Cedric van den Berg
@vancedberg.bsky.social
Visual Ecologist. Defensive colouration, Behavioural ecology, Evolution, Comparative phylogenetics.
Pinned
Diel activity correlates with colour pattern morphology of heterobranch sea slugs
The authors show that daytime activity fundamentally shapes the appearance of prey animals to potential predators and that colour pattern phenotypes likely associated with visual signalling are predo....
doi.org
It's out! Read about how to combine advanced animal vision modelling and colour pattern analysis with comparative phylogenetic methods in arguably some of the most incredible critters in the ocean: doi.org/10.1111/1365....
Amazing work with amazing people! #colsci #micaToolbox #AnimalEcology
Amazing work with amazing people! #colsci #micaToolbox #AnimalEcology
Reposted by Cedric van den Berg
Do you work (/want to work) with caterpillars? Or sensory systems? Or BOTH?! Well good golly do we have the paper for you! We explain the senses that caterpillars have, what they use them for, and how anthropogenic sensory pollution might be messing it all up 🐛 doi.org/10.1007/s003...
The sensory ecology of caterpillars - Journal of Comparative Physiology A
Caterpillars (larval Lepidoptera) are one of the most ecologically and evolutionarily significant taxa on Earth. As both feeders and food, they shape the dynamics of enumerate ecosystems on land. Key ...
doi.org
November 10, 2025 at 3:24 PM
Do you work (/want to work) with caterpillars? Or sensory systems? Or BOTH?! Well good golly do we have the paper for you! We explain the senses that caterpillars have, what they use them for, and how anthropogenic sensory pollution might be messing it all up 🐛 doi.org/10.1007/s003...
Reposted by Cedric van den Berg
BehaveAI is live!
Our biologically inspired video analysis tool sees motion as colour. Track animals or objects, classify their behaviour, and handle complex natural scenes with ease.
Semi-supervised annotation, no GPUs required, user-friendly, free & open source.
Pre-print tinyurl.com/BehaveAI
Our biologically inspired video analysis tool sees motion as colour. Track animals or objects, classify their behaviour, and handle complex natural scenes with ease.
Semi-supervised annotation, no GPUs required, user-friendly, free & open source.
Pre-print tinyurl.com/BehaveAI
November 6, 2025 at 10:09 AM
BehaveAI is live!
Our biologically inspired video analysis tool sees motion as colour. Track animals or objects, classify their behaviour, and handle complex natural scenes with ease.
Semi-supervised annotation, no GPUs required, user-friendly, free & open source.
Pre-print tinyurl.com/BehaveAI
Our biologically inspired video analysis tool sees motion as colour. Track animals or objects, classify their behaviour, and handle complex natural scenes with ease.
Semi-supervised annotation, no GPUs required, user-friendly, free & open source.
Pre-print tinyurl.com/BehaveAI
Reposted by Cedric van den Berg
Now out in Cell! Congratulations to all involved, especially
@chiarafornetto.bsky.social
For a breakdown, see the bluetorial from when we posted the preprint: bsky.app/profile/neur...
Funding: @erc.europa.eu @wellcometrust.bsky.social @ukri.org @leverhulme.ac.uk @thelisterinstitute.bsky.social
@chiarafornetto.bsky.social
For a breakdown, see the bluetorial from when we posted the preprint: bsky.app/profile/neur...
Funding: @erc.europa.eu @wellcometrust.bsky.social @ukri.org @leverhulme.ac.uk @thelisterinstitute.bsky.social
Now online! Zebrafish use spectral information to suppress the visual background
Zebrafish use spectral information to suppress the visual background
Vertebrate eyes first evolved in water, where spectral content rapidly fades with distance. Zebrafish exploit this loss by antagonizing cone signals to suppress the background, pointing to distance estimation—rather than color—as an ancestral cone function.
dlvr.it
November 4, 2025 at 8:53 AM
Now out in Cell! Congratulations to all involved, especially
@chiarafornetto.bsky.social
For a breakdown, see the bluetorial from when we posted the preprint: bsky.app/profile/neur...
Funding: @erc.europa.eu @wellcometrust.bsky.social @ukri.org @leverhulme.ac.uk @thelisterinstitute.bsky.social
@chiarafornetto.bsky.social
For a breakdown, see the bluetorial from when we posted the preprint: bsky.app/profile/neur...
Funding: @erc.europa.eu @wellcometrust.bsky.social @ukri.org @leverhulme.ac.uk @thelisterinstitute.bsky.social
Leaf? 🍃 Or katydid? 🦗
Our new
@plosbiology.org paper sheds light on how these incredible mimics evolved their disguises, and what this reveals about how complex adaptations arise. We find that coordinated evolution between traits might be the answer… plos.io/4oUE741 1/n
Our new
@plosbiology.org paper sheds light on how these incredible mimics evolved their disguises, and what this reveals about how complex adaptations arise. We find that coordinated evolution between traits might be the answer… plos.io/4oUE741 1/n
Functional and evolutionary synergy of trait components can explain the existence of leaf masquerade in katydids
The evolution of complex adaptations often involves synergistic changes in multiple traits that lack standalone function. This study shows that leaf masquerade in katydids evolved through concurrent m...
plos.io
November 5, 2025 at 12:32 PM
Reposted by Cedric van den Berg
New #PhD ad alert!
Interested in wild #bee #cognition and #brains in different #bumblebees? Want to live in #Newcastle and the beautiful north-east of England?
Check out this project with me, @lenariab.bsky.social and Sarah Scott. Contact me for further information.
iapetus.ac.uk/studentships...
Interested in wild #bee #cognition and #brains in different #bumblebees? Want to live in #Newcastle and the beautiful north-east of England?
Check out this project with me, @lenariab.bsky.social and Sarah Scott. Contact me for further information.
iapetus.ac.uk/studentships...
The cognitive ecology of wild bumblebees
iapetus.ac.uk
October 28, 2025 at 11:22 AM
New #PhD ad alert!
Interested in wild #bee #cognition and #brains in different #bumblebees? Want to live in #Newcastle and the beautiful north-east of England?
Check out this project with me, @lenariab.bsky.social and Sarah Scott. Contact me for further information.
iapetus.ac.uk/studentships...
Interested in wild #bee #cognition and #brains in different #bumblebees? Want to live in #Newcastle and the beautiful north-east of England?
Check out this project with me, @lenariab.bsky.social and Sarah Scott. Contact me for further information.
iapetus.ac.uk/studentships...
Reposted by Cedric van den Berg
Humans perceive but animals don’t: pitfalls in using plasticine models for assessing biotic interactions buff.ly/7hcLYXx | #ProcB #Ecology
October 26, 2025 at 3:01 PM
Humans perceive but animals don’t: pitfalls in using plasticine models for assessing biotic interactions buff.ly/7hcLYXx | #ProcB #Ecology
Reposted by Cedric van den Berg
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/...
Please apply no later than 31 October!
lu.varbi.com/en/what:job/...
October 22, 2025 at 8:29 AM
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/...
Please apply no later than 31 October!
lu.varbi.com/en/what:job/...
Reposted by Cedric van den Berg
Despite the mess, we are grateful to be funded, have exciting science happening, and have an opening for a postdoc!
If you are interested in sensory biology and esp in cilia, thermosensation, or interoception, and would like to join an interactive & supportive group - please email.
Please RT 🙏
If you are interested in sensory biology and esp in cilia, thermosensation, or interoception, and would like to join an interactive & supportive group - please email.
Please RT 🙏
October 16, 2025 at 5:29 PM
Despite the mess, we are grateful to be funded, have exciting science happening, and have an opening for a postdoc!
If you are interested in sensory biology and esp in cilia, thermosensation, or interoception, and would like to join an interactive & supportive group - please email.
Please RT 🙏
If you are interested in sensory biology and esp in cilia, thermosensation, or interoception, and would like to join an interactive & supportive group - please email.
Please RT 🙏
Reposted by Cedric van den Berg
🚨🚨Job! 🚨🚨Permanent (75% time) job! We are a pretty awesome research group & seek a manager who deals with everything: personnel tasks, organizing retreats, preparing code for teaching / data structures for research... Fluency in German & English essential. stellenboerse.uni-mainz.de#/jgu/job/51527
stellenboerse.uni-mainz.de
October 17, 2025 at 7:38 AM
🚨🚨Job! 🚨🚨Permanent (75% time) job! We are a pretty awesome research group & seek a manager who deals with everything: personnel tasks, organizing retreats, preparing code for teaching / data structures for research... Fluency in German & English essential. stellenboerse.uni-mainz.de#/jgu/job/51527
Reposted by Cedric van den Berg
BIRDBASE, a new publicly available dataset, brings together "ecological and life history traits for 11,589 bird species across 254 families." #ornithology
Explore a bird database with 11,500 species
Twenty-six years ago, a PhD student's unanswered question sparked a bird data revolution.
www.popsci.com
October 9, 2025 at 7:02 PM
BIRDBASE, a new publicly available dataset, brings together "ecological and life history traits for 11,589 bird species across 254 families." #ornithology
😍 hardcore #colsci !
📢🦋 Our paper ‘Global selection on insect antipredator coloration’ is out and featured on the cover of @science.org
We ran a huge experiment to find out how ecological context favours camouflage and warning colouration as antipredator strategies. 1/6
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
We ran a huge experiment to find out how ecological context favours camouflage and warning colouration as antipredator strategies. 1/6
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
September 25, 2025 at 8:31 PM
😍 hardcore #colsci !
Reposted by Cedric van den Berg
Funded PhD position available 🎉 Come and work with me in Helsinki to uncover the pathways producing colourful tiger moth wings. Lots of options for genomics, CRISPR, fieldwork, behaviour experiments… Email with questions! jobs.helsinki.fi/job/Helsinki...
September 24, 2025 at 8:53 AM
Funded PhD position available 🎉 Come and work with me in Helsinki to uncover the pathways producing colourful tiger moth wings. Lots of options for genomics, CRISPR, fieldwork, behaviour experiments… Email with questions! jobs.helsinki.fi/job/Helsinki...
Reposted by Cedric van den Berg
Deadline for submitting an abstract to give a talk or poster is this Friday!
ICYMI : #ASABWinter2025 will take place from December 15-16, once again in lovely Edinburgh!
Registration is now open 🎉 Abstract submission deadline for posters and talks is August 29 🏃♀️🏃🏃♂️
More information here: asabwinter.github.io/2025/
Registration is now open 🎉 Abstract submission deadline for posters and talks is August 29 🏃♀️🏃🏃♂️
More information here: asabwinter.github.io/2025/
August 26, 2025 at 7:14 AM
Deadline for submitting an abstract to give a talk or poster is this Friday!
Reposted by Cedric van den Berg
new paper, led by Lin Yan from the Elias Lab at UCB
Latent preference for red ornamentation drives interspecific mating in nascent jumping spider species (Habronattus americanus group, F. Salticidae)
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
Latent preference for red ornamentation drives interspecific mating in nascent jumping spider species (Habronattus americanus group, F. Salticidae)
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
August 23, 2025 at 2:59 PM
new paper, led by Lin Yan from the Elias Lab at UCB
Latent preference for red ornamentation drives interspecific mating in nascent jumping spider species (Habronattus americanus group, F. Salticidae)
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
Latent preference for red ornamentation drives interspecific mating in nascent jumping spider species (Habronattus americanus group, F. Salticidae)
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
Reposted by Cedric van den Berg
Introducing "The SORTEE Guidelines for Data and Code Quality Control in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology"
The first standardised set of data editor guidelines. Led by SORTEE with input from numerous data editors across ecology and evolution.
🔗 doi.org/10.32942/X24...
The first standardised set of data editor guidelines. Led by SORTEE with input from numerous data editors across ecology and evolution.
🔗 doi.org/10.32942/X24...
The SORTEE Guidelines for Data and Code Quality Control in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
This is a Preprint and has not been peer reviewed. This is version 1 of this Preprint.
doi.org
August 20, 2025 at 7:00 AM
Introducing "The SORTEE Guidelines for Data and Code Quality Control in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology"
The first standardised set of data editor guidelines. Led by SORTEE with input from numerous data editors across ecology and evolution.
🔗 doi.org/10.32942/X24...
The first standardised set of data editor guidelines. Led by SORTEE with input from numerous data editors across ecology and evolution.
🔗 doi.org/10.32942/X24...
Reposted by Cedric van den Berg
🚨Our new paper is out NOW in @jexpbiol.bsky.social 👀 Here we show that cuttlefish use visual contrast cues to inform their 3D camouflage, but these contrast cues can derive from true background features as well as exposure to dynamic lighting patterns. 🦑🔆
🔗 doi.org/10.1242/jeb....
🔗 doi.org/10.1242/jeb....
August 15, 2025 at 1:45 PM
🚨Our new paper is out NOW in @jexpbiol.bsky.social 👀 Here we show that cuttlefish use visual contrast cues to inform their 3D camouflage, but these contrast cues can derive from true background features as well as exposure to dynamic lighting patterns. 🦑🔆
🔗 doi.org/10.1242/jeb....
🔗 doi.org/10.1242/jeb....
Reposted by Cedric van den Berg
Why do imperfect mimics (such as many hoverflies) exist? We created 3D printed replicas of flies, wasps and our own custom intermediates and then "asked" various predators what they thought of our 3D stimuli. Read all about it here: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Mapping the adaptive landscape of Batesian mimicry using 3D-printed stimuli - Nature
Birds have an excellent ability to learn to discriminate harmless insects from those that they mimic on the basis of subtle differences in appearance.
www.nature.com
July 2, 2025 at 6:32 PM
Why do imperfect mimics (such as many hoverflies) exist? We created 3D printed replicas of flies, wasps and our own custom intermediates and then "asked" various predators what they thought of our 3D stimuli. Read all about it here: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Very honoured to have our research highlighted by this very well-written article by Weller & Rabosky. Thank you! 10/10, can recommend if you want a thorough take on what our latest paper is about: besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/... #colsci
For sea slugs, bright colours may warn off predators—but only in the daytime
For sea slugs, bright colours may warn off predators—but only in the daytime.
besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
June 18, 2025 at 7:45 AM
Very honoured to have our research highlighted by this very well-written article by Weller & Rabosky. Thank you! 10/10, can recommend if you want a thorough take on what our latest paper is about: besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/... #colsci
Made the cover! doi.org/10.1111/1365...
June 4, 2025 at 9:48 AM
Made the cover! doi.org/10.1111/1365...
Reposted by Cedric van den Berg
www.empiricalimaging.com/2025/05/19/b... Bug fix: Memory overload due to failing to clean up after image processing.
Batch QCPA v1.3 – Empirical Imaging
www.empiricalimaging.com
May 19, 2025 at 10:02 AM
www.empiricalimaging.com/2025/05/19/b... Bug fix: Memory overload due to failing to clean up after image processing.
New paper alert! 🎉
We found some interesting differences in defensive strategies in our cute little Amata wasp moths.
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
@hannahmrowland.bsky.social @liisahamalainen.bsky.social @mherberstein.bsky.social @kateumbers.bsky.social @gmramon.bsky.social #OzInverts
We found some interesting differences in defensive strategies in our cute little Amata wasp moths.
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
@hannahmrowland.bsky.social @liisahamalainen.bsky.social @mherberstein.bsky.social @kateumbers.bsky.social @gmramon.bsky.social #OzInverts
April 23, 2025 at 10:44 AM
It's out! Read about how to combine advanced animal vision modelling and colour pattern analysis with comparative phylogenetic methods in arguably some of the most incredible critters in the ocean: doi.org/10.1111/1365....
Amazing work with amazing people! #colsci #micaToolbox #AnimalEcology
Amazing work with amazing people! #colsci #micaToolbox #AnimalEcology
Diel activity correlates with colour pattern morphology of heterobranch sea slugs
The authors show that daytime activity fundamentally shapes the appearance of prey animals to potential predators and that colour pattern phenotypes likely associated with visual signalling are predo....
doi.org
April 16, 2025 at 8:14 AM
It's out! Read about how to combine advanced animal vision modelling and colour pattern analysis with comparative phylogenetic methods in arguably some of the most incredible critters in the ocean: doi.org/10.1111/1365....
Amazing work with amazing people! #colsci #micaToolbox #AnimalEcology
Amazing work with amazing people! #colsci #micaToolbox #AnimalEcology
Reposted by Cedric van den Berg
Bright colors observed across the animal world are often used during mate choice. @dickmerrill.bsky.social explores a @plosbiology.org study of genetic & neural mechanisms contributing to evolution of visual mating decisions in Heliconius butterflies 🧪 Paper: plos.io/4iHQDRd Primer: plos.io/4ipW7QS
March 12, 2025 at 6:05 PM
Bright colors observed across the animal world are often used during mate choice. @dickmerrill.bsky.social explores a @plosbiology.org study of genetic & neural mechanisms contributing to evolution of visual mating decisions in Heliconius butterflies 🧪 Paper: plos.io/4iHQDRd Primer: plos.io/4ipW7QS
First paper out on this incredible study system! We describe the remarkably different hunting displays used by the broadclub cuttlefish in the wild.
Paper: dx.doi.org/10.1002/ecy....
Stay tuned for more!!
@drmartinjhow.bsky.social @vancedberg.bsky.social @ecologyofvision.bsky.social
Paper: dx.doi.org/10.1002/ecy....
Stay tuned for more!!
@drmartinjhow.bsky.social @vancedberg.bsky.social @ecologyofvision.bsky.social
February 19, 2025 at 11:54 AM
'A Standardized Nomenclature for the
Rods and Cones of the Vertebrate
Retina' #colsci
www.preprints.org/manuscript/2...
Rods and Cones of the Vertebrate
Retina' #colsci
www.preprints.org/manuscript/2...
February 13, 2025 at 9:34 AM
'A Standardized Nomenclature for the
Rods and Cones of the Vertebrate
Retina' #colsci
www.preprints.org/manuscript/2...
Rods and Cones of the Vertebrate
Retina' #colsci
www.preprints.org/manuscript/2...