Sign in

Chris Catano

@chriscatano.bsky.social
2.2K followers 573 following 104 posts

Professor at University of California, Riverside Ecology | Biodiversity | Global Change Biology chcatano.wixsite.com/ecology

PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by Chris Catano
Elinor Lichtenberg @dremlichtenberg.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
Another PhD opportunity in my lab! Interdisciplinary NSF-funded project developing a new framework and tools for understanding and valuing ecosystem services, with a focus on crop #pollination. Details: cos.unt.edu/biology/lich... 🌐🌎👩🏿‍🔬
cos.unt.edu
Opportunities
Interested in joining the Lichtenberg Lab? See below. The Lichtenberg lab is committed to providing an inclusive and supportive environment to trainees from diverse backgrounds.
01214
Reposted by Chris Catano
Steve Pennings @stevenpennings.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
In experiments, high plant diversity usually leads to high ecosystem function and stability. But in nature, the same factors that determine plant species diversity may also affect stability. This means the results of BEF experiments don't always apply to natural systems. doi.org/10.1002/ecy....
doi.org
A salinity gradient mediates plant diversity–function–stability relationships across a coastal marsh landscape
Ecosystem function and stability are often positively related to species richness in experiments, but in nature, abiotic gradients may over-ride or obscure the effects of richness on function and sta...
21712
Reposted by Chris Catano
Joe Brennan @biologyjoe87.bsky.social · 11/07/2026
Now out in Ecology Letters 🥳
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
Using Modern Coexistence Theory to Understand Community Disassembly
Community disassembly examines how extinctions reshape ecological communities. Here, we introduce the community disassembly graph, which uses invasion growth rates (IGRs) to identify extinction-drive....
05320
Reposted by Chris Catano
Robert Fletcher @fletcherecology.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
Really interesting take on the future of ecology in an AI world. The take home: experiments and long-term studies will have increasing value. @jdrakephd.bsky.social onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
AI, Comparative Advantage, and the Next Decade of Ecological Research
Click on the article title to read more.
02813
Reposted by Chris Catano
Brian J. Enquist @bjenquist.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
Biotic interactions biogeography: A framework for understanding how species interactions shape biodiversity patterns across scales 🧪🌐https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.3003813
journals.plos.org
Biotic interactions biogeography: A framework for understanding how species interactions shape biodiversity patterns across scales
Biogeography and ecology have long developed in parallel. This Essay explores how new data on species interactions across large scales now allow their integration, opening fresh insights into how biod...
03416
Reposted by Chris Catano
Jonathan Tonkin @jdtonkin.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
"We didn't become biodiversity scientists to preside over decay." — Becky Chaplin-Kramer Eight times more papers document biodiversity loss than recovery. We're better at describing what's broken than understanding how to fix it. That needs to change. More here 👇
predirections.substack.com
We're great at documenting decline and surprisingly bad at understanding recovery
Recovery, rewilding, and why we're measuring the wrong things (Nexus Notes #30)
65022
Reposted by Chris Catano
Trevor Caughlin @trevorcaughlin.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
Collecting wild seed is one of the biggest challenges in restoration ecology. How do you identify reproductive plants across landscapes? We show how drones could provide a solution, predicting flower production of a native shrub: doi.org/10.1016/j.ra... #rangelands #sagebrush ​
165
Reposted by Chris Catano
Marcel Cardillo @marcelcardillo.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
Really nice memoriam to Robert Ricklefs by Brian McGill: dynamicecology.wordpress.com/2026/06/11/r... Ricklefs got ecologists to think big: about the role of history, biogeography & macroevolution on ecological patterns. More than anyone, his work shaped the course of my career.
dynamicecology.wordpress.com
Robert Ricklefs – in memoriam
Robert Ricklefs, a giant of ecology, passed away on Sunday. It is hard to overstate the extensive impact Bob had on the field. He was elected a member of the National Academy of Sciences in the US,…
02512
Reposted by Chris Catano
Tess Grainger @tessgrainger.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
New paper out today in Ecology Letters! We use Modern Coexistence Theory and Metabolic Theory to get general predictions for the effect of temperature on competition. Led by brilliant postdoc @kaleighedavis.bsky.social and @joeybernhardt.bsky.social, with Po-Ju Ke, Patrick Thompson and Mary O'Connor
dx.doi.org
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...
04317
Reposted by Chris Catano
Jonathan Myers @jamyersecology.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
Honored to have one of my photos on the cover of @nature.com And thrilled to be part of this #ForestGEO study led by Yuanzhi Li and Chengjin Chu 🌴 🌳 🌐 doi.org/10.1038/s415... Photo caption: Sunrise over a tropical forest near Danum Valley Field Centre, Sabah, Malaysia
1246
Reposted by Chris Catano
College of Biological Science @uofgcbs.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
As the climate warms, animals are being forced to shift their ranges to survive.🐾 Research led by Kayley Breslin & tessgrainger.bsky.social @integrativebiology.bsky.social using beetles found warmer temperatures can accelerate both movement & population growth. www.uoguelph.ca/cbs/news/202...
Kayley Breslin beetles in plastic cases
154
Reposted by Chris Catano
Hakeem Jefferson @hakeemjefferson.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
FWIW, I don’t think the major problem in my field, or related ones, is that people need to move faster & produce more. I read a lot of papers as part of the job, and I’m increasingly convinced we’d benefit from fewer papers and better ones, not more mediocre work produced ever more “efficiently.”
92363395
Reposted by Chris Catano
Chris Klausmeier @chrisklausmeier.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
Robert MacArthur's "favorite part of ecology, [is] the part that combines the adventure of field work in varied places with the discipline of making nontrivial theory. It is the part best done by field naturalists, but naturalists who know what science is all about." Describes Brian to a tee!
1142
Reposted by Chris Catano
Jay T Lennon @jaytlennon.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
"When energy is scarce, evolution selects dormancy" Commentary by Chris Kempes in @pnas.org www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
pnas.org
When energy is scarce, evolution selects dormancy | PNAS
When energy is scarce, evolution selects dormancy
0225
Reposted by Chris Catano
Tanya Cheeke @tanyacheeke.bsky.social · 04/05/2026
Devastating loss of Dr. Adriana Romero-Olivares this week. She was an amazing mycologist, a leader in her field, & my friend & collaborator. This is a tremendous loss for mycology, science, & the world. There is a meal train for her husband & two small children www.mealtrain.com/trains/l3kg64
mealtrain.com
Meal Train for Jovani Catalan (Spouse of Adriana Romero Olivares)
Hi all, Please help out the family of Adriana Romero Olivares. Her husband, Jovani, and kids can be helped with meals over the next weeks as Adriana recovers.
03818
Reposted by Chris Catano
Dr. Asmeret Asefaw Berhe @aaberhe.com · 29/04/2026
Prof. Adriana Romero-Olivares, UC Riverside, was doing incredible work on how fungi and ecosystems respond to global change. A rising voice, a dynamic scientist and educator, a young mother, wife and daughter gone far too soon. A huge loss. Her family, students and community are in my thoughts.
Prof. Adriana Romero-Olivares
411028
Reposted by Chris Catano
Joel Sachs @sachslab.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
especially her husband, Dr. Jovani Catalan Dibene, and her two young children. With deepest sympathy, Joel L. Sachs Professor & Chair, Evolution Ecology & Organismal Biology
171
Reposted by Chris Catano
Joel Sachs @sachslab.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
Dear Colleagues, It is with immense sadness and shock that I share the passing of Dr. Adriana Romero Olivares, a brand-new Assistant Professor in the Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology at UC Riverside. www.mealtrain.com/trains/l3kg64
mealtrain.com
Meal Train for Jovani Catalan (Spouse of Adriana Romero Olivares)
Hi all, Please help out the family of Adriana Romero Olivares. Her husband, Jovani, and kids can be helped with meals over the next weeks as Adriana recovers.
22515
Reposted by Chris Catano
Joel Sachs @sachslab.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
If you'd like to support her family, you can do so here: www.mealtrain.com/trains/l3kg64
mealtrain.com
Meal Train for Jovani Catalan (Spouse of Adriana Romero Olivares)
Hi all, Please help out the family of Adriana Romero Olivares. Her husband, Jovani, and kids can be helped with meals over the next weeks as Adriana recovers.
052
Reposted by Chris Catano
Pete Homyak @petehomyak.bsky.social · 23/04/2026
New exciting work 🧪by Kai Huang and team: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
Topography‐Mediated Soil Moisture Controls Forest Hillslope‐Scale NO and N2O Emissions
Conceptual diagram illustrating soil NO and N2O emissions along a temperate forest hillslope. Left panel: Automated soil gas chambers were deployed along a forest hillslope to measure high-resolution...
142
Reposted by Chris Catano
John M. Drake @jdrakephd.bsky.social · 20/04/2026
New paper with Victor Felix and Pej Rohani in J. R. Soc. Interface. doi.org/10.1098/rsif...
doi.org
A single autoregressive integrated moving average with exogenous variable outperforms ensembles of autoregressive models for forecasting influenza hospitalizations in the contiguous United States
Abstract. Infectious disease forecasting is important to public health decision-making, particularly for mitigating the burden of seasonal influenza. We pr
021
Reposted by Chris Catano
Robert Fletcher @fletcherecology.bsky.social · 20/04/2026
Excited to share a new article from the lab & wonderful co-authors. We argue that habitat fragmentation research needs to be recalibrated to focus on changes over time. We hope that doing so will advance understanding, isolate attribution, and diminish heated debate. www.cell.com/trends/ecolo...
cell.com
Resurrecting habitat fragmentation as a process over time
Habitat loss and fragmentation occur over time. Despite this truism, understanding the effects of habitat fragmentation has, in recent years, predominantly focused on interpreting snapshots of current...
25024
Reposted by Chris Catano
American Naturalist / ASN 🐌 @asn-amnat.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
Antifragility: A Cross-Cutting Concept for Understanding Ecological Responses to Variability by Wickman et al. Available now ahead of print! www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...
The American Naturalist classic cover
072
Reposted by Chris Catano
Jonathan Tonkin @jdtonkin.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
This fortnight’s Nexus Notes connects models, techno‑optimism, moral courage, Welsh stick chairs (!), and why so many arguments talk past each other. There’s a deeper pattern here about models, responsibility, and perspective. 🔗👇 predirections.substack.com/p/knowing-mo...
predirections.substack.com
Knowing more, understanding less
Models, optimism, moral courage, and the limits of knowing (Nexus Notes #26)
063
Chris Catano @chriscatano.bsky.social · 12/04/2026
New paper by Mackenzie Hoogshagen showing how contributions of diet & genetic background shape geographic variation in parasite infection outcomes across monarch butterfly populations - Ecological Entomology - share.google/s9s2Alqm9fQU...
share.google
The contributions of host diet and genetic background to shaping parasite infection outcomes in monarch butterflies across natural populations
We experimentally tested the roles of diet and genetic background in shaping monarch butterfly resistance to its protozoan parasite using monarchs from North America, Puerto Rico and hybrids. We fou.....
040
Chris Catano @chriscatano.bsky.social · 09/04/2026
In another experiment, we show how immigration can shift the balance between ecological selection and drift in shaping turnover in gut microbiomes across individual caterpillars and through development. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
Experimental Immigration Mediates Ecological Selection and Drift in Monarch Microbiome Assembly
The distribution of biodiversity depends on processes operating across scales, yet multiscale paradigms have struggled to permeate host-microbiome research. By integrating multi-scale ecological theo...
131
Chris Catano @chriscatano.bsky.social · 09/04/2026
With a landscape-scale experiment, we show how regional processes (immigration & species pool size) can alter the importance of species sorting and mitigate spatial homogenization of plant communities. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
Regional Processes Mediate Ecological Selection and the Distribution of Plant Diversity Across Scales
This experiment quantifies how species pool size and immigration influence plant community assembly in restored grasslands. Our findings reveal that greater immigration (seed arrival) and smaller spe...
030
Reposted by Chris Catano
Jonathan Tonkin @jdtonkin.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
Petrol hit $3.40/L this week. One shock and the whole system wobbled. We’ve built a society so optimised that it’s become brittle — supply chains, food systems, infrastructure, all running with no slack. Society is optimising for efficiency. Ecosystems optimise for resilience.
predirections.substack.com
We built a fragile society
Modern society has optimised for efficiency at the expense of resilience
183
Reposted by Chris Catano
Emily Farrer @emilycfarrer.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
Becoming a parent is much worse for women in academia vs men, because women do 5 times (!!!) the amount of childcare than men www.nature.com/articles/d41...
nature.com
Motherhood derails women’s academic careers — these data reveal how and why
Mothers in academia take on considerably more childcare-related responsibilities than do fathers.
193
Reposted by Chris Catano
David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · 12/03/2026
The 2026 National Science Foundation budget is $8.75 Billion.
nytimes.com
First 6 Days of Iran War Cost U.S. $11.3 Billion, Pentagon Says
4044152028
Chris Catano @chriscatano.bsky.social · 12/03/2026
Nature is THE predatory journal. Not because it publishes junk or operates via unethical practices, but because they know how much they are coveted and price gouge. No society affiliation, just pure corporate greed.
250
Reposted by Chris Catano
Matt Bracken @brackenlab.bsky.social · 11/03/2026
Our review of #trait - based approaches to ecological restoration is finally out in @esajournals.bsky.social *Ecological Applications*, highlighting the value of functional traits for creating system-general restoration strategies. 🌐 🧮➕📏 urldefense.com/v3/__http://...
Community trajectories towards a restoration target (increase in zooplankton community diversity and abundance to regain ecosystem function, facilitated by invasive fish removal), where functional and taxonomic composition recover at different rates: In the disturbance phase, non-native fish introductions reduce the functional diversity of zooplankton communities; during active restoration, fish are removed from lakes, allowing communities to recover functions associated with naturally fishless systems; the assisted or unassisted recovery phase is characterized by the initial reassembly of functional structure via plasticity and dispersal followed by taxonomic recovery through additional dispersal. Traits are shown as univariate for illustrative purposes but can encompass multiple traits in practice.
24416
Reposted by Chris Catano
Jonathan Tonkin @jdtonkin.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
If you’re interested in modelling community turnover and/or community uniqueness (i.e. LCBD: local contribution to beta diversity), make sure you check it out. Paper: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
Accounting for the Influence of Community Turnover Along Environmental Gradients on Compositional Uniqueness
Compositional uniqueness is commonly quantified using the Local Contribution to Beta Diversity (LCBD), which is typically regressed against environmental predictors. However, LCBD–environment relatio...
193
Reposted by Chris Catano
Gabe DuBose @gabe-dubose.bsky.social · 05/03/2026
Super happy to share that my article on inferring the dynamics of selective constraints across complex ontogenies is now out in Royal Society Open Science. My experience with RSOS was great, and I’m happy to be part of the movement towards open science! royalsocietypublishing.org/rsos/article...
royalsocietypublishing.org
Inferring the dynamics of selective constraints across complex ontogenies | Royal Society Open Science | The Royal Society
172
Chris Catano @chriscatano.bsky.social · 22/02/2026
Early morning view of Riverside, CA to calm my nerves during this 5-3 powerplay. 🇺🇸 vs 🇨🇦 #GoldMedal #Hockey #Olympics
060
Chris Catano @chriscatano.bsky.social · 20/02/2026
Beautiful winter morning in Riverside, California.
Snow-capped mountains in Southern California
150
Chris Catano @chriscatano.bsky.social · 07/02/2026
Clear differenecs in plant compostion emerging in 1st year of #DRAGnet experiment manipulating #disturbance & #nutrients in an annual grassland in Riverside, CA. This plot is dominated by native Amsinckia menziesii, with neighboring plot dominated by non-native Brassica tournefortii.
5x5-m plot dominated by flowering annual forb in invaded grassland in Southern California
010
Reposted by Chris Catano
Rachel Penczykowski @rachelpenczy.bsky.social · 03/02/2026
We're getting close! Only ~20 more signatures needed. Any current member of the Ecological Society of America (@ecologicalsociety.bsky.social) is eligible to sign this petition for a new ESA Section for Distributed Ecological Research Networks: esa.org/membership/p...
esa.org
033
Reposted by Chris Catano
Carolyn Rasmussen @carolynplants.bsky.social · 02/02/2026
Riverside in bloom #BloomScrolling
Blue eyes, cryptantha white flowers and yellow fiddlenecksRed and Orange monkeyflowers in a rocky areaFields with warehouses and mountains in the background.
0264
Reposted by Chris Catano
Sunil Kenchanmane Raju @kenchanmane.bsky.social · 01/02/2026
We’re #hiring a #postdoc @ucriverside.bsky.social 🌿 Work on cis-regulatory evolution, gene family diversification, and cell-type-specific climate responses using single-cell and comparative genomics - kenchanmanelab.com/research/ Deadline: Feb 5, 2026 Apply: aprecruit.ucr.edu/apply/JPF02058
098
Reposted by Chris Catano
Dr Pierre Mariotte @pierremariotte.bsky.social · 27/01/2026
⚠️ New paper out in Nature Ecology & Evolution 🌱 #Grasslands #SoilCarbon @natecoevo.nature.com
doi.org
The global extent of the grassland biome and implications for the terrestrial carbon sink - Nature Ecology & Evolution
By combining satellite observations with ground-based data and expert validation, this analysis demonstrates considerable misestimation of grassland extent and thereby carbon stock estimates in previo...
04826
Reposted by Chris Catano
Carolyn Rasmussen @carolynplants.bsky.social · 19/01/2026
Riverside super bloom with desert wishbone, fiddlenecks and popcorn flowers #NativePlants
Purple white and yellow flowers
1605
Reposted by Chris Catano
Brian J. Enquist @bjenquist.bsky.social · 18/01/2026
“The U.S. Department of the Interior announced on Friday that it is revoking seven grazing permits in Phillips County that American Prairie had been using to sustain its herd of bison.” 🧪🌐🌾
72736
Reposted by Chris Catano
Rachel Penczykowski @rachelpenczy.bsky.social · 13/01/2026
Please sign & share this petition to create a new ESA Section for Distributed Ecological Research Networks (DERNs): esa.org/membership/p... Goals: promote and support participation in existing and new DERNs, facilitate sharing of knowledge, and encourage collaborations within and between networks.
esa.org
131
Chris Catano @chriscatano.bsky.social · 11/01/2026
Really important points, Rob!
130
Chris Catano @chriscatano.bsky.social · 10/01/2026
Beautful day yesterday out at our pinyon flats experiment in southern California. We are testing how changing precipitation regimes in arid ecosystems alter the causal mechanisms linking soil biogeochemistry, plant community composition, and primary productivity.
Rain-out shelters in field experiment
050
Reposted by Chris Catano
Marko Spasojevic @m-j-spasojevic.bsky.social · 01/01/2026
youtu.be/r3wsnirQOXQ?... Check out our highlights and subscribe to see what is wild in Riverside in 2026. We have partnered with city parks to add cameras to Sycamore Canyon and will be working with the county to start monitoring donkey populations across Riverside.
youtu.be
Wild Riverside's best clips of 2025
YouTube video by Spasojevic Ecology Lab
032
Reposted by Chris Catano
Tess Grainger @tessgrainger.bsky.social · 17/12/2025
New paper out today in @royalsocietypublishing.org Biology Letters, led by undergrad superstar Laina Weiss! An experimental test of theory on the effects of temperature and resources on carrying capacity. So proud 🥹 tinyurl.com/yvmzmt9a @integrativebiology.bsky.social
16514
Reposted by Chris Catano
Julian Schrader @julianschrader.bsky.social · 18/12/2025
My @newphyt.bsky.social Tansley Insight is now published in an issue: Trait-based island biogeography as a tool for studying future ecological communities I provide an overview of recent advances in integrating plant traits into island ecology and highlight key themes for future research.
nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
Trait‐based island biogeography as a tool for studying future ecological communities
Understanding the future of ecological communities under global change is among the most pressing challenges in plant ecology. Islands, with their reduced species diversity and clear boundaries, have...
0165
Reposted by Chris Catano
Kevin J. Gaston @kevinjgaston.bsky.social · 18/12/2025
How should the discipline of ecology and the community of ecologists respond to the ecological crisis? Is it time that these were put on something more akin to an emergency footing? www.cell.com/action/showP...
13418