Jordan has just returned from Masaryk University in Brno, Czech Republic where he gave a seminar and visited Stano Pekár’s Terrestrial Invertebrate Research Group. It was an excellent and inspiring trip filled with brilliant science, fantastic conversations and many beautiful castles (and even some exceptional Czech beer)! Jordan got to visit Lednice park, where variousContinueContinue reading “Jordan’s visit to Stano Pekár and Masaryk University”
Author Archives: jordancuff
Romuald Tcheutchoua’s visit for wasp gut analysis
The wonderful Romuald Tcheutchoua visited us for a couple of weeks from Seirian Sumner’s group at University College London to analyse the guts of wasps from farms across Cameroon! Romuald is looking at the provision of ecosystem services like crop pest biocontrol by wasps in agricultural systems (particularly predation of the devastating fall army worm),ContinueContinue reading “Romuald Tcheutchoua’s visit for wasp gut analysis”
NEW PAPER: Networking nutrients: How nutrition determines the structure of ecological networks
Check out this exciting new paper! Networking nutrients: How nutrition determines the structure of ecological networks We provide a synthesis on the interface between nutritional and network ecology and demonstrate its potential for ecological research. Nutrients determine the frequency and identity of interactions, and ecosystem services and function. They therefore also play a significant roleContinueContinue reading “NEW PAPER: Networking nutrients: How nutrition determines the structure of ecological networks”
Congrats to Ben for receiving an Open Research Commendation!
Massive congrats to Ben for being awarded an Open Research Commendation at Newcastle University’s recent 2024 Open Research Awards! Ben wrote a case study and gave a presentation about his experience of adopting open research practices throughout his PhD so far, including his involvement in open datasets, open protocols, and the preprint and open accessContinueContinue reading “Congrats to Ben for receiving an Open Research Commendation!”
NEW PAPER: Understanding trophic interactions in a warming world by bridging foraging ecology and biomechanics with network science
Check out this paper from a collaboration between Jordan, David Labonte (Evolutionary Biomechanics Group, Imperial College London) and Fred Windsor (Freshwater Networks Lab, Cardiff University): Understanding trophic interactions in a warming world by bridging foraging ecology and biomechanics with network science As average global temperatures increase, ecological processes are set to become increasingly disrupted andContinueContinue reading “NEW PAPER: Understanding trophic interactions in a warming world by bridging foraging ecology and biomechanics with network science”
NEW PAPER: Ecology, natural history, and conservation status of Scolopendra abnormis, a threatened centipede endemic to Mauritius
Check out this new paper that Jordan contributed toward, led by long-time FERG collaborator Max Tercel: Ecology, natural history, and conservation status of Scolopendra abnormis, a threatened centipede endemic to Mauritius Dietary detections in the gut of Scolopendra abnormis. Scolopendra abnormis is an incredible scolopendromorph centipede endemic to two islands off the coast of Mauritius.ContinueContinue reading “NEW PAPER: Ecology, natural history, and conservation status of Scolopendra abnormis, a threatened centipede endemic to Mauritius”
NEW PAPER: Biomonitoring of biocontrol across the full annual cycle in temperate climates
Check out this new paper just published in Agricultural and Forest Entomology: Biomonitoring of biocontrol across the full annual cycle in temperate climates: Post-harvest, winter and early-season interaction data and methodological considerations for its collection What’s going on in our agricultural fields when we stop looking? A lot of biocontrol that current monitoring and researchContinueContinue reading “NEW PAPER: Biomonitoring of biocontrol across the full annual cycle in temperate climates”
NEW PAPER: Metabarcoding advances agricultural invertebrate biomonitoring by enhancing resolution, increasing throughput and facilitating network inference
Massive congratulations to Ben on publishing his first first-author paper in Agricultural and Forest Entomology! Check it out: Metabarcoding advances agricultural invertebrate biomonitoring by enhancing resolution, increasing throughput and facilitating network inference Ben’s review summarises the current applications of metabarcoding to agricultural biomonitoring, best practices for newcomers and seasoned metabarcoders alike, and how this slotsContinueContinue reading “NEW PAPER: Metabarcoding advances agricultural invertebrate biomonitoring by enhancing resolution, increasing throughput and facilitating network inference”
NEW PAPER: Identifying archived insect bulk samples using DNA metabarcoding: A case study using the long-term Rothamsted Insect Survey
Check out this new paper published in Environmental DNA from Dimitrios Petsopoulos from the Network Ecology Group and co-authors: Identifying archived insect bulk samples using DNA metabarcoding: A case study using the long-term Rothamsted Insect Survey Dimitrios led a study that demonstrates the compatibility of DNA metabarcoding with long-term insect monitoring schemes, using the RothamstedContinueContinue reading “NEW PAPER: Identifying archived insect bulk samples using DNA metabarcoding: A case study using the long-term Rothamsted Insect Survey”
NEW PAPER: The case for open research in entomology: Reducing harm, refining reproducibility and advancing insect science
Check out this new paper, published in Agricultural and Forest Entomology! “The case for open research in entomology: Reducing harm, refining reproducibility and advancing insect science” Open research is crucial for scientific advancement and has been successfully adopted across many disciplines. Entomology has, however, been slow to adopt it, despite some really important ethical and practicalContinueContinue reading “NEW PAPER: The case for open research in entomology: Reducing harm, refining reproducibility and advancing insect science”
Foraging Ecology Research Group 