Renske E. Onstein | Lightnews

Renske Onstein

@renskeonstein.bsky.social

490 followers 280 following 4 posts

Senior Scientist at Naturalis Biodiversity Center NL; macroevolution ☄️, macroecology 🌎, botany 🌺, palms 🌴, megafauna 🐘, frugivory 🦧, traits ☘️

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Environmental science 40%

Agriculture 25%

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Reposted by Renske E. Onstein

🌴 Scott Zona, Ph.D. 🌴 @scottzona.bsky.social · Oct 9

The fleshy sarcotesta of Ginkgo biloba smells really nasty. Some biologists suggest that the stench evolved to attract scavenging dinosaurs (or ancient mammals), which dispersed the seeds. 🤷‍♂️ Maybe. If so, that vile smell is the aroma of Jurassic death. 💀 #dispersal #Ginkgoaceae #Botany 🌾🧪🌱

Photo of a pair of fleshy seeds of ginkgo hanging in the tree, not yet dispersed. Photo by Scott Zona CCBYNC2.

Renske Onstein @renskeonstein.bsky.social · Sep 11

Also, see here for the @idiv-research.bsky.social press release: www.idiv.de/human-activi...

Human activities linked to declines of big seeds in Madagascar

www.idiv.de

Reposted by Orlando Schwery

Renske Onstein @renskeonstein.bsky.social · Sep 11

Very proud of @yuansoup.bsky.social on getting this PhD chapter published- a synthesis that started due to travel restrictions from COVID-19 but turned out to be very insightful, highlighting the botanical consequences of defaunation 🦜🦣🥑🥭

Yuanshu Pu @yuansoup.bsky.social · Sep 11

First PhD paper out!🎉
Dive in here to see how past frugivores and present human pressure jointly shape seed size distributions on Madagascar: doi.org/10.1111/ele....
Huge thanks to Alexander Zizka and my supervisor Renske Onstein @renskeonstein.bsky.social
. Excited to keep going on this journey!

Legacy of the Lost and Pressure of the Present: Malagasy Plant Seeds Retain Megafauna Dispersal Signatures but Downsize Under Human Pressure

Using structural equation models, we show that Malagasy assemblages with higher human pressure have smaller maximum seed sizes, especially through downsizing of extant frugivores. Furthermore, among ...

doi.org

Reposted by Renske E. Onstein

Yuanshu Pu @yuansoup.bsky.social · Sep 11

Legacy of the Lost and Pressure of the Present: Malagasy Plant Seeds Retain Megafauna Dispersal Signatures but Downsize Under Human Pressure

doi.org

Reposted by Renske E. Onstein, Daniel Zuleta

Bob Muscarella @bobmuscarella.bsky.social · Aug 27

Ever wonder about what spatial scale of biodiversity #eDNA 🧬 samples capture?

We did. So we used data from the 16-ha Luquillo Forest Dynamics Plot 🇵🇷 to investigate the spatial scale of soil eDNA samples for tree🌴🌳 diversity.

(Please share with #eDNA folks!)

www.pnas.org/doi/full/10....

PNAS

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), a peer reviewed journal of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) - an authoritative source of high-impact, original research that broadly spans...

www.pnas.org

Reposted by Joseph A. Tobias, Renske E. Onstein

iDiv Biodiversity Research @idiv-research.bsky.social · Aug 27

A new @natcomms.nature.com study led by iDiv alumna @adrianaalzate.bsky.social @naturalis.bsky.social uncovered that across >26,000 species evolutionary age is positively linked to range size, except in marine mammals.

#Biodiversity #Evolution #iDivResearch
www.idiv.de/older-specie...

Older species tend to have large ranges – unless they live on islands

New Nature Communication publications sheds light on how ecological, evolutionary, and geographical processes can simultaneously shape species’ vulnerability to extinction.

www.idiv.de

Reposted by Joseph A. Tobias, Renske E. Onstein

Eliot Miller @eliotmiller.bsky.social · Apr 29

*** Academic BFD alert ***

We just published a new global bird phylogeny. It synthesizes the work of thousands of researchers before us, and it will grow and improve over time. @snacktavish.bsky.social @birdsoftheworld.bsky.social www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

Reposted by Renske E. Onstein

Andrej Spiridonov @andrejpaleo.bsky.social · May 20

Interesting for epidemiology as well as macroevolution and biogeography.
Rates of species interactions from co-phylogenies.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
🧪 ⚒️ #Paleobio #EvoBio

Reposted by Renske E. Onstein, Vojtěch Brlík, Alejandra Zarzo‐Arias , and 1 more Renske E. Onstein, Vojtěch Brlík, Alejandra Zarzo‐Arias, Raquel Ponti

Martin Bulla @martinbulla.bsky.social · May 13

We’re hiring a postdoc (2+ years) in macroecology and macroevolution in my new lab at CZU Prague: www.researchgate.net/job/1021667_...

POSTDOCTORAL DATA SCIENTIST IN MACROECOLOGY AND MACROEVOLUTION (2+ YEARS IN PRAGUE) at Czech University of Life Sciences Prague in Prague, CZECHIA

May 12, 2025 | We invite applications for a full-time, two-year data scientist postdoctoralposition (with potential for an extension) spanning large-scale... | NEW JOB

www.researchgate.net

Reposted by Ingolf Kühn, Renske E. Onstein

Andressa Cabral @acabral-bio.bsky.social · Apr 12

Ever wondered what explains the amazing fruit diversity in the custard apple family (Annonaceae)?
See what we found: nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

@renskeonstein.bsky.social @hsauquet.bsky.social @ingolfkuehn.bsky.social @josephtobias.bsky.social @tlpcouvreur.bsky.social, and others!

Reposted by Ingolf Kühn, Renske E. Onstein

Joseph Tobias @josephtobias.bsky.social · Apr 11

Heads-up for fans of trait-based models & trophic interactions! A fresh & fruity paper led superbly by Andressa Cabral & Renske Onstein @naturalis.bsky.social investigates the role of seed-dispersing animals in shaping pantropical plant diversity.

nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10....

A conceptual framework figure from Cabral et al. 2025 Seed-dispersing vertebrates and the abiotic environment shapefunctional diversity of the pantropical Annonaceae. New Phytologist

Reposted by Renske E. Onstein

Carlos A. Ordóñez-Parra @caordonezparra.bsky.social · Mar 31

In my latest interview for @botany.one, I present you the work of @renskeonstein.bsky.social, a researcher always looking for the "big picture" of plant evolution and biogeography #Botany #PlantScience #SciComm 🧪🌍

Renske's research is something you don't want to miss! botany.one/2025/03/rens...

Renske Onstein: A Passion for "Big" Plant Questions

Botany One interviews Dr Renske Onstein, a researcher passionate for the evolution of plants and their characteristics on a global scale.

botany.one

Reposted by Renske E. Onstein

Kew Gardens @rbgkew.bsky.social · Mar 14

Using 90-million-year-old pollen fossils and DNA from a vast collection of global herbarium specimens, @benkuhnhaeuser.bsky.social has been able to map the spread of rattan palms across Asia, and understand the drivers that led to their astonishing diversity 🌴🏝️

👉 www.kew.org/read-and-wat...

A figure from a paper shows a DNA tree of palms in Asia - each part of the tree is colour coded to the area of Asia that those families are found. There are also pictures of two species of large palm, and pollen fossils both ancient and modern

Renske Onstein @renskeonstein.bsky.social · Mar 5

It’s been a while since I shared some updates, but here we go! New place, new grant, and successful PhD defenses. Check out my (forgotten and lost) blog at onsteinison.wordpress.com

Reposted by Renske E. Onstein

Naturalis Biodiversity Center @naturalis.bsky.social · Feb 22

Zet hem alvast in je agenda: over een maand is het weer Schelpenteldag. Op 20 Nederlandse stranden (meer dan ooit!) kun je strandschelpen verzamelen en op naam laten brengen bij de Schelpdesk. Leuk, leerzaam, en je helpt de wetenschap.
www.naturetoday.com/intl/nl/natu...

Nature Today | Landelijke Schelpenteldag: 22 maart

Kom ook dit jaar naar het strand voor de landelijke Schelpenteldag. Weten wat je ziet op het strand maakt elk volgend bezoekje leuker! Je helpt ook wetenschappers om in kaart te brengen hoe het leven ...

www.naturetoday.com

Reposted by Ian J. Wright, Marcel Cardillo, Renske E. Onstein

Hervé Sauquet @hsauquet.bsky.social · Feb 21

We’re hiring again! Our new Leader Systematic Botany role at Botanic Gardens of Sydney is an exciting opportunity to join a vibrant, diverse, and inclusive team of 15 scientists working on systematics, phylogenomics, and macroevolution of the Australian flora.
iworkfor.nsw.gov.au/job/leader-s...

Reposted by Renske E. Onstein

Leon Marshall @lmar.bsky.social · Feb 14

🦋Job!🦋
#Postdoc integrating South East Asian butterfly collections with machine learning & ecological modelling!📊

Join us @naturalis.bsky.social
Unlock the power of museum collections and drive innovation in biodiversity science🌍🦋
#butterflies #AI #ecology

👉Info: shorturl.at/xCM0t by 3 Mar 2025

Postdoctoral Fellow in Machine Learning & Butterfly Ecology

Are you looking for a new opportunity to contribute to the science that is needed to understand the state of biodiversity and help develop tools that can be used to inform conservation strategy and po...

t.ly

Reposted by Andrea Santangeli, Renske E. Onstein, Inês S. Martins

Laura Antao @lauraantao.bsky.social · Feb 14

Happy to share we have a new postdoc position in "Biogeography of genetic diversity changes or Macrogenetics" at @utu.fi to work on large-scale patterns of genetic diversity using Lepidoptera= moths and butterflies 🦋🦋 Applications are open until March 10!
ats.talentadore.com/apply/tutkij...

Reposted by Renske E. Onstein

Mario Coiro @lepidodendron.bsky.social · Feb 4

if you are looking for a PhD opportunity in paleobiology, check it out here!
www.senckenberg.de/en/career/sc...

Jobs for Scientists | Senckenberg Society for Nature Research

www.senckenberg.de

Reposted by Andrew Pomiankowski, Renske E. Onstein

Anna Dewar @annadewar.bsky.social · Jan 8

Our review is out in Nature Reviews Genetics! rdcu.be/d5AY2

We show how phylogeny-based methods can resolve the problem of non-independence in genomic datasets.

These methods must be considered an essential part of the comparative genomics toolkit.

@lauriebelch.bsky.social @stuwest.bsky.social

A phylogenetic approach to comparative genomics

Nature Reviews Genetics - Controlling for phylogeny is essential in comparative genomics studies, because species, genomes and genes are not independent data points within statistical tests. The...

rdcu.be

Renske Onstein @renskeonstein.bsky.social · Dec 2

Me please!

Reposted by Renske E. Onstein

Naturalis Biodiversity Center @naturalis.bsky.social · Nov 29

Botanicus @renskeonstein.bsky.social onderzoekt de relaties tussen dieren en planten. Ze haalde laatst een grote onderzoekssubsidie binnen voor haar werk aan uitgestorven reuze-dieren.

Wat als een planteneter verdwijnt? Onderzoek naar de gevolgen

Wat gebeurt er met planten als de dieren die hun zaden verspreiden uitsterven? Naturalis-onderzoeker Renske Onstein heeft een zogeheten VIDI-beurs gekregen om het te gaan onderzoeken.

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