Kier Mitchel Pitogo
@kmpitogo.bsky.social
26 followers 33 following 13 posts
🇵🇭 wildlife biologist. PhD student at KU EEB & Biodiversity Institute. MSc, UPLB. Interested in the ecology, evolution, biogeography, and conservation of mountain biodiversity. (he/him)
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Reposted by Kier Mitchel Pitogo
Reposted by Kier Mitchel Pitogo
envconsjournal.bsky.social
Biodiversity knowledge gaps persist across low-income tropical regions... how does closing these and addressing biases create a more equitable and representative #genetic knowledge base, supporting national #conservation and global #biodiversity commitments?
bit.ly/4merL5A
#conservationscience🌏
Gaps and biases in vertebrate wildlife genetics from a global biodiversity hotspot | Environmental Conservation | Cambridge Core
Gaps and biases in vertebrate wildlife genetics from a global biodiversity hotspot
bit.ly
Reposted by Kier Mitchel Pitogo
ergabiodiv.bsky.social
💬 Missed the #ERGAPlenary this month? No problem - catch up now on the #ERGAchannel with the recorded talk "Global genetic diversity loss and the power of conservation to restore species resilience"
youtu.be/8y0V2pjwd0A?... #conservation #speciesresilience
Global genetic diversity loss & the power of conservation to restore species resilience - Robyn Shaw
YouTube video by ERGA - European Reference Genome Atlas
youtu.be
Reposted by Kier Mitchel Pitogo
envconsjournal.bsky.social
Can closing gaps in wildlife genomics - such as the participation of Global South Researchers - create a more equitable and representative genetic knowledge base?

Discussed in this recent Paper by Kier Mitchel E. Pitogo in #EnvironmentalConservation

www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

#genomics
Gaps and biases in vertebrate wildlife genetics from a global biodiversity hotspot | Environmental Conservation | Cambridge Core
Gaps and biases in vertebrate wildlife genetics from a global biodiversity hotspot
www.cambridge.org
Reposted by Kier Mitchel Pitogo
asn-amnat.bsky.social
Elevational ranges are a focus of intense study, particularly as climate change drives species upslope. But what are they and how do we measure them? In his Synthesis, Linck addresses these questions and more with community science data.
Now ahead of print! www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...
What Is an Elevational Range? | The American Naturalist
Abstract Elevational distributions have long fascinated scientists, an interest that has burgeoned with studies of predicted upslope range shifts under climate change. However, this body of work has y...
www.journals.uchicago.edu
kmpitogo.bsky.social
In our latest preprint, we show that sampling of herpetofauna in the Philippines is uneven, with natural history collections largely shaping observed species diversity. Also, sampling is biased towards large conservation areas, but not when topographic relief is high. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Kier Mitchel Pitogo
frodsan.bsky.social
An extension of joint SDM to jointly model species abundances and intraspecific trait variation. #ecopubs @esajournals.bsky.social

doi.org/10.1002/ecy....
Joint species-trait distribution modeling: The role of intraspecific trait variation in community assembly

The links between intraspecific trait variation and community assembly remain little studied, partially due to the lack of statistical methods to jointly model intraspecific trait variation and species abundances at the community level. Here, we extend the joint species distribution modeling (JSDM) framework into the joint species-trait distribution modeling (JSTDM) framework to explicitly link species abundances to phenotypic variation in traits for multiple species simultaneously. Using a case study of 65 tundra plant species abundances and 3 key functional traits measured across 325 sites, we show how the JSTDM approach (1) estimates the statistical associations among species abundances, species-level traits, and site-level traits, relative to environmental variation; (2) improves predictions on trait variation by using information on species abundances; and (3) generates hypotheses about trait-driven community assembly mechanisms. The JSTDM methodology presented in this study allows assessing the interplay between species abundances and traits at the community level, providing the much needed modeling tools to quantify the role of phenotypic trait variation in eco-evolutionary community assembly.
Reposted by Kier Mitchel Pitogo
jmbecologist.bsky.social
Conservation needs to focus better on maintaining & enhancing the processes that allow ecosystems to function & adapt in a rapidly changing world

In our new paper we explore key processes - such as evolution, movement & biotic interactions - metrics, & how to conserve them
doi.org/10.1073/pnas...
Biodiversity conservation requires integration of species-centric and process-based strategies | PNAS
Conservation science and policy are geared primarily toward the preservation of species and habitats, with priority often given to the rarest, most...
www.pnas.org
Reposted by Kier Mitchel Pitogo
envconsjournal.bsky.social
‘Gaps and biases in vertebrate wildlife genetics from a global biodiversity hotspot.’ A new article by @kmpitogo.bsky.social in #EnvironmentalConservation

#biodiversity #Philippines #Genomics #genetics #vertebrates #Conservation #Conservationscience🌏 #wildlife
bit.ly/4merL5A
Gaps and biases in vertebrate wildlife genetics from a global biodiversity hotspot | Environmental Conservation | Cambridge Core
Gaps and biases in vertebrate wildlife genetics from a global biodiversity hotspot
bit.ly
Reposted by Kier Mitchel Pitogo
jean8rum.bsky.social
Cool new paper about terrestrial vertebrates endemic to the 🇵🇭 Philippines ⬇️
kmpitogo.bsky.social
New paper out in @envconsjournal.bsky.social! I reviewed availability of genetic data for all 769 endemic vertebrate species in the Philippines.
Read: doi.org/10.1017/S037...
Reposted by Kier Mitchel Pitogo
jean8rum.bsky.social
I've been working in conservation for 22 years. It's disheartening to see there are still foreigners conducting one-off trainings in the Philippines 🇵🇭 with little to no Filipino participants and *zero* Filipino experts as resource persons or facilitators. Seems very 🚩 #ColonialScience 1/2
kmpitogo.bsky.social
Empowering collaboration avoid perpetuating dynamics associated with parachute science. Research networks must go beyond data extraction to advance science, build local capacity, share credit, and foster trust for advancing science and conservation.
kmpitogo.bsky.social
The fact that 17.7% of PH endemic vertebrates still lack genetic data, less than the global average of ~24%, is encouraging and suggests strong research activity. However, these activities must be done in collab that is inclusive and empowering—involving Filipino scientists in all research stages.
kmpitogo.bsky.social
118 of 213 wildlife genetic research on Philippine species (or at least mainly involving PH species) had no Filipino co-authors, and Filipino representation averaged only 1–2% of total authorship per paper.
kmpitogo.bsky.social
Species confined to smaller biogeographic regions, with narrow ranges, or that are threatened or lack threat assessments, were less likely to have genetic data.
kmpitogo.bsky.social
Reptiles had the lowest proportion of species with genetic data (78%, compared to 84–87% in other groups) but showed the highest growth, followed by birds, mammals, and amphibians. Mammals showed the fastest, most consistent growth in genetic data availability.
kmpitogo.bsky.social
Genetic data exist for 633 of 769 endemic vertebrate species, though 590 have fewer than 20 GenBank entries, indicating limited, often non-population-level sampling. Only about 8% of 213 wildlife genetic studies included population-level sampling.
kmpitogo.bsky.social
Despite global calls (e.g., Target 4 of the Kunming-Montreal GBF) to track genetic diversity, countries like the Philippines face serious gaps in data and inclusion. So how are we doing? Key results are:
kmpitogo.bsky.social
New paper out in @envconsjournal.bsky.social! I reviewed availability of genetic data for all 769 endemic vertebrate species in the Philippines.
Read: doi.org/10.1017/S037...
Reposted by Kier Mitchel Pitogo
aibsbiology.bsky.social
PhD graduates in 2025 enters a job market marked by instability. The world is still adjusting to post-COVID-19 disruptions, with reduced funding for #science &international collaborations due Trump's policies. Many question the viability of #research #careers. #policy www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Class of 2025: five PhD students reveal realigned priorities in wake of COVID and cuts
Scientists who began their doctoral studies in 2020 found their feet during a global pandemic and are graduating into an uncertain and chaotic future.
www.nature.com