Sign in

Melvin Opolka

@melvinopolka.bsky.social
246 followers 134 following 22 posts

Ant passionate PhD student @unibayreuth.bsky.social | Working with red wood ants and their myrmecophiles throughout Europe as part of the @monitant.bsky.social project 🐜🌳

PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by Melvin Opolka
Peter Marting @aztecacecropia.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
The HIVES ALIVE exhibit is up! Opening night was a dream, thanks to all that came out. This is definitely the biggest installation I've put together and a real highlight of my career. #sciart #dataviz #scicomm #honeybees #hivesalive
183
Melvin Opolka @melvinopolka.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
One of the photos I took during the macro photography workshop led by @alexwild.bsky.social as part of the IUSSI in Freiburg. Even though it’s not an ant, I still really like it!
072
Reposted by Melvin Opolka
Alex Wild @alexwild.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
The gorgeous Formica rufibarbis, a common ant in German cities. Was able to squeeze this photo shoot in during the cracks of the IUSSI meeting in Freiburg.
Macro photo in side view of a large, grayish ant with red infuscations, looking alert while standing on a pure white background.
0515
Melvin Opolka @melvinopolka.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
Looking back on some great days at #IUSSI26 in Freiburg! As my first international IUSSI congress, it was incredibly inspiring to meet and exchange ideas with so many brilliant scientists. Hope to see you all again in South Africa! @uissi-social.bsky.social
171
Reposted by Melvin Opolka
Elia Guariento @eliaguariento.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
On the way home after a wonderful @uissi-social.bsky.social Thanks to all and hopefully see you in 4 years in South Africa @monitant.bsky.social @melvinopolka.bsky.social @euracalpenv.bsky.social
0114
Reposted by Melvin Opolka
Luisa Jaimes @jaimesnino.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
#iussi2026 #ants at the conference @boldest-ant.bsky.social is looking for a job! Look for the job hunter!
0114
Reposted by Melvin Opolka
Volker Nehring @volkernehring.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
#IUSSI26 is almost over. Kind of sad..
Iussi Congress group photo
43313
Reposted by Melvin Opolka
MonitAnt @monitant.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
The IUSSI’s international conference is currently taking place in Freiburg, and the MonitAnt team is having a great time presenting a wealth of interesting data from two years of research! 🐜 @uissi-social.bsky.social #IUSSI26
0134
Reposted by Melvin Opolka
Karmi Oxman, PhD @karmioxman.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
@uissi-social.bsky.social Made an IUSSI schedule picker: iussi-2026-picks.karmi-oxman.chatgpt.site Shareable link below: your picks stay private & saved locally on your phone browser. Avoid private browsing and don’t clear website data (picks will disappear). Happy bugging!
iussi-2026-picks.karmi-oxman.chatgpt.site
IUSSI 2026 Schedule Picker
A simple personal schedule picker for IUSSI 2026 in Freiburg.
375
Melvin Opolka @melvinopolka.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
Excited to share our new paper on injuries in ants! 🥳 🐜 Together with Alina Koeters and @etf1989.bsky.social, we quantified injury rates and affected body regions among native ant species collected in Bavaria. If you’d like to learn more, read the full paper here: academic.oup.com/auk/article-...
1112
Reposted by Melvin Opolka
Jenny Stynoski @stynoski.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
Interested in a postdoc position? Olfaction in poison frog tadpoles! Based in Germany with some field work in Costa Rica (bilateral funding, 3 years). Please share with your froggie and neuro/behavior contacts 🐸 www.uni-giessen.de/de/ueber-uns...
06166
Melvin Opolka @melvinopolka.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
During our trip to the Bavarian Forest, we found some really nice nests of Coptoformica exsecta, where I was finally able to try out my new diffuser. It was difficult to get even a single worker in focus, as they were moving so quickly.
041
Reposted by Melvin Opolka
Elva Robinson @elvarobinson.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
There are still a few days left to apply for this Post-Doc in York, working on 'Engineering Ecosystem Resilience' using wood ants, drones and metabolomics! 🐜 🔬 🧪 🌲 🐜
044
Reposted by Melvin Opolka
CNN @cnn.com · 08/05/2026
Scientists have named a newly identified species of wasp after David Attenborough to honor the legendary naturalist and broadcaster’s 100th birthday. cnn.it/4wfsAkg
616818
Reposted by Melvin Opolka
Thomas Parmentier @tparmentier.bsky.social · 10/05/2026
Ant-myrmecophile interaction: Formica sanguinea and the food begging rove beetle Dinarda dentata
052
Reposted by Melvin Opolka
MonitAnt @monitant.bsky.social · 04/05/2026
Two weeks ago, we had our MonitAnt workshop with all project partners in the beautiful Bavarian Forest National Park. We even managed a short field trip, where everyone enjoyed being surrounded by wood ants and their myrmecophiles (see picture). 😉
073
Melvin Opolka @melvinopolka.bsky.social · 23/04/2026
Great to see these results finally published! Data Blanca (@bioivanezb.bsky.social) and I collected during my master’s research in Peruvian cacao agroforestry systems, where you can learn more about the favorite food of leafcutter ants and how herbivory damage strongly depends on distance! 🐜
053
Reposted by Melvin Opolka
Alex Wild @alexwild.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
This ant species is Pseudomyrmex boopis, which should be pronounced "BOOOOOOOP-is!" while bopping someone's nose, but taxonomists tell me to sit down and stop giggling and say "boo-OH-piss" like a grownup. So pronounce it however you want, I guess.
Macro photo in side view of an orange ant with absolutely enormous compound eyes, filling up most of its head, standing on a tropical leaf.
1424743
Reposted by Melvin Opolka
Rupert Seidl @rupertseidl.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
We are hiring! Interested in doing a PhD and excited about forest management, ecosystem services, simulation modeling and beta diversity? Come work with us @edfm-tum.bsky.social at @tum.de, full job ad here: cloud.edfm.ls.tum.de/index.php/s/...
06340
Reposted by Melvin Opolka
Hart @hart-frentz.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
#Biodiversität #Artenvielfalt
Zeichnungen drei Bilder 1990 autofahrer mit verschmierter Scheibe Insekten, 2020 autofahrer saubere Scheibe ohne Insekten 2050 saubere Scheibe kein autofahrer
21917282
Reposted by Melvin Opolka
Julia Rothacher @juliarothacher.bsky.social · 05/04/2026
New paper on metacommunity dynamics out! 📃🍁 Led by Oliver Mitesser we show that habitat heterogeneity shifts communities from patch-dynamics toward mass effects and species sorting using beetles as focal taxon. 🐞😍 @betafor.bsky.social @cofeuniwue.bsky.social onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
Forest Heterogeneity by Chain Saw: How Between‐Patch Variation in Old Growth Attributes Changes the Metacommunities of Beetles
Metacommunity theory has expanded our understanding of how spatial dynamics and local interactions influence species communities, but we lack empirical studies specifically in terrestrial habitats te...
0219
Reposted by Melvin Opolka
Alex Wild @alexwild.bsky.social · 30/03/2026
A gallery of army ants from around the world.
alexanderwild.com
Army Ants and Other Nomads - Alex Wild
Several lineages of ants in the warmer regions of the world have evolved a lifestyle of nomadic predation.
0256
Reposted by Melvin Opolka
Nature @nature.com · 30/03/2026
Becoming a parent is much more detrimental to women’s academic careers than it is to men’s Read the full story: go.nature.com/4v4rxmQ
IMPACT OF PARENTHOOD ON UNIVERSITY EMPLOYMENT. Line graph shows how the probability of holding a research position changes from four years before to seven years after having children.
6252155
Reposted by Melvin Opolka
Jerome Beetz @beetzjerome.bsky.social · 23/03/2026
There is still some time to apply for a 3-years PhD position in my lab. If you want to learn how to conduct brain recordings in freely moving bees.
0105
Reposted by Melvin Opolka
Sergio Ibarra @theafenogaster.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
Pandora fungus reproductive cycle on Formica exsecta hosts for Csata, E., Erős, K., Szabó, Á. et al. Blade-running: an efficient yet simple behaviour to potentially combat summit disease in ants. BMC Ecol Evo (2026). doi.org/10.1186/s128... #scientificillustration #parasite
Formica exsecta workers are infected by Pandora fungus
0389
Melvin Opolka @melvinopolka.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
On Thursday, Gabriel Ziegler and I were invited to Berchtesgaden to talk about ants. Thank you again for the opportunity! There is currently an ant exhibition on the topic of wood ants with photos by Ingo Arndt, which is well worth seeing! I would have loved to stay longer in this beautiful setting.
060
Reposted by Melvin Opolka
AIM @aim-mirmecologia.bsky.social · 05/02/2026
🧪 AIM member @trigos-peral.bsky.social takes part in a new article analyzing how urbanization affects the food resources of aphid-tending ants such as Lasius niger.
243
Reposted by Melvin Opolka
Nadine Ruehr @nadineruehr.bsky.social · 22/01/2026
We are hiring a postdoctoral researcher!🌲 🌳 🌍 📍Interested in boreal and temperate forest productivity and respiration? 💻 Like to work with large datasets, remote sensing and models? 🏔️ Love an alpine setting in a small town? Come and join us at KIT! Application details: t1p.de/qctj7
03540
Reposted by Melvin Opolka
Sebastian Seibold @sebseibold.bsky.social · 22/01/2026
HIRING! We are looking for a new PhD student to work on insects in deadwood, effects of microclimate and land use. This is part of the Biodiversity Exploratories @bexplo.bsky.social and will use a new experiment using rain-out shelters in different regions of Germany. EU driver´s licence required.
11918
Reposted by Melvin Opolka
Jitte @jittebug.nl · 21/01/2026
#ElkeDagEenInsect Deze harige bosmier heeft een probleempje: wratjes! (niet zo'n ramp, maar wel een interessante interactie om waar te nemen) #Entomologie #Entomology🐜
1122
Reposted by Melvin Opolka
Elia Guariento @eliaguariento.bsky.social · 09/12/2025
Want to work on biodiversity in the Alps? ⛰️ We are offering several internship positions for the upcoming spring and summer in collaboration with the Biodiversity Monitoring South Tyrol 🕷️🦋🦇🐜🌼🦗🪱 biodiversity.eurac.edu/interns-want...
biodiversity.eurac.edu
Interns wanted! - Biodiversity Monitoring South Tyrol
02116
Melvin Opolka @melvinopolka.bsky.social · 16/01/2026
Productive days in České Budějovice with @jiri-tuma.bsky.social and @eliaguariento.bsky.social, focusing on all aspects of camera traps for the MonitAnt project. We even squeezed in a wonderful trip to Šumava National Park. @monitant.bsky.social
082
Reposted by Melvin Opolka
Patrick Krapf @krapfpatrick.bsky.social · 16/01/2026
(1) Really happy to share our recent review "Speciation in ants: unlocking ant diversity to study speciation". 😀 doi.org/10.25849/myr... Ants are ecologically diverse and abundant organisms with strong potential to advance the study of speciation. Despite extensive research on their taxonomy, ...
doi.org
Myrmecol. News 36: 1-24
Myrmecological News
1104
Reposted by Melvin Opolka
Kate Parr @funkyant.bsky.social · 13/01/2026
Come and join us! Plants, mountains and the Tropics!
011
Reposted by Melvin Opolka
Eva Katharina Engelhardt @ekengelhardt.bsky.social · 19/12/2025
Come work with us! 🪲For our new project bAImo we are searching for a PhD researcher combining modelling 💻 with ecological expertise, aiming to improve interdisciplinary approaches to insect monitoring 🔎🐝 please visit tinyurl.com/bAImo-PhDoffer for more details. Looking forward to your application 🦗😊
Job Offer: PhD Position
Project bAImo: artificial intelligence for insect monitoring
3 years (initially)
65% TV-L
Background: photo of a brown butterfly (Pyronia tithonus) on a purple flower
01415
Reposted by Melvin Opolka
Pia Bradler @piambr.bsky.social · 17/12/2025
Two positions in arthropod ecology in our institute, come work with us at Leuphana! 🪲🕷️🦗🐜
061
Reposted by Melvin Opolka
Jonathan Romiguier @selfishmeme.bsky.social · 14/10/2025
Cross-species cloning in ants 🐜 These two males belong to different species—but share the same mother. How? Why? To celebrate the print release of our last paper in this week’s @nature.com (issue 8084), here’s a thread summarizing the results. Why? Let’s dive in🧵👇 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
13219
Reposted by Melvin Opolka
Alex Wild @alexwild.bsky.social · 27/11/2025
On Thantsgiving, the ants eat too much.
Macro photo of a large, slender, skinny black ant walking on the ground with her mandibles stuffed full with several termites.
47114
Reposted by Melvin Opolka
Jean-Philippe Lessard @bugecology.bsky.social · 27/11/2025
Our research group has an open PhD position! Please share widely! Possible topics include: Determinants of range limits Assembly of ecological networks (eg, plant-pollinator) The role of soil arthropods (eg, ants) in carbon storage Details: docs.google.com/document/d/1...
docs.google.com
PhD position opening in community and biogeography
PhD Position in Community Ecology & Biogeography, Montreal, Canada Our research group at Concordia University investigates the forces enabling the maintenance, and governing the distribution, of biol...
01317
Reposted by Melvin Opolka
Daniel Kronauer @danielkronauer.bsky.social · 26/11/2025
Oof…Takashi Komatsu, Taku Shimada, and Munetoshi Maruyama just published a photography book on “The Ant Guests”. The photos are stunning! The book is organized by geographical region, and text is in both Japanese and English. Check it out (and order it) here: roppon-ashi.jp/en/products/...
Photo of a spread from the book “The Ant Guests” by Komatsu, Shimada, and Maruyama. The images show rove beetles living inside army ant colonies.
1339
Reposted by Melvin Opolka
Mr and Mrs Trellis @thenorfolkcoast.bsky.social · 23/11/2025
Wisdom, world’s oldest-known bird, returns to Midway Atoll! earthsky.org/earth/oldest...
earthsky.org
Wisdom, world’s oldest-known bird, returns to Midway Atoll!
0102
Melvin Opolka @melvinopolka.bsky.social · 19/11/2025
It feels like Christmas has come early. After the @monitant.bsky.social team has been working busily in forests across the continent, samples from all over Europe are now arriving. Time to unwrap some data about red wood ants. 🐜🎁
292
Reposted by Melvin Opolka
MonitAnt @monitant.bsky.social · 08/10/2025
Exciting MonitAnt meeting at the Natural History Museum, Brussels. Great discussions on fieldwork and ant ID, plus a rare glimpse of the museum after hours! 🐜🦖
063
Reposted by Melvin Opolka
AIM @aim-mirmecologia.bsky.social · 19/09/2025
🐜 Hormigas al descubierto: Nueva cita de un escarabajo mirmecófilo 📍Nuestro socio Amonio David Cuesta-Segura ha descubierto la presencia del #escarabajo Sternocoelis incisus en el nido de una #hormiga hospedadora nueva para esta especie: #Iberoformica subrufa.
241
Reposted by Melvin Opolka
Wood Wide Ants — WWA 🐜 @woodwideants.bsky.social · 22/09/2025
1/3🧵Kicking off on #bugsky today & introducing Wood Wide Ants, aka WWA! We're researchers studying the #evolbio of the #ant Formica paralugubris and its kin, through #genomics, #SciComm & #CitizenScience📚🐜🧪🧬🖥️ #insects #mirmecology @sib.swiss @biogeneurope.bsky.social @ergabiodiv.bsky.social
1114
Reposted by Melvin Opolka
Nature @nature.com · 03/09/2025
A common type of ant in Europe breaks a fundamental rule in biology: its queens can produce male offspring that are a whole different species go.nature.com/4mOb5T9
go.nature.com
‘Almost unimaginable’: these ants are different species but share a mother
Ant queens of one species clone ants of another to create hybrid workers that do their bidding.
7289128
Reposted by Melvin Opolka
Nina Grella @ninagrella.bsky.social · 04/09/2025
Having a great time at the #gfoe2025 conference in Würzburg. Inspiring talks and great opportunities for scientific exchange 😊 @gfoesoc.bsky.social @reassemblynet.bsky.social @melvinopolka.bsky.social
042
Reposted by Melvin Opolka
Gesellschaft für Ökologie e.V. @gfoesoc.bsky.social · 03/09/2025
We’re thrilled to announce that the GfÖ Annual Conference 2026 will be a joint event with the Nordic Society OIKOS (NSO), taking place in Odense, Denmark! 🇩🇰✨ See you on 14-17 Sep 2026! nordicsocietyoikos.glueup.com/event/nordic... #NSO2026 #gfoe2026
nordicsocietyoikos.glueup.com
Nordic Oikos 2026 | Nordic Society Oikos
Join us for one of Europe’s leading ecological conferences, where scientists, students, and professionals from across the Nordic countries, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland come together to explore t...
0267
Melvin Opolka @melvinopolka.bsky.social · 03/09/2025
The first days at the @gfoesoc.bsky.social have already been amazing with a great show on Monday evening. I also had the opportunity to present our first results from the @monitant.bsky.social project on myrmecophilous diversity in wood ant nests. I'm already looking forward to the next few days.
082
Reposted by Melvin Opolka
Julia Rothacher @juliarothacher.bsky.social · 01/09/2025
Truly fascinating combination: the wonderful shots by @jan-haft.bsky.social beautifully accompanied by live music of "Orchester des Wandels" 🎶 - what a highlight at the #gfoe2025 Ice Breaker tonight! 🧊🥂 @gfoesoc.bsky.social
0145