Tomos Potter
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tomospotter.bsky.social
Tomos Potter
@tomospotter.bsky.social
970 followers 630 following 230 posts
Evolutionary ecologist in the Kokko lab, JGU Mainz. Recovering guppy-botherer, interested in eco-evolutionary processes that generate and maintain diversity. Models, stats, long-term studies.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 in 🇩🇪

Also likes: food, landscapes, guitars
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Reposted by Tomos Potter
oddthisday.bsky.social
Roses are red
Anyone for tennis?
Cannibalistic jellyfish with a vanishing anus are invading Venice | LBC
Venice is being invaded by cannibalistic jellyfish from the Atlantic that are threatening the delicate balance of the lagoon's ecosystem.
www.lbc.co.uk
February 4, 2026 at 1:01 PM
tomospotter.bsky.social
In 2010, my mum came up with an idea to re-establish the ancient 140-mile North Wales Pilgrim’s Way. Now National Geographic lists it as one of the world’s “best wellness destinations” for 2026! Mum died last year, I miss her loads. It’s so lovely to see her idea continue to grow. Very proud.
Best of the World 2026: Best wellness destinations
Seaweed bathing in Ireland, a trek through Africa’s first designated wilderness quiet park—we asked National Geographic staff and contributors for their favorite places to escape the stress and noise ...
www.nationalgeographic.com
January 30, 2026 at 3:51 PM
tomospotter.bsky.social
Random effects structured by (inverse) relatedness matrix is great, but ideally would want capability to model multiple response variables i.e. trait and fitness (which I *think* goes further than recent developments?). @bbolker.bsky.social, any plans to extend glmmTMB into the realm of Quant Gen?
tomospotter.bsky.social Tomos Potter @tomospotter.bsky.social · Dec 29
Have any #QuantGen folk tried fitting an animal model with the new covariance structure in glmmTMB? Intrigued at the prospect of fitting big models in seconds/minutes rather than days/weeks...
biorxiv-evobio.bsky.social bioRxiv Evolutionary Biology @biorxiv-evobio.bsky.social · Dec 23
Fast phylogenetic generalised linear mixed-effects modelling using the glmmTMB R package https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2025.12.20.695312v1
January 28, 2026 at 10:06 PM
Reposted by Tomos Potter
erinmacartney.bsky.social
Hello! Does anyone know of any 'seed' type grants/awards within Australia (or potentially abroad if they fund research internationally) that contribute toward research only costs (not salary)??
January 27, 2026 at 11:58 PM
Reposted by Tomos Potter
shikharabhat.bsky.social
The greatest addition to my CV so far: I am now officially part of The Luxuriant Flowing Hair Club for Scientists

improbable.com/2026/01/14/s...
Shikhara Bhat joins the The Luxuriant Flowing Hair Club for Scientists™ (LFHCfS)
Shikhara Bhat has joined the Luxuriant Flowing Hair Club for Scientists™ (LFHCfS). He says: I’m Shikhara Bhat, a theoretical evolutionary ecologist. I’m currently a PhD student at the Univer…
improbable.com
January 14, 2026 at 10:27 AM
tomospotter.bsky.social
As the youngest of my siblings, I’m glad I’m not a Hoopoe
sarahhird.bsky.social Sarah Hird, PhD @sarahhird.bsky.social · 23d
Alright, you have my attention, AVIAN SIBLING CANNIBALISM.

“Finally, females allocated fewer resources to the smallest nestlings when they were going to starve, but not necessarily when they were going to be used as food for their siblings.” Soler et al. 2022.

pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC...
“Avian sibling cannibalism: Hoopoe mothers regularly use their last hatched nestlings to feed older siblings” is the title of a 2022 paper from JJ Soler et al in the journal Zoological Research
January 16, 2026 at 6:51 PM
Reposted by Tomos Potter
mcmahok.bsky.social
We are hiring at the Wytham Woods for the upcoming field season. 4 roles available. Please share with anyone who might be interested. #UKbirds #birdringing
We are seeking to appoint four full-time field assistants to work on the Wytham Tit Project for 4-8 weeks in spring 2026. Two 8-week field assistants will join the nest monitoring team; duties for these posts will include (i) collecting standardised data from nest-box breeding populations of blue and great tits, (ii) catching and ringing parent birds, (iii) ringing nestlings, and (iv) inputting data collected in the field. These positions with run from approximately Tuesday 7th April to Monday 1st June. Successful candidates for these positions must have (or be qualified to obtain) a BTO permit to ring adult great tits and blue tits. A further two field assistants will be hired to support a project collecting behavioural (foraging) data for great tits breeding in the Wytham population. These roles will involve a significant amount of nightwork. Duties will include (i) setting up and calibrating electronic tracking equipment and nest box cameras in the field, (ii) mapping tracking equipment locations using GPS, (iii) helping with catching and ringing parent birds and fitting tracking devices, (iv) assisting with mistnetting to re-trap tagged parents, and (v) inputting data collected in the field. These positions with be approximately 7 and 4 weeks in duration, starting from 13th April and 4th May, respectively. Possession of a BTO ringing permit with misnet endorsement and driving license are highly desirable for these roles. All fieldwork will take place in Wytham Woods, near Oxford. All Successful candidates must be able to demonstrate skill and enthusiasm for biological research as well as experience of fieldwork under arduous conditions, and both lone work and working as part of a team. Due to the short-term nature of these posts, successsful applicants must already have the right to work in the UK. Salary & Accommodation: Field assistants will be paid at grade 5.2 (£17.37/hour). Contact eleanor.cole@Biology.ox.ac.uk
January 16, 2026 at 1:35 PM
Reposted by Tomos Potter
piretavila.bsky.social
Postdoc in statistical ecology & evolution! Develop models bridging evolutionary theory with empirical data on sex differences in immunity and life history. Apply now!
#postdoc #statistics #evolution #academicjobs #ecology jobs.helsinki.fi/job/Helsinki...
Postdoctoral Researcher in Statistical Ecology and Evolution
Postdoctoral Researcher in Statistical Ecology and Evolution
jobs.helsinki.fi
January 14, 2026 at 9:08 AM
tomospotter.bsky.social
Top advice from Viz’s letter section, as ever.
January 14, 2026 at 10:29 PM
tomospotter.bsky.social
My Grandmother Loved Horses And Was A Terrible Photographer

A short 🧵
January 1, 2026 at 1:13 PM
Reposted by Tomos Potter
chorlnev.bsky.social
📣Please share: We are looking for a field assistant to join our team in studying #ruffs on coastal meadows at Botnian Bay in Finland. The job will provide fantastic insights into lekking behaviour and provide essential skills in field ornithology. Details here www.bi.mpg.de/2790786/2512...
December 8, 2025 at 4:25 PM
tomospotter.bsky.social
Have any #QuantGen folk tried fitting an animal model with the new covariance structure in glmmTMB? Intrigued at the prospect of fitting big models in seconds/minutes rather than days/weeks...
biorxiv-evobio.bsky.social bioRxiv Evolutionary Biology @biorxiv-evobio.bsky.social · Dec 23
Fast phylogenetic generalised linear mixed-effects modelling using the glmmTMB R package https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2025.12.20.695312v1
December 29, 2025 at 9:45 AM
Reposted by Tomos Potter
depthsofwikipedia.bsky.social
it's Christmas Eve but it's also the 16 year anniversary of the time an art historian for the Hungarian National Gallery spotted a long lost painting while watching Stuart Little with his 3-year-old daughter, recognizing it in the movie set
December 24, 2025 at 11:40 AM
Reposted by Tomos Potter
fervillanea.bsky.social
December 17, 2025 at 8:41 PM
Reposted by Tomos Potter
jmappes.bsky.social
Thrilled to announce a Postdoc opportunity in our group on the evolutionary genetics and ecology of colour. Wonderful system, great collaborators, and room to shape your own ideas.
Apply by 7 Jan: jobs.helsinki.fi/job/13477181...
December 12, 2025 at 2:56 PM
tomospotter.bsky.social
A 🧵 of future eco-evo research plans, based purely on their potential for pun titles.

Please feel free to contribute to this important list - ideally by doing the research and including me as a co-author.

#WriteTheJokeFirstDoTheScienceLater
#MyExperimentalDesignIsAJoke
November 26, 2025 at 7:29 PM
Reposted by Tomos Potter
gauravathreya.bsky.social
i will be giving a talk on some recently published work on the 4th of December. Come by (zoom link below) if you want to think and learn about the evolution of mutual dependence and synchronised reproduction in endosymbioses!
lucasgenoma.bsky.social Lucas Santana Souza @lucasgenoma.bsky.social · Nov 14
Our Guest: Gaurav S. Athreya.
Title: The Evolution of Dependence and Cohesion in Incipient Endosymbioses.
When: 🌟Thursday, 4th December, at 3 PM (Stockholm time zone).
Zoom link: umu.zoom.us/j/68775661118
Webinar schedule: endosymbiosiswebinar.github.io
#Endosymbiosis
November 24, 2025 at 10:30 AM
Reposted by Tomos Potter
theul.bsky.social
#OnThisDay in 1859, Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species was first published.

Much of the original manuscript was used as scrap paper by Darwin's children. On the back of this painting of a house is an original manuscript page from Origin!

#CambridgeUniversityLibrary (DAR 185)
A painting of a house by one of Charles Darwin's children. We see a simple outline of a house with a pitched roof, two chimneys and some lead-paned windows. We see the kitchen fire, with a clock on a mantle, and some cast iron pots on a window sill. In a window at the stop of the house we see a cat, or possibly a squirrel! A hand-written page of Charles Darwin's original manuscript for the Origin of Species. There are many ink blots and crossings out, and some foxing consistent with its age.
November 24, 2025 at 11:26 AM
tomospotter.bsky.social
Get in!
christhorogood.bsky.social Chris Thorogood @christhorogood.bsky.social · Nov 20
I know I'm spamming you all with the world's largest flower this week but look at THIS! A rare glimpse inside Rafflesia arnoldi!
November 20, 2025 at 10:13 PM
tomospotter.bsky.social
Pedigree = Crane’s foot 🤯
matthewcobb.bsky.social Matthew Cobb @matthewcobb.bsky.social · Nov 18
The origin of 'pedigree'. This type of C12 figure (not a family tree but a way of calculating relatedness – the titles of various relatives have not been put in the circles) looked like a crane's foot, thought medieval folk. So 'pied de grue' and hence 'pedigree'. Source in alt.
A manuscript page showing forked diagram of white circles superimposed on a man (Christ?) against a blue background. Corpus Christi College, Parker Library MS 10, f. 300v
November 18, 2025 at 2:18 PM
Reposted by Tomos Potter
antisamourdani.bsky.social
Looking for an internship in spring?

Do you like fish, lakes, cycling & cheese?

Our lab in Kastanienbaum might be the place for you!

Apply, it’s great!

apply.refline.ch/673277/1301/...
November 13, 2025 at 8:26 AM
Reposted by Tomos Potter
padpadpadpad.bsky.social
A glitch in the matrix? No! I have another PhD available on temperature and AMR, this time with @swbiodtp.bsky.social. Join a friendly group (padpadpadpad.netlify.app/about) in Cornwall to do evolutionary ecology, experimental evolution, and combine phenotyping and sequencing. 🧪🦠 #microsky
November 11, 2025 at 10:15 AM
Reposted by Tomos Potter
kokkonut.bsky.social
A young PI here in Mainz has a fabulous PhD position that will be filled soon! By you? Keywords: Social insects, ageing, gene expression. www.blogs.uni-mainz.de/fb10-evoluti...
Behavioural Ecology and Social Evolution
www.blogs.uni-mainz.de
October 29, 2025 at 8:36 AM
tomospotter.bsky.social
“auspicious set seed values” @popgengoogling.bsky.social
October 23, 2025 at 7:42 AM
tomospotter.bsky.social
Do you like quantitative genetics, stats, experiments, and long-term studies? Check out this post doc opportunity with the wonderful Anja Felmy!
biologylu.bsky.social Department of Biology, Lund University @biologylu.bsky.social · Oct 22
Exiting career-boosting opportunity for a a skilled and highly motivated postdoctoral researcher: We're hiring a Post-doctoral fellow in Evolutionary Biology!

Please apply no later than 31 October!
lu.varbi.com/en/what:job/...
October 22, 2025 at 4:16 PM