Amrita Srivathsan
@asrivathsan.bsky.social
Researcher at Museum für Naturkunde Berlin. Species interactions, nanopore sequencing
Reposted by Amrita Srivathsan
Halloween News: Meet a new vampire fly (Hippoboscidae) 🧛♂🪰 1 of 10 species found on citizen-reported bird carcasses in Singapore: Even dead birds can have productive afterlives! See host records, annotated images, pictorial keys & DNA diagnostics here: doi.org/10.1155/jzs/...
October 31, 2025 at 1:03 PM
Halloween News: Meet a new vampire fly (Hippoboscidae) 🧛♂🪰 1 of 10 species found on citizen-reported bird carcasses in Singapore: Even dead birds can have productive afterlives! See host records, annotated images, pictorial keys & DNA diagnostics here: doi.org/10.1155/jzs/...
Reposted by Amrita Srivathsan
🚨 Thrilled and honoured to lead the chapter on using #eDNA for studying aquatic #parasites - a part of just-published book on #openaccess Aquatic Parasitology led by @berndsures.bsky.social & @nicojsmit.bsky.social with top parasitologists contributing!
link.springer.com/book/10.1007...
More ⬇️🧵
link.springer.com/book/10.1007...
More ⬇️🧵
Aquatic Parasitology: Ecological and Environmental Concepts and Implications of Marine and Freshwater Parasites
A unique open access collection on ecological and environmental parasitology in marine and freshwater. Covers climate change and parasite conservation.
link.springer.com
May 20, 2025 at 7:48 AM
🚨 Thrilled and honoured to lead the chapter on using #eDNA for studying aquatic #parasites - a part of just-published book on #openaccess Aquatic Parasitology led by @berndsures.bsky.social & @nicojsmit.bsky.social with top parasitologists contributing!
link.springer.com/book/10.1007...
More ⬇️🧵
link.springer.com/book/10.1007...
More ⬇️🧵
Reposted by Amrita Srivathsan
The top 10 flying insect clades rule the skies—but defy the rules. Weak or inverted latitudinal diversity gradients leave biogeographers puzzled. Entomologists? Mildly amused. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
May 14, 2025 at 3:52 PM
The top 10 flying insect clades rule the skies—but defy the rules. Weak or inverted latitudinal diversity gradients leave biogeographers puzzled. Entomologists? Mildly amused. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Amrita Srivathsan
🚫 Farewell to species descriptions with consensus barcodes.
✨ Hello to Diagnostic Molecular Combinations (DMCs) for your taxonomic research
✅ State-specific
✅ Contrastive
✅ Publication-ready
Now even easier with the latest UITOTO, our updated user-friendly software; Preprint: doi.org/10.1101/2025...
✨ Hello to Diagnostic Molecular Combinations (DMCs) for your taxonomic research
✅ State-specific
✅ Contrastive
✅ Publication-ready
Now even easier with the latest UITOTO, our updated user-friendly software; Preprint: doi.org/10.1101/2025...
May 9, 2025 at 1:40 PM
🚫 Farewell to species descriptions with consensus barcodes.
✨ Hello to Diagnostic Molecular Combinations (DMCs) for your taxonomic research
✅ State-specific
✅ Contrastive
✅ Publication-ready
Now even easier with the latest UITOTO, our updated user-friendly software; Preprint: doi.org/10.1101/2025...
✨ Hello to Diagnostic Molecular Combinations (DMCs) for your taxonomic research
✅ State-specific
✅ Contrastive
✅ Publication-ready
Now even easier with the latest UITOTO, our updated user-friendly software; Preprint: doi.org/10.1101/2025...
Reposted by Amrita Srivathsan
A very up-to-date review led by the brilliant @hollybroadhurst.bsky.social on the applications of #eDNA and iDNA for monitoring terrestrial and semi-aquatic mammals! The beginnings, the milestones, where we're heading. Water, soil, air, the inverts, all here! onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1...
From Water to Land: A Review on the Applications of Environmental DNA and Invertebrate‐Derived DNA for Monitoring Terrestrial and Semi‐Aquatic Mammals
This review explores global applications of environmental DNA (eDNA) and invertebrate-derived DNA (iDNA) for surveying terrestrial and semi-aquatic mammals. By providing a comprehensive overview of t...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
May 5, 2025 at 9:36 AM
A very up-to-date review led by the brilliant @hollybroadhurst.bsky.social on the applications of #eDNA and iDNA for monitoring terrestrial and semi-aquatic mammals! The beginnings, the milestones, where we're heading. Water, soil, air, the inverts, all here! onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1...
Reposted by Amrita Srivathsan
Sill need to digest this new meta-review on insect decline.
Taxonomic bias: lots of research on bee/ant/wasp decline (mainly on a limited range of pollinator taxa). A fair amount on beetles and butterflies/moths. Virtually none on other groups of insects.
🧪 🌎 🪲🪳
academic.oup.com/bioscience/a...
Taxonomic bias: lots of research on bee/ant/wasp decline (mainly on a limited range of pollinator taxa). A fair amount on beetles and butterflies/moths. Virtually none on other groups of insects.
🧪 🌎 🪲🪳
academic.oup.com/bioscience/a...
April 28, 2025 at 4:30 PM
Sill need to digest this new meta-review on insect decline.
Taxonomic bias: lots of research on bee/ant/wasp decline (mainly on a limited range of pollinator taxa). A fair amount on beetles and butterflies/moths. Virtually none on other groups of insects.
🧪 🌎 🪲🪳
academic.oup.com/bioscience/a...
Taxonomic bias: lots of research on bee/ant/wasp decline (mainly on a limited range of pollinator taxa). A fair amount on beetles and butterflies/moths. Virtually none on other groups of insects.
🧪 🌎 🪲🪳
academic.oup.com/bioscience/a...
Reposted by Amrita Srivathsan
I've started exploring how @boldsystems.bsky.social BINs change over time. How stable are identifications of specimens based on DNA barcoding? The record so far is 10 changes between 2016 and 2024(!) There seems to be quite a bit of "BIN bouncing" where barcodes hop back and forth between BINs.
April 25, 2025 at 8:18 AM
I've started exploring how @boldsystems.bsky.social BINs change over time. How stable are identifications of specimens based on DNA barcoding? The record so far is 10 changes between 2016 and 2024(!) There seems to be quite a bit of "BIN bouncing" where barcodes hop back and forth between BINs.
Reposted by Amrita Srivathsan
Thrilled to share our globally pioneering research on DNA metabarcoding of spider egg sacs! A proud moment for Indian science - revealing novel host-parasitoid complexes and trophic networks. #DNAmetabarcoding #IndianScience #Biodiversity #Hymenoptera #Spider
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
April 19, 2025 at 7:37 PM
Thrilled to share our globally pioneering research on DNA metabarcoding of spider egg sacs! A proud moment for Indian science - revealing novel host-parasitoid complexes and trophic networks. #DNAmetabarcoding #IndianScience #Biodiversity #Hymenoptera #Spider
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Amrita Srivathsan
This new Hifiasm --ont option is amazing. It worked like a charm for us in the nanopore adaptive sampling based assembly paradigm we introduced in a preprint recently.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
April 19, 2025 at 2:31 AM
This new Hifiasm --ont option is amazing. It worked like a charm for us in the nanopore adaptive sampling based assembly paradigm we introduced in a preprint recently.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Amrita Srivathsan
We just succeeded in formally linking a specific rodent species - the otherwise charming fire-footed rope squirrel - to the onset of a mpox outbreak in a primate species - sooty mangabeys. Here Kai’s report on the preprint we released yesterday 1/2
Researchers have been trying for a long time to nail down where in nature mpox lurks.
Now they appear to have caught the virus that causes mpox in the act of spilling over from squirrels to monkeys.
“It is the best clue so far for what the reservoir might be”, says @kgandersen.bsky.social
#IDsky 🧪
Now they appear to have caught the virus that causes mpox in the act of spilling over from squirrels to monkeys.
“It is the best clue so far for what the reservoir might be”, says @kgandersen.bsky.social
#IDsky 🧪
How do mpox outbreaks start? Dead baby monkey provides important clue
“Landmark” study fingers fire-footed rope squirrel as a reservoir of fatal disease
www.science.org
April 9, 2025 at 6:24 AM
We just succeeded in formally linking a specific rodent species - the otherwise charming fire-footed rope squirrel - to the onset of a mpox outbreak in a primate species - sooty mangabeys. Here Kai’s report on the preprint we released yesterday 1/2
Reposted by Amrita Srivathsan
Happy to share this video about UITOTO, our user-friendly software designed to infer, test, and visualize reliable Diagnostic Molecular Combinations (DMCs)—essential for species descriptions in integrative taxonomy.
🔬 Preprint available at:
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
bsky.app/profile/rudo...
🔬 Preprint available at:
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
bsky.app/profile/rudo...
April 4, 2025 at 5:59 PM
Happy to share this video about UITOTO, our user-friendly software designed to infer, test, and visualize reliable Diagnostic Molecular Combinations (DMCs)—essential for species descriptions in integrative taxonomy.
🔬 Preprint available at:
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
bsky.app/profile/rudo...
🔬 Preprint available at:
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
bsky.app/profile/rudo...
Reposted by Amrita Srivathsan
UITOTO for taxonomy. Get your molecular diagnoses right without coding or breaking a sweat! Use state-specific, contrastive DMCs instead of fuzzy consensus barcodes!
🪰🦋🪱🦎🦀🐌🦉
doi.org/10.1101/2025...
🪰🦋🪱🦎🦀🐌🦉
doi.org/10.1101/2025...
April 4, 2025 at 4:23 PM
UITOTO for taxonomy. Get your molecular diagnoses right without coding or breaking a sweat! Use state-specific, contrastive DMCs instead of fuzzy consensus barcodes!
🪰🦋🪱🦎🦀🐌🦉
doi.org/10.1101/2025...
🪰🦋🪱🦎🦀🐌🦉
doi.org/10.1101/2025...
Reposted by Amrita Srivathsan
A new #RESEcolEnt paper investigates the influence of host species & seasonal interactions on bacterial community structure in fungus-growing #termites🍄
Read the article🔽
doi.org/10.1111/een.13424
@sheborg.bsky.social @robwilsonmncn.bsky.social @callomac.bsky.social
Read the article🔽
doi.org/10.1111/een.13424
@sheborg.bsky.social @robwilsonmncn.bsky.social @callomac.bsky.social
March 26, 2025 at 9:31 AM
A new #RESEcolEnt paper investigates the influence of host species & seasonal interactions on bacterial community structure in fungus-growing #termites🍄
Read the article🔽
doi.org/10.1111/een.13424
@sheborg.bsky.social @robwilsonmncn.bsky.social @callomac.bsky.social
Read the article🔽
doi.org/10.1111/een.13424
@sheborg.bsky.social @robwilsonmncn.bsky.social @callomac.bsky.social
Reposted by Amrita Srivathsan
🚨 EntoSieve is now published in Molecular Ecology Resources: Fast and accurate size-sorting of bulk insect samples! Perfect for boosting DNA megabarcoding & metabarcoding projects. 🧬🔬 DIY low-cost device, gentle on specimens and yet efficient 🦋🐞 here: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
March 14, 2025 at 3:03 PM
🚨 EntoSieve is now published in Molecular Ecology Resources: Fast and accurate size-sorting of bulk insect samples! Perfect for boosting DNA megabarcoding & metabarcoding projects. 🧬🔬 DIY low-cost device, gentle on specimens and yet efficient 🦋🐞 here: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
Reposted by Amrita Srivathsan
Botanical parasitism of an insect by a parasitic plant: Current Biology www.cell.com/current-biol...
Botanical parasitism of an insect by a parasitic plant
Egan et al. report the discovery of a new trophic interaction in nature whereby a
parasitic plant attacks multiple species of insects that manipulate plant tissue when
the two co-occur on a shared pri...
www.cell.com
March 9, 2025 at 4:39 PM
Botanical parasitism of an insect by a parasitic plant: Current Biology www.cell.com/current-biol...
Reposted by Amrita Srivathsan
Can #eDNA recover biotic interactions? Our new study says Yes sometimes! Co-occurrence network analyses with data for the Moray Firth marine ecosystem recovered subsets of known food web trophic links but methodological issues are still a challenge ⤵️ 🧪🧬🌍🐳🦭🐟
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
March 4, 2025 at 3:58 PM
Can #eDNA recover biotic interactions? Our new study says Yes sometimes! Co-occurrence network analyses with data for the Moray Firth marine ecosystem recovered subsets of known food web trophic links but methodological issues are still a challenge ⤵️ 🧪🧬🌍🐳🦭🐟
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Reposted by Amrita Srivathsan
Species- versus specimen-level congruence between DNA barcodes and morphology. Species-level dominates papers but specimen-level matters more for sample evaluation. Read more in "Illuminating Entomological Dark Matter with DNA Barcodes..." in Ann Rev Ent: www.annualreviews.org/content/jour...
March 7, 2025 at 4:14 PM
Species- versus specimen-level congruence between DNA barcodes and morphology. Species-level dominates papers but specimen-level matters more for sample evaluation. Read more in "Illuminating Entomological Dark Matter with DNA Barcodes..." in Ann Rev Ent: www.annualreviews.org/content/jour...
Reposted by Amrita Srivathsan
Dark Taxonomy: From unknown to ready for biomonitoring in 5 steps. By describing 120 species, most species of fungus gnats routinely caught in Malaise traps in Singapore now have names. Bees, butterflies and birds, make room for your new friends. Read here: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
February 21, 2025 at 4:24 PM
Dark Taxonomy: From unknown to ready for biomonitoring in 5 steps. By describing 120 species, most species of fungus gnats routinely caught in Malaise traps in Singapore now have names. Bees, butterflies and birds, make room for your new friends. Read here: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Reposted by Amrita Srivathsan
Malaise Trap Polka Dots vs. Biodiversity Smudge: Similar latitudinal data deficiency gradients for DNA barcodes and all data. Read more in "Illuminating Entomological Dark Matter with DNA Barcodes in an Era of Insect Decline, Deep Learning, and Genomics" Ann. Rev. Entomol.: doi.org/10.1146/annu...
February 8, 2025 at 2:27 PM
Malaise Trap Polka Dots vs. Biodiversity Smudge: Similar latitudinal data deficiency gradients for DNA barcodes and all data. Read more in "Illuminating Entomological Dark Matter with DNA Barcodes in an Era of Insect Decline, Deep Learning, and Genomics" Ann. Rev. Entomol.: doi.org/10.1146/annu...
Reposted by Amrita Srivathsan
"Illuminating Entomological Dark Matter with DNA Barcodes in an Era of Insect Decline, Deep Learning, and Genomics" Who uses insect DNA barcodes for which taxa? The usual suspects dominate... Now in Annual Review of Entomology: doi.org/10.1146/annu...
February 7, 2025 at 1:45 PM
"Illuminating Entomological Dark Matter with DNA Barcodes in an Era of Insect Decline, Deep Learning, and Genomics" Who uses insect DNA barcodes for which taxa? The usual suspects dominate... Now in Annual Review of Entomology: doi.org/10.1146/annu...
Reposted by Amrita Srivathsan
Reposted by Amrita Srivathsan
144,000 biological interactions extracted from 84,000 publications—in just a few hours using GPT4o. 🚀 The potential applications seem endless.
Check out our preprint: doi.org/10.1101/2025...
With @florianaltermatt.bsky.social
Check out our preprint: doi.org/10.1101/2025...
With @florianaltermatt.bsky.social
January 28, 2025 at 2:32 PM
144,000 biological interactions extracted from 84,000 publications—in just a few hours using GPT4o. 🚀 The potential applications seem endless.
Check out our preprint: doi.org/10.1101/2025...
With @florianaltermatt.bsky.social
Check out our preprint: doi.org/10.1101/2025...
With @florianaltermatt.bsky.social
Reposted by Amrita Srivathsan
Episode 3 (imaging): Don't just sort. Also image! No money for a robot? Try the Entomoscope! 🦟🔬 DIY microscope for imaging tiny insects in ethanol: 3D-print case, order parts, assemble, image! 📸Perfect for entomologists www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEoZ... ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/104...
DIY Photomicroscope
YouTube video by Integrative Biodiversity Discovery
www.youtube.com
January 21, 2025 at 5:01 PM
Episode 3 (imaging): Don't just sort. Also image! No money for a robot? Try the Entomoscope! 🦟🔬 DIY microscope for imaging tiny insects in ethanol: 3D-print case, order parts, assemble, image! 📸Perfect for entomologists www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEoZ... ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/104...
Reposted by Amrita Srivathsan
A nifty little summary of our #roadecology evdience synthesis: how well do wildlife crossing structures help animals across roads? 🚗🐨🦡🦌 transportecology.info/research/eff...
How well do wildlife crossing structures help animals across roads? — Transport Ecology
Wildlife crossing structures seem like a simple and attractive solution to help animals across roads. But how well do they actually work? This latest global research summary tried to find out.
transportecology.info
January 27, 2025 at 10:29 PM
A nifty little summary of our #roadecology evdience synthesis: how well do wildlife crossing structures help animals across roads? 🚗🐨🦡🦌 transportecology.info/research/eff...