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Nijat Nariman

@nnariman.bsky.social
283 followers 113 following 19 posts

Behavioural & Evolutionary Ecologist | Biological Invasions | Spiders and sometimes beetles | linktr.ee/nnariman | he / him | 🏳️‍🌈

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Reposted by Nijat Nariman
Tom Ratz @tomratz.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Our new paper is out in @jevbio.bsky.social! Body size shapes aggression as well as how strongly individuals influence their opponents and how responsive they are to social interactions. @cdegroot.bsky.social @roriwijnhorst.bsky.social @dingemanselab.bsky.social doi.org/10.1093/jeb/...
Size-mediated differences in social responsiveness (left) and social impact (right). Here, individual i is smaller, more responsive to variation in opponent body size and elicits more aggression from opponents than individual j.
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Ajay Narendra @pipilika.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
We have a fully funded 3-year PhD position to study jumping spider navigation. Open to both domestic and international candidates. Details below. Join us! @animbehav.bsky.social @austentsoc.bsky.social @ausevosoc.bsky.social @neuroethology.org @asab.org
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Jolyon Troscianko @jtroscianko.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
BehaveAI can now measure orientation. So now you can work out the behaviour of your animal in each frame as well as its direction - e.g. tells you which way animals are pointing or whether they're turning. Video guide: youtu.be/FgmtHoardWg Install: github.com/troscianko/B...
youtu.be
BehaveAI - orientation tracking - v1.4
YouTube video by Jolyon Troscianko
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Max Farnworth @maxfarnworth.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
🚨 I AM HIRING a 3-year postdoc & 4-year PhD student 🚨 [PLEASE SHARE WIDELY] My Emmy Noether @dfg.de funded Neural Circuit & Systems Evolution lab (🌟) at the @unimainz.bsky.socialÍ wants to start existing. So..., what do we need? WELL... we need you! APPLY UNTIL 21 SEPTEMBER.
static.klipy.com
ALT:
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Marshal Hedin @mhedin.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
this image tells a fun & interesting story I found this Colonus jumper at night dangling from her dragline, with an imm harvester (Leuronychus) prey 1) perhaps indicates that she was actively hunting at night, 2) maybe from her dragline, parallel to vertical cliffs? conjectural at this stage
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Hanna Kokko @kokkonut.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Come and work with us (the Kokkonuts) as a postdoc! Our research within (theory-evo-eco) is broad; let's say it's implicitly defined by the journal club papers we read. Which is why the application process includes a JC-related task, I hope it'll be a fun one for you! www.evoldir.net/brian/evoldi...
evoldir.net
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Dr. Catherine Scott @cataranea.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Cool #postdoc opportunity to study sexual behaviour in widow #spiders! 🕷️🕷️🕷️ @arachnology.bsky.social @britishspiders.bsky.social @entsocamerica.bsky.social @royentsoc.bsky.social @canentomologist.bsky.social
HOW MANY TIMES DID SEXUAL CANNIBALISM AND MALE SELF-SACRIFICE EVOLVE?

We are searching for an outstanding postdoc with a background in behavioural and evolutionary ecology to join an exciting project comparing sexual behaviour across all widow spider species at Ben-Gurion University.

THE PROJECT INCLUDES:
Literature survey of sexual behaviour and life history in widow spiders
Locating widow spider populations across the globe
Fieldwork in natural populations
Spider rearing and maintenance
Behavioural observations of mating interactions and outcomes
Integrating behavioural, morphological, ecological and phylogenetic data to reconstruct evolutionary trajectories and uncover coevolutionary relationships
JOIN OUR MISSION TO UNCOVER THE EVOLUTION OF SEXUAL BEHAVIOUR IN WIDOW SPIDERS

INTERESTED? GET IN TOUCH!
Send your CV and a short statement of research interests to Michal Segoli, Ben-Gurion University, msegoli@bgu.ac.il
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Corrie Moreau @corriemoreau.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
📣 📣 📣 UPDATE: The 2026-2027 list of faculty and postdoc positions in ecology and evolutionary biology is out! Be sure to check out this active and helpful community run resource! docs.google.com/spreadsheets...
docs.google.com
ecoevojobs.net 2026-27
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Nijat Nariman @nnariman.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
I’m delighted to share that my #DFG proposal has been funded! I’m grateful to @dfg.de & to all collaborators & mentors for support, advice, & encouragement. Excited to begin this project on the #genetic architecture of #dispersal and #fecundity in an #invasive #spider in Trier. More next year!
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LaurierBiology @laurierbiology.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
A big welcome to the two newest #LaurierBiology faculty members: Dr. @j-mako-tsuji.eurosky.social & Dr. @andifischer10.bsky.social! Welcome to @wilfridlaurieruni.bsky.social! @wlufa.bsky.social
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Luca @lucagalletti.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
Eugryllacris guomashan is a species of large raspy cricket native to southern China. It is one of the very few insects outside of spiders or caterpillars capable of spinning silk from its mouth to stitch and bind leaves together for protective daytime shelters. Reddit: u/graylemur2
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ISBE2026 @isbe2026.bsky.social · 26/07/2026
ISBE2026 has come to an end! Over the past week we've shared exciting science, inspiring discussions, and started new collaborations. We hope all our delegates leave Turin energized by the unique atmosphere that only this city can offer, with fresh perspectives and lasting memories of ISBE2026.
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Science Magazine @science.org · 17/07/2026
The polyphagous shot-hole borer is known to infect more than 600 plant species around the world. Now, a new study uses genetic tools to map its invasions and forecast future spread. Learn more: scim.ag/4ywVQUX
Tree-killing beetle is spreading to urban forests around the world
As researchers piece together the pest’s global trek, countries are working to contain the growing threat
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Alfredo Sánchez-Tójar @asanchez-tojar.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
Are our ecological conclusions built on shaky foundations? Our latest paper in @methodsinecoevol.bsky.social highlights that Risk of Bias (RoB) assessment, crucial for ensuring the internal validity of research, is almost never used in #systematicreviews in eco & evo 📉 🔗 doi.org/10.1111/2041...
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Nijat Nariman @nnariman.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
What a wonderful five days at #ECE2026Tours — heartfelt thanks to the organisers and volunteers for such a beautifully run, welcoming conference, and an extra special thank you to David Giron for this outstanding work; it was a real joy to be part of it. @ece2026tours.bsky.social
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Ben Bolker @bbolker.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
new diamond open-access Journal of Statistical Ecology launched 🎉🎉🎉 jse.centre-mersenne.org @fredbarraquand.bsky.social @oaggimenez.bsky.social @marieaugermethe.bsky.social @vianeylb.bsky.social (apologies to any Bsky editors I missed)
jse.centre-mersenne.org
Journal of Statistical Ecology Journal of Statistical Ecology
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Daniela Rößler @roesslerdaniela.bsky.social · 31/05/2026
🚨 TWERK ALERT 🚨 New publication from @sleeblab.bsky.social ! This was a very fun project to write up, co-lead by @nadjageiger.bsky.social and Chiara Hirschkorn. If you are interested why these spiders might bob their abdomen: link.springer.com/article/10.1... (Short thread following soon)
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Sam England @samjakeengland.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
Out today in @royalsocietypublishing.org - we show that crab spiders (the ones you usually see ambushing pollinators on flowers 🕷️🌸) get worse at hunting if their eyes are covered!🫣 Sounds obvious? It's actually quite surprising, here's why... 👀 (1/8) royalsocietypublishing.org/rsos/article...
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Gabriele Uhl @uhl-lab.bsky.social · 04/05/2026
zoologie.uni-greifswald.de/en/organizat... We have an open PhD position in my group for someone interested in functional morphology, biology of reproduction and evolutionary biology. Please spread the word!🧪🕷🧪🕷🧪🕷🧪
zoologie.uni-greifswald.de
Graduate Position/research associate, DFG funded Project on Sperm uptake and transfer in spiders
Universität Greifswald
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Kate Laskowski @katelaskowski.bsky.social · 10/02/2026
How do we know our research results are REAL? We replicate them! Most folks agree but lament on how hard it is to publish these replications. My dearest gentle reader, lament no more! Delighted to unveil: Replication Studies, a new section of Behavioral Ecology 1/ academic.oup.com/beheco/artic...
academic.oup.com
Replication studies: a win-win for early-career training and behavioral ecology
Replicating previous research builds confidence that results are real and meaningful. But close replications are rare due to limitations in resources and d
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Mariella Herberstein (she/her) 🌈 @mherberstein.bsky.social · 03/02/2026
Come to Hamburg and do a PhD on insect/spider traits with me!
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Daniela Rößler @roesslerdaniela.bsky.social · 01/02/2026
Interested in doing a #PhD? Passionate about biodiversity monitoring and technology development?? Def check out this advertisement from Uni #Bonn and #LIB! Deadline Feb 17th - 4 year position!
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Daniela Rößler @roesslerdaniela.bsky.social · 27/01/2026
🕸️ Massive web stretch from our cribellating friend (Asianopis subrufa) recorded in the field. If you’re intrigued by this fabulous #spider #silk read on doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2529200123 by @evoimec.bsky.social et al :) 🕸️
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Gabriele Uhl @uhl-lab.bsky.social · 02/12/2025
rdcu.be/eSIHs We reported on the chemosensory toolkit of an Orb weaving spider in our PNAS paper earlier this year. Here, we report on a cursorial spider: similar, sex-specific sensory equipment and evidence for olfaction. 🧪🕷
rdcu.be
The chemosensory toolkit of the cursorial spider Pisaura mirabilis
Communications Biology - Discovery of chemosensory sensilla with different distributions on the body appendages and between the sexes of a cursorial spider, combined with evidence of olfactory mate...
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Gabriele Uhl @uhl-lab.bsky.social · 27/11/2025
Here comes Carolina's first paper on the effects of winter temperatures on survival, physiology and gene expression in wasp spiders. Thanks go to all coauthors for their various contribution that made this work possible!🧪🕷 onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/... #climatechange
Experimental setup for testing the effect of different winter temperatures on survival, physiology and gene expression in the wasp spider.
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Daniela Rößler @roesslerdaniela.bsky.social · 21/11/2025
🚨 Uh-oh!!! A suuuper hot #PhD opportunity just dropped! My friend and collaborator Massimo De Agrò is looking for someone to explore jumping spider vision and neurophysiology! #psychophysics #jumpingspiders #greatPI - apply!!!! (Deadline December 17th) 🚨
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ISBE2026 @isbe2026.bsky.social · 16/11/2025
Meet our Plenary Speaker Daniela Rößler Fueled by curiosity and a deep love of natural history Daniela discovered a REM-like sleep state in spiders and uses integrative field, lab and comparative approaches to investigate the function, ecology, and evolution of sleep across the spider tree of life.
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Nijat Nariman @nnariman.bsky.social · 04/11/2025
How cool is this?!!
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Lauren Sumner-Rooney @laurensr.bsky.social · 17/10/2025
Exciting times ahead - I'm beyond delighted to be joining @bristolbiosci.bsky.social in 2026! 🎉🕷️🎉🐌🎉 I'm also looking for a PhD student to join @multipleye-lab.bsky.social in our new home! Come and study the effects of light pollution on the evolution and development of spider eyes with us 🌃🕷️👀 👇
findaphd.com
Funded PhD - The impacts of light pollution on plasticity and evolution in spider visual systems at University of Bristol on FindAPhD.com
PhD Project - Funded PhD - The impacts of light pollution on plasticity and evolution in spider visual systems at University of Bristol, listed on FindAPhD.com
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Shakira @shakiguani.bsky.social · 16/10/2025
A pair of golden orb weavers from S. Africa (Trichonephila inaurata) mating back in 2016. #Arachtober
Close up of golden orb weavers mating. The male's body is around 10% the length of the female's.
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Mark Wong @markklwong.bsky.social · 03/10/2025
Excited to share a PhD opportunity in my upcoming lab at The University of Sydney! Join an ARC-funded project on the ecology of ant invasions in 2026 🐜 🇦🇺 Live in Sydney, ant around Australia 🌍 Intl + Domestic applicants welcome markwongecology.com/join #PhD #Ecology #Biodiversity Pls share, thx 🙏
markwongecology.com
Join — Sydney Functional Ecology
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Nijat Nariman @nnariman.bsky.social · 17/09/2025
This is so cool! Great job!
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Simona Kralj Fišer @simonakraljfiser.bsky.social · 17/09/2025
Why do female spiders eat their mates, and how do males fight back? 🕷️ Our new review unpacks the evolutionary dynamics of sexual cannibalism and the astonishing male strategies it has shaped — from nuptial gifts to remote copulation. Open access in Integrative Zoology 👉 doi.org/10.1111/1749...
doi.org
Unravelling Evolutionary Dynamics of Female Sexual Cannibalism and Male Reproductive Strategies in Spiders
Sexual cannibalism (SC), where one mating partner consumes the other in the context of mating, is especially prevalent among spiders. However, the evolution of SC in spiders is still not fully unders...
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Simona Kralj Fišer @simonakraljfiser.bsky.social · 16/09/2025
Spiders have personalities—and in Pisaura mirabilis, opposites might attract: adventurous males and cautious females mate longer, revealing hidden personality-driven patterns in romance. Lead by @cristinatuni.bsky.social Read more here: link.springer.com/article/10.1...
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Daniela Rößler @roesslerdaniela.bsky.social · 06/09/2025
🕷️ 🚨 Are you at the #DZG in Berlin next week? @dzg2025berlin.bsky.social my PhD @nadjageiger.bsky.social and I are very excited to tell you the latest about our spider sleep 💤 work! Come check out our talks on Friday and ask all your questions! :) 🚨 🕷️
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Pau Carazo @paucarazo.bsky.social · 01/09/2025
We’re offering a fully funded 4 yr PhD position to work on Sexual selection in complex environments at the @uv.es. Co-supervised by @dbergerbiol.bsky.social. Find details below 👇
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Şuayb Üstün @suaybuestuen.bsky.social · 22/08/2025
Job alert 📣 Our faculty looks for a Junior Professor W1 with tt to W2 in Membrane Biology! We are looking for #ECRs working on membrane biogenesis,contact sites,composition & other aspects of membranes in 🌱 and other organisms! DM me if you need more details! jobs.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/jobposting/f...
jobs.ruhr-uni-bochum.de
W1TTW2 Professorship in Membrane Biology (m/f/d)
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Andi Fischer @andifischer10.bsky.social · 09/08/2025
Our new paper is out @royalsociety.org! We discovered that crustaceans are, like many insects, chemically defended. The woodlouse Porcellio scaber secretes quinoline-derivates which deter predators. Three of the four identified metabolites were previously unknown. doi.org/10.1098/rsif.2025.0260
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Nijat Nariman @nnariman.bsky.social · 01/08/2025
Hi! No, it’s definitely not Mermessus. Nice pics!
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Andi Fischer @andifischer10.bsky.social · 31/07/2025
🎓 #PhD in Animal Metabolomics & Ecology @unigreifswald🇩🇪 Sexual and non-sexual communication in a widow spider 🕷️⚗️ DFG-funded | 3 years | behavioral ecology & chemical ecology Details: bit.ly/widow-phd Apply by Sept 24, start in February 2026 #AcademicSky #pleaserepost
bit.ly
Chemical Ecology of Widow Spiders
We are hiring for a funded PhD positionapply here Untangling pheromonal communication between and within the sexes of widow spiders Our group is undertaking a comprehensive exploration of the chemi…
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EvolDir @evoldir.bsky.social · 26/07/2025
Bielefeld University seeks a postdoc for a 6-year scientific assistant position in Animal Behaviour, starting March 2026. Apply by Sept 10, 2025. More info: www.uni-bielefeld.de/fakultaeten/biologie/forschung/arbeitsgruppen/behaviour #job
uni-bielefeld.de
Animal Behaviour - Bielefeld University
With a team of over 50 people, the different research groups study animal behaviour within the framework of the four questions of Tinbergen, both in the lab and in the field. Current model systems include laboratory studies on zebra finches (
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Lesley Lancaster @lancasterlt.bsky.social · 25/07/2025
Guild diversity impacts demographic outcomes of novel species interactions following range shifts doi.org/10.1111/1365...
doi.org
Guild diversity impacts demographic outcomes of novel species interactions following range shifts
This study applies the theory of biotic resistance, a common concept in invasion ecology, to the world of climate driven range shifts, and finds support that biotic resistance may create a life-stage...
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Nijat Nariman @nnariman.bsky.social · 24/07/2025
Thanks Maria! I used Perplexity for that 🙂
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Nijat Nariman @nnariman.bsky.social · 24/07/2025
Take-home: genes make the invader! ✔️ High dispersal is heritable & recessive ✔️ Fast genotypes accumulate at range edge ✔️ No microbial drivers. Understanding the success of #MermessusTrilobatus means understanding its #genetics! (work in progress - stay tuned!) 🧬🕸️ #EvolutionInAction
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Nijat Nariman @nnariman.bsky.social · 24/07/2025
No microbial puppet-masters here. European populations of #MermessusTrilobatus lack Rickettsia/Wolbachia; high-flyers host FEWER bacteria. Dispersal is most likely coded in genome, not microbiome. #Microbiome #Genetics doi.org/10.1007/s002...
A two-panel boxplot comparing bacterial richness (number of observed OTUs) across spider groups.
Panel a that high-dispersive spiders (left box) have lower microbial OTU richness (median ≈ 7.5) than low-dispersive spiders (right box; median ≈ 12).
Panel b shows similar richness between spiders from the invasion front (Horsens; median ≈ 10.5) and those from the invasion core (Wilgartswiesen; median ≈ 9.8).A two-panel NMDS ordination of microbial community composition (Bray–Curtis dissimilarity) for spider groups.
Panel a plots high-dispersive and low-dispersive spiders; points for both overlap, indicating no distinct clustering (stress = 0.17).
Panel b plots spiders from Horsens versus Wilgartswiesen; points largely overlap, showing no separation by origin (stress = 0.18).
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Nijat Nariman @nnariman.bsky.social · 24/07/2025
The key: highly dispersive spiders accumulate at invasion edge with the most recent spread, mate with each other → super-dispersive offspring → faster spread. Genetic spatial sorting in action or microbial puppets? ⬇️ #EvolutionaryBiology #InvasionGenetics #SpatialSorting doi.org/10.1111/geb....
Three-panel bar chart showing dispersal behaviour frequencies in Mermessus trilobatus offspring. Panel (a) shows tiptoe frequency, panel (b) shows rafting frequency, and panel (c) shows take-off frequency. Each panel displays four bars representing offspring from different locations: W = Wilgartswiesen (core, first found 1981), L = Landau (core, first found 1981), V = Vienna (front, first found 2009), and H = Horsens (front, first found 2018). Error bars show standard error. Statistical differences between locations are marked with letters a and b, where locations sharing the same letter are not significantly different. Generally, offspring from area with the most recent colonisation (Horsens) show twice higher dispersal frequencies than those from long-established populations (Vienna, Wilgartswiesen and Landau).
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Nijat Nariman @nnariman.bsky.social · 24/07/2025
Dispersal isn’t random – it’s heritable! Offspring of two high-flying parents show 3× higher dispersal rates in #MermessusTrilobatus. High dispersal is recessive, helping founders race ahead then ‘dial back’ later. #Dispersal #Heritability #Evolution doi.org/10.1016/j.an...
Figure shows three side-by-side bar charts (a, b, c), each comparing the mean frequency (± SE) of a dispersal behaviour in F2 offspring across four parental breeding: HH (both parents high-dispersive), HL (high-dispersive dam, low-dispersive sire), LH (low-dispersive dam, high-dispersive sire), and LL (both parents low-dispersive). Panel (a) plots tiptoe frequency, panel (b) rafting frequency, and panel (c) take-off frequency. In each chart, the HH group bar is about three times taller than the other three bars, which are all similar in height; letters above bars (“a” for HH and “b” for HL, LH, LL) denote that HH differs significantly from the other groups, which do not differ from each other.
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Nijat Nariman @nnariman.bsky.social · 24/07/2025
Wait...🤔 They're TERRIBLE at handling disturbance, get eaten more by native predators, yet somehow conquered 1,400km of Europe in 45 years? HOW?! 🤯 The answer in establishment might lie in their reproductive behaviour (work in progress - stay tuned!). But let's look at how they spread so fast! ⬇️
Cartoon illustration of a dark-haired, bearded researcher wearing a white lab coat and a small hoop earring. He scratches his head with a worried expression while standing in front of a presentation board. The board shows a zig-zagging upward line graph, a vertical bar chart, a circular pie chart, and several spider silhouettes, all hinting at invasion data. Three large black question marks hover above his head, emphasizing confusion. The background and chart elements use muted beige and brown tones that match the scientist’s lab coat and overall palette.
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Nijat Nariman @nnariman.bsky.social · 24/07/2025
Range expansion is speeding up! We mapped 4,000 records: front advanced from 150 km/decade in the 1980s to 400 km/decade after 2010. #Biogeography #RangeShifts #ClimateChange doi.org/10.1111/geb....
Map of Europe displaying ~4,000 collection records of the invasive spider Mermessus trilobatus. Grey circles mark records from 1981–2001, black circles records from 2002–2021. Red markers highlight four sampling localities: two core sites in south-west Germany (Landau and Wilgartswiesen, red squares), a mid-range site near Vienna, Austria (red rhombus), and a recent-front site near Horsens, Denmark (red triangle). Latitudinal and longitudinal grid lines and a scale bar illustrate spatial spread over 1,300 km from the original 1981 detection.Line scatter-plot showing the progressive expansion distance of Mermessus trilobatus in Europe from 1981 to 2021. Each point represents the furthest yearly record from the 1981 introduction site, with red-filled circles marking years when the invasion front advanced. Distances increase from ~150 km in the 1980s to ~1,350 km by 2021. A quadratic red curve fits the maximum distances, illustrating an accelerating, super-linear expansion rate (r² ≈ 0.98). Horizontal and vertical axes denote calendar year and great-circle distance in kilometres, respectively.
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Nijat Nariman @nnariman.bsky.social · 24/07/2025
Prey naïveté vs. enemy release? We pitted #MermessusTrilobatus against a native predator. Result? Invader was eaten 3× more often than local spiders 🕷️🕷️🍽️ – naïveté beats enemy-release here. #PredatorPrey #Behaviour #AlienSpecies doi.org/10.1002/ece3...
Bar chart showing mean predation rate (± SE) of a native ground-hunting spider on two sheet-web prey. The left bar, labelled “Mermessus trilobatus (invasive)”, rises to about 70% consumed; the right bar, “Erigone dentipalpis (native)”, reaches roughly 25% consumed. Error bars illustrate standard errors, highlighting that the invader is eaten around three times more often than the native species.
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