Mike Fowler
@theorecol.bsky.social
Theoretical & Quantitative Ecologist. Dad. Whisky lover. Football coach. Relearning the drums. Not necessarily in that order.
See also @theorecol@ecoevo.social
He/him
See also @theorecol@ecoevo.social
He/him
Pinned
Mike Fowler
@theorecol.bsky.social
· Oct 21
Welcome
responsediversitynetwork.github.io
Welcome new followers (thanks to the ecology starter-pack!). I'll take this opportunity to publicise the Response Diversity Network: we seek to understand why species respond in diverse ways to environmental drivers, & the consequences. Join us!
responsediversitynetwork.github.io/RDN-website/
responsediversitynetwork.github.io/RDN-website/
Reposted by Mike Fowler
Other work of the Ladybird artists.
‘Redshanks Alighting’
Artist: CF Tunnicliffe
‘Redshanks Alighting’
Artist: CF Tunnicliffe
February 13, 2026 at 8:22 AM
Other work of the Ladybird artists.
‘Redshanks Alighting’
Artist: CF Tunnicliffe
‘Redshanks Alighting’
Artist: CF Tunnicliffe
Here, I provide the first mathematical proof that 1 Pretender is equal to 4 Proclaimers. However, this result is likely to be sensitive to the number of elements in each set, and the inclusion of additional journeys not mentioned in the initial conditions.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEyG...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEyG...
Pretenders - 2000 Miles (Official Music Video) [HD]
YouTube video by RHINO
www.youtube.com
February 12, 2026 at 2:06 PM
Here, I provide the first mathematical proof that 1 Pretender is equal to 4 Proclaimers. However, this result is likely to be sensitive to the number of elements in each set, and the inclusion of additional journeys not mentioned in the initial conditions.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEyG...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEyG...
Reposted by Mike Fowler
How do we know our research results are REAL? We replicate them! Most folks agree but lament on how hard it is to publish these replications.
My dearest gentle reader, lament no more! Delighted to unveil: Replication Studies, a new section of Behavioral Ecology 1/
academic.oup.com/beheco/artic...
My dearest gentle reader, lament no more! Delighted to unveil: Replication Studies, a new section of Behavioral Ecology 1/
academic.oup.com/beheco/artic...
Replication studies: a win-win for early-career training and behavioral ecology
Replicating previous research builds confidence that results are real and meaningful. But close replications are rare due to limitations in resources and d
academic.oup.com
February 10, 2026 at 7:42 PM
How do we know our research results are REAL? We replicate them! Most folks agree but lament on how hard it is to publish these replications.
My dearest gentle reader, lament no more! Delighted to unveil: Replication Studies, a new section of Behavioral Ecology 1/
academic.oup.com/beheco/artic...
My dearest gentle reader, lament no more! Delighted to unveil: Replication Studies, a new section of Behavioral Ecology 1/
academic.oup.com/beheco/artic...
This is precisely what bagpipes evolved themselves to do.
Sending weak, knock-kneed, lily-livered saps back to the holes they slithered out from.
(Little known fact about me: not a piper, but played tenor & snare drums in a pipe band that won all the prizes. Have the tinitus to prove it.)
Sending weak, knock-kneed, lily-livered saps back to the holes they slithered out from.
(Little known fact about me: not a piper, but played tenor & snare drums in a pipe band that won all the prizes. Have the tinitus to prove it.)
Jack Duffy attaches a respirator to his bagpipes to play through tear gas. “I always play it whenever the police retreat because it's like, ‘You fucking ran while we stayed,’” he says.
The full story: lataco.com/protest-bagp...
By Julianne Le
The full story: lataco.com/protest-bagp...
By Julianne Le
February 10, 2026 at 9:24 PM
This is precisely what bagpipes evolved themselves to do.
Sending weak, knock-kneed, lily-livered saps back to the holes they slithered out from.
(Little known fact about me: not a piper, but played tenor & snare drums in a pipe band that won all the prizes. Have the tinitus to prove it.)
Sending weak, knock-kneed, lily-livered saps back to the holes they slithered out from.
(Little known fact about me: not a piper, but played tenor & snare drums in a pipe band that won all the prizes. Have the tinitus to prove it.)
Reposted by Mike Fowler
plenty of things I fear, but being in public writing an ep about gonorrhea and syphilis and crotch testing is not one of them
February 10, 2026 at 8:34 PM
plenty of things I fear, but being in public writing an ep about gonorrhea and syphilis and crotch testing is not one of them
Quote skeeted by the incredible Greg Proops!
In an otherwise dark and troubling time, my heart swells with joy :)
Subscribe to his excellent podcast! Start at the beginning. You won't regret it.
In an otherwise dark and troubling time, my heart swells with joy :)
Subscribe to his excellent podcast! Start at the beginning. You won't regret it.
I am from San Carlos the whitest place on Earth.
Home of the Plain Yogurt Festival.
Take out the fruit the powerful taste is burning our tongues.
We hate that spicy ethnic fair.
So overwhelmingly white we were narrated by Morgan Freeman.
Home of the Plain Yogurt Festival.
Take out the fruit the powerful taste is burning our tongues.
We hate that spicy ethnic fair.
So overwhelmingly white we were narrated by Morgan Freeman.
@gregproops.bsky.social has some great gags about San Carlos.
Well, two gags. But they're so great he repeats them at every opportunity!
Well, two gags. But they're so great he repeats them at every opportunity!
February 10, 2026 at 5:09 PM
Quote skeeted by the incredible Greg Proops!
In an otherwise dark and troubling time, my heart swells with joy :)
Subscribe to his excellent podcast! Start at the beginning. You won't regret it.
In an otherwise dark and troubling time, my heart swells with joy :)
Subscribe to his excellent podcast! Start at the beginning. You won't regret it.
February 10, 2026 at 2:42 PM
Great to see Swansea included in this list!
Downside is that it's the direct result of amateurish financial (mis)management that also includes multiple rounds of 'voluntary' and now compulsory staff redundancies, rather than any sort of principled approach to predatory publication practices/houses.
Downside is that it's the direct result of amateurish financial (mis)management that also includes multiple rounds of 'voluntary' and now compulsory staff redundancies, rather than any sort of principled approach to predatory publication practices/houses.
Ninth UK university confirms opting out of Elsevier deal.
www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-o...
www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-o...
Ninth UK university confirms opting out of Elsevier deal - Research Professional News
Sheffield Hallam and Swansea are the latest to drop agreements with the publishing giant
www.researchprofessionalnews.com
February 10, 2026 at 2:12 PM
Great to see Swansea included in this list!
Downside is that it's the direct result of amateurish financial (mis)management that also includes multiple rounds of 'voluntary' and now compulsory staff redundancies, rather than any sort of principled approach to predatory publication practices/houses.
Downside is that it's the direct result of amateurish financial (mis)management that also includes multiple rounds of 'voluntary' and now compulsory staff redundancies, rather than any sort of principled approach to predatory publication practices/houses.
Marking Lit Reviews is hard work, but the fact that so many have the same (AI-generated) structure is really twisting my melon, man. Text is jargon heavy with no definitions, yet generic with no depth.
And they all identify there are "major gaps in the literature" regardless of the review topic 😢
And they all identify there are "major gaps in the literature" regardless of the review topic 😢
a baboon is sitting at a desk looking at a laptop computer .
ALT: a baboon is sitting at a desk looking at a laptop computer .
media.tenor.com
February 8, 2026 at 8:28 PM
Marking Lit Reviews is hard work, but the fact that so many have the same (AI-generated) structure is really twisting my melon, man. Text is jargon heavy with no definitions, yet generic with no depth.
And they all identify there are "major gaps in the literature" regardless of the review topic 😢
And they all identify there are "major gaps in the literature" regardless of the review topic 😢
Reposted by Mike Fowler
📣We will be back soon with a new series of online theory seminars!
As ever, free and open for all via Zoom. Follow us on here, or join our email list (iite.info/seminar-emai...) for details.
In the meantime, all our past talks are on Youtube: www.youtube.com/@theoretical...
See you there!
As ever, free and open for all via Zoom. Follow us on here, or join our email list (iite.info/seminar-emai...) for details.
In the meantime, all our past talks are on Youtube: www.youtube.com/@theoretical...
See you there!
February 6, 2026 at 10:10 AM
📣We will be back soon with a new series of online theory seminars!
As ever, free and open for all via Zoom. Follow us on here, or join our email list (iite.info/seminar-emai...) for details.
In the meantime, all our past talks are on Youtube: www.youtube.com/@theoretical...
See you there!
As ever, free and open for all via Zoom. Follow us on here, or join our email list (iite.info/seminar-emai...) for details.
In the meantime, all our past talks are on Youtube: www.youtube.com/@theoretical...
See you there!
Reposted by Mike Fowler
A friend pointed me to a post on social media of a letter by Kerry McCarthy MP (Labour, Bristol East) about a request for a televised emergency briefing on the #ClimateEmergency
I was stunned by how casually the idea & its urgency were dismissed. Let’s unpack why this response is so wrong-headed 🧵
I was stunned by how casually the idea & its urgency were dismissed. Let’s unpack why this response is so wrong-headed 🧵
February 4, 2026 at 7:21 AM
A friend pointed me to a post on social media of a letter by Kerry McCarthy MP (Labour, Bristol East) about a request for a televised emergency briefing on the #ClimateEmergency
I was stunned by how casually the idea & its urgency were dismissed. Let’s unpack why this response is so wrong-headed 🧵
I was stunned by how casually the idea & its urgency were dismissed. Let’s unpack why this response is so wrong-headed 🧵
Marking Lit Reviews. Consecutive submissions have strong whiff of AI generation.
1st is practically unreadable: generic, bland. Also has a very low similarity score (unusual for entire pages to be original text).
2nd one has much better writing, + many high similarity chunks.
Is 2nd paid-for genAI?
1st is practically unreadable: generic, bland. Also has a very low similarity score (unusual for entire pages to be original text).
2nd one has much better writing, + many high similarity chunks.
Is 2nd paid-for genAI?
February 3, 2026 at 9:34 PM
Marking Lit Reviews. Consecutive submissions have strong whiff of AI generation.
1st is practically unreadable: generic, bland. Also has a very low similarity score (unusual for entire pages to be original text).
2nd one has much better writing, + many high similarity chunks.
Is 2nd paid-for genAI?
1st is practically unreadable: generic, bland. Also has a very low similarity score (unusual for entire pages to be original text).
2nd one has much better writing, + many high similarity chunks.
Is 2nd paid-for genAI?
Reposted by Mike Fowler
No organisation existing solely to eliminate trans people should be a charity. #DeregisterSexMatters
January 29, 2026 at 7:12 PM
No organisation existing solely to eliminate trans people should be a charity. #DeregisterSexMatters
Reposted by Mike Fowler
So initial experiments with Open AI's vibe-coding science tool Prism are going about as well as expected.
January 27, 2026 at 10:42 PM
So initial experiments with Open AI's vibe-coding science tool Prism are going about as well as expected.
Reposted by Mike Fowler
Edinburgh. Aberdeen. Dundee. Strathclyde. Different campuses same reality. Staff are stretched, students lose out.
#SaveOurUniversities #UCU #Scotland #HigherEducation
#SaveOurUniversities #UCU #Scotland #HigherEducation
January 29, 2026 at 10:11 AM
Edinburgh. Aberdeen. Dundee. Strathclyde. Different campuses same reality. Staff are stretched, students lose out.
#SaveOurUniversities #UCU #Scotland #HigherEducation
#SaveOurUniversities #UCU #Scotland #HigherEducation
Reposted by Mike Fowler
When it rains, it now rains more.
For those experiencing the flooding in south-west England, it is worth remembering that rainfall in winter has increased by about 25% overall.
And, the rainfall has also become more intense: when it rains, it now rains more, increasing the risk of flooding.
For those experiencing the flooding in south-west England, it is worth remembering that rainfall in winter has increased by about 25% overall.
And, the rainfall has also become more intense: when it rains, it now rains more, increasing the risk of flooding.
January 27, 2026 at 10:02 PM
When it rains, it now rains more.
For those experiencing the flooding in south-west England, it is worth remembering that rainfall in winter has increased by about 25% overall.
And, the rainfall has also become more intense: when it rains, it now rains more, increasing the risk of flooding.
For those experiencing the flooding in south-west England, it is worth remembering that rainfall in winter has increased by about 25% overall.
And, the rainfall has also become more intense: when it rains, it now rains more, increasing the risk of flooding.
Reposted by Mike Fowler
🚨The #ResponseDiversityNetwork (RDN)'s first publication is out!
Response diversity still sails in muddy waters, with researchers disagreeing on definitions, applicable scales and how it relates to ecological stability. These and other findings will guide #RDN innitiatives and work.
Stay tuned!
Response diversity still sails in muddy waters, with researchers disagreeing on definitions, applicable scales and how it relates to ecological stability. These and other findings will guide #RDN innitiatives and work.
Stay tuned!
Expert‐led priorities for a response diversity research agenda in ecology
Response diversity describes variation in ecological responses to environmental change. Response diversity is expected to drive ecological stability since a wider variety of responses to one or more ...
doi.org
January 27, 2026 at 9:58 PM
🚨The #ResponseDiversityNetwork (RDN)'s first publication is out!
Response diversity still sails in muddy waters, with researchers disagreeing on definitions, applicable scales and how it relates to ecological stability. These and other findings will guide #RDN innitiatives and work.
Stay tuned!
Response diversity still sails in muddy waters, with researchers disagreeing on definitions, applicable scales and how it relates to ecological stability. These and other findings will guide #RDN innitiatives and work.
Stay tuned!
Reposted by Mike Fowler
Out now! Ecological #ResponseDiversity research priorities @nordicoikos.bsky.social 🌍🧪
Key findings:
Ecologists don't agree (I could stop there) on definitions (& there...) of #ResponseDiversity scales & dimensions but see conceptual value
Our network must diversify. Join us!
doi.org/10.1002/oik....
Key findings:
Ecologists don't agree (I could stop there) on definitions (& there...) of #ResponseDiversity scales & dimensions but see conceptual value
Our network must diversify. Join us!
doi.org/10.1002/oik....
January 26, 2026 at 9:46 AM
Out now! Ecological #ResponseDiversity research priorities @nordicoikos.bsky.social 🌍🧪
Key findings:
Ecologists don't agree (I could stop there) on definitions (& there...) of #ResponseDiversity scales & dimensions but see conceptual value
Our network must diversify. Join us!
doi.org/10.1002/oik....
Key findings:
Ecologists don't agree (I could stop there) on definitions (& there...) of #ResponseDiversity scales & dimensions but see conceptual value
Our network must diversify. Join us!
doi.org/10.1002/oik....
Most of the time, research-acronyms are garbage (I don't know if I coined the term "acronons" in this context, but I'm claiming it).
However, this one gets 100% for creativity, insight and accuracy.
Chef's kiss. No notes.
However, this one gets 100% for creativity, insight and accuracy.
Chef's kiss. No notes.
We've got ISSUES. Literally.
We scraped >100k special issues & over 1 million articles to bring you a PISS-poor paper. We quantify just how many excess papers are published by guest editors abusing special issues to boost their CVs. How bad is it & what can we do?
arxiv.org/abs/2601.07563
A 🧵 1/n
We scraped >100k special issues & over 1 million articles to bring you a PISS-poor paper. We quantify just how many excess papers are published by guest editors abusing special issues to boost their CVs. How bad is it & what can we do?
arxiv.org/abs/2601.07563
A 🧵 1/n
January 27, 2026 at 12:20 PM
Most of the time, research-acronyms are garbage (I don't know if I coined the term "acronons" in this context, but I'm claiming it).
However, this one gets 100% for creativity, insight and accuracy.
Chef's kiss. No notes.
However, this one gets 100% for creativity, insight and accuracy.
Chef's kiss. No notes.
Reposted by Mike Fowler
Less than a month to apply to join the BES editorial board as an Associate editor!🌳🌍 📖
If you're interested in contributing to any of the BES journals, check out the link below 👇
buff.ly/6ymRGcB
If you're interested in contributing to any of the BES journals, check out the link below 👇
buff.ly/6ymRGcB
January 27, 2026 at 8:30 AM
Less than a month to apply to join the BES editorial board as an Associate editor!🌳🌍 📖
If you're interested in contributing to any of the BES journals, check out the link below 👇
buff.ly/6ymRGcB
If you're interested in contributing to any of the BES journals, check out the link below 👇
buff.ly/6ymRGcB
Out now! Ecological #ResponseDiversity research priorities @nordicoikos.bsky.social 🌍🧪
Key findings:
Ecologists don't agree (I could stop there) on definitions (& there...) of #ResponseDiversity scales & dimensions but see conceptual value
Our network must diversify. Join us!
doi.org/10.1002/oik....
Key findings:
Ecologists don't agree (I could stop there) on definitions (& there...) of #ResponseDiversity scales & dimensions but see conceptual value
Our network must diversify. Join us!
doi.org/10.1002/oik....
January 26, 2026 at 9:46 AM
Out now! Ecological #ResponseDiversity research priorities @nordicoikos.bsky.social 🌍🧪
Key findings:
Ecologists don't agree (I could stop there) on definitions (& there...) of #ResponseDiversity scales & dimensions but see conceptual value
Our network must diversify. Join us!
doi.org/10.1002/oik....
Key findings:
Ecologists don't agree (I could stop there) on definitions (& there...) of #ResponseDiversity scales & dimensions but see conceptual value
Our network must diversify. Join us!
doi.org/10.1002/oik....
Wonder if I'll get into trouble for sharing this?
January 22, 2026 at 10:34 PM
Wonder if I'll get into trouble for sharing this?
Reposted by Mike Fowler
New paper is out 🔓!
We reconstructed the 145-myr diversity of sharks & rays using deep learning, unveiling hidden patterns:
- modern diversity levels by the Cretaceous 📈
- small decline in the K/Pg 🤏
- a peak in the Eocene 🌄
- a long-term decline towards the present �
www.cell.com/current-biol...
We reconstructed the 145-myr diversity of sharks & rays using deep learning, unveiling hidden patterns:
- modern diversity levels by the Cretaceous 📈
- small decline in the K/Pg 🤏
- a peak in the Eocene 🌄
- a long-term decline towards the present �
www.cell.com/current-biol...
January 22, 2026 at 4:18 PM
New paper is out 🔓!
We reconstructed the 145-myr diversity of sharks & rays using deep learning, unveiling hidden patterns:
- modern diversity levels by the Cretaceous 📈
- small decline in the K/Pg 🤏
- a peak in the Eocene 🌄
- a long-term decline towards the present �
www.cell.com/current-biol...
We reconstructed the 145-myr diversity of sharks & rays using deep learning, unveiling hidden patterns:
- modern diversity levels by the Cretaceous 📈
- small decline in the K/Pg 🤏
- a peak in the Eocene 🌄
- a long-term decline towards the present �
www.cell.com/current-biol...