Jamie Thompson
@jamiet-42.bsky.social
FLS. Leverhulme Research Fellow at the University of Reading. Recipient of the Irene Manton Prize for best botany PhD 🌵. Studies plants mostly. Ex chef 🧑🍳
How did the pineapple family evolve into nearly 3,800 species in just ~20 million years? 🍍 I've written about our recent research for The Conversation, explaining how hummingbirds helped drive the explosive rise of bromeliads. Paper: doi.org/10.1093/botl... @botjlinnsoc.bsky.social
The Conversation UK@uk.theconversation.com · 4w agoHummingbirds are responsible for some of the fastest evolution in the plant kingdom.
New paper now out in the Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society @botjlinnsoc.bsky.social 🌼 Student-led, by Elizabeth Forward! Hummingbirds nearly double the diversification rate of bromeliads, the pineapple family @leverhulme.ac.uk @uor-research.bsky.social doi.org/10.1093/botl...
The origins and diversification of hummingbird pollination in Bromeliaceae
Abstract. Bromeliaceae are a model group for understanding explosive Neotropical diversification, combining remarkable ecological breadth and high species
doi.org
New paper in Nature Scientific Data! 🌵 We introduce CactEcoDB, an open database integrating trait, spatial, environmental, phylogenetic, and diversification data for the #cactus family. We hope it enables research and grows as new data are made available. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
A new PhD opportunity at the @uniofreading.bsky.social supervised by Chris Venditti, @latinorchidbot.bsky.social and me. "The Colourful Spectrum of #Orchid Evolution". It is competition funded through AI-intervene and involves photography, AI, and evolution. www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
A new #PhD opportunity supervised by @drmambobob.bsky.social and me at the @uniofreading.bsky.social on dragonfly and damselfly evolution! It is competition funded through the CROCUS partnership, and involves a mix of palaeontology and comparative biology. www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
In our new article just out we examine the current extinction event in the context of the longer fossil record. We conclude it is likely the greatest event in the last 66 million years doi.org/10.1111/gcb....
The Greatest Extinction Event in 66 Million Years? Contextualising Anthropogenic Extinctions
Species and ecosystems are changing rapidly in response to human actions, but how does this compare with the deeper past? We review and compare the current extinction event to those over the last 66 ...
doi.org
Our new pre-print (with @erichagen.bsky.social, @latinorchidbot.bsky.social, @jameswclark.bsky.social , Elizabeth Forward and Nick Priest) reveals rapid pollinator evolution in orchids, but no clear impact on diversification. Perhaps pollinator specialisation is not such a powerful force. 🐝🌱
EcoEvoRxiv@ecoevorxiv.bsky.social · 11mo agoFrequent shifts in pollination strategy are decoupled from diversification in the terrestrial orchids doi.org/10.32942/X21...
New database of traits and other variables for the cactus family 🌵this involved an awesome team, lots of work, and funding from the BCSS. We hope that CactEcoDB will facilitate future macro scale analyses of evolution and ecology in cacti 🏜️ @uor-research.bsky.social
bioRxiv Evolutionary Biology@biorxiv-evobio.bsky.social · last yr.CactEcoDB: Trait, spatial, environmental, phylogenetic and diversification data for the cactus family https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.06.27.661607v1
So happy to announce that a few weeks ago I was offered a Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship! And it seems they picked my proposal title to promote the scheme. 🌵 Looking forward to working on new questions, with new methods and even bigger data than before. Thank you @leverhulme.ac.uk
Leverhulme Trust@leverhulme.ac.uk · last yr.From untangling the evolutionary roots of plant variation to how medieval nuns mastered the art of credit, we’ve had some fascinating applications for this year’s Early Career Fellowship scheme. The Trust is pleased to announce 152 Fellowships in this round. Congratulations to the 2025 cohort!
New paper: we used phylogenetics and ethnomedicinal data to predict Fabaceae lineages with undiscovered aphrodisiac and fertility properties. These “hot nodes” are enriched for phytoestrogens, plant compounds with hormonal, menopausal and neurological effects. 🫘 🔗 doi.org/10.3389/fpha...
Had a great evening at Burlington House to collect the @linneansociety.bsky.social Irene Manton prize for botany 🌵. It was amazing to be in the place where the theory of evolution was announced. Thanks once again to The Linnean Society, and congrats to the other medal winners!
Our 2025 Irene Manton Prize winner is Dr Jamie B Thompson! His research into the diversification of flowering plants is revolutionising our understanding of biodiversity, showing that they weren't wiped out by the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs. @jamiet-E442.bsky.social www.linnean.org/the-...
Absolutely mind blown to have won the Irene Manton Prize this year for the best PhD in botany. 🌵 Thanks to all my collaborators and mentors! @milnerevolution.bsky.social @uor-research.bsky.social
The Linnean Society of London@linneansociety.bsky.social · last yr.We’re thrilled to announce the recipients of our 2025 Medals and Awards. We’ll be spotlighting each of our amazing awardees from across science, conservation and the arts over the coming days. www.linnean.org/news... Please like, share and join us in congratulating them all!
