology.
Full ad: www.schmidt-biodiversity-lab.org/macrogenetic...
If the ad is up, applications are still open.
Please share widely! 🧬🧬

How would estimation of geographic range shifts of marine fishes be different when using occurrence and abundance data? Aim Geographic range shifts are a common species' response to climate change. While occurrence data are commonly used to estimate species' geographical range shifts, ongoing debate suggests that loc...

Interesting read on a core question in species redistribution research: abundance vs. occurrence data. Turns out, the choice really matters – authors show that they lead to different estimates. 🤔 onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
#ecology #biogeography #speciesdistribution