Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Anya Courtenay @anyacourtenay.bsky.social · Aug 6

Find out from Joseph White and the wonderful Kew Madagascar team about what it takes to ground-truth grassland diversity data for spatial prioritisation of conservation and restoration in Madagascar's mosaic ecosystems as part of our TANETI project 🌾🌷

globalgrassygroup.github.io/2025/08/05/i...

The forgotten grasslands of Ivohiboro

By Joseph White, February 2025

globalgrassygroup.github.io

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Reposted by Anya Courtenay

Go Belowground! @exfumo.bsky.social · Jul 8

📢Klimešová et al. (2025) in Trends Plant Sci: Belowground persistence types relevant to severe disturbance - a new classification! ▶️ 1url.cz/FJExZ
#GoBelowground #ExFuMo #Clonality #BudBank #Resprouting #Disturbance #Storage

Belowground persistence types relevant to severe disturbance

Despite recent advances in plant trait ecology, we identified a knowledge gap in understanding how plants strategize to cope with severe and recurrent disturbances. Here, we propose a new classificati...

1url.cz

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Reposted by Anya Courtenay

Alessandra Fidelis @alefidelis.bsky.social · Jul 3

📢📢🔥🔥🔥 I am so excited to announce our book about Fire in the South American Ecosystems! It has 14 Chapters led mostly by south american authors. Thanks to all authors for their valuable contribution! link.springer.com/book/10.1007...

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Reposted by Anya Courtenay

Jess Rickenback @jess-rickenback.bsky.social · Jun 27

Brilliant day this week on the Tropical East Asian Savanna Network workshop- out on Salisbury Crags with the Global Grassy Group practicing ground layer data collection and loving the #grasses! @s-eshelman.bsky.social @wieczor.bsky.social @naomibschwartz.bsky.social @royalsoced.bsky.social

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Reposted by Anya Courtenay

Jess Rickenback @jess-rickenback.bsky.social · May 6

The first Tropical East Asian Savanna Symposium, funded by @royalsoced.bsky.social, will be 24 June @thebotanics.bsky.social. Free! Come along, or apply to present! 200 word abstracts welcome for talks (15/30min), deadline 30 May. Email for info / abstract submissions. @edinburghuni.bsky.social 🌐🌏

A poster with a black background and six circles, five of which have an animal, bird or plant in. The sixth circle reads 'Tropical East Asian Savanna Synposium' The poster advertises a free public symposium on 24th june at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh Lecture Theatre, 20a Inverleith Row. The event is funded by the Royal Society of Edinburgh with support from the University of Edinburgh and the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.

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Reposted by Anya Courtenay

Leverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery @naturerecovery.bsky.social · Mar 31

Looking forward to this event as our own @tanayanair.bsky.social will be taking part. They will be 'Reimagining our Relationship with #Nature' & discussing how we can create new, healthier ways of relating to non-human species. @ecioxford.bsky.social @oxfordgeography.bsky.social

Reimagining our Relationship with Nature

Leverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery researcher, Tanaya Nair will be taking part in a discussion between an artist, a scientist and a climate activist to explore our relationship with nature. Togethe...

naturerecovery.ox.ac.uk

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Reposted by Anya Courtenay

Caroline Lehmann @caroaceae.bsky.social · Mar 27

Special few days camped in gallery forest in Central Madagascar. Cynorkis purpurea flowering along the creeks, Sifaka leaping through trees and all microclimate sensors across forest-grassland boundaries still there! 🌍

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Reposted by Anya Courtenay

Caroline Lehmann @caroaceae.bsky.social · Mar 24

Rural Madagascar at its finest today. Vistas of rice paddies, marble outcrops covered in aloes and storm clouds rising. 🌍

Pressing plants for species inventory in a Tapia ecosystem

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Reposted by Anya Courtenay

Caroline Lehmann @caroaceae.bsky.social · Mar 18

Wonderfully fun afternoon with botanists and ecologists debating classifications of Madagascars ecosystems. We are getting closer to standardising our understanding. Such a wonderful way to see how disciplines inform and support each other.

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Reposted by Anya Courtenay

Alessandra Fidelis @alefidelis.bsky.social · Mar 18

super excited to begin this new project (Biota-MIF), establishing plots using GGG protocols and analyzing the effects of fire management on vegetation and ecosystem services! More data of grassy ecosystems to come!

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Reposted by Anya Courtenay

Caroline Lehmann @caroaceae.bsky.social · Mar 15

Fantastic FunkyBio presentations from @anyacourtenay.bsky.social @wieczor.bsky.social @adamdevenish.bsky.social @s-eshelman.bsky.social @jess-rickenback.bsky.social at the Savanna Science Network Meeting. Thanks to SANParks for always hosting a brilliantly collegiate conference. Till 2026!

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Reposted by Anya Courtenay

Jess Rickenback @jess-rickenback.bsky.social · Jan 16

Published! Open letter:There are more than just trees and forests to be conserved and restored.
Tropical & subtropical grasslands & savannas matter for biodiversity protection, and the future of this planet relies on these ecosystems to the same extent it relies on forests.
doi.org/10.1002/ppp3...

Open letter: There are more than just trees and forests to be conserved and restored

Click on the article title to read more.

doi.org

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Anya Courtenay @anyacourtenay.bsky.social · Jan 14

🌾 Global Grassy Group update 🐂

Above clouds and among yaks & shrubs: Investigating woody encroachment in the alpine rangelands of Bhutan

Tshering Dorji, December 2024

globalgrassygroup.github.io

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Reposted by Anya Courtenay

Tanaya Nair @tanayanair.bsky.social · Dec 21

Sampling in stunning riverine grasslands in upper Assam. Who knew savanna field work would involve traveling by boat and watching Gangetic river dolphins on the way to our field sites.

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Anya Courtenay @anyacourtenay.bsky.social · Nov 28

Some field observations and a lovely poem by @tanayanair.bsky.social reflecting our time collecting plants and microclimate data in a beautiful miombo mosaic 🌱🌦🌾

Sampling downslope in Bicuar National Park, Angola

By Anya Courtenay, Tanaya Nair and Ruth Francisco, February 2024

globalgrassygroup.github.io

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