Mason Heberling
@jmheberling.bsky.social
person, husband, parent, friend, plant ecologist, necessarily in that order; botany curator @carnegieMNH; herbarium posts http://www.collectedonthisday.com
PEACHH Lab (@benrlee.com) at ETSU is recruiting a PhD with exciting projects relating to phenological mismatch, ecophysiology, forest ecology. Highly recommend working with Ben!! www.peacchlab.com/opportunities
OPPORTUNITIES | PEACCH-Lab-ecology
www.peacchlab.com
October 14, 2025 at 12:45 PM
PEACHH Lab (@benrlee.com) at ETSU is recruiting a PhD with exciting projects relating to phenological mismatch, ecophysiology, forest ecology. Highly recommend working with Ben!! www.peacchlab.com/opportunities
Reposted by Mason Heberling
Come for this pitcher commemorating the first Federal Census and stay for my plea for rethinking data. Thanks to @jmheberling.bsky.social for the inspiration and to @kawulf.bsky.social for the encouragement.
Guest Post - Rethinking Disciplinary Data Regimes - The Scholarly Kitchen
Between a political policy environment focused on defunding and deleting data collections – an environment in which little can be trusted – and an onslaught of new AI tools that feed indiscriminately ...
scholarlykitchen.sspnet.org
October 8, 2025 at 11:31 PM
Come for this pitcher commemorating the first Federal Census and stay for my plea for rethinking data. Thanks to @jmheberling.bsky.social for the inspiration and to @kawulf.bsky.social for the encouragement.
Reposted by Mason Heberling
Please share — Michigan State Plant Biology is searching for an Herbarium Director! Tenure stream, open rank faculty position balancing research, teaching, service, and admin responsibilities. Join us! Reach out to me or @emjo.bsky.social with questions!
plantbiology.natsci.msu.edu/job-postings...
plantbiology.natsci.msu.edu/job-postings...
plantbiology.natsci.msu.edu
August 20, 2025 at 9:11 PM
Please share — Michigan State Plant Biology is searching for an Herbarium Director! Tenure stream, open rank faculty position balancing research, teaching, service, and admin responsibilities. Join us! Reach out to me or @emjo.bsky.social with questions!
plantbiology.natsci.msu.edu/job-postings...
plantbiology.natsci.msu.edu/job-postings...
Interesting study on holotypes, where they were collected compared to where they are stored. “The distance between collection sites and herbaria has decreased over time, that is, around 1800, the median distance was 8,800 km, while by 2000 it decreased to 750 km.” doi.org/10.1002/ppp3...
Tracing holotype trajectories: Mapping the movement of the most valuable herbarium specimens
Global efforts to protect biodiversity depend on fair access to key plant specimens. This study examines the distribution of 119,361 holotypes—unique herbarium specimens used to formally describe new...
doi.org
July 12, 2025 at 10:09 PM
Interesting study on holotypes, where they were collected compared to where they are stored. “The distance between collection sites and herbaria has decreased over time, that is, around 1800, the median distance was 8,800 km, while by 2000 it decreased to 750 km.” doi.org/10.1002/ppp3...
Reposted by Mason Heberling
Great NYT article today about how not to make problems with invasive species even worse, featuring @evecologist.bsky.social and @jmheberling.bsky.social
🌐🧪🌱
Free link: www.nytimes.com/2025/07/02/r...
🌐🧪🌱
Free link: www.nytimes.com/2025/07/02/r...
Fighting Invasive Plants: The Ones We’ve Got and Those We Think Are Coming
www.nytimes.com
July 7, 2025 at 5:46 PM
Great NYT article today about how not to make problems with invasive species even worse, featuring @evecologist.bsky.social and @jmheberling.bsky.social
🌐🧪🌱
Free link: www.nytimes.com/2025/07/02/r...
🌐🧪🌱
Free link: www.nytimes.com/2025/07/02/r...
Reposted by Mason Heberling
Great new piece on dealing with #invasivePlants with Evelyn Beaury and @jmheberling.bsky.social
Dr. Beaury is out of Bethany Bradley's Lab at @umassamherst.bsky.social and is already well published. She has this new position New York Botanical Garden.
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/02/r...
Dr. Beaury is out of Bethany Bradley's Lab at @umassamherst.bsky.social and is already well published. She has this new position New York Botanical Garden.
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/02/r...
Fighting Invasive Plants: The Ones We’ve Got and Those We Think Are Coming
www.nytimes.com
July 6, 2025 at 11:22 AM
Great new piece on dealing with #invasivePlants with Evelyn Beaury and @jmheberling.bsky.social
Dr. Beaury is out of Bethany Bradley's Lab at @umassamherst.bsky.social and is already well published. She has this new position New York Botanical Garden.
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/02/r...
Dr. Beaury is out of Bethany Bradley's Lab at @umassamherst.bsky.social and is already well published. She has this new position New York Botanical Garden.
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/02/r...
Mystery solved! Whitehead (1976) "Collecting Beetles in Exotic Places without Leaving Home: The Herbarium" www.jstor.org/stable/3999695 That was really bothering me.
July 4, 2025 at 12:22 AM
Mystery solved! Whitehead (1976) "Collecting Beetles in Exotic Places without Leaving Home: The Herbarium" www.jstor.org/stable/3999695 That was really bothering me.
Insects pressed on herbarium sheets...I'm looking for a paper I know exists on the topic, a short essay in a relatively narrow audience bulletin, ca. 1970s-1980s perhaps. Going nuts trying to locate it again.
July 3, 2025 at 8:04 PM
Insects pressed on herbarium sheets...I'm looking for a paper I know exists on the topic, a short essay in a relatively narrow audience bulletin, ca. 1970s-1980s perhaps. Going nuts trying to locate it again.
Every year at this time, I’m reminded that Lonicera morrowii has two different fruit colors. And each year, I wonder if there is any explanation. I think the same species, right? Maybe I’ll remember to tag a few this year to see if color maintains year to year. Maybe.
June 29, 2025 at 2:41 PM
Every year at this time, I’m reminded that Lonicera morrowii has two different fruit colors. And each year, I wonder if there is any explanation. I think the same species, right? Maybe I’ll remember to tag a few this year to see if color maintains year to year. Maybe.
Powdermill Nature Reserve is hiring a position to work up some datasets, with fairly broad, open ended goals that can be tailored to interests/expertise. Possibility for remote work. Would make a great postdoc or even sabbatical project.
us251.dayforcehcm.com/CandidatePor...
us251.dayforcehcm.com/CandidatePor...
Job opportunity at Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh - Data Scientist, Temporary
Check out this exciting job opportunity available at the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh!
us251.dayforcehcm.com
June 14, 2025 at 8:15 PM
Powdermill Nature Reserve is hiring a position to work up some datasets, with fairly broad, open ended goals that can be tailored to interests/expertise. Possibility for remote work. Would make a great postdoc or even sabbatical project.
us251.dayforcehcm.com/CandidatePor...
us251.dayforcehcm.com/CandidatePor...
My god, the really cool herbarium papers are coming in faster than I can read them.
June 11, 2025 at 11:52 AM
My god, the really cool herbarium papers are coming in faster than I can read them.
Excited for our new paper out led by Chatham University undergraduate Searrah Bierker presenting a new, holistic approach to herbarium specimen collections, what we call "integrated vouchers," that aims to capture intraspecific variation not well documented in herbaria. dx.doi.org/10.2992/007....
June 10, 2025 at 7:18 PM
Excited for our new paper out led by Chatham University undergraduate Searrah Bierker presenting a new, holistic approach to herbarium specimen collections, what we call "integrated vouchers," that aims to capture intraspecific variation not well documented in herbaria. dx.doi.org/10.2992/007....
Powdermill Nature Reserve yesterday 😍
May 8, 2025 at 11:52 AM
Powdermill Nature Reserve yesterday 😍
Signing in to OrcID to sign in to Web of Science profile to sign in to Scholar One… 😆 (but actually way easier than remembering another log in)
May 5, 2025 at 1:45 PM
Signing in to OrcID to sign in to Web of Science profile to sign in to Scholar One… 😆 (but actually way easier than remembering another log in)
So I’m in the New York Times today 👀 😃 in a nice piece on artists and invasive species featuring our new exhibition at Carnegie Museum on invasive plants nyti.ms/42fFzpa
Standing Up for Invasive Species (Gift Article)
Artists and scientists are finding ways to highlight troublesome plants and animals, tell their stories and, in some cases, use them as raw materials.
nyti.ms
April 16, 2025 at 10:40 AM
So I’m in the New York Times today 👀 😃 in a nice piece on artists and invasive species featuring our new exhibition at Carnegie Museum on invasive plants nyti.ms/42fFzpa
Non-native species are presumed guilty by ecologists until proven innocent. This onus stems from precautionary principle. Not totally sure how I feel about that.
April 14, 2025 at 12:11 PM
Non-native species are presumed guilty by ecologists until proven innocent. This onus stems from precautionary principle. Not totally sure how I feel about that.
Defended my dissertation ten years ago today! Will always remember the day and the date. (Grateful my committee didn’t celebrate April fools) surface.syr.edu/etd/213/
Functional traits and resource-use strategies of native and invasive plants in Eastern North American forests
Despite the presumption that native species are well adapted to their local environment, non-native invaders seem to outperform native plants. Intuitively, it appears paradoxical that non-native speci...
surface.syr.edu
April 1, 2025 at 8:25 PM
Defended my dissertation ten years ago today! Will always remember the day and the date. (Grateful my committee didn’t celebrate April fools) surface.syr.edu/etd/213/
A nice thread on Elton (though natural history was a “science” long before him and remains critical today #inductiveReasoning)
Born on March 29, 125 years ago:
One of the most influential ecologists of the 20th century and the father of animal ecology, who turned natural history into a science: Charles Sutherland Elton (1900-1991).
A birthday thread… 🧵[1/8]
One of the most influential ecologists of the 20th century and the father of animal ecology, who turned natural history into a science: Charles Sutherland Elton (1900-1991).
A birthday thread… 🧵[1/8]
March 30, 2025 at 2:23 PM
A nice thread on Elton (though natural history was a “science” long before him and remains critical today #inductiveReasoning)
Reposted by Mason Heberling
Invasive Plants Are Not the Enemy:
Botanist @jmheberling.bsky.social [and #BSAmember!] challenges how we think about invasive species and our role in their spread.
www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/epis...
#botany #plantscience
Botanist @jmheberling.bsky.social [and #BSAmember!] challenges how we think about invasive species and our role in their spread.
www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/epis...
#botany #plantscience
Challenging the Invasive Plant Narrative
Botanist Mason Heberling challenges how we think about invasive species and our role in their spread.
www.scientificamerican.com
March 26, 2025 at 4:27 PM
Invasive Plants Are Not the Enemy:
Botanist @jmheberling.bsky.social [and #BSAmember!] challenges how we think about invasive species and our role in their spread.
www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/epis...
#botany #plantscience
Botanist @jmheberling.bsky.social [and #BSAmember!] challenges how we think about invasive species and our role in their spread.
www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/epis...
#botany #plantscience
The title summarizes it best. Check out our commentary in @annbot.bsky.social: Making the most of herbaria. A commentary on ‘Integrating datasets from herbarium specimens and images to treat a Neotropical myrtle species complex’ doi.org/10.1093/aob/...
Making the most of herbaria. A commentary on ‘Integrating datasets from herbarium specimens and images to treat a Neotropical myrtle species complex’
At first glance, herbarium specimens (dead plants glued to paper) may not seem like much, but they are far more than meets the eye. With >3500 instituti
doi.org
March 21, 2025 at 10:27 AM
The title summarizes it best. Check out our commentary in @annbot.bsky.social: Making the most of herbaria. A commentary on ‘Integrating datasets from herbarium specimens and images to treat a Neotropical myrtle species complex’ doi.org/10.1093/aob/...
Trump attacked Federal Funding for Libraries and Museums.
We need Americans like you to take action today!
Please sign and share the petition before it's too late!
action.everylibrary.org/eoimls2025 via @everylibrary.bsky.social
We need Americans like you to take action today!
Please sign and share the petition before it's too late!
action.everylibrary.org/eoimls2025 via @everylibrary.bsky.social
PETITION: Stop Trump's E.O. Attacks on Federal Funding for Libraries
In a new executive order, President Trump has targeted the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the federal agency charged with distributing congressionally approved funds to state librari...
action.everylibrary.org
March 19, 2025 at 1:34 PM
Trump attacked Federal Funding for Libraries and Museums.
We need Americans like you to take action today!
Please sign and share the petition before it's too late!
action.everylibrary.org/eoimls2025 via @everylibrary.bsky.social
We need Americans like you to take action today!
Please sign and share the petition before it's too late!
action.everylibrary.org/eoimls2025 via @everylibrary.bsky.social
😱 ❤️
March 1, 2025 at 7:28 PM
😱 ❤️
Reposted by Mason Heberling
"The notion that the best papers are the most cited papers was always questionable
The most citable, and therefore publishable, papers are mundane, ‘water is wet’ papers
What was once the most cited paper of all is about cleaning test tubes"
Great read: blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsoci...
The most citable, and therefore publishable, papers are mundane, ‘water is wet’ papers
What was once the most cited paper of all is about cleaning test tubes"
Great read: blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsoci...
Does authorship mean anything when academic papers are simply citable tokens?
The bibliometric infrastructure of citations has become an inescapable organising feature of academic life. Drawing on a range of evidence of the use and misuse of citations data, Stuart Macdonald …
blogs.lse.ac.uk
February 19, 2025 at 3:42 PM
"The notion that the best papers are the most cited papers was always questionable
The most citable, and therefore publishable, papers are mundane, ‘water is wet’ papers
What was once the most cited paper of all is about cleaning test tubes"
Great read: blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsoci...
The most citable, and therefore publishable, papers are mundane, ‘water is wet’ papers
What was once the most cited paper of all is about cleaning test tubes"
Great read: blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsoci...
Reposted by Mason Heberling
I'm excited to see this come out. Been a line of research we have been pursuing for a long time. Worked with a great group of undergrads while completing the study!
❄️🌸 #PlantReproductionWeek🌳
Floral freezing tolerance is tied to flowering time in North American woody plant species by Jessica Savage et al. in @annbot.bsky.social
#openaccess article
👉 doi.org/n5qj
@savageplantphys.bsky.social
Floral freezing tolerance is tied to flowering time in North American woody plant species by Jessica Savage et al. in @annbot.bsky.social
#openaccess article
👉 doi.org/n5qj
@savageplantphys.bsky.social
February 15, 2025 at 9:02 PM
I'm excited to see this come out. Been a line of research we have been pursuing for a long time. Worked with a great group of undergrads while completing the study!