This work is the fruit of a collaboration involving Xavier Lambin, Madan Oli, Mike Begon, and the heroic, superhuman, field sampling efforts of Sandra Telfer, James MacKinnon, Isla Graham, and Sarah Burthe (Universities of Aberdeen, Florida and Liverpool).

Oddly, debates on the demographic phenomenon that underpin multi-annual cycles have largely taken place in the absence of demographic data. The prediction that variation in predation rate should cause variation in survival rate over population cycles had remained untested. We refuted it strongly.

We analysed 10 years of capture recapture data collected monthly, spanning all seasons and phases of 3 population cycles. We estimated survival and recruitments rate and their contributions to changes in population growth rate between cycles phases in early, mid, late breeding seasons and winter.

For 101 years, ecologists have sought to explain the 3-4 years multi-annual cycles of voles and lemmings. In our paper, doi.org/10.1073/pnas..., we find that Density-dependent recruitment, but not survival drives cyclic dynamics in a field vole population, overturning accepted wisdom.

Hello Could you please add me to the science feed as contributor. My googdcholar page is scholar.google.co.uk/citations?us...

New perspective out today in @jappliedecology.bsky.social.
We reflect on co-producing evidence in an effort to bridge the implementation gap, for evidence based, impact focused predator control.
What worked, what didn't and where barriers to implimentation still remain.

You can't win them all... 🧪

🚨 New publication 📝

Out today in the royal society proceedings B. We find that diversionary feeding boosts productivity of cappercaille from 0.82 to 1.90. Indicating that this impact based method can effectively reduce the influence of predation.

Read all about it here: shorturl.at/QRb76

Great study led by Jaime Moyano, on how to slow down tree invasion from plantations in Patagonia. With @pablo-ecology.bsky.social, @barabara-langdon.bsky.social @anibalpauchard.bsky.social @martin-nunez.bsky.social @lambin-ecology.bsky.social
besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

I get to work with amazing people in our group, mostly extremely talented PhD students. Here is a starter pack with them all. Follow, and you wont be disappointed 🤩

go.bsky.app/HufyKhd

Here are the titles and links to the 10 fully #netgain PhD projects. Follow along for more exciting opportunities in 2025. 1/12

This is work led by Amber Cowans (@ambercowans.bsky.social) and co-authored by Xavier Lambin (@lambin-ecology.bsky.social), and Darragh Hare.

All great people and worth a follow ☺️

Funded PhD on using sighting data to identify breeding sites for predators and pollinators with a cool approach (geoprofiling) soon available with me and @deonroos.bsky.social, Lorraine Scott and @lambin-ecology.bsky.social, spread the word!

TAKE HOME: We argue, using several strands of evidence, that diversionary feeding is a credible alternative to lethal control of predators and shows promising signs of reversing the decline of the capercaillie in Scotland.
Read the full paper here: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... 7/7

RESULT: Diversionary feeding increased the number of hens detected with chicks, consistent with our previous work showing a decrease in nest failure. This resulted in productivity (the expected chicks per hen) increasing from 0.82 in unfed sites to 1.9 in fed sites (more than double!). 6/7

HYPOTHESIS: Using a 3-year landscape-scale control-treatment experiment, we predicted that the chicks per hen differed between sites that deployed diversionary feeding and sites that did. 5/7

METHOD: We used #cameratraps on dust baths, natural features used by capercaillie, to detect capercaillie hens and determine whether they had chicks or didn’t have chicks. We used #AI from conservation ai to detect and count hens and broods. 4/7

BACKGROUND: Previously, we found that DF reduced artificial nest depredation, resulting in an 83% increase in nest survival. The big question though was whether this would translate to real birds. 3/7

All research wouldn't be possible without my fantastic co-authors: @lambin-ecology.bsky.social, @chrissuthy.bsky.social and @kennyafc.bsky.social l!! 🙏

2/7

⏰New Research ⏰

We quantified the direct impact of diversionary feeding on capercaillie productivity. We show an increase in the proportion of hen with a brood in DF sites (37% -> 85%) and, as a result, a 131% increase in chicks per hen. Read more here: www.researchgate.net/publication/...
1/7

Join us as @QUADRATdtp PhD candidate to learn and research population dynamics, demography and dispersal, working with lovely Tawny owls,
with @Paulcaplat.bsky.social, @Chrissuthy.bsky.social and my brilliant, supportive, interactive team within UoABioSci
findaphd.com/phds/project/q…