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Toby Spribille

@spribille.bsky.social
2K followers 505 following 228 posts

Microbial interactions; lichens; symbiosis. Naturalist, conservationist. Associate Professor/CRC in Symbiosis at University of Alberta

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Dr. Az Klymiuk @klymiuk.ca · 29/09/2026
What if, and just hear me out here, you DIDN’T invoke Indigenous dispossession in the name of higher education?
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Will Ratcliff @wcratcliff.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
New paper out with @kaylastoy.bsky.social: academic.oup.com/evlett/advan...
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Joseph W. Brown @josephwb.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Early-diverging lineages provide little information about ancestors academic.oup.com/sysbio/advan... From @phylieu.bsky.social @sinkingdiatom.bsky.social @omearabrian.bsky.social
academic.oup.com
Early-diverging lineages provide little information about ancestors
Abstract. Large phylogenetic trees are often unbalanced near the root, with a species-depauperate lineage sister to a far more species-rich clade. The spec
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Peter Gleick @petergleick.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Rachel Carson's "Silent Spring" was released on this day 62 years ago. I have a first edition & come back to it often, including this paragraph in the chapter "Obligation to Endure." It's worth reading. "We urgently need an end to these false assurances, to the sugar coating of unpalatable facts."
Cover of Silent Spring by Rachel CarsonThe last paragraph in the Silent Spring chapter Obligation to Endure, reads, in part, " We urgently need an end to these false assurances, to the sugar coating of unpalatable facts... The public must decide whether it wishes to continue on the present road, and it can do so only when in full possession of the facts. In the words of Jean Rostand, "The obligation to endure gives us the right to know."
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Monika S. Fischer @mofisch.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Honestly one of the best articles I’ve ever seen on mushroom poisonings. Thank you @thetyee.ca and @michellegamage.bsky.social ! 💖🍄
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Summerfield Books @summerfieldbooks.com · 25/09/2026
𝗣𝗲𝘇𝗶𝘇𝗼𝗺𝘆𝗰𝗲𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲 𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘂𝗺𝗲 𝟭 [𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻] (tr.ee/pob_MLmobO) A major new work bringing together the expertise of several European authorities, edited by Nicolas Van Vooren. The first of 3 volumes, you can preview some of the text and images by following the link.
tr.ee
Pezizomycetes of Europe; volume 1 from Summerfield Books
Buy Pezizomycetes of Europe; volume 1, the first in a series of three, by Nicolas van Vooren and published in Hardback ISBN: 9782958755539
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Paul Foth @paulrfoth.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Lichen hike update: this is my third time looking at lichens on this range, but I was much more prepared than in years past. Highlights include two Western Waterfan (Peltigera gowardii) thalli in one stream, a semi-aquatic leafy little lichen. 🌿🧵
inaturalist.org
western waterfan lichen (Peltigera gowardii)
western waterfan lichen from Cariboo, CA-BC, CA on September 19, 2026 at 11:07 AM by Paul Foth. Mostly wet. Dry thallus nearby: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/401893985
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Ed Yong is offline @edyong209.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Briefly popping my head back in to unveil the cover of my upcoming book, LIFE BEYOND MEASURE: Nature's Hidden Wonders at Every Scale. It’ll be out on April 6 in the U.S. and April 29 in the U.K. and you can pre-order it right now! www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/757705... 1/
A book cover featuring a beautiful closely cropped portrait of an Anna's hummingbird. The cover says LIFE BEYOND MEASURE: Nature's Hidden Wonders at Every Scale, by Ed Yong. The image also says US: 4/06/27 and UK: 4/29/27
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Vaughn Cooper @vscooper.micropopbio.org · 21/12/2023
Friends don't let friends publish in MDPI journals. Pass it on. For more info, check out the Wikipedia page: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MDPI 🔥
en.wikipedia.org
MDPI - Wikipedia
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MycoKeys @mycokeys.pensoft.net · 16/09/2026
🍃 A taxonomic revision of the lichen genus Bunodophoron in New Caledonia has identified four species living in the region's montane rainforests, two of which are new to science: B. flagellare and B. imbricatum. Access the full study: doi.org/10.3897/mycokeys.140.197771
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Håvard Kauserud @drhyfe.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Why? Why not conduct more proper science? Punk attitude is sometimes fun, but not in science 😟 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
biorxiv.org
Discovering 25 novel phyla that fill gaps in the eukaryotic tree of life
Protists play important roles in food chains and symbioses in soil and aquatic environments, displaying an enormous morphological and functional diversity[1][1],[2][2]. While most commonly found proti...
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Genome Biology and Evolution @genomebiolevol.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
@guyleonard.eurosky.social @brockhurstlab.bsky.social et al. report a T2T genome for Micractinium conductrix, an endosymbiont of Paramecium bursaria, publishing one of the most complete Chlorellaceae algal genome assemblies to date 🔗 academic.oup.com/gbe/article/... #societyjournal #genome #algae
academic.oup.com
De Novo Genome Sequence Assembly of the Algal Endosymbiont Micractinium conductrix Derived From Its Host Paramecium bursaria 186b
Abstract. Endosymbiosis is a major driver of evolutionary innovation and underpins the function of diverse ecosystems. The origins and evolution of endosym
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Alejandro Fábregas-Tejeda @alejandrofabregastejeda.com · 08/09/2026
Interesting 📰 @theguardian.com by @samanthsubramanian.bsky.social on non-neural cognition: www.theguardian.com/news/ng-inte... Confronted with this polarizing debate, @philosobio.bsky.social & I wrote a balanced take on basal #cognition from an #evobio lens 👇 link.springer.com/article/10.1... #HPS
theguardian.com
‘This is dangerous’: slime moulds and the bitter debate over the nature of intelligence
The long read: Scientists are battling over whether supposedly simple organisms should be considered ‘intelligent’. The outcome could reshape our understanding of the natural world – and our own place...
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Elena Kazamia @drkazzie.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
We reach for "symbiosis" as a shorthand for harmony or neat partnership. But from 19th-century botany to modern lichen biology, the true nature of living together is far stranger. On heartbreak, de Bary, and why a lichen is actually a song: splashofelectricink.substack.com/p/a-lichen-i...
splashofelectricink.substack.com
A lichen is a song
We treat "symbiosis" as a synonym for ideal partnership, but the true nature of lichen reveals a much stranger, fluid reality.
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Ciaran Kelly @ciarankelly.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Our new preprint is out! 🍄 Decoupled evolution of antimicrobial repertoires in lichen-forming fungi We compared many lichen-forming fungal genomes to ask how different photobiont associations relate to their antimicrobial repertoires.
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Anthony Speca | Aspen Ecology @aspenecology.com · 05/09/2026
Collemopsidium pelvetiae: extraordinary 3-part #lichen involving #fungus, #cyanobacterium and #seaweed! Vanishingly few records in Britain. I suspect it's not quite so rare: I found it on 3 of 6 beaches searched on summer holiday in Scotland. Grows only on channelled wrack (Pelvetia canaliculata).
Collemopsidium pelvetiae : Scotland : VC97 West Inverness-shire : NM6589 Traigh : July 2026 : On frond of channelled wrack (Pelvetia canaliculata)
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Field Naturalist @fieldnaturalist.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Kaernefeltia californica Coastal thornbush lichen
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Joe DiMeglio @dimeglio.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
experiment.com/projects/hid... Biodiversity & conservation research is becoming increasingly difficult to fund through traditional academic, state, and federal sources. If you can support-or simply share-we’d be incredibly grateful.
experiment.com
Hidden in plain sight: Discovering the macro lichens of the American Southwest and Northern Mexico
The American Southwest and northern Mexico harbor remarkable lichen diversity, yet many regions remain poorly documented. We will conduct targeted field surveys, preserve voucher specimens, identify c...
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Misha Tri-Flow Glow @spoketension.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Really enjoy this lichen-covered speed limit sign in my neighborhood
A speed limit sign that reads “speed limit 25” all of the numerals and letters are printed in black on the sign, and each of the numerals and letters is covered with lichens growing from their surfaces.
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Michelle Momany @mcmomany.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
We knew that A. fumigatus conidia were bigger when produced at 50C vs 37C. We never imagined that genes encoding master regulators of asexual & sexual development would be differentially expressed in conidiophores at each temp. New, surprising work from Momany lab. journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...
journals.asm.org
Temperature during conidiophore development primes Aspergillus fumigatus spore transcriptome for asexual or sexual reproduction | mBio
The human pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus has been found in natural and agricultural environments around the world. Disease is acquired when susceptible individuals inhale airborne asexual spores from ...
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Emma Cameron @ecameron.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
#wendellberry #thepeaceofwildthings #RIP #poetry #naturewriting #booksky
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PLOS Biology @plosbiology.org · 29/08/2026
Giant viruses are known across eukaryotes. This study by @hyphaltip.bsky.social &co identifies Mycodnaviridae, a global giant #virus family that persistently infect zoosporic #fungi, providing a promising model for studying #giantVirus infection in eukaryotes. 🧪 #AcademicSky plos.io/3Sq4ioL
Allomyces javanicus California 12
Sexual structures of the fungus Allomyces javanicus California 12, which is persistently infected with a giant virus. Image credit Timothy James.

I confirm that the images provided can publish under the Creative Commons Attribution
License.
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Mary Williams @PlantTeaching @plantteaching.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
In a global first, Mexico approves use of RNA-based fungicide. Oifirax, created by GreenLight Biosciences, uses RNA molecules to kill the fungus responsible for powdery mildew on grapes. www.science.org/content/arti...
science.org
In a global first, Mexico approves use of RNA-based fungicide
Oifirax, created by GreenLight Biosciences, uses RNA molecules to kill the fungus responsible for powdery mildew on grapes
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James Hughes @dystopian-fashion.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
A beautiful dialogue with the environment. This textile installation intricately mimics the growth patterns of moss and lichen, seamlessly blending fiber craft with the living bark of the tree. In memory of the brilliant artist Hannah Streefkerk (1973–2018). Artwork title: "Symbiosis"
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Yoshihito OHMURA @lichenom.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
【日本産地衣類および関連菌類チェックリストを公開】 現在、地衣類1,960分類群、関連菌類186種、計2,146分類群。学名、和名、分類体系などの確認にご活用ください。 掲載内容へのご意見,訂正,追加情報を歓迎します。 lichenjapan.jp/checklist/ #地衣類 #lichen #菌類 #分類学 #taxonomy
lichenjapan.jp
Checklist of Lichens and Allied Fungi of Japan
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Ákos T Kovács @evolvedbiofilm.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
A bacterial metabolite rewires fungal metabolism, triggering the hyphae-to-yeast transition @currentbiology.bsky.social by Manasa Bharathwaj @mbharathwaj.bsky.social et al from Ana Traven www.cell.com/current-biol...
cell.com
A bacterial metabolite rewires fungal metabolism, triggering the hyphae-to-yeast transition
The hyphae-to-yeast morphological transition promotes dissemination of the pathogen Candida albicans, but the mechanisms underlying this process are poorly defined. By identifying a bacterial metaboli...
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Marco Festa-Bianchet 🇨🇦 @marcofesta.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
5 former chairs of the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada, myself included, raise alarm over the Carney gov't proposed 'major projects' initiative. It will lead to extinctions, likely including southern resident killer whales www.cbc.ca/news/politic...
cbc.ca
Proposed changes to endangered species law would 'stab it to death,' says scientist | CBC News
The former chairs of a panel that advises the federal government on endangered wildlife have published an open letter highlighting concerns over proposed changes to the Species At Risk Act, which they...
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Sergio Muñoz-Gómez @sergiophyceae.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
A new preprint from the lab! "Green algal symbionts are stably retained and provisioned in the dark despite a clear physiological cost" www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
biorxiv.org
Green algal symbionts are stably retained and provisioned in the dark despite a clear physiological cost
Photosymbioses, or associations between heterotrophs and photoautotrophs, are widespread and indispensable in today's ecosystems. The chloroplasts of algae and land plants, which are at the heart of m...
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The Sainsbury Laboratory @thesainsburylab.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
New Publication: Tangerine: A new family of Starships from lichen-forming fungi (2026) www.tsl.ac.uk/publications...
tsl.ac.uk
Tangerine: A new family of Starships from lichen-forming fungi
Lichens are symbiotic associations between filamentous fungi and photosynthetic micro-organisms, such as green algae and/or cyanobacteria, that result in a single anatomically complex structure that…
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Gulnara Tagirdzhanova @metalichen.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
Our study on giant transposons Starship 🚀🧬 in the genome of the lichen fungus Xanthoria is now out in @pnas.org! What did we find out about Starships in #lichen fungi? 👇Updated thread below 🖥️ 🧪 🦠 🧫 #SymbioSky 1/6 www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
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John Vaillant @johnvaillant.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
"As long as we burn #fossilfuels without limits, #wildfires will do the same in our forests, cities, and towns." time.com/article/2026... #wildfire
time.com
What Happens When the World is on Fire
"From America to Algeria, dangerous blazes are occurring around the world, giving us a glimpse into an age ablaze," writes John Valliant.
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S. Lorena Ament @loreament.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
How do fungi distinguish conspecific self from non-self? The genetics of this fascinating topic are plagued with misunderstandings even amongst mycologists. We wrote a review/rant to address this confusion, out now! 🍄 #fungi #allorecognition #HETgenes www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
sciencedirect.com
Drawing the line: Clarifying fungal allorecognition from HET domains to het genes to heterokaryon incompatibility
The iconic networks of filamentous fungi are connected through hyphal fusions. While fusion is beneficial among hyphae from the same fungal individual…
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Arkadiy Garber @ironark.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
The last chapter of my PhD work is now live on MBE. This has been an incredible project, combining genomics, proteomics, as well as transcriptomics that resolves total mRNA from ribosome-associated mRNA (which we infer to be in the process of translation).
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Gulnara Tagirdzhanova @metalichen.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
It was great to present my postdoc work at #IAL10, the International Association for Lichenology congress in Trieste! Thanks to the organizers for the invitation!
photo of me standing in front of the screen with my title slide, "Xanthoria parietina and lichen symbiosis viewed through the omics lens"
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Toby Spribille @spribille.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
How is this not the lead news story right now? A major chunk of an American metropolitan area of half a million is burning
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Toby Spribille @spribille.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
I guess this might be Calogaya pusilla #lichen #Teloschistaceae
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Ciaran Kelly @ciarankelly.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Thanks to everyone who organized the great event and selected me for a Margalith Galun Award! Congratulations to the other winners. Already looking forward to following up on all the new connections and ideas #IAL10
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Ciaran Kelly @ciarankelly.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
@metalichen.bsky.social Congratulations on your award, I can for sure agree that I have also been inspired by your work on lichens! 🥳
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Ioana Brännström @ioanabrannstrom.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
#IAL10 day 2 Coming with new ideas on why sterility could evolve in Icmadophilaceae lichen forming fungi! Could it be a #STARSHIP transposable element breaking their mating locus?
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Ioana Brännström @ioanabrannstrom.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
Proud of my PhD student Beatrice Bylén who did a great job in presenting #Thamnolia phylogeography and #photobiont community inside. #IAL10 #lichens #Trebouxia
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Toby Spribille @spribille.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Congratulations to Gulnara Tagirdzhanova @metalichen.bsky.social on receiving the Aino Henssen Award last night for outstanding postdoctoral research on lichen symbiosis from the International Association for Lichenology! #IAL10
Left to right: IAL president Marcela Caceres; Gulnara; IAL secretary Lucia Muggia; me
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Camille Puginier @puginiercamille.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
Very happy to attend the 10th International Association for Lichenology symposium in Trieste ! #IAL10 And very honoured to be presenting tomorrow our work on lichenization in Xanthoria parietina
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Ciaran Kelly @ciarankelly.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
It was very nice to present some of our work on antimicrobial proteins in lichens at the IAL10! Stop by at my poster number 4 today or tomorrow afternoon for further discussion #IAL10
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Gulnara Tagirdzhanova @metalichen.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
Absolutely ground breaking stuff presented by @veera-t-nogerius.bsky.social. Structurally chimeric lichen made by intertwined hyphae of an ascomycete and a basidiomycete present in nearly 1:1 ratio! #IAL10
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Gulnara Tagirdzhanova @metalichen.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
Very clever study design by @ddiazescandon.bsky.social, who grouped lichen fungi based on which sugar they receive from their symbiotic partner and discovered patterns in their genomes that reflect how this fungi evolve to rely on their partners. Coming soon to the bioRxiv near you! #IAL10
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Gulnara Tagirdzhanova @metalichen.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
Excited to see @puginiercamille.bsky.social presenting on secreted proteins in Xanthoria. I'm blown away by the work on algal cultures and protein-protein interaction modeling! #IAL10
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Gulnara Tagirdzhanova @metalichen.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
A teaser from @spribille.bsky.social on lichen fungi G protein-coupled receptors in the context of the symbiosis evolution. A lot of independent data points to them being a key to the symbiosis #IAL10
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Toby Spribille @spribille.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
Sergio Perez Ortega talking about photobiont community networks: networks simplify with greater air pollution #IAL10
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Toby Spribille @spribille.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
Veronika Vesela presenting on their fascinating work with @skaloud.bsky.social on algae and algal symbionts inside and outside of lichens in a great study in CZ #IAL10
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Gulnara Tagirdzhanova @metalichen.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
The workshop features @ddiazescandon.bsky.social talking about machine learning. Some serious galaxy brain stuff, using ML magic to whole lichen genomes and making accurate predictions about the biology of the fungus #IAL10
Parosn standing in front of a scro. The slide shows some complicated heatmaps and text saying lichens don't have anything in common
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