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Ale Martínez Blancas

@alemtzb.bsky.social
131 followers 208 following 14 posts

Assistant Prof. @ UT El Paso. Past Postdoc @ MSU and PhD from UNAM, México. Ecóloga vegetal/Plant Ecologist (she/her/ella). Key words: Species Interactions, Coexistence, Grasslands, Drylands.

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Reposted by Ale Martínez Blancas
ESA Latin America & the Caribbean Chapter @esalatamcarib.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
1/2 🌟ESA-LAC members were truly inspiring at #ESA2026 in Salt Lake City! Sharing with our Latin American peers was recharging and we appreciate the opportunity to connect and learn from our community🩵 Check out all the highlights and see how we made our mark! #latinamerica #caribe #ciencia #ecologia
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ESA Latin America & the Caribbean Chapter @esalatamcarib.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Interested in graduate school? Check out this opportunity! A free bilingual workshop (English & Spanish) to learn how to find graduate programs, connect with potential advisors, and navigate the application process. October 6 | 3–5 PM EDT | Online
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ESA Latin America & the Caribbean Chapter @esalatamcarib.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
🌿 Call for speakers for ESA 2027 Working on species responses to drought or changing precipitation in the Neotropics? We want to hear from you! We are looking for researchers for our proposed session, “Species Responses to Drought in the Neotropics”. Deadline: Oct. 13, 2026
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ESA Latin America & the Caribbean Chapter @esalatamcarib.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
The ESA Latin America & Caribbean (LAC) chapter is looking for participants for our Inspire Session at the 2027 ESA Meeting! Have a story about a time when your research didn’t go according to plan? Share how you adapted, pivoted, and moved forward. Deadline: October 13, 2026
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EvoBio Crash Course @evobiocc.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
The Evobio Crash Course is coming back for its fifth edition! Join us from December 7 to December 18 for an incredible line up of classes and tutorials from amazing researchers in the field! The course is open to all, completely free and held online. Registration is OPEN, please share widely!
Poster for the Evobio Crash Course. Online from December 7-18, 2026.
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Richard Lenski @relenski.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
A nice timeline of the #LTEE in the #MSU Spartan #Science magazine: spartanscience.natsci.msu.edu/evolution-in...
spartanscience.natsci.msu.edu
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Methods in Ecology and Evolution @methodsinecoevol.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
We're hiring Code Integrity and Accessibility editors at MEE! Ideal for people experienced in testing and validating code, and confidence working with at least one language - open to all career stages. Deadline 25th September ⏰️ Read the role description and apply👇 buff.ly/UaSg5au
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Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences @pnas.org · 27/08/2026
Old-growth grasslands are slow to recover once destroyed. Characteristic plants of such grasslands are shorter and have smaller leaves with less nitrogen than plants in secondary grasslands, which are resource-acquisitive and more competitive. In PNAS: ow.ly/zOl950ZFVFu
A remnant of an old-growth prairie in Ohio. Stock photo.
CREDIT: Jim Palus
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Lars Brudvig @lars-brudvig.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
New from @ashishnerlekar.bsky.social @llseedsull.bsky.social me and many others: Grassland destruction causes shifts in plant traits that persist during recovery www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/... eeb.msu.edu/news/why-anc...
eeb.msu.edu
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Santa Fe Institute @sfiscience.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
Applications for the 2027 Complexity Postdoctoral Fellowships are open! Katrin Schmelz just completed SFI’s Complexity Postdoctoral Fellowship, and she reflects on what the experience meant to her. Deadline: September 30, 2026 Requirements & application: santafe.edu/sfifellowship
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Nick Smith @nickgregsmith.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
Today is my first day as Davison & Fuller Chair in Life Sciences and Associate Professor of Biological Sciences at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln! I will be looking for graduate students, a postdoc, and a lab manager to join me at UNL (ads coming). Please reach out if interested!
University of Nebraska - Lincoln block "N" logoPhysiology for Understanding and Knowledge in ecologY (PhUnKY) Lab logo
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Lars Brudvig @lars-brudvig.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
Behold: Voss' goldenrod (Solidago vossii)! 1 of 2 endemic plant species in Michigan and one of our rarest - found in only 2 counties Recognized as a new species and named for Ed Voss in 2010 Also, fun fact: the only known octoploid (2n=72) goldenrod in the world
Voss' goldenrod (Solidago vossii)
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Anonymous Potato @anonymouspotato.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
EcoEvoJobs 2026-27 just opened for business and we've already got 79 faculty / permanent jobs listed. Please repost! ecoevojobs.net
ecoevojobs.net
ecoevojobs.net 2026-27
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Ale Martínez Blancas @alemtzb.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
I just wanted to say that my lab is awesome 🤩
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Caroline Farrior @cfarrior.bsky.social · 26/07/2026
Spread the word! My lab group is hosting a workshop tomorrow at #ESA2026: Ecological Theory for Everyone: A practical introduction to engaging with theory in your own research for those with little or no theoretical experience 1:30pm, Room 254B events.rdmobile.com/Sessions/Det...
A collage of theory figures: Trees searching for light, chaos from logistic growth, evolutionary analyses, stabilizing coexistence, and collective movement.
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Shersingh Joseph Tumber-Dávila @josephtumber.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
So proud of the hard work of the @esalatamcarib.bsky.social chapter who was recognized for not 1 but FOUR awards, including repeat for CHAPTER OF THE YEAR Join the chapter to see the passion and commitment of our members! #ESA2026
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ESA Latin America & the Caribbean Chapter @esalatamcarib.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
A quick reminder as #ESA2026 gets closer! 💙 If you're attending, don't forget to bring a piece of home to contribute to our chapter's fundraising table. Every item helps us celebrate the incredible diversity of our community! 🌎✨ @ecologicalsociety.bsky.social
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Ixchel González-Ramírez @ixchelgr.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
I have officially started as Investigadora at the Instituto de Biología, UNAM. UNAM is a dream come true! Life is hectic! And I'm so excited for the immediate future, that will certainly involve liverworts, phylogenetics, and dogs! Follow my adventures here, ixchelgzlzr.github.io/es/
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Joey Bernhardt @joeybernhardt.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
🧪 New paper alert from our lab! 🔥🧪 Making predictions for competition in a warming world has been a challenge. We find that warming levels the playing field among species, altering competition, even in the benign portion of species niches Check it out here! onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
General Predictions for the Effects of Warming on Competition
We combined two major theories in ecology to investigate whether warming may have general effects on competition for shared resources. We found that species' niche and fitness differences both decrea...
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Ixchel González-Ramírez @ixchelgr.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
Come be my colleague!!!!
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Belinda Medlyn @bmedlyn.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
I am hiring! My former postdocs have all gone on to great ongoing roles, so I am now looking for 2 new postdocs in dynamic vegetation modelling: Modelling vegetation-fire interactions in Australia Modelling Australian vegetation distributions Details linked below - please share!
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Punk Rock History @punkrockhistory.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
When I decided to go to college, the guys in the band were pretty hip on it because they knew how big of a nerd I was. Like, "What else would you expect him to do but to go off and be a nerd?" I mean, I've got a Ph.D in biochemistry — how uncool is that?  Milo Aukerman #punkrockhistory
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Dr. Riley Pizza @rileypizza.bsky.social · 27/05/2026
🚨New paper alert 🚨 In a 13-year experiment in longleaf pine savannas, we tested when passive recovery works, and how active interventions can help it along. 🧵 Read it here: besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
Active interventions accelerate native plant recolonization following agricultural abandonment
Our results show that combined canopy thinning and prescribed burning can accelerate natural recolonization in savanna systems. However, additional measures (e.g. seed addition) may be needed for wea...
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Francisco Rodriguez-Sanchez @frodsan.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
Very nice review of phylogenetic mixed models doi.org/10.1111/brv.... #statspubs #ecopubs Includes tutorial code with {brms} and {MCMCglmm}
Multi-response phylogenetic mixed models: concepts and application

The scale and resolution of trait databases and molecular phylogenies is increasing rapidly. These resources permit many open questions in comparative biology to be addressed with the right statistical tools. Multi-response (MR) phylogenetic mixed models (PMMs) offer great potential for multivariate analyses of trait evolution. While flexible and powerful, these methods are not often employed by researchers in ecology and evolution, reflecting a specialised and technical literature that creates barriers to usage for many biologists. Here we present a practical and accessible guide to MR-PMMs. We begin with a review of single-response (SR) PMMs to introduce key concepts and outline the limitations of this approach for characterising patterns of trait coevolution. We emphasise MR-PMMs as a preferable approach for analyses involving multiple species traits, due to the explicit decomposition of trait covariances. We discuss multilevel models, multivariate models of evolution, and extensions to non-Gaussian response traits. We highlight techniques for causal inference using graphical models, as well as advanced topics including prior specification and latent factor models. Using simulated data and visual examples, we discuss interpretation, prediction, and model validation. We implement many of the techniques discussed in example analyses of plant functional traits to demonstrate the general utility of MR-PMMs in handling complex real-world data sets. Finally, we discuss the emerging synthesis of comparative techniques made possible by MR-PMMs, highlight strengths and weaknesses, and offer practical recommendations to analysts. To complement this material, we provide online tutorials including side-by-side model implementations in two popular R packages, MCMCglmm and brms.
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ESA Latin America & the Caribbean Chapter @esalatamcarib.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
Help support the ESA LAC Chapter at #ESA2026 🌎💚 Bring a piece of home to share! Your contribution helps support resources and opportunities for the Latin American & Caribbean ecological community. ¡Gracias! Thanks! Obrigado!
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Molly Schumer @mollyschumer.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
Do you know any students who are planning to apply to graduate school this cycle? Encourage them to apply to the Biology Preview Program! We provide intensive workshops to help students w/ their applications + 1:1 mentorship.
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Dr. Sara L Middleton @saralilplants.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
Such a devasting loss 💔 If you are able to, consider donating to support Adriana's family 👇🏽 www.gofundme.com/f/support-fo...
gofundme.com
Donate to Support for Jovani Catalan & Family, organized by Ivette Guzman
Dearest friends and family, We have set up this page to support Jovani Catalan and h… Ivette Guzman needs your support for Support for Jovani Catalan & Family
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ESA Latin America & the Caribbean Chapter @esalatamcarib.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
📢 Oportunidade para estudantes/pesquisadores participarem em Salt Lake no #ESA2026! @esalatamcarib.bsky.social está oferecendo 2 bolsas de inscrição para o congresso da @ecologicalsociety.bsky.social 2026 (cobrem taxa early-bird). 🗓 Prazo: 15 maio 2026 👉 Inscreva-se aqui: forms.gle/6sCHJ4x7mhxR...
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ESA Latin America & the Caribbean Chapter @esalatamcarib.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
📢¡Oportunidad para estudiantes/investigadores de asistir a #ESA2026 en Salt Lake! @esalatamcarib.bsky.social está ofreciendo 2 becas de inscripción para el congreso de @ecologicalsociety.bsky.social 2026 (cubre tarifa early-bird). 🗓 Fecha límite: 15 mayo 2026 👉 Solicitud: forms.gle/6sCHJ4x7mhxR...
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ESA Latin America & the Caribbean Chapter @esalatamcarib.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
📢Great opportunity for LAC students & researchers to join us in Salt Lake for #ESA2026!🌎 @esalatamcarib.bsky.social is offering 2 registration awards for the 2026 @ecologicalsociety.bsky.social Annual Meeting (covers early-bird fees). 🗓 Deadline: May 15, 2026 👉Apply here: forms.gle/6sCHJ4x7mhxR...
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Jing Yang @jingeco.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
When trees compete, they don’t all respond the same way: they become more similar aboveground, but more different belowground. Our new paper shows that these opposite trait shifts can both ease competition and help species coexist. 🌳 besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
Shifts in above‐ and below‐ground trait dissimilarity under competition mediate the future impact of neighbours
Our findings reveal complementary above- and below-ground shifts in multidimensional trait dissimilarity in response to neighbours, providing new insight into potential mechanisms by which plants dea...
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Violeta Calleja Solanas @violetacalleja.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
New paper out! How do species coexist through invasion cycles (like the classic✂️🪨📄) in nature? We introduce a general framework linking the structure of species interactions to the emergence of complex ecological cycles esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1...
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KBS LTER @kbslter.bsky.social · 11/04/2026
Sifting through cross-site @uslter.bsky.social data, researchers found plots with greater biodiversity were more resistant to extreme climatic events. But the key dimensions of biodiversity that helped them cope in wet years weren’t the same as those for dry years. eeb.msu.edu/news/from-de...
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ANTENNA Project @pollinators-antenna.eu · 15/04/2026
🦋 Do you think you can read nature's patterns better than an AI? We just released an interactive challenge that puts human intuition to the test. 🔗 No expertise required, and anyone is invited to participate! Try ANTENNA's Biodiversity Forecasting Challenge here: pollinators-antenna.eu/forecasting
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Dr. Riley Pizza @rileypizza.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
OK y'all asking for advice: When i was a little grad student I always had 1 project in development, 1 project being written up, and 1 project in review. Now as a postdoc and finishing up my PhD stuff I have about 3x that many projects in all those stages. How do you stay on top of it all?
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Kiersten Formoso, PhD(epressed) @formorphology.bsky.social · 10/04/2026
Hi! I'm not here very often, but I just launched my brand new lab website! I'm also hiring a !!! three-year !!! Postdoc. Interest form link can be found under "The Team" section. (Current domain name is temporary haha. FormorphologyLab dot com coming soon!) badger-mustard-h5jf.squarespace.com
badger-mustard-h5jf.squarespace.com
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Violeta Calleja Solanas @violetacalleja.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
Finally! Here is our perspective on why cooperation maximizes diversity and how it promotes additional coexistence mechanisms that do not occur under competition journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1... This is a hard topic with strong opinions... Thanks @asn-amnat.bsky.social for publishing it! 🧵👇
journals.uchicago.edu
Cooperation maximizes biodiversity | The American Naturalist: Vol 0, No ja
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🍁 Alex Smith 🍁 @alexsmithants.bsky.social · 27/03/2026
🧪 Under CoPilot settings -> Privacy -> Disable Allow #GitHub to collect and use my Inputs, Outputs, and associated context to train and improve AI models Disable.
screen grab from GitHub reading, "Allow GitHub to use my data for AI model training
Allow GitHub to collect and use my Inputs, Outputs, and associated context to train and improve AI models. Read more in the Privacy Statement."
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Dr. Riley Pizza @rileypizza.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
I'm doing interviews with students with ADHD and after the interview I told them that I had ADHD and the student was like "I've never seen an ADHD adult be so successful...I guess I really can become a doctor" 🥹🥹🥹 Tell your students about your struggles, I promise it has an impact.
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Ambassador Frank Hull @frankiethull.bsky.social · 04/03/2026
i love data, me too meme
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Shersingh Joseph Tumber-Dávila @josephtumber.bsky.social · 04/02/2026
Come join the Tumber-Dávila Lab as our next Lab manager! We have been fortunate to have Grady Welsh for the last two years, but he will soon be off to bigger and better things pursuing a PhD. While we could never replace Grady, we are eager to hire someone new to help support our ever-growing lab!
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Pascal Title @ptitle.bsky.social · 03/02/2026
Stony Brook E&E has just posted a postdoc-bridge-to-tenure-track-faculty focused on ecological and/or evolutionary responses to global change. Spread the word! apply.interfolio.com/178040
apply.interfolio.com
Apply - Interfolio {{$ctrl.$state.data.pageTitle}} - Apply - Interfolio
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Michael Parks @jurassicparks.bsky.social · 02/02/2026
Context here is grasslands and savannas are often treated as degraded forests, which means restoration targets a forested state. But in these ancient systems restoration to forest would itself be ecological degradation.
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Diogo B Proietti @provete.bsky.social · 25/01/2026
esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.... @esalatamcarib.bsky.social
esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
Nuestra Comunidad: The Role of Latin American Networks in Supporting Ecologists Throughout Their Careers
Click on the article title to read more.
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Nicole Rust @nicolecrust.bsky.social · 21/01/2026
Let's talk about "grumpy lab person". Many labs have them. With an eye to keeping science at its most rigorous, they cross the line into criticism that's too harsh. They are the ones who risk killing your scientific spirit. They are reviewer 2. /1
Grumpy from Disney's Snow White and the 7 dwarves.
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Ale Martínez Blancas @alemtzb.bsky.social · 23/01/2026
When it rains in the desert 🥹
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Luisa F. Pallares @luisapallares.bsky.social · 11/12/2025
Inspired in this iconic Guarda course, a group of four Latin American researchers organized the South American version: #EvoSur. The masterminds behind this amazing idea: Paco Majic (Uruguay) @hhydrochaerus.bsky.social, Santi Herrera (Colombia), Caua Westmann (Brasil) and Ana Maria Agapito (Perú).
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Luis Santiago-Rosario, Ph. D. @saltyecoevo.bsky.social · 06/12/2025
Here is a little natural history observation that my brother and I made in the farm were we grew up and joined forces with Emilie Snell-Rood to help us make sense of the pattern.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
Honeybees Collecting Latex From Breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis) in Puerto Rico Reveal a Novel Interaction With Broad Eco‐Evolutionary Implications
This article showcases a unique natural history observation of honeybees collecting latex from the breadfruit tree (Artocarpus altilis), both nonnative species in Puerto Rico. This represents a uniqu...
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Ashish Nerlekar @ashishnerlekar.bsky.social · 07/12/2025
www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a...
smithsonianmag.com
Ancient Literature Suggests India's Savannas Are Much Older Than Previously Thought
Plant species mentioned in texts from the past 800 years hint the wooded grasslands of western India have been there since ancient times, pushing back on the narrative that they are remnants of long-g...
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samuel mehr @mehr.nz · 14/12/2023
it's wild that R, the ubiquitous statistical computing language, was co-created by a Māori prof (Ross Ihaka) — and yet the vast majority of scientists who use R don't know this is like inventing the toaster. possibly the largest impact of a single member of an indigenous community on modern science
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