Anthony Ricciardi | Lightnews

Dan Quintana @dsquintana.bsky.social · 20h

AI slop is everywhere in scientific publishing, we’re only catching the easy-to-detect stuff (like when you happen to peer review a manuscript with a AI-hallucinated reference of a paper you apparently wrote)

www.theatlantic.com/science/2026...

Science Is Drowning in AI Slop

Peer review has met its match.

www.theatlantic.com

Anthony Ricciardi @ecoinvasions.bsky.social · 23h

Greenland, a fragile ecosystem...

"A new invasive species in sight!"

"Which one?"

"A big orange pig!"

Anthony Ricciardi @ecoinvasions.bsky.social · 1d

Quote: "The real choice is between directly killing a nonnative predator and sentencing many more native animals to die because the nonnative predators are left alive."

Anthony Ricciardi @ecoinvasions.bsky.social · 1d

Science denialism called out. "We refute a recent article (Wallach and Lundgren 2025) that discounted the role of introduced predators (domestic cat & red fox) in the extinctions of Australian mammal fauna, finding fault in its premises, analyses, data & conclusions" academic.oup.com/bioscience/a...

Investigating the Causes of an Extinction Catastrophe: Controlling Introduced Predators Remains Essential for Conserving Australia’s Mammals

Abstract. At least 40 Australian mammal spcies have been driven to extinction since European colonization in 1788. For conservation management to be effect

academic.oup.com

Anthony Ricciardi @ecoinvasions.bsky.social · 1d

Science denialism called out. "We refute a recent article (Wallach and Lundgren 2025) that discounted the role of introduced predators (domestic cat & red fox) in the extinctions of Australian mammal fauna, finding fault in its premises, analyses, data & conclusions" academic.oup.com/bioscience/a...

Investigating the Causes of an Extinction Catastrophe: Controlling Introduced Predators Remains Essential for Conserving Australia’s Mammals

Abstract. At least 40 Australian mammal spcies have been driven to extinction since European colonization in 1788. For conservation management to be effect

academic.oup.com

Anthony Ricciardi @ecoinvasions.bsky.social · 1d

Confronting invasive species denialism. Quote: "Inaccurate publications have the potential to fuel misinformation, undermine social license for pest management, and ultimately increase the risks of further extinctions".
biodiversitycouncil.org.au/news/leading...

Cats and foxes did it. Leading Scientists refute “Invasive Species Denialism,” reaffirming introduced predators as a major cause of mammal extinctions | Biodiversity Council Australia

25 leading conservation scientists, ecologists, and mammal experts refute the controversial claim that there is "little evidence" that introduced cats and foxes have caused extinctions in Australia.

biodiversitycouncil.org.au

Andrew Rypel @andrewrypel.bsky.social · 3d

Five freshwater fishes that went extinct.

How it happened. Why it matters.

tnature.substack.com/p/five-cool-...

#Extinction #Freshwater #Biodiversity #Conservation #EdgeEffects #NatureWriting

Five cool fishes that went extinct

An essay on extinctions you’ve probably never heard of.

tnature.substack.com

Anthony Ricciardi @ecoinvasions.bsky.social · 4d

evidencenetwork.ca/from-ecologi...

From ecological threat to gastronomic resource: the new future of the Pacific oyster - Evidence Network

Invasive species have long been seen as an unvarnished threat: they arrive, expand, and disrupt ecosystems that took so long to balance. In most cases, ... Read more

evidencenetwork.ca

Anthony Ricciardi @ecoinvasions.bsky.social · 4d

www.history.com/articles/ear...

Earthworms Arrived to North America as Stowaways

European explorers didn’t arrive in the Americas alone.

www.history.com

Anthony Ricciardi @ecoinvasions.bsky.social · 5d

phys.org/news/2026-01...

Insects are victims, not just invaders, says study

Insects are often seen as invaders due to high-profile species like the yellow-legged (Asian) hornet, the harlequin ladybird and fire ant. But new research reveals insects are also major victims of in...

phys.org

Anthony Ricciardi @ecoinvasions.bsky.social · 5d

www.earth.com/news/invasiv...

Invasive species are speeding up the global decline of insects

New research shows invasive species are reducing insect populations worldwide and weakening ecosystems people rely on.

www.earth.com

Anthony Ricciardi @ecoinvasions.bsky.social · 6d

"Invasive alien species reduce the abundance of insects included in our study by 31%, and species richness by 26%, though these impacts are highly variable across taxa. Stronger negative impacts are found for invasive alien animals compared to invasive alien plants"
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Meta-analysis reveals negative but highly variable impacts of invasive alien species across terrestrial insect orders - Nature Communications

Insects are crucial for ecosystem functioning but face multiple threats, including invasive alien species. Here the authors quantify impacts of invasive alien species on four insect orders, with effec...

www.nature.com

Anthony Ricciardi @ecoinvasions.bsky.social · 7d

Stuck around St. Petersburg,
when I saw it was a time for a change...

Anthony Ricciardi @ecoinvasions.bsky.social · 8d

Quote: "Proceeding rapidly with industrial projects [in valuable salmon habitat] while reducing oversight heightens the risk of irreversible harm to salmon, ecosystems, and the Indigenous Peoples that rely on them."
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Canada’s dismantled safeguards threaten salmon

In June 2025, Canada’s federal government passed the One Canadian Economy Act (Bill C-5), which enables rapid approval of industrial projects deemed “in the national interest” (1). Meanwhile, the most...

www.science.org

Anthony Ricciardi @ecoinvasions.bsky.social · 8d

The fight to mitigate the impacts of invasive plants and animals on biodiverse islands.
www.science.org/content/arti...

On a Galápagos island, a ‘restoration project on steroids’

A multimillion-dollar plan aims to undo centuries of destruction on islands made famous by Darwin

www.science.org

Anthony Ricciardi @ecoinvasions.bsky.social · 9d

news.mongabay.com/short-articl...

Ants need urgent protections from global trade, conservationists say

After major ant seizures worldwide, conservationists urge CITES protections to curb the largely unregulated global trade in ants.

news.mongabay.com

Anthony Ricciardi @ecoinvasions.bsky.social · 9d

Biocontrol has a chequered past. However, cases of negative effects on native species fell as biocontrol became more regulated.
Yet, some claim that regulation should now be reduced to allow the timely release of a broader range of biocontrol agents. #bioinvasions
goodmenproject.com/featured-con...

Is It Time for a New Era in Invasive Species Control?

Regulations make it hard to introduce organisms that quash invasive species. Some experts see missed opportunities.

goodmenproject.com

Anthony Ricciardi @ecoinvasions.bsky.social · 10d

"Researchers found no evidence that Indigenous People over-hunted birds to extinction. Instead, the authors suggest a new theory: the birds died out because of a combination of climate change, invasive species and changes in how the land was used"
phys.org/news/2026-01...

Myth of Native Hawaiians causing bird extinctions debunked by study

Challenging a 50-year-old narrative about Hawaiʻi's native birds, a new study from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa found no scientific evidence that Indigenous People hunted waterbird species to ex...

phys.org

🍁 Alex Smith 🍁 @alexsmithants.bsky.social · 10d

“Ottawa is dangling money for American researchers. But what about our own?”

JOHN TURLEY-EWART
The Globe and Mail

🎁 article www.theglobeandmail.com/gift/c231c7b...

Stu Butchart @stubutchart.bsky.social · 11d

Translocation of Raso Larks to the island of Santa Luzia in 2018 after eradication of invasive cats has been spectacularly successful, with nearly 1000 individuals now. Great work by @birdlifeglobal.bsky.social partner Biosfera, and long-championed by Mike Brooke www.birdguides.com/news/raso-la...

Raso Lark reintroduction proves a triumph

After a small number of Raso Larks were translocated to Santa Luzia in 2018, the population has grown to as many as 1,000 individuals.

www.birdguides.com

Anthony Ricciardi @ecoinvasions.bsky.social · 12d

Aldo Leopold promoted the conservation of intact native communities, and described biotic homogenization & invasions ("worldwide pooling of faunas and floras") as global change: views he shared with Charles Elton, whom he met at the 1931 conference on Biological Cycles at Matamek, Quebec.

Anthony Ricciardi @ecoinvasions.bsky.social · 12d

Aldo Leopold - born on this day 139 yrs ago. Philosopher, scientist, visionary conservationist.

Leopold strongly advocated conserving native biodiversity. He recognized that a lack of coevolution was the reason why nonnative species can destabilize communities:
academic.oup.com/envhis/artic...

Anthony Ricciardi @ecoinvasions.bsky.social · 13d

Populations of endangered animals on an island have increased by 90-100% in five years, after effectively controlling non-native predators.
www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01...

'Predator-free' fence project praised for restoring Kangaroo Island's native wildlife

Five years after feral cats were removed from inside the Western River Refuge on Kangaroo Island, populations of endangered species have boomed.

www.abc.net.au

Anthony Ricciardi @ecoinvasions.bsky.social · 14d

International ship traffic: a global network that has contributed to biotic homogenisation - or what Charles Elton described (in his book 'The Ecology of Invasions by Animals and Plants') as the breakdown of Wallace's biogeographic realms. #bioinvasions
www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/home/...

Anthony Ricciardi @ecoinvasions.bsky.social · 14d

BOTD Alfred Russel Wallace, intrepid naturalist, father of biogeography, co-discoverer of the theory of evolution by natural selection. In his book Darwinism (1889), he referred to the impacts of "invading" species (like the black rat) carried by commerce & replacing native species around the world.

The Royal Society @royalsociety.org · 15d

Alfred Russel Wallace FRS was born #OnThisDay in 1823. He independently conceived of the theory of evolution by natural selection and his work prompted Darwin to publish 'On the Origin of Species'. Wallace laid the foundations of modern biogeography.

Portrait of Alfred Russel Wallace seated in a chair, wearing a suit and tie, and sporting a full, white beard.

The Royal Society @royalsociety.org · 15d

Alfred Russel Wallace FRS was born #OnThisDay in 1823. He independently conceived of the theory of evolution by natural selection and his work prompted Darwin to publish 'On the Origin of Species'. Wallace laid the foundations of modern biogeography.

James Hardwick @jahardwick.bsky.social · 16d

My third PhD chapter has just been published, we assessed the impact of Himalayan balsam invasion on riverbank stability. A massive thanks to @zarahpattison.bsky.social @drchrishackney.bsky.social @dralanlaw.bsky.social

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

Invasive non-native plants indirectly destabilise riverbanks - Biological Invasions

Invasive Non-Native Plant species (INNPs) establishment along rivers continues to accelerate globally, with potential consequences for riverbank stability, ecosystem functions and services. Riverbank ...

link.springer.com

Nick Sousanis @nsousanis.bsky.social · 17d

In case anyone needs it for their syllabi, my statement in gen-Ai from the minicomic I made as a syllabus for class last semester. All online and printable here spinweaveandcut.com/fall-2025-sy...