Pooja Nathan

Nectar collecting at the tip of the stigma in Agapetes lacei (Ericaceae).

This #VirtualIssue captures the breadth and momentum of current research in #nectar and nectary biology, spanning ecology, evolution, development, and physiology 👇

nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/toc/10.1...

#PlantScience

The file with the final figures is finally finished! Sadly the stochastic map is way too high fidelity for the publication - but if you'd like the high resolution PDF of that figure to make a nice poster, here's the link! therusselllab.wordpress.com/wp-content/u...

academic.oup.com/evolut/advan...

Wonderful description by @pothebug.bsky.social about our #NaturalHistory paper in @asn-amnat.bsky.social!

www.amnat.org/an/newpapers...

Thanks for sharing 😁🪲🌼

Floral scent chemodiversity 🌸🧪 increases generalization in interactions with pollinators 🪰 – but reduces diversity of bacteria 🧫🦠 associated with flowers. New publication led by @mhanusch.bsky.social. @chemodiversity.bsky.social @unimarburg.bsky.social
@newphyt.bsky.social
doi.org/10.1111/nph....

Wikipedia Says AI Is Causing a Dangerous Decline in Human Visitors “With fewer visits to Wikipedia, fewer volunteers may grow and enrich the content, and fewer individual donors may support this work.”

wikipedia's data shows that AI is siphoning traffic away from the site, which is a danger to its sustainability. ironically Wikipedia is more important than ever to users who want reliable information instead of slop, and to AI companies that need it for training data www.404media.co/wikipedia-sa...

Science Magazine - Defensive fungal symbiosis on insect hindlegs Tympanal organs have repeatedly evolved in diverse insects and were thought to be required for auditory perception (1).

New biology: stink bugs inoculate their eggs with a fungus that protects them from parasitoids

www.sciencemagazinedigital.org/sciencemagaz...

MacArthur Foundation Announces 2025 ‘Genius Grant’ Winners

This week, I was awarded a MacArthur ‘Genius’ Grant. So proud to be included among individuals recognized for “extraordinary originality & dedication in their creative pursuits”. This research has been possible because I collaborate with the most incredible teams.

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/08/a...

@sse-evolution.bsky.social just announced the following:

Call for Proposals: Research Synthesis Working Groups
The Society for the Study of Evolution (SSE) invites proposals for sponsored Research Synthesis Working Groups at the 2026 Evolution meeting (up to two in-person and one virtual). ...

Confused writing is usually a symptom of confused thinking. As we struggle to clarify writing, we clarify our thoughts. AI writing aids rob us of that struggle, leaving clean-looking text and thoughts still confused for lack of inspection. Writing is not just a product; it is a diagnostic tool.

Presenting Dr. @bmsacchi.bsky.social !! Bianca successfully defended her thesis on Rumex sex chromosome degeneration and regulatory evolution today. Bravo!!

Now out in Oecologia! Check it out: link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Shifts in bee diet breadths are associated with gene gains and losses and positive selection across olfactory receptors Abstract. Bees are palynivorous insects that vary widely in the number of plant families from which they collect pollen. Their evolutionary history has bee

🧬 Shift between specialized & generalized diets in #bees is associated with evolutionary changes in their sensory genes. Generalists lose odorant receptors (ORs) and gain gustatory receptors (GRs), while specialists diversify existing genes 🌸🐝 #genomics #pollinators
academic.oup.com/g3journal/ad...

Pesticide drift and exposure can alter plant mutualisms in ways both direct and indirect.

Out of site, out of mind? Considering #pesticide drift and plant #mutualisms

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

👆 A #Commentary by Charlie C. Nicholson on this article by Baucom et al. 👇

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

#LatestIssue #PlantScience

TropiRoot 1.0: Database of tropical root characteristics across environments Tropical ecosystems contain the world's largest biodiversity of vascular plants. Yet, our understanding of tropical functional diversity and its contribution to global diversity patterns is constrain...

🎉 Our collaborative TropiRoot data paper “TropiRoot 1.0: Database of tropical root characteristics across environments” is out in Ecology! Explore 8,000+ standardized tropical root trait records from 104 studies across 25 countries. Data are freely available ! 🌿 doi.org/10.1002/ecy.... #tropiroots

Screenshot from the cover page of the paper

A map of the world showing fly migration study locations and estimated routes

A close up photo of Eristalinus taeniops the stripey eyed hoverfly on a yellow flower in Cyprus

A close up photo of the locust blowfly Stomorhina lunata on a rock. My favourite fly

It's published!
The largest research work I've ever undertaken:

Lords of the flies: dipteran migrants are diverse, abundant & ecologically important

Published in Biological Reviews: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
Thanks so much to co-authors @koralwotton.bsky.social & Myles Menz
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Thanks for the editorial support, Quarterly team! Check out my article on why natural history is still important :)

The second chapter of my PhD is now available as a preprint! We sampled ant-plant interactions across a ~20° latitudinal gradient across the Indian subcontinent to test the biotic interactions hypothesis for mutualism. Check it out!

Evolution 2025 logo. A plane traveling from a globe toward a silhouette of Georgia with a pin over Athens. Text: Society for the Study of Evolution International Travel Stipends.

Applications now open for the 2025 International Travel Stipends to attend #Evol2025! Funds cover registration, travel, food, and lodging. Can also be used to attend #ESEB2025! Apply by January 31: https://buff.ly/3ZEWUqe @evolmtg.bsky.social

I'm excited to see our paper being part of this special issue!