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Megan S. Reich

@megansreich.bsky.social
811 followers 1.1K following 34 posts

Postdoctoral Research Associate currently at the University of Wollongong, Australia, studying insect migration using isotope geolocation.

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Megan S. Reich @megansreich.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
Came across a northward migration of monarch butterflies in Iowa last week 🦋 Hit 18 with my car 😱 Saw twice as many dead on the side of the road (I'm sure there were many more but they're hard to see while driving 100km/h down the highway)
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Stephen Montgomery @ebablab.bsky.social · 11/05/2026
🚨Job claxon🚨 4-year #Postdoc available in our lab in @camzoology.bsky.social developing molecular and anatomical approaches to mapping evolutionary changes in the brain, using #Heliconiini butterflies. Come join us, we are nice. 🧪 www.cam.ac.uk/jobs/researc...
An immunostaining section through a Heliconius brain. Staining and imaging by Dr Max Farnworth.
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Molecular Ecology @molecology.bsky.social · 11/03/2026
Out in MEC! New study led by @dariashipilina.bsky.social links resource limitation as a driver of migration in the painted lady butterfly (Vanessa cardui). The authors show how resource cues reshape gene expression across development. Read more: buff.ly/dogof9L 📷: Daria Shipilina 1/2
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Butterfly Conservation Europe @europebutterfly.bsky.social · 17/12/2025
Our friends at the University of Florence have been looking into the aesthetic appeal of European butterflies and does this bias the species we choose to protect. You can help their research by completing a simple online survey. Many thanks in advance www.unveiling.eu?fbclid=IwZXh...
unveiling.eu
Unveiling - Home
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The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation @xercessociety.bsky.social · 17/11/2025
Discover the incredible full story of Project Monarch, a collaborative project by @celltracktech.bsky.social, Cape May Point Arts & Science Center, and 20+ partners including Xerces! 🦋 xerces.org/press/revolu... 📡 Hear from the CTT team in coverage by @nytimes.com ➡️ www.nytimes.com/2025/11/17/s...
“Revolutionary Tracking Study Follows Monarch Butterflies From Canada to Mexico” A map of eastern North America, showing the tracked paths of many different monarch butterflies as they fly down towards Mexico.
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Asher Wolf @asherwolf.bsky.social · 04/09/2025
The NSW environment watchdog sat on a report for four years linking elevated levels of lead in children’s blood to current mining, and promised mining companies they would not do any “finger-pointing”, new documents tabled in state parliament show www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...
theguardian.com
Environment watchdog buried report on lead in children’s blood to placate mining companies, emails show
Documents tabled in parliament show NSW agency took four years to publish report and told miners it would be put online ‘quietly’ but EPA says it was released to community earlier
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BHL Australia @bhl-au.bsky.social · 04/09/2025
The #MountainPygmyPossum was first known only through the fossil record: some skull & jaw bones were found in 1895. Scientists believed the species must be extinct until 1966 when a living mountain pygmy possum was found. That’s a pretty secretive life!
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Donna Giberson (Elbows UP!) 🇨🇦🇺🇦 @donnag.bsky.social · 21/08/2025
Ctr for Biodiv Genomics (Guelph) is hiring 10 entomologists (mostly post-docs) to help improve identifications on barcoded material: 2-yr appts, salary range CAD $62,500-$70,000. graduatestudies.uoguelph.ca/postdoctoral... See posting for specific taxonomic gps preferred.
graduatestudies.uoguelph.ca
Arthropod Taxonomic Specialists (10 positions) | Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies
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Mongabay @mongabay.com · 02/07/2025
In Australia, millions of newly hatched Bogong moths embark on an impressive journey twice a year. A new study has found that the moths, with no parents to guide them, rely on bright stars and the Milky Way visible in the night sky to aid their migrations.
news.mongabay.com
Bogong moths use stars and the Milky Way to make epic migration
In Australia, millions of newly hatched Bogong moths embark on an impressive journey twice a year. Each spring, they hatch from eggs in their breeding grounds in Australia’s southeast and fly up to…
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Armando Rosario-Lebrón @rosariolebronentomology.com · 30/06/2025
University of Nebraska-Lincoln is hiring an Assistant Professor specializing in insect systematics. Opportunities like this are rare and valuable! (Not many jobs like this out there!) Spread the word to anyone who might be interested or benefit. #entomology #science #sciencejobs #bugsky 🧪
 A professional job announcement flyer from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln advertising the position of Assistant Professor in Insect Systematics. The flyer is divided into sections detailing the job description, required qualifications, and responsibilities, including research, teaching, service, and collaboration. The layout uses red and grey colors, includes a university logo, and prominently features a vibrant photo of an orange and black butterfly resting on a plant. A QR code is present for easy access to application details.
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Megan S. Reich @megansreich.bsky.social · 21/06/2025
Check out this very exciting research! Bogong moths use a stellar compass to navigate rdcu.be/esl5o
rdcu.be
Bogong moths use a stellar compass for long-distance navigation at night
Nature - Every spring, Bogong moths use the starry night sky as a compass to navigate up to 1,000 km towards their alpine migratory goal.
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Andy Fraass @fraass.bsky.social · 22/05/2025
🚨 New Paper 🚨 Coauthors and I just published our work in PLOS One on Canadian graduate funding. We found that Canadian graduate funding falls _well_ below cost of living. On average, $10kCAD below cost of living. journals.plos.org/plosone/arti...
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Aleix Palahí i Torres (he/they) @aleixpalahi.bsky.social · 12/05/2025
1/6) New paper out in Molecular Ecology! We uncover the intriguing biogeographic history behind the Holarctic disjunct distributions in Vanessa butterflies. @phylomigrationlab.bsky.social #biogeography #insectmigration #butterflymigration #butterflies #evolution shorturl.at/UFrrU
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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 01/05/2025
Your daily Avian Hybrids story! East or West? Different populations of Red-necked Phalaropes use distinct migration routes avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2019/05/15/e... #ornithology
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
East or West? Different populations of Red-necked Phalaropes use distinct migration routes
A study using geolocators uncovered a migratory divide in this wader species.
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Annals of Botany @annbot.bsky.social · 29/04/2025
🌱🌎 Join us to learn about the newly published paper ‘The winner takes it all: a single genotype of Kalanchoe ×houghtonii is a global invader’ in @annbot.bsky.social by @joanperepd.bsky.social and co-authors. 🧵(1/7) 👉 doi.org/pjvs @sphaeromeria.bsky.social @ibb-botanic.bsky.social #AoBpapers
The winner takes it all: a single genotype of Kalanchoe ×houghtonii is a global invader
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Megan S. Reich @megansreich.bsky.social · 25/04/2025
www.cbc.ca/radio/asitha...
cbc.ca
Chasing butterflies around the globe changed this photographer's worldview | CBC Radio
Lucas Foglia spent nearly four years traversing 17 countries, capturing images of painted lady butterflies, and the people and places that intersect with their epic migrations.
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Megan S. Reich @megansreich.bsky.social · 16/04/2025
Check out this lovely article featuring some of our research! 👩‍🔬🦋🗺️ www.scientificamerican.com/article/this...
scientificamerican.com
This Butterfly’s Epic Migration Is Written into Its Chemistry
Painted ladies travel the globe every year on massive journeys—including across the Sahara
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Megan S. Reich @megansreich.bsky.social · 11/03/2025
Wonderful opportunity to get some expert training! 👩‍🔬
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Clayton T. Lamb @claytontlamb.bsky.social · 05/03/2025
NEW PAPER: looking into the erosion of southern mountain caribou migrations. Over 35 years, migration distances shrank 15-25%, and elevational migrations are collapsing. Habitat loss, not weather, likely the main culprit. A major conservation challenge ahead. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
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Megan S. Reich @megansreich.bsky.social · 16/02/2025
Check out our most recent publication in PNAS Nexus! 🦋👩‍🔬
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Megan S. Reich @megansreich.bsky.social · 13/02/2025
Who loves isoscapes?? We do! 🎉🗺️ www.facetsjournal.com/doi/10.1139/...
facetsjournal.com
An ensemble machine learning bioavailable strontium isoscape for Eastern Canada
Bioavailable strontium isotope ratios (87Sr/86Sr) distribution across the landscape mainly follow the underlying lithology, making 87Sr/86Sr baseline maps (isoscapes) powerful tools for provenance stu...
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Megan S. Reich @megansreich.bsky.social · 07/02/2025
Check out our new paper, "Isotope geolocation and population genomics in Vanessa cardui: Short- and long-distance migrants are genetically undifferentiated," out in PNAS Nexus! doi.org/10.1093/pnas...
doi.org
Isotope geolocation and population genomics in Vanessa cardui: Short- and long-distance migrants are genetically undifferentiated
Abstract. The painted lady butterfly Vanessa cardui is renowned for its virtually cosmopolitan distribution and the remarkable long-distance migrations as
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Megan S. Reich @megansreich.bsky.social · 04/02/2025
😢Individuals can help the monarch butterfly by planting milkweed and flowers, and avoiding pesticide use
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Megan S. Reich @megansreich.bsky.social · 24/01/2025
The importance of observing any species you’re studying in its natural environment cannot be overstated. So grateful to have spent some time with the Bogong moth (and awesome new friends and colleagues) this month!
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Phoebe Chapman @phoebechapman.bsky.social · 03/01/2025
A cool opportunity for some citizen science. Monarchs are in decline in Oz and NZ as well as in the US/Mexico and getting involved in tagging programs can provide critical data
theconversation.com
Monarch butterflies are in decline in NZ and Australia – they need your help to track where they gather
Citizen scientists are called on to help with tagging monarch butterflies and find out why their numbers are dropping.
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Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior @mpi-animalbehav.bsky.social · 02/01/2025
New paper out @science.org shows that bats surf warm storm fronts to power continental migrations 🌀⛈️🦇🤙 www.science.org/doi/10.1126/... By Edward Hurme; Ivan Lenzi; Martin Wikelski; Timm Wild; and Dina Dechmann
science.org
Bats surf storm fronts during spring migration
Long-distance migration, common in passerine birds, is rare and poorly studied in bats. Piloting a 1.2-gram IoT (Internet of Things) tag with onboard processing, we tracked the daily location, tempera...
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Megan S. Reich @megansreich.bsky.social · 03/12/2024
Super stoked to share our latest research on the migratory patterns of painted lady butterflies across the Sahara! 🦋🏜️ www.cell.com/iscience/ful...
cell.com
Trans-Saharan migratory patterns in Vanessa cardui and evidence for a southward leapfrog migration
Chemistry; Nature conservation; Ecology; Entomology
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