#Mites of the #Histiostomatidae live in #darkness in their #ephemeral #microhabitats. The distinctive deutonymphs are the #dispersal stage, being transported by insects. #Adults, however, live freely and #communicate via complex #olfactorysignals. An important #glandularcomplex is located on the dorsal body side. I participated in a study about the #geranial-rich glandular #secretions (2012).

© #StefanFWirth 24 Dec. 2025

Ref

https://doi.org/10.1080/01647954.2012.662247

#SEM #pics

©S.F. Wirth, Histiostoma sp.

My #introduction keywords: #academic #modelling #evolution #cooperation #gameTheory #ecology #appliedMathematics

I'm a #postdoc specialising in evolutionary and ecological modelling, currently at #QUT and #GriffithUni in #Australia

Previous work: #evolutionOfCooperation, estimating undetected #extinctions, #qualitativemodelling, migratory #phenology, #foodweb #modelling, local #adaptation, #carryover effects, #dispersal.

My blog: https://nadiah.org/

RE: https://mastodon.social/@sflorg/115729303412817454

This is an interesting article (linked below) about #biodiversity and #populationdynamics of #microscopic #seafloorfauna elements, and their presumed modes of #dispersal and ability to adapt to far away #ecologically different conditions. It focuses on the nematode genus #Halalaimus.
I want to point out that even terrestrial nematodes are masters of interesting #dispersalstrategies, evolved based on their small sizes and limited distance #mobility.

This text by #StefanFWirth, Berlin, 2025

#Ascospores are the result of the sexual reproduction of #Ascomycota #fungi, being single celled or #septate. There are different ways of #dispersal. One option is obligatory or accidental transport via animals, such as #mites. The photos show mating mites of #Histiostoma sp. seemingly covered with 4 chambered ascospores. J. Karakehian et al. (2021) studied "Methods for observing, culturing, and studying living ascospores".

© #StefanFWirth 2025

Ref
https://doi.org/10.5943/ajom/4/2/1

#SEM
©S.F.Wirth

The #treeofheaven #Ailanthus #altissima is a #tree originally native to Asia. It arrived in #Europe as ornamental plant in the #18thcentury and increasingly #naturalized due to its high #adaptability to difficult #ecologicalconditions and its efficient #dispersal. #Globalwarming is further facilitating its current spread. J. Soler & J. Izquierdo (2024) highlight the modern situation of this #invasivespecies.

© #StefanFWirth #Berlin 2025

Ref
https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13070931

#Photos
© S.F. Wirth

Dew and Dehiscence.

#seed #dispersal #plant #dew #morning #nature #photography

🪧 2 new articles from #TheGrackleProject!

🔍 Grackles who were #trained to be more #flexible were more #exploratory after the training than untrained grackles. This indicates that the more an individual investigates a novel object, the more it can learn and adapt its #behavior accordingly

✈️ Grackles in an edge #population disperse farther than those in a more central population. This suggests that the rapid geographic range expansion of great-tailed grackles is associated with individuals differentially expressing #dispersal behaviors

🗺️ These results suggest that flexibility, exploration, and dispersal are key traits involved in this species’ rapid expansion into new areas

💪 They started as #RegisteredReports @ #PCIEcology @PeerCommunityIn years ago! After lots of hard work from many collaborators (including @DieterLukas) they are now at the #diamondOA @PeerCommunityJournal 🎉

📰 Press release: https://www.mpg.de/25179774/0811-evan-exploration-and-dispersal-150495-x
📎 Articles: https://doi.org/10.24072/pcjournal.593 and https://doi.org/10.24072/pcjournal.591

I was talking with local birder Phil Crutchley this afternoon and I mentioned to him the sad news that I'd found dead on the roadside one of the Australasian harriers that he had banded. That female Phil had banded near his home in April 2023 and I found it hit by a car less than 3 km away in June this year.

Ah, you might think, harriers don't travel far from home. But, no. Phil told me about another harrier he had banded at his home that, only 30 days later, was sighted in the Hawkes Bay in the North Island, about 700 km away.

I guess if you're a big bird with big wings, you've got a lot of choices.

#birds #nz #harrier #dispersal