Nathan Jay Baker
@nathanjaybaker.bsky.social
A casual researcher keeping his head above water in the ocean that is knowledge.
New #OpenAccess research by @swarmofthoughts.bsky.social et al. in #RESInsectConsDiv compared species accumulation within taxonomically well- and poorly resolved insect groups over 37 years. doi.org/10.1111/icad.70112 #AquaticInsects #Biodiversity @manusaunders.bsky.social @wileyecology.bsky.social
It was a pleasure to work with @nathanjaybaker.bsky.social and @swarmofthoughts.bsky.social on this long-term insect time-series. The megadiversity of #DarkTaxa is a serious blind spot for #biodiversity monitoring - by focusing on well-known groups, we neglect the vast majority of species. 🧪🦟🪰
Nathan Jay Baker@nathanjaybaker.bsky.social · 3w agoInsect decline usually focuses on species we can name. But "dark taxa" like true flies kept revealing new species over 37-years of sampling a German stream, while well-studied mayflies/stoneflies/caddisflies plateaued with far fewer individuals. doi.org/10.1111/icad... @swarmofthoughts.bsky.social
our new 🧪 📄 on long-term Breitenbach site in DE, focusing on how much 🪰🪲🪳 diversity we missing even after 42 yrs of studying same spot, is out @royentsoc.bsky.social Thanks @nathanjaybaker.bsky.social @parasitoidrex.bsky.social @pilofr.bsky.social for all the hard work! @ebdonana.bsky.social
Nathan Jay Baker@nathanjaybaker.bsky.social · 3w agoInsect decline usually focuses on species we can name. But "dark taxa" like true flies kept revealing new species over 37-years of sampling a German stream, while well-studied mayflies/stoneflies/caddisflies plateaued with far fewer individuals. doi.org/10.1111/icad... @swarmofthoughts.bsky.social
Insect decline usually focuses on species we can name. But "dark taxa" like true flies kept revealing new species over 37-years of sampling a German stream, while well-studied mayflies/stoneflies/caddisflies plateaued with far fewer individuals. doi.org/10.1111/icad... @swarmofthoughts.bsky.social
Comparing species accumulation within taxonomically well‐ and poorly resolved insect groups over 37 years
Here, we used a unique 37-year (1969–2006) freshwater macroinvertebrate time-series, collected over seven sites in central Germany, to study biodiversity patterns and species accumulation over time......
doi.org
Our 2020 paper on fantastic monitoring dataset of #insect in Breitenbach stream DE sadly showed 80% decline in 40 yrs l1nq.com/5h5wqu0. Happy to announce new paper on same stream accepted @royentsoc.bsky.social Ins. Cons & Div. , lead by @nathanjaybaker.bsky.social wt @parasitoidrex.bsky.social 🧪🌍
On June 12-13, our team "WeNaturalist" won 1st place in the annual species rally held in Aukštadvaris Regional Park 🌿 where we also observed the most species (~800 species in 14 hours). It was a really awesome event to have taken part in: rusiuralis.lt See you there next year! :D
Rūšių ralis – gamtai, tyrinėjantiems mokslininkams, gamtos stebėtojams
rusiuralis.lt
Should science inform or persuade? Check out a nice article discussing the topic here: biologue.plos.org/2023/02/06/s...
Should scientific papers inform or persuade? - PLOS Biologue
Alexandra Freeman looks at the thorny problem of whether scientific papers should inform or persuade and suggests a potential solution
biologue.plos.org
Using morphological + molecular data from 1,030 freshwater fish, this new paper more than doubled the known diversity of trematode metacercariae (51 species). European freshwater parasite diversity remains strongly underestimated.🧪🐟 #Parasitology #FreshwaterEcology doi.org/10.1051/para...
![Figure 9
Microphotographs of metacercariae (live) of the family Diplostomidae. (A) Diplostomum baeri ex Rutilus rutilus (voucher, FP1150, see Table S2); (B) D. mergi Lineage 2 of Georgieva et al. [23] ex Abramis brama (voucher, FP1190, see Table S2); (C) D. parviventosum ex Gobio gobio (voucher, FP542, see Table S2); (D) D. pseudospathaceum ex Silurus glanis (voucher, PX552672); (E) D. spathaceum ex Cyprinus carpio (voucher, PX552682); (F) Diplostomum sp. A of Kudlai et al. [41] ex Carassius gibelio (voucher, PX552697); (G) Diplostomum sp. C of Kudlai et al. [41] ex Scardinius erythrophthalmus (voucher, PX552699); (H) Diplostomum sp. Lineage 3 of Blasco-Costa et al. [5] ex S. erythrophthalmus (voucher, FP702, see Table S2); (I) Diplostomum sp. Lineage 4 of Blasco-Costa et al. [5] ex Perca fluviatilis (voucher, FP673, see Table S2); (J) Diplostomum sp. Lineage 5 of Blasco-Costa et al. [5] ex Coregonus albula (voucher, PX552712); (K) Diplostomum sp. Lineage 6 of Blasco-Costa et al. [5] ex Pungitius pungitius (voucher, PX552714); (L) Hysteromorpha triloba, excysted metacercaria ex Tinca tinca (voucher, PX552718); (M) Posthodiplostomum scardinii inside of the brain tissue ex S. erythrophthalmus; (N) P. scardinii, encysted metacercaria ex S. erythrophthalmus (voucher, PX552730); (O) P. scardinii, excysted metacercaria ex S. erythrophthalmus (voucher, PX552730); (P) Posthodiplostomum brevicaudatum, encysted metacercaria ex S. erythrophthalmus (voucher, PX552721); (Q) P. brevicaudatum, excysted metacercaria ex Esox lucius (voucher, FP1110, see Table S2); (R) Posthodiplostomum cuticola, excysted metacercaria ex Abramis brama (voucher, PX552722); (S) Tylodelphys clavata ex P. fluviatilis; (T) Tylodelphys podicipina ex Lota lota (voucher, FP1156, see Table S2).](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:bf6t345tvto5mpkge22pjjz2/bafkreibum6arhjec5hmgmetthzthj2sspa65nllsbyx7doqg3re4nx3rju)
![Figure 15
Graphical representation of the historical and present study data of trematode metacercariae parasitising freshwater fish in Lithuania, with curved lines connecting species present in both datasets. Abbreviations: B-C, Blasco-Costa et al. [5], G, Georgieva et al. [23]; K, Kudlai et al. [41].](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:bf6t345tvto5mpkge22pjjz2/bafkreiaq6wz4i6x7haqehs4caxyw5aew4mp7igit6l43fznfaducyi4laq)
New paper today, the first for 2026: Comparison of historic and novel data reveals higher contemporary diversity of trematode metacercariae in freshwater fish 🧪 doi.org/10.1051/para...
What parasites are hiding in European freshwater fish? We found 51 trematode species in Lithuania—more than doubling the previously recognised diversity. Invasive snails and fish may be reshaping parasite communities in ways we're only beginning to detect. Read more here: bit.ly/3NhRVbb
Comparison of historic and novel data reveals higher contemporary diversity of trematode metacercariae in freshwater fish | Parasite
Parasite international open-access, peer-reviewed, online journal publishing high quality papers on all aspects of human and animal parasitology
bit.ly
It is true, baselines have shifted and pre-human states are unobtainable, yet there is hope. Check out yet another inspiring read curtosy of @jdtonkin.bsky.social discussing the interaction between science & action & how they can result in GOOD NEWS STORIES! open.substack.com/pub/predirec...
The baselines have shifted — we’re fixing rivers anyway
How river restoration is succeeding in surprising and inspiring ways.
open.substack.com
Our study in @natcomms.nature.com of 1,754 European river sites reveals the overall limited effectiveness of current protected areas for freshwater biodiversity. Improving effectiveness requires catchment-scale management with larger, more continuous upstream protection. Read more at: rdcu.be/eU5le
Current protected areas provide limited benefits for European river biodiversity
Nature Communications - The effects of current protected areas on freshwater biodiversity are poorly understood. Here, the authors show that European protected areas have overall limited influence...
rdcu.be
Invasive black bullhead discovered in Lithuania for the first time, found at high densities in two lakes. The fish brought a N. American parasite and can spread local trematodes to native species. Read the full article here: doi.org/10.3391/bir....
doi.org
Insects lack a centralized trait database—but we have a solution. Our new paper proposes GRIT: a global repository using AI-powered extraction & open FAIR principles. We're calling for collaborators to help build this vision for insect science. doi.org/10.1111/icad... #OpenAccess #RESInsectConsDiv
Toward a global repository of insect traits (GRIT)
Biodiversity loss is accelerating, yet insect conservation is hindered by the absence of a centralised, comprehensive trait database. We propose the GRIT, a FAIR, open-access platform uniting datase...
doi.org
𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗽𝗮𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 🧪 (with 15 figures!): Comparison of historic and novel data reveals higher contemporary diversity of trematode metacercariae in freshwater fish Soon... 🔜 www.parasite-journal.org
🌍 Shape the future of ecosystem management Session 2.04 @ SETAC Europe 2026 seeks research on spatial-temporal effects of chemical mixtures & multiple stressors. Help refine risk assessments and strengthen biodiversity protection. Submit you abstracts by Nov 26, 2025 bit.ly/4qz9F1a
Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry - 2.04 - Ecological Effects of Chemical Mixtures and Multiple Stressors with Special Emphasis on Space and Time
bit.ly
International collab opportunity! IRISCC offers funded 1-3 week research stays at Germany's Rhine-Main-Observatory for early career scientists. Perfect for field sampling or lab work. International researchers can apply solo; German researchers need international partners. www.iriscc.eu/open-calls
Open Calls - IRISCC
Follow our Open Calls for opportunities to access world-class climate research infrastructures.
iriscc.eu
Sensitive aquatic insects reveal hidden impacts of wastewater treatment plants. While overall biodiversity seems stable, streams dominated by sensitive insects show significant functional changes. Read here: peerj.com/articles/201... #ecology #science #biodiversity #waterquality #germany #insect
Stream baseline conditions shape functional responses to wastewater: evidence from insect-dominated sites
Wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) are a crucial part of modern day infrastructure, cleaning about half of our global wastewater. However, the emergence of micropollutants and higher frequencies of ex...
peerj.com
🌿 On #WorldHabitatsDay Europe’s habitats are in trouble. 📉 81% of habitats protected under EU law are in poor or bad condition — and most are still declining. We need full implementation of environmental law, shows #EuropesEnvironment2025: www.eea.europa.eu/en/europe-en...
Think all animals shrink with warming? Not so fast! Our 19-year long-term study of freshwater insects reveals complex patterns - species with flexible life cycles changed most, while single-generation species stayed stable. #Freshwater #Ecology #ClimateChange #BodySize doi.org/10.1002/oik....
Increases in interspecific but mixed trends in intraspecific body sizes in German stream macroinvertebrates across two decades
The Anthropocene has accelerated changes both among and within species, altering the functional trait composition of ecological communities globally. Animal body sizes have broad implications for eco...
doi.org
In modern science, how do we decide what papers are published, what papers are written, and what papers are read? Its appears to all be about attention and it is elegantly put in this thoughtful piece of work: jasss.soc.surrey.ac.uk/14/4/17.html
The Competition for Attention and the Evolution of Science
jasss.soc.surrey.ac.uk
The scene set for #SEFS14 in #Bolu, #Türkiye: the Symposium for European Freshwater Sciences #BoluAbantİzzetBaysalUniversity
Excited to be presenting at the University of the Witwatersrand (WITS) back in my homeland!
