Helen Phillips

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Registration for BES Macro 2026 is open! Join us in a friendly conference, filled with macroecology, macroevolution and more!

Postdoctoral Researcher in Biodiversity Economics Postdoctoral Researcher in Biodiversity Economics

Two more days to apply for a postdoctoral position in Biodiversity Economics! DL 18.2.

The successful candidate will play a key role in developing and applying economic models to assess impacts of biodiversity change on ecosystem service provision.

See more: jobs.helsinki.fi/job/Helsinki...

Introducing.... The Soil Ecology Seminar Series 2026!
Join us on Wednesday the 25th of February at 1 pm GMT for the first installment. We will delve into microbial ecology with exciting talks from Dr Ashish Malik and Josh Thurston:
Register your interest here: urldefense.com/v3/__https:/...

Relatedly, and obviously Saturday night is not the correct time to ask this, but: anyone know anything about plant biochemistry want to review a paper about leaf macroecology? Pretty please? Reviewers keep ghosting me on this one, and I feel very bad for the authors.

Application deadline is January 15 for graduate positions (MSc and PhD) in Phylogenetic, Computational, and/or Evolutionary Paleobiology. Feel free to reach out and/or share 🧪

An infographic illustrating the goal to make EU soils healthier by 2050. The top text reads: "SOILS PROVIDE 95% OF OUR FOOD, YET MANY SOILS ARE UNHEALTHY." A diagram compares the soil health between 2020 and 2050. The 2020 diagram shows a light-brown soil cross-section with a small plant, stating "LESS THAN 40% ARE HEALTHY." The 2050 diagram shows a rich, dark-brown soil cross-section with healthy plants, stating "ALL SOILS ARE HEALTHY." The text between them describes the EU objective: "Supports our health" and "Protects against droughts, wildfires & flooding."

Europe takes a decisive step to protect one of our most precious resources.

Today, the first-ever Soil Monitoring Law enters into force.

It improves soil health, strengthens food security and enhances resilience to natural disasters.

More: link.europa.eu/MfJ3GP

Meet the #BES2025 SIGs on floor -1! We’ll be heading to our social at Frankenstein later too! Come say hi to some of our committee:
@inesismartins.bsky.social
@bethanyjallen.bsky.social
@lauraloubio.bsky.social

Book cover for Reproducible Code guide. The cover has a red background with a large yellow-bodied black-headed stag beetle.

Excited to launch the new improved Reproducible Code guide from @britishecologicalsociety.org @methodsinecoevol.bsky.social FREE online here! www.britishecologicalsociety.org//wp-content/... Amazing work by some very talented ECRs. We hope it’s useful!

I really can't recommend the Macro Committee enough - we have tons of fun and organise a really cool annual meeting :)

A male greater bird-of-paradise (brownish crow-like thing with a fluffy golden tail, yellow head, and green face) on a tree branch, for attention. Photo by Tim Laman via the Cornell Lab of O.

Join the BES Macro committee!

We're recruiting a vice chair and 1-2 ordinary members to help us make macroecology & macroevolution a better place.

More information on how to apply in the link, and come chat at #BES2025 if you happen to be around!

www.britishecologicalsociety.org//wp-content/...

Professor or Assistant Professor / Associate Professor in Arctic Ecosystem Ecology Professor or Assistant Professor / Associate Professor in Arctic Ecosystem Ecology

PROFESSOR OR ASSISTANT/ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR IN ARCTIC ECOSYSTEM ECOLOGY

Open position at the University of Helsinki jobs.helsinki.fi/job/Helsinki...

⏰Don't miss this chance to showcase your research and chat with an incredible group of soil experts!

Late-breaking poster submissions for #GSBC2026 are due on January 30, 2026!

Submit your abstract here: globalsoilbiodiversity2026.org/abstract/

Autonomous Multi-Agent Systems for Warehousing Worldwide Biodiversity Data at University of Reading on FindAPhD.com PhD Project - Autonomous Multi-Agent Systems for Warehousing Worldwide Biodiversity Data at University of Reading, listed on FindAPhD.com

Applications are OPEN for a #PhD project with @nhm-london.bsky.social's brilliant Adriana De Palma & Sara Contu from and Ferran Pujol of @uor-research.bsky.social: Autonomous Multi-Agent Systems for Warehousing Worldwide Biodiversity Data. www.findaphd.com/phds/project.... #deadline 19th January!

Will we be seeing you during the @britishecologicalsociety.org annual conference? 👀

Come down to the Frankenstein & Bier Keller pub in Edinburgh on 16 Dec 2025 for a social with @besmacro.bsky.social 🍺

There will be snacks, friends, and (loosely!) ecology-themed quiz rounds ✨ See you there!

I am briefly leaving Germany, to spend time in a German-themed pub 🍻
Excited to catch up with some fellow macroecologists! Come and join us 📝

Invasion impacts in terrestrial ecosystems: Global patterns and predictors Biological invasions can alter ecosystems, yet their impacts vary across ecological contexts. Using a global meta-analysis of 775 studies (2223 effect sizes) in terrestrial systems, we show that the m...

Invasion impacts in terrestrial ecosystems: Global patterns and predictors #bioinvasions 🌎🌐🧪 www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

🍇 Check out this meta-analysis led by Silvia Winter about the impacts of vineyard management and landscape context on biodiversity & ecosystem services. Overall, we found that extensive management increases biodiversity and ecosystem services. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

CR2026_23: Monitoring and protecting biodiversity across all its dimensions – taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic at University of Reading on FindAPhD.com PhD Project - CR2026_23: Monitoring and protecting biodiversity across all its dimensions – taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic at University of Reading, listed on FindAPhD.com

Funded PhD opportunity!!🧪🌎

Wanna improve how biodiversity is monitored & protected?
Keen to work with large datasets & quantitative methods?

This PhD could be for you!

Fully-funded PhD at University of Reading with IoZ & UKCEH
(UK or settled status applicants)
www.findaphd.com/phds/project...

We are hiring: 4 PhD Positions in Ecology / Data Science and one Ecological Data Scientist We are looking for 4 PhD Positions and one Scientific Programmer / Ecological Data Scientist to join the AG Hartig (Theoretical Ecology)

We are hiring: 4 PhD Positions in Ecology / Data Science and one Ecological Data Scientist. For more information, see www.uni-regensburg.de/universitaet...

#PhD position!

I’m looking for a PhD Student (1+3 years) to model insect populations using statistical models + deep learning at #TheoreticalEcology, Regensburg (Germany).

Join our team - please RT!

Details: karriere.uni-regensburg.de/tg7w9

#Insects #Ecology #DeepLearning #Ecology #Monitoring

In this article, De Smedt et al discuss the rise of terrestrial #isopods in the #pettrade and the need for their inclusion in trade regulation. Interested in learning more? You can find their study at doi.org/10.1111/cobi...

#conservation #science #stem #stemwords #wordoftheweek #isopod

Our Ecology MSc course @helsinki.fi is coming to an end with a final seminar at the Lammi Biological station. Today we are visiting Evo 🍁🍂☘️

Check out our new database (catalogue.ceh.ac.uk/documents/18...) and data paper (www.nature.com/articles/s41...) for the traits of UK ladybirds 🐞

Great to see this out, a really fun team to work with expertly led by @charlieouthwaite.bsky.social

@ukladybirds.bsky.social @aru-biology.bsky.social

Congratulations to our valued Executive Editor, @natejsanders.bsky.social, on becoming a BES fellow!

A practical guide to characterising ecological coexistence Coexistence is simultaneously one of the most fundamental concepts of ecology, and one of the most difficult to define. A particular challenge is that, despite a well-developed body of research, seve...

How can we identify #coexistence in #ecology? There are at least three common approaches (structural stability, eigenvalues, and invasion), and each investigates different aspects of community dynamics (equilibria, locally stable equilibria, and global stability). 1/2

Well, it's official. After our paper last year (onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....), the Slender-billed Curlew is officially declared Extinct today.

Scientists dream of describing new species, not writing their obituary and epitaph, knowing that they are gone forever #ornithology

drawing of an earthworm. It is orange-brown with darker brown segments

Day ten of #invertober
Common Earthworm

So cute, so cute! I have loved earthworms since I was a kid

A photograph of an earthworm's head pushing out of the soil surface, with a tiny half-segment at the tip clearly visible.

My (slightly late) offering for day ten of #invertober (common earthworm) 🪱

Did you know earthworms have a special lip-like first head segment called a prostomium (meaning 'before the mouth')? They use it to sense and manipulate food, and move through soil!

#SoilBiodiversity #Macrophotography 🧪

Urban earthworm communities driven more by climate and elevation than urbanisation intensity - Urban Ecosystems Soil biodiversity, particularly earthworms, plays a crucial role in ecosystem functions and services but remains largely understudied in urban environments. In this context, we conducted a synthesis analysis of 41 studies from urban environments (726 records, 1995–2024) to (1) describe patterns of earthworm communities, (2) identify the main drivers shaping urban earthworm communities, focusing on the effects of climate, degree of urbanization, soil properties, and local land use, with the expectation that climate would be the strongest driver, and (3) assess the occurrence of exotic earthworm species. Urban earthworm communities showed considerable variation in their abundance, biomass and species richness. Within our dataset, exotic species were detected in North America, South America, and Asia, but no records from European and African cities, despite their known presence there. However, there was a strong geographical bias, with 75% of records from Europe. Our results reveal that at the global scale, elevation, and annual variation in temperature and potential evapotranspiration are the most important predictors shaping total earthworm abundance. For total earthworm biomass, variation in potential evapotranspiration is the key predictor. At the plot scale, we found both positive and negative correlations between earthworm community metrics, soil properties, and specific land uses, namely urban forests and grasslands. We recommend additional standardised sampling, broader geographical and temporal coverage, and the investigation of urban-specific direct and indirect stressors, as crucial steps for understanding urban soil biodiversity and promoting beneficial management practices. Overall, this analysis indicates that urbanisation intensity showed no consistent effects on earthworm communities once climate and soil variables were accounted for. Given the importance of climate impacts, mitigation of climate change effects would be valuable for the maintenance of earthworm communities.

Really pleased that @kevhoef.bsky.social and my paper, along with the LandWorm working group (funded by CESAB - @frbiodiv.bsky.social), is published🎉.

We analysed earthworm communities in cities & find that increasing urbanisation doesn't appear to have an effect.

link.springer.com/article/10.1...

I thought it would be nice to let you all know:

@emyguilbault.bsky.social 's recent paper was featured as a research highlight in the Journal of Animal Ecology:
besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

👍 Emy