Jonny Ritson

Looking for a PhD in aquatic carbon/GHG cycling? Take a look at this fantastic opportunity. Led by @aquaticcarbon.bsky.social and with Amy Pickard, Jens-Arne Subke and me. Field + lab components, and lots of exciting science.

iapetus.ac.uk/studentships...

The most intriguing door sign in the University of Manchester. Sadly, the door is locked. These are private holes in the floor.

Remnants of a lowland raised bog. Left is still under agricultural production, right at ~50cm higher was abandoned in the 60s. Just under 1cm lost per year.

Full results in prep- just wanted to show off some of the more dramatically successful pools!

Without delving too much into the stats - it's safe to say our trial to speed up sphagnum colonisation of restoration pool was successful

It's that time of year again

New #PeatPaper by Lees et al. in #HydrologicalProcesses

"The Sponge Analogy Problem: Moving Towards Clearer Communication of Peatland Hydrological Processes"

#peatlands #hydrology #scicomm

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

Embroidered moss made from a selection of textural green fabrics attached to plain cotton fabric stretched across an embroidery hoop. A brown label with the handwritten words 'laboratory incident' is attached to the fabric.

How might stitching help us get to know mosses on more intimate terms?

New coauthored paper from the MossWorlds project on stitching sphagnum moss and doing creative, interdisciplinary work in geography labs: journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
@uomcreativemcr.bsky.social (1/3)

In the last year I've been made co-lead of my research group, been told I will be made permanent, been told I will be made redunant, been told I will not be made redundant but not permanent, and now that I can't accept consultancy income because I'm not permanent.

Academia is well run by top minds.

Some highlights from a summer of fieldwork - lots of sphagnum (natural and planted) and the occasional sunny day on the bog

We don't have a picarro but have had trouble with over heating in summer... check internal temp would be my first idea

I shall remember this argument next time R2 tells me I have to cite all the Heinemeyer papers otherwise I'm being biased when I try to get a perspective piece published :)

I'm not questioning the paleo evidence but you seem to be saying because it has cycled between Heather and sphagnum in the past, recent management has done nothing. This doesn't follow.

But the 'myth' you're busting is "2. Fire and heather dominance are a result of recent management changes". Heather being dominant on a site a few thousand years ago doesn't change the fact many moors weren't heather 100 years ago but are now because of management with that stated goal.

If you think a signficant result from a large, multi-site study needs to be ignored due to confounding factors, that's probably the sort of thing to put in your paper rather than presenting all the evidence in one direction and none of the evidence in the other?

I wouldn't rely on them completely but C.E. Moss' maps often show moors having a small heather fringe in 1910 which are now 100% heather under burn management. I didn't realise anyone questioned that heather cover has increased given it was the goal of management from that period onwards

Weird as the conclusion states the importance of not using one site and assuming others will be the same... would have thought a national, 95 site study is the sort of thing you'd treat with more weight than the single site studies you've cited (Lee, Miligan) that show increase in sphagnum

Prescribed burning, atmospheric pollution and grazing effects on peatland vegetation composition Burning, grazing and atmospheric pollution are associated with peatland vegetation composition and cover of key species, including Sphagnum. We suggest that, to promote cover of peat-forming species,...

Point 3 provides citations for sphagnum increasing with burning but fails to mention the massive 2,013 plot, 95 site study that showed at a national scale, burning decreases sphagnum. No critique of that paper, just seem to be ignoring it?

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

The point 2 summary about heather dominance not being a recent phenomena... how do you square that with maps of vegetation from ~100 years ago which show large increase of heather? Or do you mean some areas have had heather in the past so recent (~100yr) management for heather should be ignored?

We are pleased to have a thematic session at this years @britishecologicalsociety.org annual meeting in Edinburgh December 2025 on ‘Past and Future Resilience of Global #Wetlands’ - we have some excellent speakers lined up and hopefully many wetland folks will attend the conference and present too!

Probably a review on the same topic came out ten years ago? That's the usual reason to do 'research since X random date'

In my ongoing tests to see which parts of my job AI can automate I asked ChatGPT to create a map for me of my plots using a satellite image basemap and a pop out showing where the site was in the UK.

Close. So close.

The global and local distribution of Sphagnum and a detailed desciption of its anatomy.

#TansleyReview: The effects of #drought on #Sphagnum #moss species and the implications for hydrology in #peatlands

Keane et al. 👇

📖 nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

#LatestIssue

Great idea - we've bought one of these mega torches for our work

Image of the cover of the New Phytologist journal showing a close up image of brown and orange Sphagnum plants.

Sphagnum mosses are fascinating from physiology, ecology, and climate perspectives. I'm especially proud of this @newphyt.bsky.social paper meant to inspire new research on ecoevolution and biodiversity. Check out the incredible cover art by Blanka Aguero! nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Welsh duolingo really going for the sterotypes

Tansley Review now out @newphyt.bsky.social nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.... big team effort involving @garethclay.bsky.social @jpritson.bsky.social @em-shuttleworth.bsky.social @queenofpeat.bsky.social @peatofmind.bsky.social @mercury-ecohydro.bsky.social @adamjohnst.bsky.social (1/2)

EGU ones just seem to auto upload, no?

The moss house at the Firs, Manchester University

Mossy protest signs from the Moss Worlds project

Wilson’s filmy fern at the moss house, the Firs, Manchester University

Cross stitch pieces of mosses, on plant pots, in a glass house

A very busy but rewarding week with the highlight definitely being the Moss Worlds final exhibition. The moss house at the firs is now one of my favourite places, it has Wilson’s filmy fern growing on the walls! Great as well to see the moss protest signs and everyone’s moss stitch pieces in person

Recovery of Sphagnum from drought is controlled by species-specific moisture thresholds - Scientific Reports Scientific Reports - Recovery of Sphagnum from drought is controlled by species-specific moisture thresholds

New paper out today: Sphagnum C flux response and recovery to drought www.nature.com/articles/s41...