Irena Simova
@isimova.bsky.social
Macroecology | Vegetation ecology | Biodiversity | Ecosystem functioning | Anthropocene | Paleoecology
Assistant prof. @cts.cuni.cz and @sciencecharles.bsky.social Prague 🇨🇿
Assistant prof. @cts.cuni.cz and @sciencecharles.bsky.social Prague 🇨🇿
Pinned
Irena Simova
@isimova.bsky.social
· Nov 18
Curious about the forces shaping #biodiversity and its equilibrium states? 🌍 Check out Equilibrium Theory of Biodiversity Dynamics (ETBD), developed by our team led by David Storch, offering a unifying framework to understand diversity dynamics, equilibria, and global patterns.
🧵👇 #Macroecology
🧵👇 #Macroecology
Reposted by Irena Simova
The newest episode of #InsideBiodiversity is out now!
Guest Helmut Hillebrand talks about tipping points and planetary boundaries.
💬 “If you only retrospectively can say, ‘Oh, now we have crossed it,’ then of course it’s rather useless.”
Listen and subscribe now: insidebiodiversity.podigee.io
Guest Helmut Hillebrand talks about tipping points and planetary boundaries.
💬 “If you only retrospectively can say, ‘Oh, now we have crossed it,’ then of course it’s rather useless.”
Listen and subscribe now: insidebiodiversity.podigee.io
November 6, 2025 at 10:11 AM
The newest episode of #InsideBiodiversity is out now!
Guest Helmut Hillebrand talks about tipping points and planetary boundaries.
💬 “If you only retrospectively can say, ‘Oh, now we have crossed it,’ then of course it’s rather useless.”
Listen and subscribe now: insidebiodiversity.podigee.io
Guest Helmut Hillebrand talks about tipping points and planetary boundaries.
💬 “If you only retrospectively can say, ‘Oh, now we have crossed it,’ then of course it’s rather useless.”
Listen and subscribe now: insidebiodiversity.podigee.io
Reposted by Irena Simova
In our new article led by Gabriele Midolo, published in Ecology Letters, we show that plant species richness in European plant communities generally decreased between the 1960s and 1980s. However, since the 1990s, this trend seems to have stopped or even reversed.
dx.doi.org/10.1111/ele....
dx.doi.org/10.1111/ele....
November 2, 2025 at 7:18 PM
In our new article led by Gabriele Midolo, published in Ecology Letters, we show that plant species richness in European plant communities generally decreased between the 1960s and 1980s. However, since the 1990s, this trend seems to have stopped or even reversed.
dx.doi.org/10.1111/ele....
dx.doi.org/10.1111/ele....
Reposted by Irena Simova
On a busy day I had a TED talk published. This talk is about the energy flows of the living world, and how we need to centre this vibrancy as a core value when thinking about working with nature for climate change and other challenges
www.ted.com/talks/yadvin...
www.ted.com/talks/yadvin...
How to measure the planet’s heartbeat
Ecosystem scientist Yadvinder Malhi takes us on a jaw-dropping journey through the hidden flows of energy that make life on Earth tick. From sun-soaked forests to tropical islands, he shows how his te...
www.ted.com
October 29, 2025 at 5:21 PM
On a busy day I had a TED talk published. This talk is about the energy flows of the living world, and how we need to centre this vibrancy as a core value when thinking about working with nature for climate change and other challenges
www.ted.com/talks/yadvin...
www.ted.com/talks/yadvin...
Reposted by Irena Simova
🎧 David Storch z @cts.cuni.cz v podcastu Pavla Mirovského
O změnách přírody kolem nás, návratu velkých zvířat, problémech ochrany přírody, evoluci i antropocénu.
🔗 www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2T_...
O změnách přírody kolem nás, návratu velkých zvířat, problémech ochrany přírody, evoluci i antropocénu.
🔗 www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2T_...
David Storch: Green Deal, Evoluce, Darwin, Člověk, Zvíře #84
YouTube video by Pavel Mirovský
www.youtube.com
October 30, 2025 at 11:13 AM
🎧 David Storch z @cts.cuni.cz v podcastu Pavla Mirovského
O změnách přírody kolem nás, návratu velkých zvířat, problémech ochrany přírody, evoluci i antropocénu.
🔗 www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2T_...
O změnách přírody kolem nás, návratu velkých zvířat, problémech ochrany přírody, evoluci i antropocénu.
🔗 www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2T_...
Reposted by Irena Simova
Postdoc Opportunity - Interested in plant scaling, quantitative botany, or theoretical plant biology? join our group to explore how plant form, function & scaling principles connect across levels of organization
www.simonsfoundation.org/grant/simons-postdoctoral-fellowships-in-plant-biology🧪🌾🌐
www.simonsfoundation.org/grant/simons-postdoctoral-fellowships-in-plant-biology🧪🌾🌐
Simons Postdoctoral Fellowships in Plant Biology
Simons Postdoctoral Fellowships in Plant Biology on Simons Foundation
www.simonsfoundation.org
October 14, 2025 at 12:27 PM
Postdoc Opportunity - Interested in plant scaling, quantitative botany, or theoretical plant biology? join our group to explore how plant form, function & scaling principles connect across levels of organization
www.simonsfoundation.org/grant/simons-postdoctoral-fellowships-in-plant-biology🧪🌾🌐
www.simonsfoundation.org/grant/simons-postdoctoral-fellowships-in-plant-biology🧪🌾🌐
Reposted by Irena Simova
🌐 Global Ecology feed Digest #35 Oct 06-13, 32 posts!
✨For the lazy (yes we are!) & friends who don't like social media but might benefit from this feed, here’s a DIGEST crafted with 💚 for you to share
👉 globalecologybs.github.io/feeddigest.g...
DM if you want to receive the link weekly
🌍🦤🦑🪴🍁🧪
✨For the lazy (yes we are!) & friends who don't like social media but might benefit from this feed, here’s a DIGEST crafted with 💚 for you to share
👉 globalecologybs.github.io/feeddigest.g...
DM if you want to receive the link weekly
🌍🦤🦑🪴🍁🧪
bluesky Global Ecology Feed Digest #35
Curated digest of the bluesky Global Ecology feed on biodiversity, ecosystems & conservation at large scales. Terrestrial, freswater & marine realms.
globalecologybs.github.io
October 13, 2025 at 12:09 PM
🌐 Global Ecology feed Digest #35 Oct 06-13, 32 posts!
✨For the lazy (yes we are!) & friends who don't like social media but might benefit from this feed, here’s a DIGEST crafted with 💚 for you to share
👉 globalecologybs.github.io/feeddigest.g...
DM if you want to receive the link weekly
🌍🦤🦑🪴🍁🧪
✨For the lazy (yes we are!) & friends who don't like social media but might benefit from this feed, here’s a DIGEST crafted with 💚 for you to share
👉 globalecologybs.github.io/feeddigest.g...
DM if you want to receive the link weekly
🌍🦤🦑🪴🍁🧪
Reposted by Irena Simova
New preprint!
“Climate-driven specialisation in plant–pollinator networks peaks outside the tropics”
Testing the long-debated latitudinal specialisation gradient using >3,400 quantitative networks (>110,000 interactions). Led by @saileesakhalkar.bsky.social and myself ☺️
doi.org/10.1101/2025...
“Climate-driven specialisation in plant–pollinator networks peaks outside the tropics”
Testing the long-debated latitudinal specialisation gradient using >3,400 quantitative networks (>110,000 interactions). Led by @saileesakhalkar.bsky.social and myself ☺️
doi.org/10.1101/2025...
October 10, 2025 at 8:32 AM
New preprint!
“Climate-driven specialisation in plant–pollinator networks peaks outside the tropics”
Testing the long-debated latitudinal specialisation gradient using >3,400 quantitative networks (>110,000 interactions). Led by @saileesakhalkar.bsky.social and myself ☺️
doi.org/10.1101/2025...
“Climate-driven specialisation in plant–pollinator networks peaks outside the tropics”
Testing the long-debated latitudinal specialisation gradient using >3,400 quantitative networks (>110,000 interactions). Led by @saileesakhalkar.bsky.social and myself ☺️
doi.org/10.1101/2025...
Reposted by Irena Simova
📖 Book release! Hinterland. Archeologie severočeských pískovcových krajin. Co-edited by Petr Pokorný, contributions from Jindra Prach and Jan Hošek (CTS).
An illustrated journey (100+ images) through 20,000 years of sandstone landscapes, from the Ice Age to today.
🔗 www.kosmas.cz/knihy/559021...
An illustrated journey (100+ images) through 20,000 years of sandstone landscapes, from the Ice Age to today.
🔗 www.kosmas.cz/knihy/559021...
September 25, 2025 at 11:20 AM
📖 Book release! Hinterland. Archeologie severočeských pískovcových krajin. Co-edited by Petr Pokorný, contributions from Jindra Prach and Jan Hošek (CTS).
An illustrated journey (100+ images) through 20,000 years of sandstone landscapes, from the Ice Age to today.
🔗 www.kosmas.cz/knihy/559021...
An illustrated journey (100+ images) through 20,000 years of sandstone landscapes, from the Ice Age to today.
🔗 www.kosmas.cz/knihy/559021...
Reposted by Irena Simova
New review out: how humans have shaped ecosystems for millenia. Greatful to all co-authors!! ⭐️⭐️ rdcu.be/eG8Ai
September 19, 2025 at 6:26 PM
New review out: how humans have shaped ecosystems for millenia. Greatful to all co-authors!! ⭐️⭐️ rdcu.be/eG8Ai
Reposted by Irena Simova
We’ve wrapped up our on-site week in Prague and now move into the final online phase of the micro-credential “Anthropocene: The Contemporary World in Transdisciplinary Perspective.” Closing block = 3 sessions + mentor-led groups leading to final projects. 🚀
🔗 www.anthropocene.cz/en/
🔗 www.anthropocene.cz/en/
September 22, 2025 at 8:30 AM
We’ve wrapped up our on-site week in Prague and now move into the final online phase of the micro-credential “Anthropocene: The Contemporary World in Transdisciplinary Perspective.” Closing block = 3 sessions + mentor-led groups leading to final projects. 🚀
🔗 www.anthropocene.cz/en/
🔗 www.anthropocene.cz/en/
Reposted by Irena Simova
Women, non-native English speakers & those form low-income countries are disadvantaged in science but by how much? We found that women with non-English first languages from low-income countries publish up to 70% fewer in English than their counterparts. 1/5
doi.org/10.1371/jour...
#languagebarriers
doi.org/10.1371/jour...
#languagebarriers
September 19, 2025 at 2:46 AM
Women, non-native English speakers & those form low-income countries are disadvantaged in science but by how much? We found that women with non-English first languages from low-income countries publish up to 70% fewer in English than their counterparts. 1/5
doi.org/10.1371/jour...
#languagebarriers
doi.org/10.1371/jour...
#languagebarriers
Reposted by Irena Simova
Our recent paper in Nature Reviews Biodiversity
doi.org/10.1038/s443...
resulted from a wonderful workhop in Sevilla in 2023. You can now watch all the presentations from this workshop here:
www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...
#envhist #histecol
doi.org/10.1038/s443...
resulted from a wonderful workhop in Sevilla in 2023. You can now watch all the presentations from this workshop here:
www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...
#envhist #histecol
SOURCES 2023 - YouTube
www.youtube.com
September 19, 2025 at 3:10 PM
Our recent paper in Nature Reviews Biodiversity
doi.org/10.1038/s443...
resulted from a wonderful workhop in Sevilla in 2023. You can now watch all the presentations from this workshop here:
www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...
#envhist #histecol
doi.org/10.1038/s443...
resulted from a wonderful workhop in Sevilla in 2023. You can now watch all the presentations from this workshop here:
www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...
#envhist #histecol
Reposted by Irena Simova
📢 Horizons: Conference in Honour of Petr Vopěnka
🗓️ Oct 24–25, 2025 | Prague, Czech Rep.
On the 10th anniversary of his passing, leading scholars will discuss Vopěnka’s legacy. The event also celebrates the 35th anniversary of @cts.cuni.cz
🔗 Program & registration: www.cts.cuni.cz/index.php?m=...
🗓️ Oct 24–25, 2025 | Prague, Czech Rep.
On the 10th anniversary of his passing, leading scholars will discuss Vopěnka’s legacy. The event also celebrates the 35th anniversary of @cts.cuni.cz
🔗 Program & registration: www.cts.cuni.cz/index.php?m=...
Centrum pro teoretická studia
www.cts.cuni.cz
September 18, 2025 at 1:47 PM
📢 Horizons: Conference in Honour of Petr Vopěnka
🗓️ Oct 24–25, 2025 | Prague, Czech Rep.
On the 10th anniversary of his passing, leading scholars will discuss Vopěnka’s legacy. The event also celebrates the 35th anniversary of @cts.cuni.cz
🔗 Program & registration: www.cts.cuni.cz/index.php?m=...
🗓️ Oct 24–25, 2025 | Prague, Czech Rep.
On the 10th anniversary of his passing, leading scholars will discuss Vopěnka’s legacy. The event also celebrates the 35th anniversary of @cts.cuni.cz
🔗 Program & registration: www.cts.cuni.cz/index.php?m=...
Reposted by Irena Simova
📢 Postdoc opening at the @cts.cuni.cz
Open to researchers interested in any field developed at CTS, with a strong interest in transdisciplinary dialogue between the natural sciences, social sciences, and the humanities
📄 Details: cuni.cz/UKEN-1304-ve...
🗓️ Start: Jan 2026| Apply by: Sept 30, 2025
Open to researchers interested in any field developed at CTS, with a strong interest in transdisciplinary dialogue between the natural sciences, social sciences, and the humanities
📄 Details: cuni.cz/UKEN-1304-ve...
🗓️ Start: Jan 2026| Apply by: Sept 30, 2025
cuni.cz
July 25, 2025 at 11:10 AM
📢 Postdoc opening at the @cts.cuni.cz
Open to researchers interested in any field developed at CTS, with a strong interest in transdisciplinary dialogue between the natural sciences, social sciences, and the humanities
📄 Details: cuni.cz/UKEN-1304-ve...
🗓️ Start: Jan 2026| Apply by: Sept 30, 2025
Open to researchers interested in any field developed at CTS, with a strong interest in transdisciplinary dialogue between the natural sciences, social sciences, and the humanities
📄 Details: cuni.cz/UKEN-1304-ve...
🗓️ Start: Jan 2026| Apply by: Sept 30, 2025
Reposted by Irena Simova
Today marks the start of the main (in-person) part of our summer school on the topic of the Anthropocene: The Contemporary World from a Transdisciplinary Perspective. This time, it will be held entirely in English. #ctssummerschool
September 8, 2025 at 9:17 AM
Today marks the start of the main (in-person) part of our summer school on the topic of the Anthropocene: The Contemporary World from a Transdisciplinary Perspective. This time, it will be held entirely in English. #ctssummerschool
Reposted by Irena Simova
🌍 The International Biogeography Society’s 12th Biennial Conference — TIBS Aarhus 2026 — will take place Jan 6–10 in Aarhus, Denmark: conferences.au.dk/tibs-aarhus-... 🐘🍃🌴We're looking forward to hosting it!
#Biogeography is central to understanding the #biosphere & is more important than ever!♨️
#Biogeography is central to understanding the #biosphere & is more important than ever!♨️
September 4, 2025 at 7:49 PM
🌍 The International Biogeography Society’s 12th Biennial Conference — TIBS Aarhus 2026 — will take place Jan 6–10 in Aarhus, Denmark: conferences.au.dk/tibs-aarhus-... 🐘🍃🌴We're looking forward to hosting it!
#Biogeography is central to understanding the #biosphere & is more important than ever!♨️
#Biogeography is central to understanding the #biosphere & is more important than ever!♨️
Reposted by Irena Simova
We can't wait to hear Dr.Brian McGill's talk for this month's Funk lecture! Learn more and register here: www.biogeography.org/news/news/se...
September 4, 2025 at 6:07 PM
We can't wait to hear Dr.Brian McGill's talk for this month's Funk lecture! Learn more and register here: www.biogeography.org/news/news/se...
Warm congratulations @elbohdalkova.bsky.social on her well-deserved PhD achievement!
🎉Congratulations to @elbohdalkova.bsky.social from @cts.cuni.cz on the successful defense of her PhD thesis yesterday:
“Equilibrium Theory of Biodiversity Dynamics: Components and Consequences”
“Equilibrium Theory of Biodiversity Dynamics: Components and Consequences”
September 4, 2025 at 1:53 PM
Warm congratulations @elbohdalkova.bsky.social on her well-deserved PhD achievement!
AI reviewers prefer AI-written papers
Being human in an economy populated by AI agents would suck. Our new study in @pnas.org finds that AI assistants—used for everything from shopping to reviewing academic papers—show a consistent, implicit bias for other AIs: "AI-AI bias". You may be affected
August 12, 2025 at 1:02 PM
AI reviewers prefer AI-written papers
Reposted by Irena Simova
New paper out on the dangers of using patterns across spatial climate gradients to predict what will happen with changing climate. That includes species distribution modeling. Space-for-time substitution can be misleading in sign, not just the magnitude of effects.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reconsidering space-for-time substitution in climate change ecology - Nature Climate Change
Ecologists often leverage patterns observed across spatial climate gradients to predict the impacts of climate change (space-for-time substitution). We highlight evidence that this can be misleading n...
www.nature.com
July 31, 2025 at 4:04 AM
New paper out on the dangers of using patterns across spatial climate gradients to predict what will happen with changing climate. That includes species distribution modeling. Space-for-time substitution can be misleading in sign, not just the magnitude of effects.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Irena Simova
Just excavating Late Neolithic or Late Bronze Age barrow with a ring ditch in Račiněves, nést The mythical Mount Říp. To be continued…🤎
July 28, 2025 at 2:04 PM
Just excavating Late Neolithic or Late Bronze Age barrow with a ring ditch in Račiněves, nést The mythical Mount Říp. To be continued…🤎
Join us at @cts.cuni.cz if you have a recent PhD or expect to finish by the end of the year.
Two years of academic freedom in highly inspiring environment!
Two years of academic freedom in highly inspiring environment!
📢 Postdoc opening at the @cts.cuni.cz
Open to researchers interested in any field developed at CTS, with a strong interest in transdisciplinary dialogue between the natural sciences, social sciences, and the humanities
📄 Details: cuni.cz/UKEN-1304-ve...
🗓️ Start: Jan 2026| Apply by: Sept 30, 2025
Open to researchers interested in any field developed at CTS, with a strong interest in transdisciplinary dialogue between the natural sciences, social sciences, and the humanities
📄 Details: cuni.cz/UKEN-1304-ve...
🗓️ Start: Jan 2026| Apply by: Sept 30, 2025
cuni.cz
July 25, 2025 at 11:13 AM
Join us at @cts.cuni.cz if you have a recent PhD or expect to finish by the end of the year.
Two years of academic freedom in highly inspiring environment!
Two years of academic freedom in highly inspiring environment!
Reposted by Irena Simova
Want to do vegetation ecology in Taiwan? I am still searching for postdocs, so if interested, check the ad below and apply!
We focus on ecological drivers of cloud & monsoon forests in mountains and how to explain them using plant functional traits.
davidzeleny.net/veglab/
We focus on ecological drivers of cloud & monsoon forests in mountains and how to explain them using plant functional traits.
davidzeleny.net/veglab/
I am searching for 1-2 postdocs to join our research team at the Vegetation Ecology Lab, IEEB, National Taiwan University, from August 2025 for one to three years.
Details: davidzeleny.net/veglab/lib/e...
davidzeleny.net/veglab
#postdocjobs #vegetation #TaiwanIsaCountry
Details: davidzeleny.net/veglab/lib/e...
davidzeleny.net/veglab
#postdocjobs #vegetation #TaiwanIsaCountry
July 21, 2025 at 11:43 PM
Want to do vegetation ecology in Taiwan? I am still searching for postdocs, so if interested, check the ad below and apply!
We focus on ecological drivers of cloud & monsoon forests in mountains and how to explain them using plant functional traits.
davidzeleny.net/veglab/
We focus on ecological drivers of cloud & monsoon forests in mountains and how to explain them using plant functional traits.
davidzeleny.net/veglab/
Reposted by Irena Simova
Explore how PCI is spotlighted in this Le Monde piece, which outlines the challenges in academic publishing and discusses alternative paths. The full article (for subscribers): buff.ly/sGnBWp8. #ScholarlyPublishing #LeMonde
Le monde des revues scientifiques au bord de l’asphyxie
Plus de trois millions d’articles sont publiés chaque année dans les revues scientifiques, les chercheurs étant incités à les multiplier pour se distinguer. Une logique économique perverse s’est…
www.lemonde.fr
July 9, 2025 at 2:59 PM
Explore how PCI is spotlighted in this Le Monde piece, which outlines the challenges in academic publishing and discusses alternative paths. The full article (for subscribers): buff.ly/sGnBWp8. #ScholarlyPublishing #LeMonde
🌍 New in Science: Consistent energy–diversity relationships in terrestrial vertebrates
Co-authored by @elbohdalkova.bsky.social & David Storch from @cts.cuni.cz
📌 Temperature drives richness in ectotherms (metabolic theory) and has indirect effects in endotherms
🔗 www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Co-authored by @elbohdalkova.bsky.social & David Storch from @cts.cuni.cz
📌 Temperature drives richness in ectotherms (metabolic theory) and has indirect effects in endotherms
🔗 www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Consistent energy-diversity relationships in terrestrial vertebrates
Ecologists have long proposed that environments providing more energy can support more species, yet empirical evidence frequently contradicts this expectation. We argue that such inconsistencies resul...
www.science.org
July 7, 2025 at 11:00 AM