David Tan
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mangrovepitta.bsky.social
David Tan
@mangrovepitta.bsky.social
1.3K followers 1.4K following 650 posts
Ornithologist and biogeographer. Working on the global macroecology of bird-window collisions and on the genetics of faunal adaptation to mangroves. Obsessed with pittas. Previously at the University of New Mexico, now a postdoc at iDiv in Leipzig.
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Reposted by David Tan
Interested in island life and arthropods? There's a new PhD project advertised at the University of Birmingham to study the evolution of 'island syndromes' in a chosen group of island arthropods, with both museum and fieldwork-based research are expected. More details at: centa.ac.uk/studentship/...
2026-B22 The island syndrome in arthropods – CENTA
centa.ac.uk
Reposted by David Tan
If you like genomics, speciation, and primates, this PhD position is for you! Unraveling the genomic architecture of speciation and gene flow in guenons, a diverse group of African monkeys. Funding through DTP. Do reach out with questions! #genomics #genome_assembly
evol.mcmaster.ca/brian/evoldi...
Reposted by David Tan
Reposted by David Tan
NEW PAPER: LiDAR-based habitat mapping shows that nightingales prefer dense mid-level vegetation and tall canopies. The study showcases how remote sensing can inform habitat restoration and biodiversity conservation.

➡️ vist.ly/4bjs6

#ornithology #birds @vogelwarte.bsky.social 🪶
Are we talking Ivory-billed Woodpecker extreme or Sinosauropteryx extreme?
Reposted by David Tan
I cannot believe our work is finally out there and in @journal-evo.bsky.social ! This was an enormous group effort!

We provide an updated estimate of the number of buzz pollinated angiosperm species, genera, and families, look at consequences for diversification, number of transitions, and more!
Reposted by David Tan
2 job adverts on a NERC project w myself + @darrenobbard.bsky.social on “What determines the virome: ecology and the environment, evolution, or species history?” early 2026 in
@uniexecec.bsky.social
- Postdoc: jobs.exeter.ac.uk/hrpr_webrecr...
- RA: jobs.exeter.ac.uk/hrpr_webrecr...
Pls share!
Reposted by David Tan
Exciting PhD project with me and @vorontsovams.bsky.social RBG Kew on Grass Diversity, developing a phylogeny using morphology and genomics for the tropical forage grass genus Urochloa. Applications at centa.ac.uk/students... but contacts Bat or me to discuss
Reposted by David Tan
Why are some species smaller than a paperclip while others grow longer than a school bus? How is body size evolution governed in animals? Out now in @pnas.org we tackle these longstanding questions through a genetic lens using my favorite group of fishes as our model!! www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Parallel shifts in differential gene expression reveal convergent miniaturization in fishes | PNAS
Body size variation in vertebrates is a complex polygenic trait, tightly correlated with numerous aspects of a species’ biology, ecology, and physi...
www.pnas.org
Reposted by David Tan
Hot off the press is the final chapter of my dissertation now published in @pnas.org Here, I explore the genetic drivers of extreme body size reduction using goby fishes as a model. I'll write up a short summary thread later tonight...
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Reposted by David Tan
An updated estimate of the number of birds killed by outdoor cats in Canada | ace-eco.org/vol20/is... | Avian Conservation and Ecology | #ornithology 🪶
An updated estimate of the number of birds killed by outdoor cats in Canada - Avian Conservation and Ecology
Domestic cats, Felis catus, can be found almost everywhere in the world and estimating their impact on wildlife, including birds, requires the most up-to-date information. There are an estimated 9.3 million pet cats in Canada, 30–60% of which are given unrestricted access to the outdoors. With the best available data in 2013, cats were estimated to kill between 105–348 million birds per year in Canada, making them the leading measurable cause of bird mortality in the country. However, a decade later, research on outdoor cats and their predation of birds has increased considerably, providing an opportunity to revisit this mortality estimate. Using recent data on predation rates and cat abundance, we estimated that cats kill between 19 and 197 million birds per year in Canada, 71% lower than the earlier estimate. This does not mean that cat populations or predation rates on birds have declined since the previous estimate. Rather, we suggest that the difference can be primarily attributed to lower outdoor cat abundance estimated from field surveys compared to previously used cat ownership surveys and media reports of shelter intake data. Although the estimated number of birds killed annually by cats is considerably lower than the previous estimate, outdoor cats remain a serious concern for native bird populations.
ace-eco.org
Reposted by David Tan
NEW method! eComp is a new, #evolution-informed #compression method🗜️ for multiple #sequence alignments (#MSAs)...that outperforms gzip!

Unlike gzip's row-based compression, eComp implements a simple #column-based solution for compression, following how biological information is stored in MSAs
Reposted by David Tan
This paper is now in press at Oikos, and I can submit an image for the journal cover. I have various crappy photos of mistletoe munching tyrannoids; if you have a great shot you can donate to the cause, I’ll shout you a quality beverage at the very next opportunity
www.authorea.com/doi/full/10....
Reposted by David Tan
This looks to be a fundamental theoretical advance by @jpodwyer.bsky.social et al. Using linkage disequlibrium-based Ne to back out σ² and then predict fluctuation sizes from a single temporal snapshot is a real advance for broad application 🧪🌐https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adu6396
Genomic demography predicts community dynamics in a temperate montane forest
Species population sizes fluctuate over time, and these temporal dynamics play a key role in governing the maintenance of biodiversity. Although modeling approaches have been developed to characterize...
www.science.org
Reposted by David Tan
One reason China has to be optimistic about their century defining strategic competition with the United States is that they're the only side in it not actively trying to lose.
Wow. Harvard nuking its PhD programs

- Science PhD admissions reduced by more than 75%
- Arts & Humanities reduced by about 60%
- Social Sciences by 50–70%
- History by 60%
- Biology by 75%
- The German department will lose all PhD seats
- Sociology from six PhD students to zero
Harvard FAS Cuts Ph.D. Seats By More Than Half Across Next Two Admissions Cycles | News | The Harvard Crimson
The Faculty of Arts and Sciences slashed the number of Ph.D. student admissions slots for the Science division by more than 75 percent and for the Arts & Humanities division by about 60 percent for th...
www.thecrimson.com
Reposted by David Tan
Long-tailed macaques, a species of monkey commonly used in biomedical research, will continue to be listed as endangered, the International Union for Conservation of Nature has announced. https://scim.ag/4qb8mVM
Common research monkey is endangered, conservation group confirms
Listing could affect availability for biomedical studies
scim.ag
Reposted by David Tan
🌿 Fully funded #PhD alert! Are you curious about how species shape each other’s evolution? 🦋🌸

We’re looking for a student to study the co-evolution of insects & angiosperms in the Amazon using a multi-species mechanistic model.

🔗 centa.ac.uk/studentship/...

#Evolution #Biodiversity #NERC #CENTA
2026-OU06 Co-evolution of insects and angiosperms – CENTA
centa.ac.uk
Reposted by David Tan
We’re hiring a doctoral researcher in the area of migration ecology.
The work will focus on the question of how and when migratory songbirds learn where their home is using #Motus.
Part of the Cluster of Excellence NaviSense and linked with @sfb1372.bsky.social

uol.de/job788en

#ornithology
Reposted by David Tan
Juncos and ginkgos! 🐦 🍂
Reposted by David Tan
🤦
The costs of the UK’s Global Talent Visa looks a trifle high in comparison to competitor countries - largely through the Immigration Health Surcharge (which critics say is a form of double taxation as they contribute to the NHS through normal tax on their earnings)
Reposted by David Tan
Flagging this both because it's cool research, and because the graphs shown here illustrate a very important best-practice of showing both the curves/confidence intervals and the raw data points themselves whenever possible.
Colours of urban selection: carotenoid-based signals reveal divergent urban/rural evolutionary trajectories in two closely related passerines | doi.org/10.1002/oik.... | Oikos | #ornithology 🪶