Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Liz Neeley @lizneeley.bsky.social · 16d

One farmer saved $7,000 on fertilizer while increasing crop yield & protecting pollinators. Could be so powerful for places it scales well.

Excited to see an idea @nickhaddad.bsky.social was developing at Storymakers 2023 in the headline! www.nytimes.com/2025/09/22/c...

Satellites and Drones Are Unlocking Benefits ‘Hidden in Plain Sight’ in Michigan

www.nytimes.com

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Nick Haddad @nickhaddad.bsky.social · 17d

Millions of currently farmed acres hold opportunities for biodiversity conservation that are hidden in plain sight!

Satellites and Drones Are Unlocking Benefits ‘Hidden in Plain Sight’ in Michigan

www.nytimes.com

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Nick Haddad @nickhaddad.bsky.social · 24d

There's a great shoutout to our paper showing that we've lost a quarter of all butterflies in the last two decades www.science.org/doi/full/10....

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Nick Haddad @nickhaddad.bsky.social · 24d

Great story! Learning to identify butterflies is in reach. Counts by thousands of people make up the best long term data 🦋 And there are practical means to forestall rapid butterfly decline. Thank you @margaretrenkl

Opinion | How to Count Butterflies

www.nytimes.com

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Nick Haddad @nickhaddad.bsky.social · 27d

Great paper! Genomic signatures indicate biodiversity loss in an endemic island ant fauna | Science www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Genomic signatures indicate biodiversity loss in an endemic island ant fauna

Insect populations have declined worldwide, but the extent and drivers of these declines are debated. Most studies rely on field surveys performed in the past century, leaving gaps in our understandin...

www.science.org

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Nick Haddad @nickhaddad.bsky.social · Aug 4

More bad news for butterflies. Our new paper led by Wendy Leuenberger shows common species are declining even more rapidly than rare ones. @ZipkinLab

Three decades of declines restructure butterfly communities in the Midwestern United States | PNAS www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2501340122

Three decades of declines restructure butterfly communities in the Midwestern United States | PNAS

Insects are declining worldwide. These declines have been documented across taxonomic groups and are worrisome given ecosystem services provided by...

www.pnas.org

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Long Term Ecological Research Network (United States) @uslter.bsky.social · Jul 31

The publications collected in this month's LTER Network News really demonstrated the wide range of impactful research the LTER does. Here's the list:

mailchi.mp/lternet/lter...

LTER Network News | July 2025

mailchi.mp

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Nick Haddad @nickhaddad.bsky.social · Jun 17

This report distills our findings on butterfly decline www.science.org/doi/full/10.... and describes actionable conservation urgently needed for butterfly recovery. @xercessociety.bsky.social

State of the Butterflies in the United States xerces.org/publications...

State of the Butterflies in the United States | Xerces Society

A study published in March 2025 showed that we are losing butterflies at a rate of 1.3% per year in the contiguous US. State of the Butterflies in the United States presents a summary of those finding...

xerces.org

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Elena Litchman @elenalitchman.bsky.social · Jun 14

Lots of people in Kalamazoo!

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Nick Haddad @nickhaddad.bsky.social · Jun 7

Honored to become a @aaas.org fellow with @lisaschultemoore.bsky.social and Amy Toth. Prairie strip scientists well represented today! @kbslter.bsky.social

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W.K. Kellogg Biological Station @kelloggbiostn.bsky.social · Jun 3

How does climate impact our gut microbiomes? As it turns out, there are many ways. KBS researcher Elena Litchman has studied the relationship between climate and our gut microbes. She contributed to a wide-ranging article recently published in Time Magazine.

Read more: time.com/7287156/how-...

How Climate Change Affects Your Gut Health

In a warmer world your digestive system may be taking a serious hit.

time.com

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Nash Turley @nashturley.bsky.social · Jun 3

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

‘Half the tree of life’: ecologists’ horror as nature reserves are emptied of insects

A new point in history has been reached, entomologists say, as climate-led species’ collapse moves up the food chain even in supposedly protected regions free of pesticides

www.theguardian.com

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Data Nuggets @datanuggets.bsky.social · Jun 3

Though our recent #NSF grant was terminated, the @datanuggets.bsky.social program still continues through support from the @kbslter.bsky.social and other sources! We're searching for future funding opportunities and will continue to help share authentic datasets and science stories with students!

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Peter Gleick @petergleick.bsky.social · May 31

There are 2 previous historical cases of countries destroying their science and universities, crippling them for decades: Lysenkoism in the USSR and Nazi Germany. The Trump administration will be the 3rd.
It's not just budgets but research, institutions, expertise, and training the next generation.

Graphs showing 25 years of budgets for the National Institute of Health, NASA, and the NSF. In all cases, the proposed budget for next year is far, far below any year of the previous quarter century.

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Nick Haddad @nickhaddad.bsky.social · May 9

Humans are killing helpful insects in hundreds of ways − simple steps can reduce the harm
theconversation.com/humans-are-k...

Humans are killing helpful insects in hundreds of ways − simple steps can reduce the harm

Insects are often under pressure from several threats at once, from pesticides to habitat loss to pollution.

theconversation.com

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Nick Haddad @nickhaddad.bsky.social · Apr 30

Congratulations to my MSU colleagues Phil Robertson @kelloggbiostn.bsky.social @kbslter.bsky.social and Jack Liu on their election to the National Academy of Sciences. Well-deserved recognition of their many contributions to science www.nasonline.org/news/2025-na...

National Academy of Sciences Elects Members and International Members - NAS

WASHINGTON — The National Academy of Sciences announced today the election of 120 members and 30 international members in recognition of their distinguished and continuing achievements in original res...

www.nasonline.org

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Olivia M. Smith @oliviamsmith.bsky.social · Apr 30

We are excited to share our new article just out in @natureecoevo.bsky.social 🎉

“Widespread lack of article accessibility policies among ecology and evolution journals” rdcu.be/ejFQH

Widespread lack of article accessibility policies among ecology and evolution journals

Nature Ecology & Evolution - An analysis of manuscript preparation guidelines across 541 ecology and evolution journals reveals widespread paucity in guidelines intended to make journal...

rdcu.be

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Nick Haddad @nickhaddad.bsky.social · Apr 30

Congratulations to all this years ESA Fellows and Early Career Fellows, including to my MSU colleague @elenalitchman.bsky.social @kelloggbiostn.bsky.social and my collaborator @fletcherecology.bsky.social So well deserved!

Ecological Society of America @ecologicalsociety.bsky.social · Apr 29

🌟Announcing the 2025 ESA Fellows and Early Career Fellows!🌟ESA's fellowship program recognizes the many ways in which our members contribute to ecological research, communication, education, management & policy. Learn more about this year's cohort: esa.org/blog/2025/04...

A photo collage of the 2025 class of ESA's fellows and early career fellows. Click through the link for a full list of fellows and their individual bona fides.

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Richard Lenski @relenski.bsky.social · Apr 30

Congrats to all of the new #ESA Fellows & Early Career Fellows including outstanding #MSU colleague @elenalitchman.bsky.social!

Ecological Society of America @ecologicalsociety.bsky.social · Apr 29

🌟Announcing the 2025 ESA Fellows and Early Career Fellows!🌟ESA's fellowship program recognizes the many ways in which our members contribute to ecological research, communication, education, management & policy. Learn more about this year's cohort: esa.org/blog/2025/04...

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Lars Brudvig @lars-brudvig.bsky.social · Apr 29

Congratulations to all of the newly elected members of the National Academy of Sciences, including my MSU colleagues (Christoph Benning, Jack Liu, and Phil Robertson), and - especially - Gary Brudvig. I'm proud of you, Dad!

www.nasonline.org/news/2025-na...

National Academy of Sciences Elects Members and International Members - NAS

WASHINGTON — The National Academy of Sciences announced today the election of 120 members and 30 international members in recognition of their distinguished and continuing achievements in original res...

www.nasonline.org

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Richard Lenski @relenski.bsky.social · Apr 29

Congratulations to all of the newly elected members and international members of the National Academy of Sciences!
www.nasonline.org/news/2025-na...

Among them 3 superb #MSU colleagues--Jack Liu, Phil Robertson, and Christoph Benning--as well as former postdoc extraordinaire Valeria Souza (UNAM)!

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Ecological Society of America @ecologicalsociety.bsky.social · Apr 29

🌟Announcing the 2025 ESA Fellows and Early Career Fellows!🌟ESA's fellowship program recognizes the many ways in which our members contribute to ecological research, communication, education, management & policy. Learn more about this year's cohort: esa.org/blog/2025/04...

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Nick Haddad @nickhaddad.bsky.social · Apr 26

An essential paper, one that will guide conservation and restoration for landscape connectivity at local to global scales. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

A well-connected Earth: The science and conservation of organismal movement

Global biodiversity targets focus on landscape and seascape connectivity as a foundational component of biodiversity conservation, including networks of connected protected areas. Recent advances allo...

www.science.org

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Nick Haddad @nickhaddad.bsky.social · Apr 7

Unsure the difference between a nickname and common name 🧐🤣

Nick Haddad @nickhaddad.bsky.social · Apr 7

Beautiful! Do nematodes have common names? "Butternut" seems like a candidate for this one. Check it out @hollybik.bsky.social

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Nick Haddad @nickhaddad.bsky.social · Apr 7

I'm excited to follow @dirtylittleworms.bsky.social Nematodes fill all roles in ecological systems and they're so diverse -- can't wait to learn more! Thanks for doing this

Rachel @dirtylittleworms.bsky.social · Apr 5

Welcome to dirty little worms !! 🪱 My name is Rachel and I’m so glad you’re here ☺️ Join me as we learn about nematodes together - I can’t wait to introduce you to the world of little worms!

Photo credit: @mer.mann

#nematodes

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Rachel @dirtylittleworms.bsky.social · Apr 5

Welcome to dirty little worms !! 🪱 My name is Rachel and I’m so glad you’re here ☺️ Join me as we learn about nematodes together - I can’t wait to introduce you to the world of little worms!

Photo credit: @mer.mann

#nematodes

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Santiago Saura @santiagosaura.bsky.social · Apr 4

Importante estudio de Gonçalves-Souza et al:

▪️Muestra que los paisajes fragmentados tienen menor diversidad alfa y gamma
▪️Descarta que la fragmentación aumente la biodiversidad a escala paisaje
▪️Enfatiza la necesidad de restaurar hábitat e incrementar la conectividad

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Species turnover does not rescue biodiversity in fragmented landscapes - Nature

An analysis of habitat fragmentation using a dataset of more than 4,000 species worldwide shows that fragmentation reduces biodiversity at all scales, and that increases in β diversity do not compensa...

www.nature.com

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Santiago Saura @santiagosaura.bsky.social · Apr 4

Important study from Gonçalves-Souza et al:

- Finds that fragmented landscapes have both lower α and γ diversity.

- Refutes claims that fragmentation can increase biodiversity in the landscape.

- Emphasizes the need to restore habitat and increase connectivity.

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Species turnover does not rescue biodiversity in fragmented landscapes - Nature

An analysis of habitat fragmentation using a dataset of more than 4,000 species worldwide shows that fragmentation reduces biodiversity at all scales, and that increases in β diversity do not compensa...

www.nature.com

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Nick Haddad @nickhaddad.bsky.social · Apr 4

Our new paper led by @tysonwepprich.bsky.social is out. When warmer temperatures increase the number of butterfly generations in a year, population growth rates are higher onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Voltinism Shifts in Response to Climate Warming Generally Benefit Populations of Multivoltine Butterflies

Insects may respond to climate warming by advancing phenology and increasing the number of generations each year (voltinism). However, one concern is that earlier phenology changes cue-response relat...

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

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