Dr John Clarke
@jclarkepaleo.bsky.social
Evolutionary biologist & paleontologist. Website: http://bit.ly/JTCsite Macroevolution, phylogenetic comparative methods, diversification, phenotypic evolution of 🐠🌿🦋 Postdoc @iDiv in Leipzig
Pinned
Dr John Clarke
@jclarkepaleo.bsky.social
· Nov 16
🚨Our paper testing the impacts of salinity on phenotypic rates in nearly all ray-finned fishes recently arrived!🚨
Salinity is generally a weak predictor, but predictive potential for freshwater-brackish, lake living, and larger species.
Free PDF here: <a href="http://bit.ly/fishRates" class="hover:underline text-blue-600 dark:text-sky-400 no-card-link" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-link="bsky">http://bit.ly/fishRates
Salinity is generally a weak predictor, but predictive potential for freshwater-brackish, lake living, and larger species.
Free PDF here: <a href="http://bit.ly/fishRates" class="hover:underline text-blue-600 dark:text-sky-400 no-card-link" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-link="bsky">http://bit.ly/fishRates
Reposted by Dr John Clarke
Good article from @liberalcurrents.com on how hundreds of millions, including many of us alive and reading this, will live nastier lives and die sooner and more painful deaths due to cuts in biomedical research in the USA
www.liberalcurrents.com/medical-rese...
www.liberalcurrents.com/medical-rese...
Medical Research Is a Life and Death Issue
The casualties of the war on research will mount for years.
www.liberalcurrents.com
December 3, 2025 at 4:46 PM
Good article from @liberalcurrents.com on how hundreds of millions, including many of us alive and reading this, will live nastier lives and die sooner and more painful deaths due to cuts in biomedical research in the USA
www.liberalcurrents.com/medical-rese...
www.liberalcurrents.com/medical-rese...
Reposted by Dr John Clarke
🚨Two funded PhDs on the evolutionary ecology of antipredator colouration 🦋 with myself and Iliana Medina.
One in Swansea tinyurl.com/4thtbph6 deadline Jan 12th @crocus-dla.bsky.social
The other in Melbourne - deadline Jan 1st
Please share among potential students!
One in Swansea tinyurl.com/4thtbph6 deadline Jan 12th @crocus-dla.bsky.social
The other in Melbourne - deadline Jan 1st
Please share among potential students!
December 1, 2025 at 2:40 PM
🚨Two funded PhDs on the evolutionary ecology of antipredator colouration 🦋 with myself and Iliana Medina.
One in Swansea tinyurl.com/4thtbph6 deadline Jan 12th @crocus-dla.bsky.social
The other in Melbourne - deadline Jan 1st
Please share among potential students!
One in Swansea tinyurl.com/4thtbph6 deadline Jan 12th @crocus-dla.bsky.social
The other in Melbourne - deadline Jan 1st
Please share among potential students!
Reposted by Dr John Clarke
Check out this new paper in the Frontiers of Biogeography, the flagship journal of @biogeography.bsky.social, on historical distribution and habitat of American chestnut by Joyce Klaus & Nathan Klaus. And as always - support our society by publishing with us! biogeography.pensoft.net/article/1619...
Modelling the historic distribution and habitat of American chestnut (Castanea dentata) in Georgia, USA using edaphic and landform predictors
The loss of American chestnut (Castanea dentata Marsh. Bork.) caused ecological change in many community types of the eastern United States. Restoration is challenged by climate change and two natural...
biogeography.pensoft.net
December 1, 2025 at 2:51 PM
Check out this new paper in the Frontiers of Biogeography, the flagship journal of @biogeography.bsky.social, on historical distribution and habitat of American chestnut by Joyce Klaus & Nathan Klaus. And as always - support our society by publishing with us! biogeography.pensoft.net/article/1619...
Reposted by Dr John Clarke
Deadline soon (end of Nov) for this PhD position in evolutionary genomics/bioinformatics in my group.
PhD position available in evolutionary genomics/bioinformatics (hoehnalab.github.io/job_adverts/...). Topic: analyzing gene expression evolution across several firefly species and linking expression changes to genomic architecture. The position is jointly supervised with @anaevolcatalan.bsky.social
hoehnalab.github.io
November 27, 2025 at 11:31 AM
Deadline soon (end of Nov) for this PhD position in evolutionary genomics/bioinformatics in my group.
Reposted by Dr John Clarke
Please consider supporting this petition to save the Centre for Palaeobiology and Biosphere Evolution at the University of Leicester. Leicester palaeontologists have made huge contributions to the field, including identifying the first Ediacaran fossils and the conodont animal!
tinyurl.com/t3zesk88
tinyurl.com/t3zesk88
Share petition · Save Geology at the University of Leicester · Change.org
www.change.org
November 19, 2025 at 9:33 AM
Please consider supporting this petition to save the Centre for Palaeobiology and Biosphere Evolution at the University of Leicester. Leicester palaeontologists have made huge contributions to the field, including identifying the first Ediacaran fossils and the conodont animal!
tinyurl.com/t3zesk88
tinyurl.com/t3zesk88
Reposted by Dr John Clarke
I am running for the outreach officer position for the @thepalass.bsky.social this year (manifesto in image).
If you are a member, please check your mail and consider voting in the AGM. Several important roles are up for election with great candidates looking to work for our community.
If you are a member, please check your mail and consider voting in the AGM. Several important roles are up for election with great candidates looking to work for our community.
November 19, 2025 at 3:47 PM
I am running for the outreach officer position for the @thepalass.bsky.social this year (manifesto in image).
If you are a member, please check your mail and consider voting in the AGM. Several important roles are up for election with great candidates looking to work for our community.
If you are a member, please check your mail and consider voting in the AGM. Several important roles are up for election with great candidates looking to work for our community.
Reposted by Dr John Clarke
Thread on today's paper, which is 3/4 from my dissertation on the evolution of fishes and using morphological data for phylogenetic analyses. Come with me, on a journey on phylogenetics and fishes.
anatomypubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
anatomypubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
An ontological morphological phylogenetic framework for living and extinct ray‐finned fishes (Actinopterygii)
The ray-finned fishes include one out of every two species of living vertebrates on Earth and have an abundant fossil record stretching 380 million years into the past. The division of systematic kno...
anatomypubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
November 18, 2025 at 4:22 AM
Thread on today's paper, which is 3/4 from my dissertation on the evolution of fishes and using morphological data for phylogenetic analyses. Come with me, on a journey on phylogenetics and fishes.
anatomypubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
anatomypubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Reposted by Dr John Clarke
Very excited to share my exploration of the phylogenetics of early ray-finned fishes, out today in the Anatomical Record! Really busy day but I’ll have more info shortly.
anatomypubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
anatomypubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
An ontological morphological phylogenetic framework for living and extinct ray‐finned fishes (Actinopterygii)
The ray-finned fishes include one out of every two species of living vertebrates on Earth and have an abundant fossil record stretching 380 million years into the past. The division of systematic kno...
anatomypubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
November 17, 2025 at 12:52 PM
Very excited to share my exploration of the phylogenetics of early ray-finned fishes, out today in the Anatomical Record! Really busy day but I’ll have more info shortly.
anatomypubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
anatomypubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Reposted by Dr John Clarke
Ohio State news piece on our deep-sea fish body shape study:
news.osu.edu/how-fishes-o...
news.osu.edu/how-fishes-o...
November 13, 2025 at 4:56 PM
Ohio State news piece on our deep-sea fish body shape study:
news.osu.edu/how-fishes-o...
news.osu.edu/how-fishes-o...
Reposted by Dr John Clarke
PhD position available in evolutionary genomics/bioinformatics (hoehnalab.github.io/job_adverts/...). Topic: analyzing gene expression evolution across several firefly species and linking expression changes to genomic architecture. The position is jointly supervised with @anaevolcatalan.bsky.social
hoehnalab.github.io
November 11, 2025 at 9:00 AM
PhD position available in evolutionary genomics/bioinformatics (hoehnalab.github.io/job_adverts/...). Topic: analyzing gene expression evolution across several firefly species and linking expression changes to genomic architecture. The position is jointly supervised with @anaevolcatalan.bsky.social
Reposted by Dr John Clarke
Glad to have this one out! As some of you might remember, I'd kicked around the idea for some time, but the inestimable @wrightam.bsky.social got it all pulled together properly. It's a first step - we still need to include likelihoods of stasis between first & … www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
Distinguishing punctuated and continuous-time models of character evolution for discrete characters and the implications for macroevolutionary theory | Paleobiology | Cambridge Core
Distinguishing punctuated and continuous-time models of character evolution for discrete characters and the implications for macroevolutionary theory
www.cambridge.org
November 8, 2025 at 6:07 AM
Glad to have this one out! As some of you might remember, I'd kicked around the idea for some time, but the inestimable @wrightam.bsky.social got it all pulled together properly. It's a first step - we still need to include likelihoods of stasis between first & … www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
Reposted by Dr John Clarke
Vestiges of a once great radiation persist in another “ganoid” of North American slackwaters (Amia, the bowfin). Halecomorphs, of which Amia is a part, include things as unique as the marine pelagic predator Caturus, from the Jurassic of Germany. #fossilfriday #neoptposting
November 7, 2025 at 7:46 PM
Vestiges of a once great radiation persist in another “ganoid” of North American slackwaters (Amia, the bowfin). Halecomorphs, of which Amia is a part, include things as unique as the marine pelagic predator Caturus, from the Jurassic of Germany. #fossilfriday #neoptposting
Reposted by Dr John Clarke
Oi, stickleback researchers!
One of my PhD students is on a quest for lateral-view photographs of sticklebacks (like the one below, obvs not a stickleback). Any population/species, so long as the location and date of collection are known.
Does anyone know where we might find data like this?
One of my PhD students is on a quest for lateral-view photographs of sticklebacks (like the one below, obvs not a stickleback). Any population/species, so long as the location and date of collection are known.
Does anyone know where we might find data like this?
November 7, 2025 at 2:24 PM
Oi, stickleback researchers!
One of my PhD students is on a quest for lateral-view photographs of sticklebacks (like the one below, obvs not a stickleback). Any population/species, so long as the location and date of collection are known.
Does anyone know where we might find data like this?
One of my PhD students is on a quest for lateral-view photographs of sticklebacks (like the one below, obvs not a stickleback). Any population/species, so long as the location and date of collection are known.
Does anyone know where we might find data like this?
Reposted by Dr John Clarke
NERC GW4+ PhD: Genome duplication, extinction and diversification in the evolution of flowering plants, supervised by Phil Donoghue, James Clark and Ilia Leitch. Deets soon but get in touch with @phil-donoghue.bsky.social if interested. Jan 8 application deadline @bristolpalaeo.bsky.social
November 5, 2025 at 11:03 AM
NERC GW4+ PhD: Genome duplication, extinction and diversification in the evolution of flowering plants, supervised by Phil Donoghue, James Clark and Ilia Leitch. Deets soon but get in touch with @phil-donoghue.bsky.social if interested. Jan 8 application deadline @bristolpalaeo.bsky.social
Reposted by Dr John Clarke
Two PhD positions available to come and work with us - please share!
[1] Detecting rapid evolutionary responses to climate change in UK plants
tinyurl.com/ye262pk2
[2] Natural GM: The role of horizontal gene transfer in crop adaptation and evolution
tinyurl.com/32tkce2w
[1] Detecting rapid evolutionary responses to climate change in UK plants
tinyurl.com/ye262pk2
[2] Natural GM: The role of horizontal gene transfer in crop adaptation and evolution
tinyurl.com/32tkce2w
November 4, 2025 at 11:58 AM
Two PhD positions available to come and work with us - please share!
[1] Detecting rapid evolutionary responses to climate change in UK plants
tinyurl.com/ye262pk2
[2] Natural GM: The role of horizontal gene transfer in crop adaptation and evolution
tinyurl.com/32tkce2w
[1] Detecting rapid evolutionary responses to climate change in UK plants
tinyurl.com/ye262pk2
[2] Natural GM: The role of horizontal gene transfer in crop adaptation and evolution
tinyurl.com/32tkce2w
Reposted by Dr John Clarke
Interested in corals, dispersal, and diversification dynamics? 🪸
We're offering a PhD project on how the Tethys closure shaped global marine biodiversity — supervised by me, Bridget Wade, Nadia Santodomingo, & Francesca Bosellini.
🗓️ Apply by 17th December 2025
www.trees-dla.ac.uk/projects/how...
We're offering a PhD project on how the Tethys closure shaped global marine biodiversity — supervised by me, Bridget Wade, Nadia Santodomingo, & Francesca Bosellini.
🗓️ Apply by 17th December 2025
www.trees-dla.ac.uk/projects/how...
How did the closure of the Tethys Ocean impact global marine biodiversity? | TREES DLA
The closure of the Tethys Ocean during the Miocene represents one of the most profound reorganisations of Earth’s surface systems in the Cenozoic. Once a vast marine corridor linking the Indo-Pacific ...
www.trees-dla.ac.uk
November 3, 2025 at 1:59 PM
Interested in corals, dispersal, and diversification dynamics? 🪸
We're offering a PhD project on how the Tethys closure shaped global marine biodiversity — supervised by me, Bridget Wade, Nadia Santodomingo, & Francesca Bosellini.
🗓️ Apply by 17th December 2025
www.trees-dla.ac.uk/projects/how...
We're offering a PhD project on how the Tethys closure shaped global marine biodiversity — supervised by me, Bridget Wade, Nadia Santodomingo, & Francesca Bosellini.
🗓️ Apply by 17th December 2025
www.trees-dla.ac.uk/projects/how...
Reposted by Dr John Clarke
Why are some species smaller than a paperclip while others grow longer than a school bus? How is body size evolution governed in animals? Out now in @pnas.org we tackle these longstanding questions through a genetic lens using my favorite group of fishes as our model!! www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Parallel shifts in differential gene expression reveal convergent miniaturization in fishes | PNAS
Body size variation in vertebrates is a complex polygenic trait, tightly correlated
with numerous aspects of a species’ biology, ecology, and physi...
www.pnas.org
October 22, 2025 at 9:33 PM
Why are some species smaller than a paperclip while others grow longer than a school bus? How is body size evolution governed in animals? Out now in @pnas.org we tackle these longstanding questions through a genetic lens using my favorite group of fishes as our model!! www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Reposted by Dr John Clarke
🚨New paper out in Palaeontology! Check it out if you're interested morphological evolution, fossil phylogenetics, and macroevolution 🧪
"Assessing the impact of character evolution models on phylogenetic and macroevolutionary inferences from fossil data"
"Assessing the impact of character evolution models on phylogenetic and macroevolutionary inferences from fossil data"
Assessing the impact of character evolution models on phylogenetic and macroevolutionary inferences from fossil data
Understanding the evolution and phylogenetic distribution of morphologic traits is fundamental to macroevolutionary research. Despite decades of major advances and key insights from molecular systema...
dx.doi.org
October 27, 2025 at 2:17 PM
🚨New paper out in Palaeontology! Check it out if you're interested morphological evolution, fossil phylogenetics, and macroevolution 🧪
"Assessing the impact of character evolution models on phylogenetic and macroevolutionary inferences from fossil data"
"Assessing the impact of character evolution models on phylogenetic and macroevolutionary inferences from fossil data"
Reposted by Dr John Clarke
Out now in Biology Letters, my latest paper tackles an apparently simple question: how many characters are needed to reconstruct a phylogeny? TL;DR: in most cases between 100 and 500, more than a substantial portion of morphological datasets, but the story is more complex... doi.org/10.1098/rsbl...
October 15, 2025 at 9:29 AM
Out now in Biology Letters, my latest paper tackles an apparently simple question: how many characters are needed to reconstruct a phylogeny? TL;DR: in most cases between 100 and 500, more than a substantial portion of morphological datasets, but the story is more complex... doi.org/10.1098/rsbl...
Reposted by Dr John Clarke
Super proud of Dr. Dan Nesbit @dannesbit.bsky.social, who passed his viva today (with no corrections!). Thanks to @josephtobias.bsky.social and Sally Street for examining! 🥳
October 16, 2025 at 3:35 PM
Super proud of Dr. Dan Nesbit @dannesbit.bsky.social, who passed his viva today (with no corrections!). Thanks to @josephtobias.bsky.social and Sally Street for examining! 🥳
Reposted by Dr John Clarke
📢 Funded #PhD position!
🌿Interested in studying angiosperm macroevolution linking genome size, polyploidy and trait evolution? 🍀🌻🔬🧬 Join my group @ibotcz.bsky.social
📄Apply/Details: www.ibot.cas.cz/en/vacancies...
💬 Questions welcome!
#science #plants #polyploidy #genomesize #trait #evolution
🌿Interested in studying angiosperm macroevolution linking genome size, polyploidy and trait evolution? 🍀🌻🔬🧬 Join my group @ibotcz.bsky.social
📄Apply/Details: www.ibot.cas.cz/en/vacancies...
💬 Questions welcome!
#science #plants #polyploidy #genomesize #trait #evolution
October 13, 2025 at 5:54 PM
📢 Funded #PhD position!
🌿Interested in studying angiosperm macroevolution linking genome size, polyploidy and trait evolution? 🍀🌻🔬🧬 Join my group @ibotcz.bsky.social
📄Apply/Details: www.ibot.cas.cz/en/vacancies...
💬 Questions welcome!
#science #plants #polyploidy #genomesize #trait #evolution
🌿Interested in studying angiosperm macroevolution linking genome size, polyploidy and trait evolution? 🍀🌻🔬🧬 Join my group @ibotcz.bsky.social
📄Apply/Details: www.ibot.cas.cz/en/vacancies...
💬 Questions welcome!
#science #plants #polyploidy #genomesize #trait #evolution
Reposted by Dr John Clarke
A phylogeny for Heterostraci
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Very pleased to see this out, and huge thanks to Emma Randle for leading the study and @fossilrob.bsky.social for pushing it through the finish line.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Very pleased to see this out, and huge thanks to Emma Randle for leading the study and @fossilrob.bsky.social for pushing it through the finish line.
A phylogeny for Heterostraci (stem‐gnathostomes)
The armoured jawless fishes (‘ostracoderms’) are major and widespread components of middle Palaeozoic ecosystems. As successive branches on the gnathostome stem lineage, they represent the early sequ...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
August 29, 2025 at 7:14 AM
A phylogeny for Heterostraci
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Very pleased to see this out, and huge thanks to Emma Randle for leading the study and @fossilrob.bsky.social for pushing it through the finish line.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Very pleased to see this out, and huge thanks to Emma Randle for leading the study and @fossilrob.bsky.social for pushing it through the finish line.
Reposted by Dr John Clarke
Hot off the press 🔥 New Ecological Monographs paper shows why, when and how to include intraspecific trait variability to enhance functional diversity research. Huge shout out to Facundo Palacio for his vision and leadership. Read here 👉 doi.org/10.1002/ecm....
#traits #functionaldiversity 📏🌐
#traits #functionaldiversity 📏🌐
Integrating intraspecific trait variability in functional diversity: An overview of methods and a guide for ecologists
Variability in traits within species (intraspecific trait variability; ITV) has attracted increased interest in functional ecology, as it can profoundly influence the detection of functional trait pa....
doi.org
July 8, 2025 at 6:49 AM
Hot off the press 🔥 New Ecological Monographs paper shows why, when and how to include intraspecific trait variability to enhance functional diversity research. Huge shout out to Facundo Palacio for his vision and leadership. Read here 👉 doi.org/10.1002/ecm....
#traits #functionaldiversity 📏🌐
#traits #functionaldiversity 📏🌐