John Dwyer

Spatial distribution of reproductive phenology observations in Australian subtropical rainforest flora for three time periods: (a) 1770–1970, (b) 1971–2000 and (c) 2001–2025. The mapped region spans from 21 to 35°S and 150 to 155°E.

PhD Chap1 done! With an all-star cast, I built a reproductive phenology dataset by integrating flowering and fruiting observations from as many sources as possible. The dataset covers: 255yrs, most Subtropical rainforests in Aus, and 915 species.
doi.org/10.1002/ecog...

A picture of PEW poll on global attitude survey, saying the % who rate the morality and ethics of people in their country as good vs bad, where the US has the worst rankings and Canada the best

Americans: we live in a fallen state—embroiled by sin, cheating, lying, and evil. You cannot trust anyone, not even those who claim to know you best

Canadians: I love my neighbors and my friends!

How do you age a tree that won't give up its rings? 🌳

Brigalow trees don't form annual rings — so researchers used radiocarbon dating to unlock their age. The result? These trees take ~150 years to mature, growing just 1.3 mm per year, informing the need for careful management.

📄 buff.ly/t4ZgpCA

The hot in the west was hotter than the cold in the east was cold.
#climatechange

Glad you’ve been to paradise. I get to teach there every year, and do research (on the trees). Somebody’s gotta do it.

Graminoids had the best heat tolerance, but plant growth form did not predict response to active warming in a #heatwave experiment led by @scienceanu.bsky.social PhD student Tom Hanley using @tern-aus.bsky.social AMRF infrastructure.

doi.org/10.1111/jvs.70109

🧪 #ecology #ecophysiology #wildOz

Proud of @biologyanu.bsky.social PhD student Tom Hanley's first paper. Huge effort in the field! @tern-aus.bsky.social AMRF infrastructure enabled us to simulate heatwaves while Tom followed the effect of the heat load on heat tolerance acclimation of photosystems over time
doi.org/10.1111/jvs.70109

Migratory bird stopover patterns linked to urbanization and social landscapes - Nature Cities Urban ecology traditionally focuses on single cities, yet cities play key roles in ecological processes such as migration. Radar analysis across the continental USA reveals that nearly half of stopove...

A study I led came out in Nature Cities yesterday!

We used radar to study the role that urban landscapes play in migratory bird stopover. Spoiler: birds use cities a lot, and the patterns of their use reflect social processes and the inequities embedded in them.

www.nature.com/articles/s44...

Weighing the options: a test of alternative stomatal optimisation models at high temperatures Stomatal optimisation models centre upon a fundamental tradeoff for plants: opening stomata promotes carbon uptake, but closing stomata prevents water loss. However, stomatal opening can occur at hi...

So proud! Our brilliant PhD student Camille Sicangco's new paper just out in @newphyt.bsky.social : Testing stomatal optimisation models at high temperatures nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

The sensitivities of the theoretical model to climate and hydraulic traits.

Global variation in the ratio of sapwood to leaf area explained by optimality principles

Xu et al. @huiyingxu.bsky.social @lemontree-uofr.bsky.social

nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/share/QQQWKU...

don’t even have words for this one

We've just created an exciting new Phylogenomics Botanist role to join our vibrant team at Botanic Gardens of Sydney and help us build the NSW Plant Tree of Life! Applications close 26 Jan 2026: iworkfor.nsw.gov.au/job/phylogen...

#botanicgardens #nswflora #nswptol #phylogenomics

Yes, forest trees die of old age. But the warming climate is killing them faster The warming climate is killing Australia’s forest trees at a faster rate. This offers a glimpse of what may lie ahead for forests globally.

theconversation.com/yes-forest-t...

As the world warms, more trees are dying in Australian forests From Tasmania to the Top End, Australia's forest trees are dying at higher rates due to climate change, according to new research.

From Tasmania to the Top End, Australia's forest trees are dying at higher rates due to climate change, according to new research.

Pervasive increase in tree mortality across the Australian continent - Nature Plants Eight decades of forest plot monitoring show a pervasive increase in tree mortality across Australia’s forest biomes driven by climate change, jeopardizing their role as enduring carbon sinks.

Pervasive increase in tree mortality across the Australian continent | Nature Plants share.google/RL9wdpMxxGRh...

PhD Opportunity in Plant Ecophysiology – Adelaide University We are looking for an PhD candidate to join an exciting research project focused on understanding heat and drought combined impacts on threatened plants’ mortality. Key Objectives: Describe drought sensitivity in juvenile and mature individuals of threatened plant species. Disentangle the effects of elevated temperature, soil dryness, and atmospheric water demand on the sensitivity of threatened species to hotter droughts. Model threatened species’ risk of mortality under current and future hotter droughts. Eligibility: Australians and international applicants with a completed Master's degree (GPA > 5.0) and/or a completed 4-year Bachelor with Honours (GPA > 5.0) in Plant Biology or related areas; Proof of English proficiency (e.g. IELTS score > 6.5 or equivalent qualification), only for applicants who speak English as a second language. Strong analytical and programming skills in R or Python. Genuine interest in studying plants with previous experience in plant ecology and/or physiology. Effective writing skills; a passion for reading, writing, and continually improving as a communicator. Ability to drive in Australia is desirable but not essential. Start Date: April 2026 (negotiable) Duration: 3.5 years Benefits: PhD scholarship (tax-exempt stipend of $36,500 AUD p.a. + $3,000 AUD p.a. top up); Higher stipend rate for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander candidates ($ 53,608 p.a.); Relocation allowances for both domestic and international candidates; Single Overseas Student Health cover for international applicants. 100% tuition fee waiver. How to Apply: Email the following documents to ilaine.matos@adelaide.edu.au before the 15th of February 2026. Women and people underrepresented in research are encouraged to apply. 1-page cover letter explaining why you are interested in this position and your previous experiences relevant for this opportunity. Curriculum Vitae in the Adelaide University format.

✨ PhD opportunity studying drought and heatwave effects on threatened plants ✨🔥

Funded by an ARC DECRA awarded to the amazing Dr Ilaíne Matos and co-supervised by Dr Sami Rifai and me!

Limited by the character limit here, so please see the attached flyer for all the details - please share widely!

PhD opportunity

Back to the roots! Can plants avoid water stress by moving water uptake to deeper soil?

Find out in this IMPRS PhD project, coop with @chriswernerlab.bsky.social, @bernhardschuldt.bsky.social and a whole consortium investigating plant hydraulics

👉 More info: shorturl.at/66nBa

Vegetation flammability contributes to alternative stable states in arid Australia Background. Alternate stable state theory holds that disturbance thresholds can drive transitions between distinct vegetation types that exist under otherw

This was a nice little Christmas present, with Boyd Wright and Rod Fensham.

Vegetation flammability contributes to alternative stable states in arid Australia

#flammability #Triodia

connectsci.au/wf/article/d...

What a lovely job.

I love a normalized rumple index 👇

Population Structure Plays a Key Role in Community Stability Population structure is a widespread yet underappreciated feature of ecological communities. Here, we develop a general theoretical framework integrating life-stage structure into community matrix mo...

New article out in Ecology Letters!

Developing a general math model, we show how cross-stage interactions modify the stability predicted by classic unstructured models.

📄 Population Structure Plays a Key Role in Community Stability. @ox.ac.uk @ifisc.uib-csic.es @ceabcsic.bsky.social @csic.es

🚨Join the International Dendrometer Network🚨

We're building a community of people using dendrometers to study tree growth, stress, resilience, phenology & more🌳🧪

Join our mailing list for updates, data calls & opportunities: forms.gle/SrdMLcg5BAN9...

First meeting is Friday at 10:30CET - join us!

Fascinating new paper by @andrewabraham.bsky.social on how salt starvation shapes the abundance of large animals in Africa - the thread below explains the science … 🌐

Congratulations to the ESA Gold Medal Award winner Dr Suzanne Prober 👏 #ESA2025

🚨Paper alert🚨

Check out Beibei Zhang's latest work out today @royalsocietypublishing.org where we track the 3D structural recovery of Australia's Great Western Woodlands following wildfires over a chronosequence spanning half a millenia!🌳🛰️🔥🧪

royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...

Schematic illustrating how species interactions can depend on neighborhood density and identity.

🆕 in "Ecological Monographs": Static models miss the mark—adding nonlinear, density-based facilitation helps predict coexistence, persistence, and realistic community dynamics

📄Neighbor density-dependent facilitation promotes coexistence and internal oscillation
doi.org/10.1002/ecm....

The global biomass of mammals since 1850 - Nature Communications Here, the authors estimate mammalian biomass from the 1850’s to today, tracking an increase of over five-fold in human and domesticated mammal biomass and a two-fold decrease in wild mammal biomass. R...

Check this out: the global biomass of mammals since 1850
just out in @natcomms.nature.com
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
🌐

Yesterday we were treated to an inspirational seminar from Dr Laura Williams from @westsyduhie.bsky.social all about the importance of tree diversity, novel ways to quantify it and its consequences for how forests function. Good luck with the richly-deserved DECRA Laura!!! Ping @bmedlyn.bsky.social

Memories of Trees Past: Coexistence Implications of Legacy Conspecific Density Dependence Negative density dependence persisted for up to 5 years after tree death, but with interspecific variation. Although stabilising niche differences were large, fitness differences–at the seedling life...

🌳 New paper out in Ecology Letters! 🌱
Our latest study, led by Lukas Magee, shows that the “legacies” of trees continue to shape forests long after they die.

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

#Ecology #Forests #Biodiversity
@umramap.bsky.social @ird-fr.bsky.social
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