UBCBiodiversity
@ubcbiodiversity.bsky.social
Highlights from the Biodiversity Research Centre at The University of British Columbia. biodiversity.ubc.ca
Does branch excision bias our #photosynthesis data? New paper led by #MarcellaCross shows excision increases water potential but reduces photosynthesis in most species, with trait-dependent effects, so excised branches underestimate intact rates. www.researchgate.net/publication/... #MichaletzLab
New research "underscores the unfortunate truth that even the red- and blue-listed species in B.C. are not afforded effective legal protections by the province,” said UBC's Dr. Sarah Otto. @zoology.ubc.ca @ubcbiodiversity.bsky.social thetyee.ca/News/2026/03...
Just 14 Species Have ‘Genuinely’ Improved on BC’s At-Risk Lists | The Tyee
That’s out of 2,642 struggling species tracked in a new wildlife study.
thetyee.ca
For the first time in the wild, researchers have shown plant populations can evolve quickly enough to rebound from extreme drought. The study is a rare ray of hope in an often gloomy climate landscape. @zoology.ubc.ca @ubcbotany.bsky.social www.cbc.ca/player/play/...
Wild plants able to rapidly evolve to survive climate change, study reveals
For the first time in the wild, researchers have shown plant populations can evolve quickly enough to rebound from extreme drought. The study, out of UBC and Cornell University, is a rare ray of hope ...
cbc.ca
“The heatwave had widespread ecological effects, including an almost 400% increase in wildfire activity & negatively affecting more than three-quarters of the species studied,” said UBC zoologist Dr. Diane Srivastava. @zoology.ubc.ca @srivastavalab.bsky.social www.ctvnews.ca/climate-and-...
North America’s 2021 ‘heat dome’ has caused catastropic ecological damage: study
Billions of mussels scorched and baby birds dropping from sweltering nests: North America’s 2021 heatwave caused a cascade of ecological damage, some of it catastrophic, some unexpected, a new study s...
ctvnews.ca
A sweeping new study of the 2021 heat wave reveals major ecological losses—but also surprising species that thrived, offering crucial insight into how climate extremes reshape ecosystems. @zoology.ubc.ca @ubcbiodiversity.bsky.social science.ubc.ca/news/2026-03...
Extreme heat has extreme effects–but some like it hot
A sweeping new study of the 2021 heat wave reveals offers crucial insight into how climate extremes reshape ecosystems.
science.ubc.ca
New paper alert! The 2021 western North American #heatwave had widespread but variable impacts across species & ecosystems, with cascading effects on #productivity, #streamflow, & #wildfire. @baumlab.bsky.social @katiegwin.bsky.social @coleburton.bsky.social @srivastavalab.bsky.social bit.ly/3NnoEfA
Two of UBC’s premier research prizes were awarded to UBC Science faculty members today, with Dr. Curtis Suttle (@virosphere.bsky.social) receiving the Jacob Biely award, and Dr. Jess McIver earning UBC’s Charles A. McDowell award. @killamtrusts.bsky.social science.ubc.ca/news/2026-03...
Marine virologist, astrophysicist earn UBC’s top research prizes
UBC recognizes six Science faculty members for research excellence, with two of the university's top prizes awarded to Dr. Curtis Suttle and Dr. Jess McIver.
science.ubc.ca
Congratulations to Dr. Curtis Suttle, has been awarded the Jacob Biely Faculty Research Award. This award is regarded as UBC’s premier award for research across all disciplines. @ubcmicroimmuno.bsky.social @eoas.ubc.ca @ubcbotany.bsky.social oceans.ubc.ca/2026/03/10/d...
UBC
oceans.ubc.ca
Looking for a meaningful holiday gift that goes beyond the usual presents? A Beaty Biodiversity Museum membership is a thoughtful option for families and science enthusiasts of all ages. Click the link to know more: beatymuseum.ubc.ca/visit/member... #BCmuseums #SciComm #UBCscience #UBCcampus #UBC
Check out our #MichaletzLab presentations at #AGU2025 this week! @agu.org @agubiogeosciences.bsky.social @gec-agu.bsky.social @nicolebison.bsky.social @milossimovic.bsky.social
Recent study revealed plants are starting to lose more water under high temperatures. Known as "leaky plants," the abnormality is increasing because of #ClimateChange, potentially converting them from carbon sinks to carbon sources @seanmichaletz.bsky.social www.theweathernetwork.com/en/news/clim...
Why leaky plants are a troublesome climate issue for Earth - The Weather Network
A recent study revealed that plants are starting to lose more water under high temperatures. A phenomenon known as 'leaky plants' is increasing because of climate change, potentially converting them f...
theweathernetwork.com
As @seanmichaletz.bsky.social puts it, "plants are basically the foundation of the entire biosphere." Leaky plants are problematic for everything. “All of the other living organisms on Earth...that's the energy source for all of the other living organisms. Other organisms eat that biomass for food.”
“Things are getting worse faster than we anticipated. "It appears we’re already close to the edge of some tipping points and we just haven’t found them yet.” @ubcoceans.bsky.social Dr. Chris Harley commented on B.C. ocean acidification via @viawesome.bsky.social buff.ly/JXS7fRx
B.C.'s oceans are turning acidic faster than once thought, finds study
Coral records reveal B.C. ocean acidity amplified 50 per cent more than previously thought, threatening a $452-million shellfish fishery
biv.com
Excited to share our fresh-off-the-press Annual Review on the role of temperature in metabolic scaling! We review the state of the field on this topic and unpack confusion about the various ways the term "scaling" is used in metabolic theories. www.annualreviews.org/content/jour...
Scaling Temperature Effects on Metabolism from Individuals to Ecosystems
The effects of temperature on metabolic rates are a core component of ecological change, with surprisingly regular effects across diverse ecological systems. Metabolic scaling theories can provide qua...
annualreviews.org
#UBC Botany is hiring an Assistant Professor in Non-Seed Plant Diversity - come work with us in beautiful #Vancouver, BC! Please repost! academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/31140
University of British Columbia, Botany
Job #AJO31140, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR IN NON-SEED PLANT DIVERSITY (BRYOPHYTES, FERNS, LYCOPHYTES), Botany, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, CA
academicjobsonline.org
“Bioluminescence is light made by living things,” Dr. Chris Harley explains. “The sparkly glow we sometimes see in the #ocean is caused by tiny, single-celled creatures in the #plankton called Noctiluca, which means ‘night light.'” curiocity.com/bioluminesce... @zoology.ubc.ca
The ocean's 'sparkly glow': Here's where to witness bioluminescence in B.C.
Bioluminescence is a natural phenomenon producing a radiant blue glow in the ocean, & here are the best places to witness it in B.C.
curiocity.com
Two covers for papers published on the same day www.pnas.org/toc/pnas/122... & www.nature.com/natecolevol/.... Proud of the team, especially #MelaniePrentice & @kevinzhong2006.bsky.social with @ubcbiodiversity.bsky.social, @eoas.ubc.ca, @ubcoceans.bsky.social, @hakai.org and @science.ubc.ca
Table of Contents — August 19, 2025, 122 (33) | PNAS
View the Table of Contents for Volume 122, Issue 33
pnas.org
Like woodpeckers? Or population genomics? Or three-species hybridization? Or selective sweeps? Then this is for you! The typeset version of "Evidence for ancient selective sweeps followed by differentiation among three species of Sphyrapicus sapsuckers" is published today: doi.org/10.1093/jeb/...
Evidence for ancient selective sweeps followed by differentiation among three species of Sphyrapicus sapsuckers
Abstract. Genomic differentiation usually accompanies speciation, but that differentiation is often highly heterogeneous across the genome. Understanding w
doi.org
Darren Irwin (he / him)@darrenirwin.bsky.social · 12mo agoNow available online in Accepted Manuscript form: "Evidence for ancient selective sweeps followed by differentiation among three species of Sphyrapicus sapsuckers" In the Journal of Evolutionary Biology: doi.org/10.1093/jeb/... Congrats to lead author Libby Natola!
What drives photosynthesis temperature sensitivity? New #GCB paper from #MichaletzLab grad #JosefGaren uses #FAsTeR to show it's 1‑day weather, not traits, origin climate, or phylogeny! www.researchgate.net/publication/... @ubcbiodiversity.bsky.social @science.ubc.ca @globalchangebio.bsky.social
Many of us are using LLMs in coding and scientific writing. They are very helpful tools, but we need to be thoughtful as we integrate them into our work flows to preserve accountability, voice and trust. academic.oup.com/evlett/advan.... An editorial at @evolletters.bsky.social for discussion:
Editorial: Accountability, voice, and trust - responsible use of GenAI in scientific publishing
Over the last few years, the development and rapid advancement of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) and Large Language Models (LLMs) such as ChatG
academic.oup.com
Just in time for her #eseb2025 poster on Thursday, @squarehare.bsky.social 's paper on the Poecilia bifurca sex chromosomes was published today academic.oup.com/g3journal/ad...
academic.oup.com
Judith Mank@judithmank.bsky.social · 12mo agoLydia Fong’s poster is on Thursday, P03.077. Genome of the Amazon Guppy (Poecilia bifurca) reveals conservation of sex chromosomes and dosage compensation. The preprint for this is at www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... @squarehare.bsky.social #eseb2025 5/n
Now available online in Accepted Manuscript form: "Evidence for ancient selective sweeps followed by differentiation among three species of Sphyrapicus sapsuckers" In the Journal of Evolutionary Biology: doi.org/10.1093/jeb/... Congrats to lead author Libby Natola!
#UBC zoologist Dr. Judith Myers has spent five decades studying a native moth species and their boom-and-bust population cycles. She discusses her journey, findings from a recent study, and the caterpillars’ surprising resistance to climate change. science.ubc.ca/news/2025-08...
Why these hairy caterpillars swarm every decade – then vanish without a trace
Western tent caterpillars might not be on your mind every year, but during their peak outbreaks, they’re impossible to ignore—hairy larvae wriggling across roads and swarms of caterpillars climbing ho...
science.ubc.ca
Very proud of the work from lab members and collaborators that coincidentally came out today www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/... and www.nature.com/articles/s41.... A bacterial and viral pathogen associated with mass mortality in seastars and oysters. @kevinzhong2006.bsky.social @rhizalyssa.bsky.social
Evolutionarily divergent nidovirus with an exceptionally large genome identified in Pacific oysters undergoing mass mortality | PNAS
Metatranscriptomic data from a mass-mortality event of adult Pacific Oysters, Crassostrea (Magallana) gigas, the most widely cultivated shellfish g...
pnas.org
Times Colonist@timescolonist.bsky.social · last yr.Celebrate #Biodiversity in style! Support the #UBC Biodiversity Research Centre with exclusive logo swag - where science meets style & conservation comes to life! Order t-shirts, mugs, & water bottles by 31 July! beatymuseum.ubc.ca/brc-merch @zoology.ubc.ca @science.ubc.ca @ubcbotany.bsky.social
🌼 Headed to #Botany2025? You'll definitely want to check out the brand-new Plant Science Bulletin before arriving! 🌼 It has a ton of conference info---along with some great articles & book reviews! Flipbook version: issuu.com/botanicalsoc... PDF version: botany.org/userdata/Iss... #plantscience
The first paper from my postdoc is finally out! In collaboration with @kaitlyngaynor.bsky.social and Amy Angert, we outline how behavioral plasticity influences animal species’ distributions and can improve our understanding of range shifts under climate change! www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Linking individual animal behavior to species range shifts under climate change
Climate change has led animal species to shift their ranges to greater elevations, latitudes, and depths, tracking their preferred abiotic niche. Howe…
sciencedirect.com
Marine ecologist Dr. Chris Harley supports shell re-introduction on BC's coast despite the risk of invasive species: "We could absolutely test whether my intuition on that is correct by ... swabbing things and sequencing.” @ubcoceans.bsky.social @zoology.ubc.ca www.timescolonist.com/islander/she...
Shell company: Victoria venture aims to harness the power of oyster shells
Their first product is a soil amendment made from the shells and coffee waste. But they say one critical way to recycle the shells is to return them to the ocean
timescolonist.com
