Check out this new preprint led by our very own Basem Attar: Identifying the Fusarium species involved in foot rot disease of faba beans in the UK using a combined molecular and microbiological approach! The foot and root rot disease complex is a devastating broad bean productivity globally, including in the UK (the third largestContinue reading "New preprint: Identifying the Fusarium species involved in foot rot disease of faba beans in the UK using a combined molecular and microbiological approach"
NEW PAPER: Prey nutrient content is associated with the trophic interactions of spiders and their prey selection under field conditions
Check out the latest paper from the group: Prey nutrient content is associated with the trophic interactions of spiders and their prey selection under field conditions! We show that the interactions of spiders relate to prey nutrient contents and this is likely driving prey preferences, which vary nutritionally between spider genera, life stages and sexes!Continue reading "NEW PAPER: Prey nutrient content is associated with the trophic interactions of spiders and their prey selection under field conditions"
Jordan’s visit to Stano Pekár and Masaryk University
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 variousContinue reading "Jordan’s visit to Stano Pekár and Masaryk University"
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),Continue 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 roleContinue 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 accessContinue 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 andContinue 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.Continue 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 researchContinue 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 slotsContinue reading "NEW PAPER: Metabarcoding advances agricultural invertebrate biomonitoring by enhancing resolution, increasing throughput and facilitating network inference"
Foraging Ecology Research Group 