Luciana Alves
@lufalves.bsky.social
Plant ecologist. I can see the forest for the trees Associate Researcher @ UCLA My own views
An unusually strong heat dome will scorch much of the western United States this weekend, bringing the hottest temperatures so far this year to tens of millions from California to Canada. https://cnn.it/4pQfSpm
‼️ new article ‼️ Happy to collaborate with incredible Dr. Fernanda Souza!!! “Climate Predicts Tree Dispersal Strategies Across Brazil’s Ecosystems,” Global Ecology and Biogeography, doi.org/10.1111/geb....
Climate Predicts Tree Dispersal Strategies Across Brazil's Ecosystems
Aim We investigate the distribution of dispersal modes—endozoochory (via animal ingestion), synzoochory (via animal seed accumulation) and anemochory (via wind)—and seed mass of woody plants across ...
doi.org
This tigress has reclaimed the ancient fort within Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve and made it her home. Protection, prey, peace, and prosperity have been key factors in the tiger recovery within India, according to a 2025 Science study. Learn more on #InternationalTigerDay: https://scim.ag/4hAtuCV
1. The new Trump / Kratsios plan for US science appears explicitly designed to destroy US universities. Diverting money to tech donors is probably just a bonus. Gift link.
Trump’s Plan for Science: More Money for A.I., Less for Universities (Gift Article)
Michael Kratsios, President Trump’s science adviser, proposed overhauling how the government funds research. Democrats said Mr. Trump’s actions had weakened science.
nytimes.com
What are dendrometers and why do we need a global dendrometer network? 💥Our first GDN paper is out! We document how it all started with a meeting in Norway, and outline some of the great potential that lies in creating a global community. Read: doi.org/10.1093/tree... Join: globaldendro.org
Why VSWIR satellites struggle to see drought stress in trees: it's structure, not just water Allen et al. nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/share/AG5ZAK...
👇 Cerrado's Long Arc of Time: From Past Evolution to Modern Environmental Changes academic.oup.com/aob/article/...
Cerrado's Long Arc of Time: From Past Evolution to Modern Environmental Changes
AbstractBackground. From an ancient landscape shaped over 65 million years to its transformation into a global agricultural powerhouse, the Brazilian Cerra
academic.oup.com
congratulations to the Champions 🇪🇸 “Spain won this game not by rising to the bait, but by simply playing better football.” Argentina's passion was an asset but too often in this World Cup it has spilled over into distasteful aggression
RFK Jr's CDC reportedly scaled back foodborne disease tracking last year, removing cyclospora from mandatory reporting. The CDC also lost roughly 3,000 employees since 2025. Now? A cyclosporiasis outbreak has sickened thousands across 34 states. "Make America Healthy Again."
NSF plans cuts to core science programmes to fund White House initiative www.nature.com/articles/d41...
NSF plans cuts to core science programmes to fund White House initiative
A proposed clawback of already distributed research funds comes as the US agency struggles with a squeezed budget and a backlog of grant applications.A proposed clawback of already distributed researc...
nature.com
New: The National Science Foundation is preparing to claw back some $500 million in funds from some of its core science programs in physics, math, computer science, and engineering in order to fund a project from the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.
NSF plans cuts to core science programmes to fund White House initiative
A proposed clawback of already distributed research funds comes as the US agency’s budget is already squeezed and it struggling to clear a backlog of grant applications.
nature.com
How Seeds Travelled Through Plant History www.botany.one/how-seeds-tr... From fruit-eating animals to wind and self-launching seeds, flowering plants have changed their travel strategies as climates shifted over millions of years. #Botany #PlantScience
How Seeds Travelled Through Plant History
From fruit-eating animals to wind and self-launching seeds, flowering plants have changed their travel strategies as climates shifted over millions of years.
botany.one
Former NOAA staffers have launched a new website that provides climate information. It replaces a government site that was shut down when the Trump administration took office. n.pr/4aWVKvt
Ex-NOAA employees re-create a valuable climate data site shut down by Trump
Former NOAA staffers have launched a new website that provides climate information. It replaces a government site that was shut down when the Trump administration took office.
n.pr
Four postdoc positions - Evolutionary Dynamics and Genomic Ecology (BCI EDGE)integrating population & evolutionary genomics, community ecology, metabolomics, & long-term forest dynamics to investigate the evolutionary processes maintaining tropical forest diversity stri.si.edu/story/bci-ev... 🧪 🌐 🌾
BCI Evolutionary Dynamics and Genomic Ecology project
stri.si.edu
📣 We're recruiting for an Associate Editor with data integrity expertise! 📊 join us in improving the clarity, transparency, & accessibility of ecological research. 🌿 more information on the role and how to apply can be found here 👉️ buff.ly/R8z4TLe
Exclusive: NSF slashes research programs to support new tech initiative, insiders say | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti...
Exclusive: NSF slashes research programs to support new tech initiative, insiders say
Unexpected shift in funds has meant sharp drop in grants this fiscal year
science.org
Michelle Obama: "Barack and I have always said this Center is grounded in our stories, but it has never been about us. It's never been for us." "A lasting legacy isn't an award or a name on a building or the number of zeroes in a bank account, but the difference we make in one another's lives."
🚨Proposed OMB rule could let political appointees override peer review, cancel grants mid-project, ban certain research topics, restrict publishing and more.🚨 Stand up for science! Learn more and use our resources to submit a public comment today ⬇️ agu.quorum.us/campaign/163...
Stop OMB From Erasing Federal Research
A new proposed rule rewrites the terms of U.S. science
agu.quorum.us
outstanding 👏 ‘Every box has been opened’: London botanic gardens digitizes 7 million specimens www.nature.com/articles/d41...
‘Every box has been opened’: London botanic gardens digitizes 7 million specimens
As Kew Botanic Gardens completes a scan of its collections, AI tools could help in the fight against biodiversity loss.
nature.com
Bob Ricklefs RIP. One of the giants of ecology. His textbooks were the gateway to the field for many students. His papers were invariably thoughtful, well-argued and provocative, even those I disagreed with. 🌏🧪🌐
dynamicecology.wordpress.com
🌳Global analysis of 556 tree populations shows mast-seeding periods cluster tightly at 2–3 years. Climate plays only a weak, species-specific role—suggesting strong evolutionary constraints on reproductive timing 👉️ buff.ly/zF8sps1
Another handful of sand in the gears: Researchers cannot serve on a panel *at all* if anyone from their institution has submitted to that panel. Recusing themselves for the proposal itself is no longer sufficient. This is needless, but will certainly slow things up even further.
NSF imposes stricter conflict-of-interest rules for grant-review panels
Researchers say changes could further burden the understaffed agency
science.org
🔥ADVANCE ACCESS🔥: Contrasting responses of pollen and fruit to whole-tree heating in two tropical savannah species doi.org/10.1093/aob/... #PlantScience
Contrasting responses of pollen and fruit to whole-tree heating in two tropical savannah species
AbstractBackground and Aims. The Brazilian Cerrado – the world’s most biodiverse savannah – is rapidly warming, potentially threatening thousands of specie
doi.org
Senior researchers at a meeting of the American Diabetes Association were handing out copies of an editorial, published in the association's journal, condemning Trump administration cuts to diabetes research. Police came to arrest them. www.nytimes.com/2026/06/05/w...
Police Remove Diabetes Experts From Conference for Distributing Critique of Trump Administration
nytimes.com
Police Remove Diabetes Experts From Conference for Distributing Critique of Trump Administration www.nytimes.com/2026/06/05/w...
Police Remove Diabetes Experts From Conference for Distributing Critique of Trump Administration
nytimes.com
I just learned that OMB is required to respond to every comment on the anti-peer-review rule. So that means our comments really matter, at the very least by gumming up the gears. Send your comment today.
@bowprow.bsky.social · 2mo agoPLEASE submit a public comment opposing this rule change during the comment period. Do not let this go unchallenged. Urge your friends and associates to do the same. www.npr.org/2026/06/03/n...
