Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Luke Flory @lflory.bsky.social · Jul 7

This is both awesome and a bummer. Hope you all got it fixed!

Reposted by Luke Flory

David Lowry @davidlowry.bsky.social · Jun 24

Excellent new paper out this week led by former postdoc (now NC State Assistant Professor) @aceraceae.bsky.social. "Local adaptation of both plant and pathogen: an arms-race compromise in switchgrass rust." nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Local adaptation of both plant and pathogen: an arms‐race compromise in switchgrass rust

In coevolving species, parasites locally adapt to host populations as hosts locally adapt to resist parasites. Parasites often outpace host local adaptation since they have rapid life cycles, but ho...

nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

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Luke Flory @lflory.bsky.social · Jun 12

Interesting response to the Ahmed et al paper:

academic.oup.com/bioscience/a...

Parallels between biological invasions and human migration are flawed and undermine both disciplines. Response to Ahmed et al.

A recent article by Ahmed and colleagues (2025) attempt to draw parallels and assess distinctions between biological invasions and human migration. This co

academic.oup.com

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Luke Flory @lflory.bsky.social · Jun 6

I agree, it’s coming around!

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Luke Flory @lflory.bsky.social · Jun 3

Great job! Thanks for making time for the ms revisions meeting

Luke Flory @lflory.bsky.social · May 30

First lectures and tasting of traditional foods for our study abroad program UF in Croatia: Food and Global Change

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Luke Flory @lflory.bsky.social · May 26

Probably the most extreme growing situation for Erigeron annuus that I’ve seen. There can’t be anything resembling soil up there. Good motivation to continue our work on #urbanevolution of #invaders

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Luke Flory @lflory.bsky.social · May 26

Back in Croatia for another round of our study abroad program about food and global change plus research on #urbanevolution. Found some beautiful new roads thanks to a chance meeting with a new friend Vanja.

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Reposted by Luke Flory

Science Magazine @science.org · May 23

Hundreds of National Science Foundation staffers turned out for a group photograph to celebrate the besieged agency’s 75th anniversary—despite efforts by NSF officials to prevent the picture from being taken. scim.ag/4jcGpIt

Is a photo subversive? NSF staff overcome obstacles to 75th anniversary portrait

Management tried to quash outpouring of support for beleaguered agency

scim.ag

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Luke Flory @lflory.bsky.social · May 22

We def need to know more about invasions x other global changes

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Luke Flory @lflory.bsky.social · May 20

Congrats to PhD student Yukti Taneja for winning the 2025 Nadeau Graduate Research Award!! The funding will be used to advance her work on multiple biotic interactions and plant invasions.

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Luke Flory @lflory.bsky.social · May 10

Our local brewery First Magnitude knows what’s up! Huge supporters of conservation.

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Reposted by Luke Flory

Karen James @kejames.bsky.social · May 8

My god this is horrifying. 💔

Gregg Carlstrom @glcarlstrom.bsky.social · May 7

World Central Kitchen has run out of food to serve in Gaza. Its bakery ("recently the last working bakery in Gaza") is out of flour. There are 100,000+ tons of food in staging areas within driving distance of Gaza, and Israel refuses to let them in wck.org/news/gaza-up...

World Central Kitchen | WCK Forced to Halt Cooking in Gaza as Supplies Run Out

After serving more than 130 million total meals and 26 million loaves of bread over the past 18 months, World Central Kitchen no longer has the supplies to cook meals or bake bread in Gaza.

wck.org

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Reposted by Luke Flory

Jenn Coughlan @jenncoughlan.bsky.social · May 1

We're hiring an assistant prof in global change ecology! Apply!!! We're vibrant, supportive, and interdisciplinary EEB community!

Plz note the weird dates: We're reviewing applications beginning on ✨August 15th✨. I'm part of the SC and happy to answer questions!

apply.interfolio.com/164677

a netflix ad shows a woman talking to another woman at a vending machine

ALT: a netflix ad shows a woman talking to another woman at a vending machine

media.tenor.com

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Reposted by Luke Flory

Volker Rudolf @volkerrudolf.bsky.social · May 1

Job opportunity! Excited to share that we have an opening for a research technician position to help with our research on phenological shifts & species interactions in amphibian communities. (please help spread the word!)
More details here:
emdz.fa.us2.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/Candid...

Research Technician II

Dr. Volker Rudolf’s research groups in the Department of BioSciences are looking to hire a Research Technician II in the field of biology/ecology. The ideal candidate will be comfortable working outdo...

emdz.fa.us2.oraclecloud.com

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Reposted by Luke Flory

Dr. Mariana García Criado @nanitundra.bsky.social · Apr 30

🌸Plant diversity dynamics over space and time in a warming Arctic 🌸

Our new study @nature.com analysed plant diversity change in >2000 tundra plots over 4 decades. We found that plants changed unevenly, mostly driven by warming and biotic interactions.

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

🧵 (1/7) 🌐🧪🌱🌍

Illustration of a Greenlandic landscape, showing in the foreground Rhododendron lapponicum on a cliff, with sea ice and icebergs in the background. Illustration by Alberto S. Ballesteros (@asbillustration.bsky.social)

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Reposted by Luke Flory

Robert Fletcher @fletcherecology.bsky.social · Apr 25

Really excited to share this new article from the lab.

We synthesize the profound importance of movement and connectivity for conservation and provide a vision for future policy and management.

Let's work toward a well-connected planet for biodiversity and people:

www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

A well-connected Earth: The science and conservation of organismal movement

Global biodiversity targets focus on landscape and seascape connectivity as a foundational component of biodiversity conservation, including networks of connected protected areas. Recent advances allo...

www.science.org

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Luke Flory @lflory.bsky.social · Apr 25

Wow. Check this out!
“…science no longer an obstacle to the justiciability of climate liability claims.”

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

Carbon majors and the scientific case for climate liability - Nature

A transparent and reproducible scientific framework is introduced to formalize how trillions in economic losses are attributable to the extreme heat caused by emissions from fossil fuel companies, whi...

www.nature.com

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Reposted by Luke Flory

Timothy Martin @treephys.bsky.social · Apr 25

Spring primary growth in N. Florida. These 'candles' are expanding embryonic needles formed last fall in overwintered in buds. In this species (longleaf pine), there is generally only one growth cycle. Other southern pines may undergo multiple cycles in a year.

Pine crowns with expanding shoots against a blue sky.

Close up image of an expanding longleaf pine shoot.

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Luke Flory @lflory.bsky.social · Apr 25

Finished setting up a big new field experiment in Kentucky testing the effects of plant invasion, resources, and microbiome on disease transmission to hemp. #EEID

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Reposted by Luke Flory

Kenichi Tsuda @kenichitsuda.bsky.social · Apr 24

A parasitic plant-killing fungus without harming crops.

www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Sowing solutions: my quest to save Kenya’s maize from a devastating invader

Henry Sila Nzioki has developed a weed-killing fungus to improve food security.

www.nature.com

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Reposted by Luke Flory

Fletcher Halliday @fletcher-h.bsky.social · Apr 22

As a special Earth Day gift, our new paper integrating decades of related, but siloed research on how changing biodiversity drives plant disease and herbivory is out today in TREE www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Thanks to @idiv-research.bsky.social for supporting our sConsume working group!

Towards an integrative mechanistic framework for biodiversity–consumer relationships

Terrestrial plant diversity plays a pivotal role in influencing the abundance, diversity, and impacts of herbivores and pathogens (collectively, plant…

www.sciencedirect.com

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Reposted by Luke Flory

DrZP @zarahpattison.bsky.social · Apr 22

Orkney’s curlew population back on the rise as charity removes invasive species

Source: London Evening Standard
search.app/ZdkpD

Orkney’s curlew population back on the rise as charity removes invasive species

The curlew population had declined by more than 50%, according to statistics obtained by a wildlife charity.

search.app

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Reposted by Luke Flory

Dr Ecology 🌲 @ecologyphd.bsky.social · Apr 19

🚨 POST DOC 🚨

The Suding Lab at the University of CO - Boulder is recruiting a Postdoc researcher to build on an ongoing project examining grassland fuels, wildfire risk, & management questions.

Applications close May 8, 2025.
Start date will be before September 2025.

🌎🌾🧪🌱🌿🍁💻🔥📈

Research Scientist I

jobs.colorado.edu

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Reposted by Luke Flory

Nature Reviews Biodiversity @natrevbiodiv.nature.com · Apr 16

April issue: Review led by Ingo Kowarik that summarises the benefits of urban biodiversity for people and nature, and explores how sustainable, biodiverse urban areas can be developed. 🧪🌎
Web link: go.nature.com/4l4wcQs
Readcube: rdcu.be/eh0wE

Illustration of blue-green infrastructure to enhance urban biodiversity.

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