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DrZP

@zarahpattison.bsky.social

1.4K followers 1.1K following 480 posts

Invasive species, particularly plants, especially in freshwater... 🇿🇦Senior Lecturer (Asst. Prof), Univ of Stirling🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Makeup artist turned field girl. Coffee? always! ☕ Joined by #NinjaTheStaffie insta: @monsterplantscience https://zarahsinthefield.com/

zarahsinthefield.com

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DrZP @zarahpattison.bsky.social · Nov 21

Hi all! I'm a #plant ecologist 'slightly' obsessed with #invasivespecies & love splashing around in #freshwater. Interested in how habitats/communities change with invasions, climate & anthropogenic stressors.
'Understatedly' obsessed with #dogs. Especially #rescuedogs...
zarahsinthefield.com

DrZP @zarahpattison.bsky.social · 7h

Source: Times Higher Education
search.app/iY9Jd

Cuts equivalent to 15,000 jobs planned at UK universities – UCU

Proposed job losses almost triple since March as unions prepare to vote on nationwide industrial action

DrZP @zarahpattison.bsky.social · 7h

Source: The Guardian
search.app/kHLct

Century-old papers saved from the bin reveal changes in Europe’s plant life

Plant inventories dating back to 1884 and nearly thrown away enable unique time-lapse study of biodiversity in Swiss meadows

DrZP @zarahpattison.bsky.social · 1d

www.bbc.com/news/article...

Invasive plants cleared from ancient Leicestershire woodland

Plants such as rhododendron may look pretty, but they can "choke" the forest floor.

DrZP @zarahpattison.bsky.social · 1d

Great fun working with RewildingFilms to create a short film for @woodlands.co.uk on my favourite invader Himalayan balsam! Check out the film here: youtu.be/5EQQlLWOaRk?...

I've learnt so much about plant community dynamics researching this incredibly successful species.

Reposted by DrZP

Prof Phoebe Barnard @phoebebarnard.bsky.social · 2d

The detection and attribution data cited by @frediotto.bsky.social has been established and peer reviewed science for over 20 years and it’s taken the fossil fuel industry and its media partners that long to mount a defense. In 2005 … 🧵 1/3

@michaelemann.bsky.social

Michael E. Mann @michaelemann.bsky.social · 3d

Update: www.eenews.net/articles/cli...
#RogerPielkeJr #ScienceUnderSiege

DrZP @zarahpattison.bsky.social · 2d

phys.org/news/2025-10...

Introduced animals change how island plants spread, global study finds

On islands, many plants rely on animals such as birds, bats and reptiles to disperse their seeds and help them grow in new places. When native animals go extinct, this naturally reduces seed dispersal...

DrZP @zarahpattison.bsky.social · 3d

Source: Inside Climate News
search.app/YkUS9

The Scientists Making the Case for Nature’s Rights - Inside Climate News

A growing number of scientists are backing laws recognizing that nature has inherent rights and intrinsic value. A group of wetlands scientists wants the critical ecosystems they study to be next.

DrZP @zarahpattison.bsky.social · 4d

Source: BBC
search.app/xqEUB

River Wye pollution prompts UK's largest environmental lawsuit

Livestock and water companies are accused of “extensive” pollution in the Wye, Lugg and Usk rivers.

DrZP @zarahpattison.bsky.social · 7d

Fungi ruled Earth for eons before plants set their roots on land: www.earth.com/news/fungi-r...

Fungi ruled Earth for eons before plants set their roots on land

New research shows fungi diversified nearly a billion years ago, shaping soils and ecosystems long before plants colonized land.

Reposted by DrZP

BSBI Scotland @bsbiscotland.bsky.social · 9d

Book your #ScotBotanistsConf place now! Its going to be a fantastic day @thebotanics.bsky.social, with brilliant talks on restoring montane woodland, Tufted Saxifrage, urban flora and much much more!
@sarahwatts.bsky.social @plantlifeuk.bsky.social @botsocscot.bsky.social @naturescot.bsky.social

A small, tight clump of Tufted Saxifrage rosettes just catching the morning sunlight on a steep rock wall, high in the Grey Corries. There are three flowerheads, with the last tiny white petals hanging on as they go to seed. Behind, a pattern of brown-green bryophytes and ledges form a mosaic in the vertiginous, pale grey quartzite, with the rock spires reaching towards a bright blue sky in the far corner of the photo.

DrZP @zarahpattison.bsky.social · 11d

Source: The Guardian
search.app/wWmw4

Revealed: Europe losing 600 football pitches of nature and crop land a day

Investigation shows extent of green land lost across UK and mainland Europe to development from 2018 to 2023

Reposted by DrZP

Peter Geoghegan @petergeoghegan.bsky.social · 15d

"Like so many of these so-called think tanks, the Tony Blair Institute dances to the tune of its funders"

Was so great to talk about Blair, Larry Ellison, Keir Stamer and corporate capture with @georgemonbiot.bsky.social on Democracy for Sale

democracyforsale.substack.com/p/george-mon...

George Monbiot on Blair, Starmer and the capture of democracy

I spoke with the celebrated journalist and activist about ‘junk tanks’, dark money - and how we can fight back

democracyforsale.substack.com

DrZP @zarahpattison.bsky.social · 14d

Source: BBC
search.app/QKY4N

'It lives underground and is fabulous': The race to save the world's rarest orchid

The world's most mysterious and elusive orchid lives underground in Australia. Scientists are trying to rescue this botanic marvel from going completely extinct.

DrZP @zarahpattison.bsky.social · 18d

Source: Nature
search.app/264KL

The first emergence of unprecedented global water scarcity in the Anthropocene - Nature Communications

Anthropogenic climate change is projected to cause “Day Zero Drought”, when water demand exceeds supply, emerging as early as 2030 and occurring more frequently than recovery allows, posing escalating risks to regions worldwide.

DrZP @zarahpattison.bsky.social · 19d

Source: The Guardian
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‘The forest had gone’: the storm that moved a mountain – podcast

On a small ledge in the Swiss mountains, 200 people were enjoying a summer football tournament. As night fell, they had no idea what was comingBy Jonah Goodman. Read by Evelyn Miller

Reposted by DrZP

Anthony Ricciardi @ecoinvasions.bsky.social · 22d

We are seeing substantially reduced water levels on the St Lawrence River, extensive shoreline recession, and - consequently - loss of habitat.
www.montrealgazette.com/news/weather...

DrZP @zarahpattison.bsky.social · 22d

Source: The Guardian
search.app/LCWyF

Only a third of world’s river basins experienced normal conditions in 2024

Increasingly erratic water cycle is creating food scarcity, rising prices, conflict and migration, says UN agency

DrZP @zarahpattison.bsky.social · 24d

Source: Australian Broadcasting Corporation
search.app/Kc7fA

Giant pest oyster spreads through Australian waters

A problematic oyster species that can grow up to 24 centimetres long is spreading through Queensland, with the potential to invade much of the nation's coastline.

DrZP @zarahpattison.bsky.social · 25d

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

Equity in science is a beautiful lie — and I’m done pretending

Science isn’t really moving towards equity; institutions are just perfecting the appearance of equity. We need to build an alternative system.

DrZP @zarahpattison.bsky.social · 25d

Source: Nature
search.app/VqiKG

A nature-based conservation framework that aligns opportunities for bird biodiversity, climate mitigation, and human equity - Scientific Reports

Scientific Reports - A nature-based conservation framework that aligns opportunities for bird biodiversity, climate mitigation, and human equity

DrZP @zarahpattison.bsky.social · 27d

Source: ScienceDaily
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Why some plants are taking over the world

Plants are spreading across the globe faster than ever, largely due to human activity, and new research shows that the very same traits that make plants thrive in their native lands also drive their s...

DrZP @zarahpattison.bsky.social · 27d

Source: CNN
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Scientists are electrifying lakes to capture invasive species they believe are transported by hurricanes | CNN

Well before the sun rises, scientists gather at a Florida lake looking for Asian swamp eels. The eels, along with other invasive species, are gaining more of a foothold in the southeastern United Stat...

Reposted by DrZP

Sophie Mowles @sophiemowles.bsky.social · Sep 4

Absolutely. A really important paper here. Fieldwork 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 be safe and inclusive for everyone.

DrZP @zarahpattison.bsky.social · Sep 4

🏞️𝐅𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐝𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐝𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡?
Our new study looked at fieldwork policies and risk assessments from 90 UK universities offering environmental science courses.
The results are eye-opening:
besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

Improving university policies and risk assessment to support inclusive fieldwork in environmental sciences

Among 90 UK higher education institutions, there was patchy mention of protected and other identity-related characteristics in fieldwork policy and risk assessments, and very limited consideration of....

besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

DrZP @zarahpattison.bsky.social · 27d

Source: The Conversation
search.app/ZJUqP

Black wattle as firewood: how South African communities are putting invasive species to work

New research says invasive black wattle trees that are burnt as fuelwood in South Africa’s rural areas would be better turned into charcoal and useful wood products.

DrZP @zarahpattison.bsky.social · Sep 13

Source: Financial Times
search.app/JxGMv

The funding crisis reshaping UK universities

Also in this week’s newsletter, the two-tier system for treating ADHD