Dr. Shawnee A. Kasanke
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shawneeamelia.bsky.social
Dr. Shawnee A. Kasanke
@shawneeamelia.bsky.social
I study plant community development and mutualistic interactions between plants, fungi, and bacteria in response to anthropogenic disturbance and climate change. Botanist, mycologist, lichenologist, musician, lover of all things wild and free.
Reposted by Dr. Shawnee A. Kasanke
There it is. The first ever Heat Advisory issued in Alaska. This is the first year it has been an option. @alaskawx.bsky.social
June 13, 2025 at 4:48 AM
For friends who teach microbiology...why not integrate some current events into your discussion about microbial human pathogens?
www.cnn.com/2025/05/13/p...
RFK Jr. posts photos swimming with his family in DC’s Rock Creek despite warnings of high bacteria | CNN Politics
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. posted photos Sunday of him and his family swimming in Rock Creek where swimming is not allowed “due to high bacteria levels.”
www.cnn.com
May 13, 2025 at 5:35 PM
Reposted by Dr. Shawnee A. Kasanke
INVITED COMMENTARY
Intertwined Relationship Between Soil pH and Microbes in Biogeography

📄 buff.ly/2q2wa4S
May 13, 2025 at 4:59 PM
Reposted by Dr. Shawnee A. Kasanke
Over forty years, research spanning the Canadian Arctic, Alaska, and Scandinavia has shown significant alterations in Arctic vegetation as a consequence of climate variations. Around 60% of the locations examined in the study have witnessed a shift in plant species composition.
Plant communities in the Arctic are changing along with the climate, study finds | CBC News
A recent study has found that climate change is altering Arctic plant composition, with some species declining in response to warmer temperatures, while others flourish. Researchers studied over 2,000...
www.cbc.ca
May 9, 2025 at 8:09 PM
The transition is now complete
May 12, 2025 at 4:31 PM
Reposted by Dr. Shawnee A. Kasanke
Arctic climate will permanently change by 2050, scientists warn #EarthDotCom #EarthSnap #Earth
Arctic climate will permanently change by 2050, scientists warn
Arctic climate shifts are accelerating, impacting temperature, sea ice, and regional ecosystems significantly.
www.earth.com
May 9, 2025 at 5:31 PM
Reposted by Dr. Shawnee A. Kasanke
In tundra ecosystems, roots don’t stop growing when the leaves do — they keep growing late into the season. We found that plant community type drives these below-ground patterns. Graminoids especially show a big late-season growth pulse 🌱 Check our our new GCB paper!
#Phenology #Roots #ArcticEcology
Tundra Vegetation Community Type, Not Microclimate, Controls Asynchrony of Above‐ and Below‐Ground Phenology
In tundra ecosystems, plant roots continue growing well beyond the above-ground growing season productivity peak. We found that plant community type, rather than microclimate, plays a key role in det...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
April 4, 2025 at 10:16 AM
Any fellow fungiphiles looking for a PhD position working with a great mentor @tanyacheeke.bsky.social on a really cool project amongst old growth Cedar and young Pine? Check this out! msoa.mcjobboard.net/jobs/188087?...
Graduate Position: PhD on Soil Microbial Dynamics in Response to Drought and Wildfire
Graduate Position: PhD on Soil Microbial Dynamics in Response to Drought and Wildfire The Embedding Molecular Biology in Ecosystem Research (EMBER) project (https://embersci.org/) seeks a PhD student ...
msoa.mcjobboard.net
May 8, 2025 at 4:34 PM
#LatePost - time has been flying. I was honored to participate in the #ASSW2025 conference in Boulder Colorado including, #ICARP-IV, #CAVSI, and #PECWS workshops in late March.
This meeting restored my wilting hope for conservation of Arctic ecosystems by those who care and depend on them.
May 7, 2025 at 6:53 PM
As an #ArcticPlantEcologist and #EarlyCareerScientist, caring for the planet and teaching others about ecology IS #Resistance

I'm honored and excited to announce that I will be joining the Alaska Biological Research team as a Plant Ecologist and Rehabilitation Specialist this summer!
www.abrinc.com
ABR, Inc. | Environmental Consulting & Research Services | Alaska
ABR is an Alaska-based environmental consulting firm that provides environmental compliance and ecological research services across Alaska. Our biological services cover wildlife, wetland, vegetation,...
www.abrinc.com
May 7, 2025 at 6:42 PM
Reposted by Dr. Shawnee A. Kasanke
🚨 Cool new project alert 🚨

WE- you, me, everyone- need to work together to get important science messages out to people.

4 artists & 3 scientists collab'd on these posters. We hope YOU will put them out in your community. Each poster comes w/info about each topic.

Get 'em Squidfacts.bigcartel.com
May 6, 2025 at 2:26 PM
March 25, 2025 at 10:44 PM
Anyone else heading to Arctic Science Summit Week 2025 in Boulder? Excited to be involved in planning research priorities for the next 10 years of Arctic research, participating in the Polar Early Career World Summit, and participating in indigenous focus groups!
#ASSW2025
#DefendTheSacred
March 20, 2025 at 2:48 PM
ALL my botanical survey work this summer has been halted indefinitely. This work monitors recovery of ecosystems post disturbance which provide important habitat and ecosystem services that keep soils stable, and clean water and air. This work is disappearing in the US under authoritarian regime.
February 25, 2025 at 9:40 PM
Reposted by Dr. Shawnee A. Kasanke
I followed this Rusaviska elegans #lichen for 1 year and 1 month, taking regular photos (with my cellphone).

This is the preliminary result:
February 24, 2025 at 11:29 AM
Hayyyyyy fellow field biologists! What waterproof/shock absorbing phone case do you use now that the LifeProof cases have been disconnected? I haven't been able to find anything that offers comparable protection without being incredibly bulky.
Field foto for tax: Brooks Range Alaska, Summer 2017
February 24, 2025 at 6:40 PM
I just updated my academic website for anyone interested in my research or in hiring me!
shawneekasanke.wixsite.com/shawnee-kasa...
Home | Shawnee A Kasanke
Research profile for Shawnee Kasanke, MSc. Investigating plant and rhizosphere community response to human driven disturbance and plant-microbe rhizosphere nutrient cycling for soil health and functio...
shawneekasanke.wixsite.com
January 31, 2025 at 6:21 PM
Looks like I won't be submitting this proposal I've been working on for a year in February. Science has officially been defunded in the USA. My heart is breaking for our wild and natural spaces.
January 29, 2025 at 4:10 PM
In case anyone is wondering what the status of Federal Environmental Science jobs in the US is really like right now. I logged in to apply for a job that was supposed to open on the 22nd of January with the NRCS, only to find out it WAS opened on the 22nd, but closed on the 21st...
January 27, 2025 at 6:15 PM
Reposted by Dr. Shawnee A. Kasanke
January 23, 2025 at 5:23 AM
In the midst of madness I’m extra proud to be part of the #PACEMAP botany team. This paper compares modern plant communities to ancient communities emerging from ice caps.
Arctic ecology is key to earth’s climatic homeostasis. #defendthearctic

www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Recurring cycles of ice and vegetation on Baffin Island, Nunavut
Vegetation has recolonized the Arctic numerous times throughout the Holocene. The most recent retreat of glaciers on Baffin Island, Nunavut, has been since the Little Ice Age, due to anthropogenic ...
www.tandfonline.com
January 23, 2025 at 4:36 AM
Hi Bluesky! I'm Shawnee Kasanke, I recently completed my PhD in Environmental and Natural Resource Sciences at Washington State University. I study mutualism between plants, fungi and bacteria and Arctic/alpine ecology.
Moving back to Alaska this summer and on the search for a big girl job!
January 14, 2025 at 5:17 PM
I just fixed a problem knitting R markdown documents into PDFs that I've had for years and I feel so accomplished. This is my life now...
#SCIENCE!
January 10, 2025 at 8:21 PM