Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Adam Frew @frewecologist.bsky.social · 4d

Does the Pacific Koel intentionally attempt to wake up toddlers before sunrise when you’ve finally got the baby to sleep?
not loving that predawn coo-eee every night.

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Adam Frew @frewecologist.bsky.social · 16d

Our little family got bigger.
A happy big sister, and happy—but tired and a bit stressed – dad and papa.

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Reposted by Adam Frew

ESA Plant-Soil Ecology @esaplantsoilecol.bsky.social · 19d

Ecology (definitely) matters!

Check out this beautiful book that also features our committee member @frewecologist.bsky.social interview!

Part 5 Forgotten species: species that are often overlooked
The pivotal role of mycorrhizal fungi – Dr Adam Frew
👏👏👏

Ecological Society of Australia @ecolsocaus.bsky.social · 19d

ICYMI We're publishing a book! 🦜

Across 30 essays and stunning imagery, Australian ecologists share their feelings and thoughts about why nature truly matters.

The book is available for pre-order through @csiropublishing.bsky.social now: www.publish.csiro.au/book/8205

#ecology #WildOZ #nature

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Adam Frew @frewecologist.bsky.social · 21d

Most of us use rDNA for community analyses of AM fungi. Intragenomic variation in rDNA of AM fungi can be pretty huge, depending on the region.

nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

The pitfalls of rDNA‐based AMF identification: a comparative analysis of rDNA and protein‐coding genes

Intragenomic polymorphism of rDNA in arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) has been largely overlooked in ecological and taxonomic studies, and the reliability of nuclear rDNA regions for species ident.....

nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

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Adam Frew @frewecologist.bsky.social · 28d

Agricultural disturbance reduces arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal diversity and biomass by excluding specialist species - Vahter - New Phytologist - Wiley Online Library nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Agricultural disturbance reduces arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal diversity and biomass by excluding specialist species

This study investigates how agricultural disturbance influences arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungal diversity, biomass, and community niche structure. Utilizing niche concepts, we show that the AM fu.....

nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

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Adam Frew @frewecologist.bsky.social · Sep 7

5 day old baby turned away from medicare urgent care clinic because no medicare card was available.
What 5 day old has their medicare card?

Thanks @markbutlermp.bsky.social

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Adam Frew @frewecologist.bsky.social · Aug 28

Nice to such cool and down to earth leaders in research get supported!

And of course to see mycorrhizal research supported in this way!!!!

All hail the mycorrhizal majesty! @katiefield4.bsky.social

Katie Field @katiefield4.bsky.social · Aug 28

Incredibly honoured & excited to be awarded one of the @royalsociety.org's new Faraday Discovery Fellowships - this means SO much, huge thanks to everyone who has contributed, supported, & encouraged. Loads of mycorrhizal research @sheffielduni.bsky.social to come!🤩 royalsociety.org/news/2025/08...

Exceptional research leaders awarded first Royal Society Faraday Discovery Fellowships | Royal Society

Seven pioneering researchers have been announced as the first recipients.

royalsociety.org

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Reposted by Adam Frew

Anny Chung (鍾彥儀) @yyachung.bsky.social · Aug 21

🍄 UGA Plant Pathology is hiring TT faculty in Mycology/Fungal Biology/Fungal Ecology at the Asst/Assc level! Please pass along this opportunity to anyone you know who may be interested. I'm on the search committee and happy to answer questions. 🍄 www.ugajobsearch.com/postings/445...

Assistant or Associate Professor - Fungal Biology/Mycology

The Department of Plant Pathology in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES) at the University of Georgia is recruiting for the position of Assistant or Associate Professor in Fu...

www.ugajobsearch.com

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Reposted by Adam Frew

Manjeet Dhull @manjeet786.bsky.social · Jul 1

Spent last week at the microscope 🔬✨, and seeing arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi up close for the first time—hyphae, arbuscules, vesicles—was absolutely mind-blowing. Small but mighty partners of plant roots 🌿. Sharing a few of my favourite shots.
#Mycorrhiza #fungi

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Reposted by Adam Frew

Umeå Plant Science Centre @umeaplantsciencecentre.se · Jul 25

🧪🌾PAPER - How to investigate interactions between root exudation and soil microbial community composition? 🧫

The group of @rootsofthenorth.bsky.social and collaborators showed now that microdialysis is a suitable tool to simulate exudation.

Read more in BMC Microbiology:
doi.org/10.1186/s128...

Reverse microdialysis of sucrose stimulates soil fungal and bacterial growth at the microscale - BMC Microbiology

Background The rhizosphere is a critical microenvironment that plays key roles in plant nutrient availability, largely due to root interactions with rhizospheric microbes. However, we lack suitable me...

link.springer.com

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Reposted by Adam Frew

Stephanie Watts-Fawkes @mycoresearch.bsky.social · Jul 24

Yesterday, our new paper came out, with PhD student Diem Nguyen as first author in @plantspeopleplanet.bsky.social

We found that mycorrhizal fungi can enhance Zn and Fe bioavailability in Australian wheat varieties; we used Synchrotron XFM to look in the aleurone layer:
doi.org/10.1002/ppp3...

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal inoculation increases the bioavailability of zinc and iron in wheat grain

Bread wheat is an important crop that supplies calories and nutrients to the global population. Enhancing the concentrations and bioavailability of essential micronutrients in wheat is crucial for hu...

doi.org

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Reposted by Adam Frew

Adam Frew @frewecologist.bsky.social · Jul 17

The database of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in Australia is out!

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

You can access data summaries via the website www.ausamf.com

We have data from 610 sites with data from another 500 locations to be added by the end of the year!

Thanks to all collaborators

AusAMF: The Database of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungal Communities in Australia

Motivation Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi are central to plant nutrient acquisition, soil carbon dynamics, and ecosystem resilience. Yet, their biogeography remains incompletely characterised, pa...

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

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Adam Frew @frewecologist.bsky.social · Jul 19

sampling soils in some amazing spots in Australia!

This is down by the Otways in victoria

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Reposted by Adam Frew

New Phytologist @newphyt.bsky.social · Jul 17

What does colonisation tell us? Revisiting the functional outcomes of #root colonisation by arbuscular #mycorrhizal #fungi

A #Letter by @frewecologist.bsky.social 👇

📖 nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

#LatestIssue

Fig. 1 Figure showing plant responses to arbuscular mycorrhizal colonisation across four plant species.

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Adam Frew @frewecologist.bsky.social · Jul 17

The database of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in Australia is out!

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

You can access data summaries via the website www.ausamf.com

We have data from 610 sites with data from another 500 locations to be added by the end of the year!

Thanks to all collaborators

AusAMF: The Database of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungal Communities in Australia

Motivation Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi are central to plant nutrient acquisition, soil carbon dynamics, and ecosystem resilience. Yet, their biogeography remains incompletely characterised, pa...

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

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Reposted by Adam Frew

Christina Birnbaum, PhD 🍃 @christinabirnbaum.bsky.social · Jul 17

Great to see this mammoth effort by
@frewecologist.bsky.social et al finally published!

AusAMF: The Database of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungal Communities in Australia - Frew - 2025 - Global Ecology and Biogeography - Wiley Online Library onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

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Reposted by Adam Frew

Umeå Plant Science Centre @umeaplantsciencecentre.se · Jul 9

🧪🌾 VACANCIES - Are you looking for a postdoc or group leader opportunity?

Come and work with us at @umeaplantsciencecentre.se 🌱!

🍀 We have currently several job openings available. Take a look on our homepage and apply:
www.upsc.se/jobs.html

#PlantSciJobs #plantscience #hiring

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Adam Frew @frewecologist.bsky.social · Jul 11

Who better to help lead into the future of P3! Well done Katie!

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Adam Frew @frewecologist.bsky.social · Jul 8

Welcome lunch and registration kicking things off at the New Phytologist symposium here in Tartu @newphyt.bsky.social

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Adam Frew @frewecologist.bsky.social · Jul 7

Tartu! I forgot how beautiful a city it is.

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Adam Frew @frewecologist.bsky.social · Jul 6

In Singapore on my way to Tartu-Estonia, for the @newphyt.bsky.social symposium - Microbes as hidden or prominent players in plant life.

It’s been 6 years since my last visit. Looking forward to the symposium, seeing some familiar & new faces.

I’m talking about AM fungi in Australia, of course.

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Reposted by Adam Frew

Umeå Plant Science Centre @umeaplantsciencecentre.se · Jul 3

🧪CALL FOR APPLICATIONS - 5th call of the 'Excellence by Choice' Postdoctoral Programme in Life Science!

Apply for one of 8 exciting research projects, compete for two fully funded postdoctoral fellowships and contribute to cutting-edge science in Umeå!

Learn more and apply here:
lnkd.in/d_KSm3RV

This link will take you to a page that’s not on LinkedIn

lnkd.in

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Reposted by Adam Frew

César Marín @cmarin.bsky.social · Jul 2

After 6 years of work (since ICOM Mérida 2019) with #NancyCollinsJohnson our “Functional team selection as a framework for local adaptation in plants and their belowground microbiomes” is out in @isme-microbes.bsky.social Journal!

doi.org/10.1093/isme...

#Mycorrhiza #Holobiont #MultilevelSelection

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Adam Frew @frewecologist.bsky.social · Jul 2

New paper out! @plantspeopleplanet.bsky.social
Led by @aguilart.bsky.social

We argue mycelial network connectivity can define functional groups of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. We explore how different fungi balance efficiency vs. resilience.

nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

Connecting the dots: Network structure as a functional trait in arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi

Soil health and sustainable land management are critical to addressing global challenges such as food security, climate resilience, and biodiversity loss. Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi form under...

nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

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Reposted by Adam Frew

Carlos Aguilar-Trigueros @aguilart.bsky.social · Jul 1

Measuring physical properties of fungal network has never been easier and with that, an opportunity to re-define fungal functional diversity. Check our contribution on this issue for AMF: nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

As always, a fun collab with @frewecologist.bsky.social

Connecting the dots: Network structure as a functional trait in arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi

Soil health and sustainable land management are critical to addressing global challenges such as food security, climate resilience, and biodiversity loss. Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi form under...

nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

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