Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Sara Mendes

@sarammendes.bsky.social

3.1K followers 870 following 55 posts

Postdoctoral researcher at CSIC | PhD in Ecology | Ecologist with interest in #communityecology, #ecologicalnetworks, #restoration and on how #globalchange impact #interactions | #seeddispersal

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Pinned

Sara Mendes @sarammendes.bsky.social · Nov 14

🔥 Paper in Science🔥

We found that at least a third of the seed dispersers and interactions face potential extinction, in Europe 🌿🌳🐦‍⬛🦆🌍

#seeddispersal

www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Evidence of a European seed dispersal crisis

Seed dispersal is crucial for ecosystem persistence, especially in fragmented landscapes, such as those common in Europe. Ongoing defaunation might compromise effective seed dispersal, but the conserv...

www.science.org

6 130 280

Reposted by Sara Mendes

Dr. Catherine Scott @cataranea.bsky.social · 12d

I love the way science used to be written. Is it necessary to know that the author was pushing his baby in a pram while making observations of insects? Perhaps not, but it provides delightful context, while assuming the reader is familiar with his previously published baby-wheeling-related work.

A screenshot of some text of a paper, with the following sentence highlighted: "One July evening last summer, while engaged in wheeling the baby (another one this time) through some tall grass in the corner of my yard, I noticed..." It continues "an Ammophila attached to a grass-stem in the peculiar..."

7 33 170

Reposted by Sara Mendes

Rupert Seidl @rupertseidl.bsky.social · 21d

What is the cost of wildfire, windthrow and bark beetles for Europe’s forestry? We estimate that disturbances reduce Europe’s forest value by €115 bn, more than doubling to €247 bn under severe climate change. Led by @johannesmohr.bsky.social, out in @natclimate.nature.com doi.org/10.1038/s415...

1 18 30

Sara Mendes @sarammendes.bsky.social · 25d

Had a wonderful time at #EcoNet2025 in Newcastle 🇬🇧! It was a pleasure to share my work, reconnect with friends and colleagues, and meet so many new people. ✨ Already looking forward to the next meeting in Brazil 🇧🇷🪻🌱🫐🐜🐝🦊🐦‍⬛

Reposted by Sara Mendes

Eline Rentier @elinerentier.bsky.social · Sep 3

New R-package alert! 🚨

With tabs it has never been easier to reconstruct altitudinal shifts of biogeographical systems over time. Whether in the ocean 🏝️, shallow seas 🪸 or mountains ⛰️; tabs can project spatial configurations shaped by climatic conditions.
➡️ doi.org/10.21425/fob...

2 13 40

Reposted by Sara Mendes

Nature @nature.com · Sep 3

A common type of ant in Europe breaks a fundamental rule in biology: its queens can produce male offspring that are a whole different species

go.nature.com/4mOb5T9

‘Almost unimaginable’: these ants are different species but share a mother

Ant queens of one species clone ants of another to create hybrid workers that do their bidding.

go.nature.com

7 130 290

Reposted by Sara Mendes

Network Ecology Group - Newcastle University @nclneg.bsky.social · Sep 2

Looks like #EcoNet2025 has started early at the City Tavern. Welcome to the Toon @sciencesncl.bsky.social

2 3 6

Sara Mendes @sarammendes.bsky.social · Aug 24

www.eldia.es/canarias/202...

El Teide arrastra veinte siglos de 'enfermedad' ecológica tras la desaparición del bosque de cedros ancestrales

La deforestación aborigen ha provocado la pérdida progresiva de grandes dispersores de semillas, como el petirrojo o el mirlo, lo que ha llevado a varias especies endémicas al borde de la extinción

www.eldia.es

2 3

Reposted by Sara Mendes

juli g pausas @jgpausas.bsky.social · Aug 22

The final version of this paper is now published @newphyt.bsky.social
The onset of phenological plant response to climate warming
nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Long-term databases as an antidote to the shifting baseline syndrome in global change.

🧪🌎🌿🌐🌳 🍁 #PlantBiology

juli g pausas @jgpausas.bsky.social · Jun 11

Climate warming is not a recent phenomenon; it has had detectable impacts on plants for at least 134 years!

The onset of phenological plant response to climate warming @newphyt.bsky.social
nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

🧪🌎🌿🌐🌳 🍁 #PlantBiology @cideinvestiga.bsky.social @csic.es

Phenology changes for the Japanese cherry tree (Prunus jamasakura) in Kyoto. Left: Day of the year of the flowering peak for the period between 812 and 2024. Right: Relation between March mean air temperature (°C) in Kyoto and the day of the year of the Japanese cherry tree peak flowering for the period between 1890 and 2024.
https://jgpausas.blogs.uv.es/2025/06/11/134-years-of-climate-warming-effects/

6 24 59

Sara Mendes @sarammendes.bsky.social · Aug 19

🌱 New paper out!
In Teide National Park (Tenerife), ~69% of seed dispersal interactions have been lost after centuries of human impact.🐦‍⬛🫐
But there’s hope: 90% of those interactions involve extant species, making ecological restoration an achievable long-term goal!
doi.org/10.1016/j.ge...
🌍🌐🧪

1 15

Sara Mendes @sarammendes.bsky.social · Aug 13

Really hot days of fieldwork 🔥🥾🎒, searching for some of the rarest and most endangered endemic plant species 🌿🌱 on La Gomera island 🏝️

🌎🌐🧪

1 35

Sara Mendes @sarammendes.bsky.social · Aug 8

It’s a wrap on the @newphyt.bsky.social Next Generation Scientists meeting! 🌳🪻
I loved having the opportunity to share my work on seed dispersal and to hear incredible talks on plant science from all around the world. It was a lot of fun, and we even wrapped it up with a funfair! 🎡✨
#npnextgen

2 9

Sara Mendes @sarammendes.bsky.social · Aug 8

It was a great week 🤗🤗

New Phytologist @newphyt.bsky.social · Aug 7

Thank you to our brilliant delegates, mentors, speakers, the organising committee and our hosts at the University of Birmingham for making New Phytologist next generation scientists 2025 a great success!

Large group of diverse scientists and researchers gathered outside a modern building for a New Phytologist next generation scientists symposium.

Sara Mendes @sarammendes.bsky.social · Aug 4

🌳🌷Day 1 of the New Phytologist Next Generation Scientists in Birmingham has been filled with amazing talks on plant science and thought-provoking panel discussions!
So grateful for the opportunity to be here ✨
#npnextgen
#NGS2025

Sara Mendes @sarammendes.bsky.social · Aug 1

I’m deeply thankful to my supervisors, Ruben Heleno and Jens Olesen (@jensolesen1.bsky.social‬), for their unwavering support and guidance throughout this beautiful journey. 😊 🪻

Sara Mendes @sarammendes.bsky.social · Aug 1

✨ I’m very grateful to have been awarded 2nd place in the 2025 National Award for the best PhD Thesis in Ecology promoted by SPECO. 🤗
This award holds a special place in my heart as it represents the culmination of over four years of hard work, learning and doing what I truly love. 🐦‍⬛ 🌳 🥾 🎒 💻

Prémio de Doutoramento em Ecologia - Fundação Amadeu Dias: Vencedores da Edição 2025

Comunicado de imprensa revela quem foram os vencedores da edição de 2025 do Prémio de Doutoramento em Ecologia - Fundação Amadeu Dias.

www.speco.pt

1 1 5

Sara Mendes @sarammendes.bsky.social · Jul 10

Qué bien, suena súper interesante! Si quieres, hablamos. Me encantaría un montón estudiar la de dispersión de semillas en varias ciudades del continente. 😊

Sara Mendes @sarammendes.bsky.social · Jul 10

Todavía no hay papers en zonas altamente urbanizadas (el único paper que hay en medio de ciudades, aparte de este, es el de Mubamba et al. 2020 en Oecologia, y es más bien un entorno rural, creo). Molaría mucho hacer un estudio en zonas del continente que sean grandes ciudades 😊

Sara Mendes @sarammendes.bsky.social · Jul 3

Moreover, many frugivores (42%) move between cities and forests 🌆🌴🐦, potentially spreading non-native plant species into forests.
But 🚫 32% of the frugivores completely avoided cities!!

Our findings highlight the need for sustainable urban planning to protect the seed dispersal service. 🏙️🌿🐦

1 5

Sara Mendes @sarammendes.bsky.social · Jul 3

New paper out! 🏙️ We found that urbanisation simplifies and homogenises seed dispersal networks. 🪴🐦‍⬛ Non-native plants dominate in cities, accounting for 61% 😔 of interactions in the urban network vs just 15% in forests! 🪻🌿🌴
Check it out: doi.org/10.1111/cobi...
🌐🧪🌍🍁

2 13 26

Sara Mendes @sarammendes.bsky.social · Jul 3

Happy to share that I’ve won the UC-Life Sciences Award 2025 for best scientific article of 2024 in Biology!🧪👩🏻‍💻🪻🌿🐦‍⬛🦊
This national award recognizes top papers published by master’s or PhD students in Portugal.
Huge thanks to everyone who’s been part of this journey, especially my amazing co-authors! 🙌

Sara Mendes @sarammendes.bsky.social · Jun 24

Parque Natural** (not Parque Nacional)

Sara Mendes @sarammendes.bsky.social · Jun 24

It’s a privilege to work in a place like Parque Nacional de Tamadaba, in Gran Canaria! Surrounded by beautiful pine forests 🌲🌲, rich biodiversity with endemic species 🐦🌿, and , on clear days, a stunning view of Tenerife’s Teide volcano 🌋. (If you look closely, you might spot Teide in the photo!)🌎🌐🧪

1 3 70

Sara Mendes @sarammendes.bsky.social · Jun 19

The beautiful Semele gayae, endemic to Gran Canaria island 🥰🏝️🌿

Reposted by Sara Mendes

Darren Evans @dmevans.bsky.social · Jun 9

Come and join us in Newcastle for a wonderful gathering of network ecologists! This year our theme is 'Network Ecology in the Anthropocene' and our plenary speakers include Jane Memmott and Paulo Guimarães. Symposium tickets are an absolute bargain, especially for students.

Network Ecology Group - Newcastle University @nclneg.bsky.social · Jun 9

EcoNet2025: VII Symposium on Ecological Networks 3-5 September 2025

REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN: ncl.ac.uk/.../events/e...
PLACES ARE LIMITED TO 150 SO BOOK EARLY TO AVOID DISAPPOINTMENT

Call for talks and posters closes 20th June.

2 10 11

Sara Mendes @sarammendes.bsky.social · Jun 13

Office view of the week in Gran Canaria island 🥾🎒🏝️

🧪🌎🌐