Susan Eshelman

Many thanks to my coauthors and collaborators at who made this work possible.

#Ecology #Grasslands #FunctionalTraits #Biodiversity #Grazing #ConservationScience #VegetationScience

We found that trait shifts were driven mostly by variation within species (i.e. intraspecific variation), rather than species turnover.

Our results show the importance of intraspecific variation in community responses to grazing and its role in grassland resilience to environmental change 🌍.

Very excited to share that my first first-author paper is out in the Journal of Vegetation Science! 🌱🥳

Our paper used a 20-year grazing experiment in the Scottish uplands to assess how grass community traits shift in response to grazing.

📖 Paper here: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

🚩Dig into plant functional ecology! 🌱⛏️ Join the 8th Go Belowground! PhD course (13–19 Sep 2026, Czech Republic) Lectures, hands-on field, lab training ▶️ 1url.cz/2ziQz
#clonality #budbank #belowground #mophology #roots #traits #GoBelowground #ExFuMo
@czechacademy.bsky.social @ibotcz.bsky.social

Come work with us! #PhD position on #ecosystem and #biodiversity effects of large #herbivores on the Eurasian steppes now announced: www.euraxess.de/jobs/395512

Nice combination of fieldwork and meta-analysis, co-supervised by @jonastrepel.bsky.social and ejlundgren.github.io

Catch my talk today at 16:15 in the Ecosystems and Functional Ecology session (Kilsyth) at #BES2025 🙌🌍 Exploring how environment 🌦️ (including fire 🔥) shape grass traits 🌾, with a look ahead to linking traits with biodiversity 🦋 and carbon storage 🌳

Three books by W. Bond and collaborators: Fire and plants (1996), Fire in Mediterranean ecosystems (2012), and Open ecosystems (2019).

I'm very sad to say William Bond, of the University of Cape Town & Fellow of the Royal Society (@royalsociety.org ), has passed away. It is a great loss. He was an enthusiastic ecologist and a critical thinker. I learned a lot, and I still had a lot to learn from him. RIP. 😢

🧪🌎🔥🌿🌳🪴🌐 #PlantScience

Less than two weeks until #BES2025! 😁 I’ll be presenting my work modelling Malagasy grass trait-environment relationships on Tuesday 16th at 16:15 in the Ecosystems and Functional Ecology session (Kilsyth). Come hear how using herbarium traits can reveal grass differentiation across Madagascar 🇲🇬

After so many years of hard work, I can finally say my PhD journey has come to an end!🌾🥳🎉 Thanks to Caroline (@caroaceae.bsky.social) Graham (Stone) for being such great mentors through this process! #PhDone

Me too! 😀🌾

Does anyone have specific leaf area (SLA) or leaf mass per area (LMA) measurements for adult leaves of #Eucalyptus pellita or #Corymbia tessellaris that they'd be willing to share with me?

🧪 #PlantTraits #ecophysiology #physiology #WildOz #botany #ecology #AusTraits

Had such a beautiful day last week at @thebotanics.bsky.social new staff induction 🌿 Learned about the garden’s history, met new colleagues from across departments, and even got a peek 👀 inside the refurbished glasshouse before the plants return! #science #postdoclife

A group of forty people arranged in chromatic order based on their colourful rain gear

A diagram describing the PFTC6 dataset, including leaf traits, leaf assimilation temperature responses, hyperspectral readings, canopy leaf temperatures, airborne multi-spectral imagery, CO2 fluxes, and microclimate, linking in with existing datasets on plant community and biomass.

Three years ago, I joined this fabulous group of researchers in western Norway for the sixth Plant Functional Traits Course. Now, we've published the dataset covering morphological traits, spectroscopy, carbon flux, and more:

doi.org/10.1038/s41597-025-05509-4

🧪 #OpenAccess #Botany #PlantTraits 🧵

Really enjoyed the ACE Early Career Symposium yesterday! Great to present my work on intraspecific adaptations of Scottish grasses, chat with other early career academics, and hear from the panel on the many different ways careers can develop. Thanks to the ACE team for hosting an incredible event!

Yesterday I started as a Research Fellow in Biodiversity Science at @thebotanics.bsky.social ! 🌿 Over the next 6 months I’ll be continuing my work exploring Madagascar’s biodiversity and ecosystem dynamics… and enjoying more time in the beautiful gardens😍 #postdoc

Last week I was at the @bes-rewildinggroup.bsky.social workshop in Northumberland 🌿 Great to connect with researchers & practitioners from northern England & Scotland to discuss UK #rewilding- challenges, new tech 🎮, long-term monitoring, & the value of collaboration! Lots to think about! 🤔

That's a wrap! Thank you to the wonderful attendees of our inaugural @bes-rewildinggroup.bsky.social field event with @northwildlife.bsky.social and with support from @britishecologicalsociety.org . I have learnt loads & met many excellent people working on #rewilding in the region! 👍🌱

Brilliant day this week on the Tropical East Asian Savanna Network workshop- out on Salisbury Crags with the Global Grassy Group practicing ground layer data collection and loving the #grasses! @s-eshelman.bsky.social @wieczor.bsky.social @naomibschwartz.bsky.social @royalsoced.bsky.social

Thanks so much to @jess-rickenback.bsky.social for organising such a fantastic symposium and workshop!

This week I attended the Tropical East Asian Savanna Symposium at RBGE and helped lead a Global Grassy Group Surveying workshop with visiting researchers in Holyrood Park. It’s been great connecting with scientists working in a region I haven’t explored much in my own research 🌏🌾😊

We’re experiencing technical difficulties but will have the presentations up ASAP. Sorry for the delay and thank you to everyone for your patience 🙏

The Tropical East Asian Savanna Symposium is today! Join us in person or online to hear from some truly fantastic speakers. Online via teams
Meeting ID: 374 127 860 994 5
Passcode: Yq3je9Jo
or in person at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh 9:30-4:30
@royalsoced.bsky.social
🌐🌏 #ecology #savanna

Out in the Pentlands yesterday with the first-year field ecology students, playing the role of ‘grass specialist’. Shared some ID tips for common UK grasses –fingers crossed I converted a few into budding grass enthusiasts. 🌾👀 #grassgang #fieldecology

🧪 🌍 🌱

The effects of these new guidelines will likely take years to see, but it’s unfortunate that so many people are becoming collateral damage. (6/6)

These changes affect many immigrants from diverse backgrounds. I wanted to share my experience but I know I am just one of many impacted. For those of us who have worked hard to make a life in the UK, these changes are deeply discouraging and will likely hinder growth and development in the UK (5/6)

After investing so much in building a life here, it’s disheartening to feel that our future in the UK is now so uncertain. These changes aren’t just policies—they’re life-altering barriers for those of us who have made the UK our home (4/6)

Reducing the graduate visa from 3 years to 18 months for PhDs (and 2 years to 18 months for other graduates ) limits the time to establish connections and find jobs. Furthermore, extending the residency requirement to 10 years means more uncertainty for many who are working toward residency (3/6)

I’ve dedicated years to building a life here and my plan was to extend my visa for 3 years to develop my career, secure a fellowship or postdoc, and eventually work toward residency on a skilled worker or global talent visa. These new guidelines put that future at risk. (2/6)

As an international PhD graduate who has lived in the UK for almost 5 years, the recent changes to immigration guidelines are devastating. (1/6)

#InternationalStudents #AcademicLife #UKImmigration #PhDLife