Alayna Mead
LightNews LightNews
banner
alaynamead.bsky.social
Alayna Mead
@alaynamead.bsky.social
220 followers 390 following 15 posts
NSF PRFB postdoc at Penn State studying adaptation to climate in trees 🌳 #PopUpPoplars | PhD on California oaks | fan of nature and books | she/her
Posts Replies Media Videos
Pinned
alaynamead.bsky.social
Alayna Mead @alaynamead.bsky.social · Dec 1
Very happy to see our article comparing the responses of hybrid poplars in 17 common gardens, out now in @newphyt.bsky.social! We estimated reaction norms to predict how warming winters could change where different ancestries are favored.
nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Variation in predicted reaction norms in response to mean coldest month temperature (MCMT) across admixed Populus genotypes. The reaction norm of each genotype is shown as a separate line colored by species ancestry, with green indicating Populus trichocarpa and blue indicating Populus balsamifera. Predictions for the overall model (a, d) incorporate both yearly growth increment in centimeters (cm) and the probability of mortality; predictions for the conditional model (b, e) only predict growth, ignoring the probability of zeros arising from other processes including mortality; and predictions for the zero-inflated model (c, f) predict the probability of zeros arising from mortality. (a–c) Responses across the range of MCMT values at garden and home climates. Actual values of home climates (|) and garden climates (circle) used for model training are shown on the x-axis. (d, e) Responses based on distance from climate of origin (garden–home MCMT); positive values indicate a warmer climate and negative values indicate a colder climate. If genotypes perform best in environments similar to their home environment, growth should be highest and mortality should be lowest when the transfer distance is 0. Maps showing the predicted shift in species ancestry in the Populus hybrid zone, based on genotype-specific responses to mean coldest month temperature (MCMT). In (a, b), the color of the base layer shows the species ancestry of the studied genotype which is predicted to have the highest fitness (as measured by growth and mortality) in that location under historic (a) and future climates (b). (c) The change in optimal species ancestry between future (b) and historic (a) climates, indicating regions where increased Populus trichocarpa ancestry is expected to be beneficial in green, and regions with no change in gray. As MCMT increases, we predict that genotypes with higher P. trichocarpa ancestry may be able to outcompete genotypes with higher Populus balsamifera ancestry in some portions of the P. balsamifera range, favoring a northeastern shift of the P. trichocarpa range and the hybrid zone and into historically colder, more continental regions. Regions with MCMT values outside of the range measured in the common gardens (−13.05°C to 10.85°C) are masked and colored white. Actual ancestry of collected genotypes is shown as circles. Species ranges are shown as dark blue and green outlines (Little, 1971). The same predictions are mapped across North America, including the common garden sites (Supporting Information Fig. S15).
Reposted by Alayna Mead
stephenbheard.bsky.social
When you're working with a mentee's draft manuscript, what kind of feedback should you give? To be both efficient and effective, we suggest suppressing some of your instincts... scientistseessquirre... 🧪
Three stages of manuscript development – and why they matter to you as a mentor
When folks find out that Bethann Garramon Merkle and I have written a book called Teaching and Mentoring Writers in the Sciences: An Evidence-based Approach, they often ask: “What’s your #1 tip?”* …
scientistseessquirrel.wordpress.com
January 20, 2026 at 2:34 PM
Reposted by Alayna Mead
jillmlove.bsky.social
Preprint up now! With @ferrisifolius.bsky.social, we found positive selection on leaf shape plasticity across the altitudinal range of the cutleaf monkeyflower. This experiment was a HUGE personal undertaking. If you give it a read, I’d love to hear your thoughts!

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Phenotypic plasticity is broadly adaptive across an elevation gradient in the Cutleaf Monkeyflower
Phenotypic plasticity is a key mechanism by which organisms can cope with environmental heterogeneity, but its evolutionary consequences depend on how plastic responses align with the broader adaptive...
www.biorxiv.org
December 22, 2025 at 2:59 PM
Reposted by Alayna Mead
jrossibarra.bsky.social
There are many days when I think that "less" is the single most powerful bioinformatics tool. Just look at your data.
December 30, 2025 at 9:20 PM
Reposted by Alayna Mead
azfaust.bsky.social
NSF bio hour - NSF BIO lost 40% of its staff 😑
December 18, 2025 at 6:13 PM
Reposted by Alayna Mead
hormiga.bsky.social
Some more context on my university’s proposal to discontinue offering a Philosophy degree.

scienceforeveryone.science/humanities-a... 🧪
December 3, 2025 at 3:25 PM
alaynamead.bsky.social
Very happy to see our article comparing the responses of hybrid poplars in 17 common gardens, out now in @newphyt.bsky.social! We estimated reaction norms to predict how warming winters could change where different ancestries are favored.
nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Variation in predicted reaction norms in response to mean coldest month temperature (MCMT) across admixed Populus genotypes. The reaction norm of each genotype is shown as a separate line colored by species ancestry, with green indicating Populus trichocarpa and blue indicating Populus balsamifera. Predictions for the overall model (a, d) incorporate both yearly growth increment in centimeters (cm) and the probability of mortality; predictions for the conditional model (b, e) only predict growth, ignoring the probability of zeros arising from other processes including mortality; and predictions for the zero-inflated model (c, f) predict the probability of zeros arising from mortality. (a–c) Responses across the range of MCMT values at garden and home climates. Actual values of home climates (|) and garden climates (circle) used for model training are shown on the x-axis. (d, e) Responses based on distance from climate of origin (garden–home MCMT); positive values indicate a warmer climate and negative values indicate a colder climate. If genotypes perform best in environments similar to their home environment, growth should be highest and mortality should be lowest when the transfer distance is 0. Maps showing the predicted shift in species ancestry in the Populus hybrid zone, based on genotype-specific responses to mean coldest month temperature (MCMT). In (a, b), the color of the base layer shows the species ancestry of the studied genotype which is predicted to have the highest fitness (as measured by growth and mortality) in that location under historic (a) and future climates (b). (c) The change in optimal species ancestry between future (b) and historic (a) climates, indicating regions where increased Populus trichocarpa ancestry is expected to be beneficial in green, and regions with no change in gray. As MCMT increases, we predict that genotypes with higher P. trichocarpa ancestry may be able to outcompete genotypes with higher Populus balsamifera ancestry in some portions of the P. balsamifera range, favoring a northeastern shift of the P. trichocarpa range and the hybrid zone and into historically colder, more continental regions. Regions with MCMT values outside of the range measured in the common gardens (−13.05°C to 10.85°C) are masked and colored white. Actual ancestry of collected genotypes is shown as circles. Species ranges are shown as dark blue and green outlines (Little, 1971). The same predictions are mapped across North America, including the common garden sites (Supporting Information Fig. S15).
December 1, 2025 at 5:21 PM
Reposted by Alayna Mead
andrewlhipp.bsky.social
This just out from @mortonarboretum.bsky.social Rebekah Mohn: reference genome and read mapping method both affect phylogenetic inference & heterozygosity estimates across species.

Punchline? Use a closely related but not conspecific reference.

Open-access!

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Variant Calling in the Goldilocks Zone: How Reference Genome Choice and Read Mapping Stringency Impact Heterozygosity Estimates and Phylogenetic Analyses
The increasing numbers of published reference genomes and affordability of whole genome resequencing have enabled multispecies population genomic and phylogenomic studies on non-model organisms, but ...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
November 20, 2025 at 1:32 PM
Reposted by Alayna Mead
newphyt.bsky.social
Climate and hybridization shape #stomatal trait evolution in #Populus

📖 nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
by Zavala-Paez et al.

@WileyPlantSci @michellezavala.bsky.social @jillahamilton.bsky.social
Sampling and common garden design.
November 19, 2025 at 10:27 AM
Reposted by Alayna Mead
jillahamilton.bsky.social
It is official! DR. @michellezavala.bsky.social defended a very impressive dissertation today!! With friends, family, stomata cookies, and Ecuadorian Guinea pigs cheering her along! We understand so much more about the consequences of hybridization to the evolution of physiological traits!! #proudPI
November 12, 2025 at 6:08 PM
alaynamead.bsky.social
Happy goldenrod season to all who celebrate (and bonus Coreopsis)
A spider with long green and brown striped front legs hides behind the petals of a yellow flower A black and white beetle trundles along the underside of a goldenrod stem A slightly blurry iridescent green bee takes off from a yellow goldenrod, with blue sky behind A yellow beetle with black spots sitting on a yellow goldenrod flower
September 28, 2025 at 4:04 PM
alaynamead.bsky.social
Hi #ESA2025! I'll be talking about phenology in a poplar hybrid zone at 3:45 this afternoon in the "Beyond Budburst–Connecting Phenological Transitions Among Tissues and Times in Woody Plants" session. Excited to hear some phenology talks!
Bright green, newly formed leaves growing from a poplar stem in a field.
August 11, 2025 at 6:02 PM
Reposted by Alayna Mead
ckyriazis.bsky.social
I am thrilled to share this paper outlining some ideas I’ve been thinking about for a little while on a simple but powerful approach for predicting risk of inbreeding depression from long runs of homozygosity and non-ROH heterozygosity. 1/n @klohmueller.bsky.social doi.org/10.1016/j.tr...
August 4, 2025 at 5:10 PM
Reposted by Alayna Mead
trevorfaske.bsky.social
Very excited to have our study come out looking at multiple plant mosaic hybrid zones and their implications for hybrids to act as "sutures" of species ranges. We use genomic data to project shifts into future climates and discuss impacts on conservation/management.

www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
July 30, 2025 at 4:14 PM
Reposted by Alayna Mead
jillahamilton.bsky.social
Super sad to be missing out on #Botany2025, but Hamilton Lab is represented by @sammymuraguri.bsky.social - be sure to drop by his poster to learn about the genomic architecture of adaptive introgression across repeated contact zones between two sister Poplar species #PopUpPoplars
July 28, 2025 at 11:49 PM
Reposted by Alayna Mead
stairwaytokevin.bsky.social
Winter is great, thunderstorms in spring are great, leaves changing colors in fall is great. Californians insulate themselves from the beauty and changes of the seasons in search of a mythical “perfect weather”. It’s perverse Utopianism and a weakness of the spirit
opinionhaver.bsky.social William B. Fuckley @opinionhaver.bsky.social · Jun 20
After experiencing “four seasons” I’m calling bullshit on people saying they prefer that more than California weather. Bullshit you do. You just experience such a massive dopamine rush in spring after the hell-dark that you rationalize it.
June 20, 2025 at 5:37 PM
Reposted by Alayna Mead
jillahamilton.bsky.social
One week to go!!! So excited to host our colleagues next week in the Happy Valley of Pennsylvania! Over 150 registrants from around the world!! If you’re interested in coming but unable to join in person - email me to learn about virtual options forestgeneticsconference2025.com #forestgenetics2025
June 16, 2025 at 2:37 PM
Reposted by Alayna Mead
stairwaytokevin.bsky.social
Based on some quick math, this alone could fund the NSF Plant Genome Research Program for ~4 years; the NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology, which was totally axed in the NSF budget request, for ~9 years; and ~ half the total NSF GRFP budget
June 10, 2025 at 4:19 PM
Reposted by Alayna Mead
andrewlhipp.bsky.social
Our new study out in Molecular Ecology, led by 3 early-career scientists, uses hyb-seq on rangewide field collections to document introgression, species differentiation, and phylogeograhy of bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa) & relatives. Great work by a large team over many yrs!

doi.org/10.1111/mec....
ADMIXTURE analysis. Admixture plots for (a) K = 5 and (b) K = 6, partitioned by species (leaf silhouettes; from left to right, Q. macrocarpa, Q. alba, Q. bicolor, Q. stellata, Q. muehlenbergii). (c) Plot of cross-validation error as a function of K, from K = 2 to K = 8. (d) Heatmap of pairwise FST scores between ancestral clusters inferred in the K = 6 ADMIXTURE run.
June 10, 2025 at 10:16 AM
Reposted by Alayna Mead
justinluong.com
Happy Pride from California Native Plants!
Progressive Pride Flag made in 2022 by Dr. Justin Luong from photos taken by Justin Luong of California Native Plants. #Pride #Pride2025 ##CaliforniaNativePlants
June 1, 2025 at 2:29 PM
Reposted by Alayna Mead
jillahamilton.bsky.social
Super excited for the first manuscript #NSFFunded led by the very talented
@alaynamead.bsky.social
from our #PopUpPoplar common gardens spanning 17 environments across the US that examined fitness variation and predicted range shifts for hybrids to new environments www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Variation in responses to temperature across admixed genotypes of Populus trichocarpa x P. balsamifera predict geographic shifts in regions where hybrids are favored
In a rapidly changing environment, predicting changes in the growth and survival of local populations can inform conservation and management. Plastic responses vary as a result of genetic differentiat...
www.biorxiv.org
May 22, 2025 at 6:31 PM
Reposted by Alayna Mead
calandscapebot.bsky.social
Constantia, Lassen County, CA
🗺39.9228, -120.0034 🧭216° ⛰5604 ft
https://ops.alertcalifornia.org/cam-console/1635
May 17, 2025 at 6:53 PM
Reposted by Alayna Mead
rsimmon.bsky.social
One thing I’ve noticed as people move away from the rainbow palette is more use of divergent palettes for sequential data. That’s not *always* a bad idea, but often is. This example inadvertently de-emphasizes states (Colorado) where people hear about climate change more frequently.

#dataviz 📊
A map of the US showing how most people aren't talking about climate change. Source: https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/visualizations-data/ycom-us/ The palette goes from dark red (100% of people in that state hear about climate change weekly), to a transition between pale orange and pale blue at 50%, to dark blue (people never hear climate change messages). In the U.S. no state is above 50%, so states with more frequent climate communication (Colorado, Massachusetts) are lighter than states with less (Oklahoma, West Virginia). This visually de-emphasizes those states.
May 16, 2025 at 6:50 PM
Reposted by Alayna Mead
jillahamilton.bsky.social
Excited by new #NSFFunded research from #PopUpPoplars led by @michellezavala.bsky.social that shows the importance of considering cytonuclear interactions to plant function

The role of cytonuclear interactions to plant adaptation across a Populus hybrid zone www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org
May 15, 2025 at 6:45 PM
Reposted by Alayna Mead
kheyduk.bsky.social
The PLANTS program (funded by NSF) at @botsocamerica.bsky.social was a cornerstone of the conference each year, bringing together new-to-science scholars with more experienced mentors. It helped provide community, support, and connection to new scientists.

The grant was terminated last week.
May 13, 2025 at 1:36 PM