Dustin Marshall
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djmmeeg.bsky.social
Dustin Marshall
@djmmeeg.bsky.social

Biologist at Monash University interested in size, energy and life history

Environmental science 46%
Geography 14%
Pinned
Darwin speculated that it was energetically costly to be an hermaphrodite. He thought that might explain why they were relatively rare in animals. Our paper out today tested this conjecture for the first time.
royalsocietypublishing.org/rspb/article...
Hermaphrodites have lower metabolic rates than gonochores
Abstract. Hermaphroditism, where an individual can reproduce as both male and female, offers some clear reproductive advantages. Simultaneous hermaphroditi
royalsocietypublishing.org

Reposted by Dustin J. Marshall

Is hermaphrodism less common in animals because it is energetically more costly? George Jarvis and @djmmeeg.bsky.social have analysed 536 species of marine invertebrates and found that hermaphrodites require approximately 27% less energy than gonochores on average.

doi.org/10.1098/rspb...
❗New paper alert❗
The 2nd publication from Poppy Romera's Masters is just out in @natcomms.nature.com
We find that adherence of 180 soil food webs to the energy equivalence rule strongly depends on the measure of energy use, trophic level, and food web structure. www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Re-upping for a different timezone
Darwin speculated that it was energetically costly to be an hermaphrodite. He thought that might explain why they were relatively rare in animals. Our paper out today tested this conjecture for the first time.
royalsocietypublishing.org/rspb/article...
Hermaphrodites have lower metabolic rates than gonochores
Abstract. Hermaphroditism, where an individual can reproduce as both male and female, offers some clear reproductive advantages. Simultaneous hermaphroditi
royalsocietypublishing.org

We suspect that hermaphroditism evolves in low food availability environments, which also select for lower metabolic rates but this remains speculative (and testable?). We’re very grateful to those who provided data, the review team and also the great Deborah Charlesworth for reading earlier drafts.

We find that contrary to Darwin’s prediction, hermaphrodites have lower metabolic rates than gonochores. This difference is not driven by motility or size

While others thought it might be cheaper to be a hermaphrodite because you have to search for compatible mates less. But there have been very few empirical tests until @gc-jarvis.bsky.social compiled lots of data

Darwin said “The sole motive for the separation of the sexes which occurs to me, is that … the same individual should not have its vital powers taxed … by producing both pollen and seeds”.
This conjecture was formalised about a century later as the fixed cost model.

Careful. You’re at Stage 1: Exasperation. If you continue down this path, you could end up at Stage 2: publishing rants about the need for replication. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
Principles of experimental design for ecology and evolution
Here I argue that we do not discuss experimental design, often until it is too late. This editorial seeks to begin a conversation about how and where to replicate appropriately.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com

Reposted by Dustin J. Marshall

Anyone looking for a Australia-based postdoc? Like animal behaviour / coding / birds? My fantastic collaborator, Iliana Medina, is advertising a position researching bird nests:

unimelb.wd105.myworkdayjobs.com/en-GB/UoM_Ex...
Research Fellow in Behaviour and Ecology
Role type: Full Time; Fixed Term for 2 years Faculty: Faculty of Science Department/ School: School of Biosciences Salary: Level A: $87,266 - $118,416 (PhD Entry Level - $110,319) plus 17% super Colla...
unimelb.wd105.myworkdayjobs.com
Job Opening **ASSISTANT PROFESSOR MARINE ECOLOGY**, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Rhode Island.

jobs.uri.edu/postings/15960
Opportunity!
Anybody knows of young marine ecologists (within 7 years from earned PhD) that would like to come to Gothenburg, Sweden, for a nationally funded Assistant Professorship? It is highly competitive but well funded. (1) of (3)
🌿🍄‍🟫🌱🍄We’re recruiting!!🌿🍄‍🟫🌱🍄

I’m looking for two postdocs and a technician to join my group @sheffielduni.bsky.social @sheffieldpps.bsky.social to work with me on my exciting @royalsociety.org Faraday Discovery Fellowship project, details for each post as follows:

Reposted by Dustin J. Marshall

🦜 New PhD project with @ACCE_DTP and project partners Macaw Recovery Network and Longleat — using bioacoustics data to help conserve one of the Neotropics’ most charismatic parrots, the Critically Endangered Great Green Macaw.

Find out more about ACCE+ DLA and how to apply 👉 accedtp.ac.uk
ACCE+ DLA programme: Landscape-scale drivers and limits of endangered species spatial and temporal distribution at University of Sheffield on FindAPhD.com
PhD Project - ACCE+ DLA programme: Landscape-scale drivers and limits of endangered species spatial and temporal distribution at University of Sheffield, listed on FindAPhD.com
www.findaphd.com

Reposted by Dustin J. Marshall

Thank you to everyone for their support over the past 100 years, and for helping us celebrate this year. You can catch up with all our 100-year content on our special anniversary page bit.ly/4naj8Jr

Very kind of you to say thanks

That’s great to hear!

Reposted by Dustin J. Marshall

I use your paper in a grad course on experimetal design and analysis. The students find it super helpful!
The 2025-26 Eco-Evo job list is out. Good luck to those applying!

docs.google.com/spreadsheets...
ecoevojobs.net 2025-26
docs.google.com

Personally, I think we should ditch the term pseudoreplication for a bunch of reasons, some of which I rant about in the paper.
"Australia has the second-lowest public expenditure on tertiary education institutions in the OECD…This has resulted in an endless chase for dollars (international students & “the next big thing”) rather than thinking about what an educated Australia should look like” www.smh.com.au/national/nsw...
Universities such as mine are making poor decisions, and we’re not allowed to know why
UTS has announced a “pause” on enrolments in 100 courses. Vacating these critically important areas diminishes not only the brand of UTS but the state it was designed to benefit.
www.smh.com.au
An ongoing Academic (Research and Teaching) position in Genomics, here at Monash University in Melbourne. Closing in a little over a week! Please share widely! Lecturer/Senior Lecturer level (similar to Assistant Professor). careers.pageuppeople.com/513/cw/en/jo...
Job Search
careers.pageuppeople.com
Two (!) ongoing Academic (Research and Teaching) positions in Ecology, here at Monash University in Melbourne. Closing in a little over a week! Please share widely! Both at Lecturer/Senior Lecturer level (similar to Assistant Professor) careers.pageuppeople.com/513/cw/en/jo...
Job Search
careers.pageuppeople.com

Reposted by Dustin J. Marshall

Out today , our paper on estimating selection on metabolic rate. We use simulations to identify some common pitfalls and solutions
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/epdf/10....
royalsocietypublishing.org

Reposted by Dustin J. Marshall

1st. Body size & reproduction. Larger fish have higher reproductive outputs than smaller fish and that this matters for fisheries management and the design of protected areas.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
doi.org/10.1002/fee....
doi.org/10.1073/pnas...
doi.org/10.1111/faf....
Fish reproductive-energy output increases disproportionately with body size
Reproduction does not scale linearly with body size in fish—bigger females produce many more offspring.
www.science.org

Reposted by Dustin J. Marshall

Our paper out today showing that larval crowding occurs in urban mosquito habitats and this crowding makes adult mosquitoes carry higher dengue viral loads. journals.plos.org/plosntds/art...
Larval crowding enhances dengue virus loads in Aedes aegypti, a relationship that might increase transmission in urban environments
Author summary The mosquito Aedes aegypti is responsible for transmitting several viruses to humans, including Zika, yellow fever, chikungunya, and dengue. The geographic distribution of this tropical...
journals.plos.org

Reposted by Dustin J. Marshall

🧪 Deadline is 10 January 2025 to apply for a funded early-career researcher place at our Workshop 'Why Are Cells the Size They Are?' organised by
Dustin Marshall
@djmmeeg.bsky.social
and Craig White. Find out more and apply at
bit.ly/4gVDROh

#BiologistsWorkshops

#ECR
🧪 Deadline to apply for a funded early-career researcher place at our Workshop 'Why Are Cells the Size They Are?' organised by Dustin Marshall
@djmmeeg.bsky.social and Craig White has been extended to 31 January 2025.

Find out more and apply at
bit.ly/4gVDROh

#BiologistsWorkshops

#ECR
Ecologists’ endless quest for automatic inference
statmodeling.stat.columbia.edu/2025/05/28/e...
Ecologists’ endless quest for automatic inference | Statistical Modeling, Causal Inference, and Social Science
statmodeling.stat.columbia.edu