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Jess Hightower

@jesshightower.bsky.social
3.7K followers 838 following 146 posts

Wildlife conservation | Landscape ecology |Tropical ecology | Habitat loss and fragmentation | Community ecology | Climate Change | fan of 🐦s | she/her

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Reposted by Jess Hightower
gavin jones @ecologyofgavin.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
I’m looking to recruit a postdoc to join my research group at University of Iowa to work on disturbance ecology and biodiversity! Start date flexible, lots of opportunity for skill development, collaboration, and mentorship. Will review applicants in mid-August! Link: gavinmjones.com/opportunities/
gavinmjones.com
Opportunities
BIG NEWS! The Jones Lab will be relocating to the School of Earth, Environment, and Sustainability (SEES) at the University of Iowa in Fall 2026. Our work on disturbance ecology and conservation sc…
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Alberta Community Bat Program/Western Bat Program 🦇 @albertabats.bsky.social · 30/05/2026
Big. Old. Trees. (with defects like peeling bark, holes, cracks, crevices). TAKE A LONG TIME TO DEVELOP. New paper out estimates that it takes a century for a good roost tree to develop in eastern forests. For western bats - that could be much longer. 🦇 www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
sciencedirect.com
Tree roosts used by an endangered bat require almost a century to develop
As a forest-dependent species, the endangered Indiana bat (Myotis sodalis) is reliant on large-diameter tree roosts (hereafter, “roosts”), which are u…
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Soh Kam Yung @sohkamyung.bsky.social · 21/06/2026
A Little Spiderhunter (Arachnothera longirostra) spotted at Thomson Nature Park, Singapore on 21 June 2026. An uncommon bird, its long beak lets it reach into the flowers of this ginger plant. On iNaturalist [ www.inaturalist.org/observations... ] #iNaturalist #Nature #Singapore #Birds #Aves
A small bird with a very long beak. It has a grey head a white throat, yellow belly and dull olive upperparts. In this shot, it is in profile, facing to the left.In this shot, the bird is getting ready to insert its beak into the opening of a ginger glower.In this shot, the bird has inserted most of its beak into the opening of a ginger glower.In this shot, the bird is now facing to the right. Its beak is slightly open, with a dusting of white powder on the beak, which may be the flower's pollen.
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elia ayoub @ayoub.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
Mona Khalil, Lebanon’s most well-known sea turtle conservationist, died of her wounds today after being injured by an Israeli strike I feel sick
MARINE ECOLOGIST MONA
KHALIL HAS PASSED AWAY
AFTER SUSTAINING INJURIES IN AN ISRAELI AIRSTRIKEMona and a turtle in Lebanon
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Robert Fletcher @fletcherecology.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
Just out--excited to share: The land surrounding remaining habitats has outsized effects for species--as large or larger than habitat loss & fragmentation. It was a huge experimental effort to isolate attribution for landscape ecology & conservation. @camzoology.bsky.social @brunalab.bsky.social
nature.com
Landscape quality drives ecological responses to habitat loss and fragmentation - Nature Ecology & Evolution
Habitat loss and fragmentation are among the greatest threats to biodiversity. Here the authors show that habitat quality of the surrounding landscape can also affect demographic rates and population ...
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Alice Boyle @birdfiddler.bsky.social · 04/03/2026
@westernu.ca did a write up on our new paper! Forgive me for being proud of this contribution. ☺️ news.westernu.ca/2026/03/rain... #ornithology #birds #meta-analysis #rain
news.westernu.ca
New Western research reveals how rainfall shapes bird populations
New study shows rainfall patterns play a powerful role in shaping bird populations and which species are most vulnerable as precipitation becomes more erratic.
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Jess Hightower @jesshightower.bsky.social · 31/01/2026
You’d almost never know they were in the forest, but Siamese Fireback really did seem to love the camera (cam trap)🤣#Cambodia
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Jacqueline Sweet @jsweetli.bsky.social · 24/01/2026
Alex Pretti, the man killed by federal agents today in Minneapolis, appears to have been a registered nurse, an athlete, a son and a brother, with ties to Colorado and Wisconsin. Here is a photo he used for several accounts.
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Jess Hightower @jesshightower.bsky.social · 19/01/2026
😮
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Jessie Williamson @jlwilliamson.bsky.social · 16/01/2026
The Wyoming Game & Fish Dept. is hiring two Black Rosy-Finch technicians to conduct alpine surveys in Wyoming's high elevation mountains during June 1st to Aug 31st 2026: www.governmentjobs.com/careers/wyom.... Spread the word!
governmentjobs.com
Job Opportunities | .
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Felipe Martello @felipemartello.bsky.social · 14/01/2026
Very happy to share this new paper is out! 🚀 Using multitaxa trait-based data, we introduce new indicators that capture ecosystem resilience and the critical role of functionally unique species for sustaining ecosystem functioning. besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
Multitaxa functional diversity increases the resilience of biological natural capital in the Amazon
This study presents a trait-based framework integrating functional diversity into biological natural capital accounting, capturing both ecosystem resilience and species uniqueness across multiple tax...
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Chris Sutherland @chrissuthy.bsky.social · 28/12/2025
We are recruiting several PhD students. If you are interested in conservation conflicts, population ecology, quantitative ecology, or biodiversity, check these projects out (links in the thread, feel free to reach out):
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Sophie Gilbert @sophielgilbert.bsky.social · 22/12/2025
We are expanding into Florida, and we are hiring! www.perc.org/careers/flor...
perc.org
Florida Strategic Initiatives Director
The Florida Strategic Initiatives Director is an exciting new role that will coordinate PERC’s market-based conservation work in Florida to advance meaningful conservation outcomes through improvement...
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Jess Hightower @jesshightower.bsky.social · 08/12/2025
Oooh, I need to get one as well!
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Robert Fletcher @fletcherecology.bsky.social · 08/12/2025
Really happy to share that the Second Edition of our book, "Spatial Ecology and Conservation Modeling", is now out and available online! We provide a foundation for applied spatial ecology with a focus on learning-by-doing. @camzoology.bsky.social @conservation.cam.ac.uk
link.springer.com
Spatial Ecology and Conservation Modeling
This textbook provides a foundation for modern applied ecology. It follows a rapidly changing field with updates of concepts, methods, and code.
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Clemens Küpper @chorlnev.bsky.social · 08/12/2025
📣Please share: We are looking for a field assistant to join our team in studying #ruffs on coastal meadows at Botnian Bay in Finland. The job will provide fantastic insights into lekking behaviour and provide essential skills in field ornithology. Details here www.bi.mpg.de/2790786/2512...
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Jess Hightower @jesshightower.bsky.social · 20/11/2025
And maybe some mouse deer? 😄
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Jess Hightower @jesshightower.bsky.social · 20/11/2025
Thinking I need to submit a mouse deer photo for cover now.
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Jess Hightower @jesshightower.bsky.social · 18/11/2025
No one told the bat the robin was suppose to be their sidekick, not side dish.
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Dan Baldassarre @evornithology.bsky.social · 18/11/2025
🤯 Wild shit here. They put biologgers on greater noctule bats and found them pursuing, capturing, and eating birds in-flight. The recording of a European Robin getting blasted and snacked on is nuts. Sci Am story: www.scientificamerican.com/article/this... Paper: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
scientificamerican.com
Bat vs. Robin—Scientists Capture Real-Life Audio of Midair Hunt
Scientists suspected that Europe’s largest bats snack on migrating songbirds when they can, but a stunning newly published observation proves it
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Benjamin Freeman @benjaminfreeman.bsky.social · 12/11/2025
How are Pacific NW mountain birds responding to climate change? I got up at 4:00 am for a month to find out. but first the backstory, or "how I spent seven years telling everyone this project wasn't possible" new paper here: esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
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Jess Hightower @jesshightower.bsky.social · 13/11/2025
Thanks, it seems like a pretty relevant conference.
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Jess Hightower @jesshightower.bsky.social · 13/11/2025
I know this is a newer conference, but has anyone been to an earlier one or planning to go next year? worldbiodiversityforum.org/call-for-abs...
worldbiodiversityforum.org
Call for Abstracts
Call for oral and poster abstracts for WBF2026 More than 90 sessions, in 10 thematic tracks will bring together international researchers, artists, practitioners, companies and policy makers from a va...
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Brian J. Enquist @bjenquist.bsky.social · 07/10/2025
This looks to be a fundamental theoretical advance by @jpodwyer.bsky.social et al. Using linkage disequlibrium-based Ne to back out σ² and then predict fluctuation sizes from a single temporal snapshot is a real advance for broad application 🧪🌐https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adu6396
science.org
Genomic demography predicts community dynamics in a temperate montane forest
Species population sizes fluctuate over time, and these temporal dynamics play a key role in governing the maintenance of biodiversity. Although modeling approaches have been developed to characterize...
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Eliot Miller @eliotmiller.bsky.social · 16/10/2025
Using automated acoustic monitoring, citizen science, and centuries of ornithological research and understanding to quantify ecological integrity at scale. The BirdsPlus Index, a novel method for assessing site-level conservation values. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
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Global Wildfire Collective @wildfirecollective.bsky.social · 15/10/2025
Our Global Wildfire Collective Spatial Data Gateway is here! Intended for sharing wildfire-related data, maps, models, tools, and publications. Explore now! globalwildfirecollective.databasin.org #GlobalWildfireCollective #ConsBio #DataBasin #FireData #WildfireData #Wildfire #Fire #FireResearch
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Jess Hightower @jesshightower.bsky.social · 13/10/2025
Does this count? 😅
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Alice Boyle @birdfiddler.bsky.social · 13/10/2025
I've been laying low, getting started at @westernu.ca but time to emerge from under the rock... Here is a nice article about virtual fencing for cattle that includes our efforts to find conservation solutions for grassland birds on private lands. www.kcur.org/environment-...
kcur.org
Ranchers are using ‘virtual fencing’ to move their cattle — and help save prairies
Virtual fencing uses GPS collars, sounds and electrical cues to move cattle across a landscape. Along with saving ranchers time, researchers say this new technology can help protect, and create, wildl...
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Jess Hightower @jesshightower.bsky.social · 14/09/2025
Do we have a word yet for “fear of closing tabs”?
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Communications Earth & Environment @commsearth.nature.com · 12/09/2025
🌳🦟Indigenous territory extent in the Amazon biome can reduce the incidence of fire-related and zoonotic/vector-borne diseases in humans. 👉Read more here: www.nature.com/articles/s43...
nature.com
Indigenous Territories can safeguard human health depending on the landscape structure and legal status - Communications Earth & Environment
Indigenous territory extent in the Amazon biome can reduce the incidence of fire-related and zoonotic/vector-borne diseases, but only in certain contexts, according to an analysis of disease incidence...
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Jess Hightower @jesshightower.bsky.social · 07/09/2025
A very cool story!
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Jess Hightower @jesshightower.bsky.social · 25/08/2025
NYT coverage of Gaza was the last straw for me. I canceled my subscription. Infuriating that this is their normal approach to covering any news out of Gaza.
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Methods in Ecology and Evolution @methodsinecoevol.bsky.social · 22/08/2025
📖Published📖 Forrest et al. present deepSSF, an approach to fit and predict animal movement data using deep learning 🐃 🌍 🧪 Read the full article here 👇 buff.ly/BWQ3Oni
Conceptual overview of the deepSSF neural network used to predict animal movement.
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Jess Hightower @jesshightower.bsky.social · 19/08/2025
Ok I like it, Picasso.
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Jess Hightower @jesshightower.bsky.social · 19/08/2025
Need a brand name? Pick a word and remove a vowel (or two). So should I call my pretend business Ecolgy, Eclogy, Eclgy, Wld, Brds, Natr, Envro, BDvy?
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Mike Moore @moore-evo-eco.bsky.social · 18/08/2025
Are you looking for a PhD position and want to spend your summers in the Rocky Mountains? My lab @cudenverclas.bsky.social is looking for 1 PhD student to work on a NSF-funded project to study elevational range shifts in Colorado! 🧪🌍🐙 Apply by Nov 1! Details here docs.google.com/document/d/1...
docs.google.com
2025 - Hypoxia PhD job ad
The Moore lab at the University of Colorado Denver is searching for 1 Ph.D. student to study the elevational limits of dragonflies in Colorado (http://moore-evo-eco.weebly.com). This position is fully...
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Tommaso Jucker @tommaso-jucker.bsky.social · 14/08/2025
We have a #Tansley review out today @newphyt.bsky.social led by Becky Banbury Morgan in which we put forward a new framework that aims to explain how and why edge effects on forest structure vary across ecosystems and through time 📜 doi.org/10.1111/nph....
Graphical illustration of the four key stages of edge evolution following edge creation.
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Tyson Wepprich @tysonwepprich.bsky.social · 08/08/2025
Short paper showing how phenology responds nonlinearly to warming (and why summed degree-days are better than days/°C) www.nature.com/articles/s44...
nature.com
Rethinking the interpretation of spring phenological temperature sensitivity - npj Science of Plants
npj Science of Plants - Rethinking the interpretation of spring phenological temperature sensitivity
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Adam Sharp @adam-sharp.bsky.social · 06/08/2025
New article out today in Nature - intensified El Niño events under climate change appear to be chipping away at tropical forest arthropod diversity. This is already leading to substantial losses in arthropod function in primary forests across the tropics. rdcu.be/ezAxP
rdcu.be
Stronger El Niños reduce tropical forest arthropod diversity and function
Nature - Time-series data from tropical forests tracking weather and declines in arthropod diversity and function show that fluctuations in species were largely dependent on their El Niño...
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Jess Hightower @jesshightower.bsky.social · 06/08/2025
Invertebrates are declining even in pristine tropical forests and climate change is the culprit. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
Stronger El Niños reduce tropical forest arthropod diversity and function - Nature
Time-series data from tropical forests tracking weather and declines in arthropod diversity and function show that fluctuations in species were largely dependent on their El Niño sensitivity and ecolo...
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Jess Hightower @jesshightower.bsky.social · 25/07/2025
Ha, this makes me feel way better about planting catmint in front of my old rental. Land ladies mom moved in after me and I just left it for them to take care of the run away monster I’d created.
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Jess Hightower @jesshightower.bsky.social · 24/07/2025
Yeah, the link uses photogrammetry, but I’m pretty sure their digital imaging division has used/uses 3D laser scanners as well. When I was at UF one of the 3D printing lab guys helped me use a Wii to scan in a ginger flower 🤓
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Jess Hightower @jesshightower.bsky.social · 24/07/2025
Florida Museum at UF does a lot of this! I bet they would have some solid advice. They’ve got a whole digital imaging division. www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/envarch/fish...
floridamuseum.ufl.edu
Fish Photogrammetry Project
In collaboration with the Florida Museum Digital Imaging Division, the Environmental Archaeology Program's Fish Skulls Photogrammetry Project focuses on capturing detailed 3D images of neurocrania fro...
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Jess Hightower @jesshightower.bsky.social · 23/07/2025
I’d say I can’t believed they platformed that opinion, but unfortunately I can
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Jess Hightower @jesshightower.bsky.social · 23/07/2025
Based on title alone, I remain comfortable in my position of not supporting the NYT.
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Nature Ecology & Evolution @natecoevo.nature.com · 23/07/2025
Analysis of data on 971 bird species in Colombia finds that near-national-scale losses of bird diversity greatly exceed losses recorded at the local scale, suggesting that extrapolations from local studies will severely underestimate biodiversity losses www.nature.com/articles/s41... 🧪
nature.com
Tropical biodiversity loss from land-use change is severely underestimated by local-scale assessments - Nature Ecology & Evolution
Analysis of data on 971 bird species in natural habitat and cattle pasture in Colombia finds that near-national-scale losses of bird diversity greatly exceed losses recorded at the local scale, sugges...
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Orlando Acevedo-Charry @oacevedocharry.bsky.social · 23/07/2025
Could we use community/citizen/participatory science data to estimate population extinction risk? Our results comparing the estimates from eBird and from a standardized survey suggest we can!! #ornithology #ecology #conservation See our detailed tutorial oaccolombia.github.io/vpm_eBird/vp...
oaccolombia.github.io
Supporting Information
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Jess Hightower @jesshightower.bsky.social · 23/07/2025
A much needed updated work. How does time fly by so fast? Looking forward to digging in.
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Jess Hightower @jesshightower.bsky.social · 11/07/2025
This was blowing up on random TikTok accounts 🙄. I wish it was more like Reddit- where you can open the comments and the top comments will be someone explaining, with sources, why this is absolutely not correct.
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Dr. Lucky Tran @luckytran.com · 08/07/2025
BREAKING: Scientists are staging a “science fair” in the lobby of a Congressional building to tell elected officials about the critical knowledge the US will lose because their research grants have been canceled.
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