Ending my Bsky takeover a little early, as I'm attending a state outreach event on Tapinoma magnum titled 'Small Ants, Big Challenge'. #Politics is never far from #invasionscience.

Follow me at @garybugsyou.bsky.social for some of that later, plus more action from my #frontiers project. #scicomm

Ricardo Pereira (@biodiversitysmns.bsky.social) hopes that the blend of #research methods used in non-native species work by @smnstuttgart.bsky.social @kombiota.bsky.social is helping nurture a new generation of influential and impactful scientists.

#citizenscience #AI #genomics #policy

Much is said about the negative impact of introduced species on natives, but in #ecology, there are also winners of disruption.

I've been told that the ant-loving silverfish Atelura formicaria is turning up in Tapinoma magnum nests in Germany. Will look into this further...
#nature #climate #news

Sicily is a vital source of #data on new ant arrivals in Europe. It's in the native range of Tapinoma magnum and also the #EU landing point for the red imported fire ant.

This new paper on that species' progress underlines the importance of #monitoring.
🐜🔗https://escholarship.org/uc/item/19g4g2m8

Today we'll start with Ricardo Pereira (@biodiversitysmns.bsky.social), Head of Biodiversity Monitoring @smnstuttgart.bsky.social, explaining how using #machinelearning can gain insights from #citizenscience data during the incursion of a non-native species into new territory.
#scicomm #anthropocene

To end the penultimate day of my Bluesky takeover, here's me again (@garybugsyou.bsky.social ), talking about the advantages of being a journalist in residence at a museum like @smnstuttgart.bsky.social
#journalism #residency #frontiers2026 #scicomm

Among terrestrial invertebrates considered invasive in Europe, ant, slug and hornet species are pretty famous. But what about bees?

The giant resin bee, Megachile sculpturalis, is on the move and causing concern. Though not on the formal #EU #invasivespecies list, it threatens other #pollinators.

With population #genomics derived from large #citizenscience and expert #data on introduced species, you can then make informed predictions about future species movements.

This can help guide better #policy decisions. Dr Sajad Noori from @smnstuttgart.bsky.social explains more.

#mapping #ecology

Forgive my absence; I've been taking personal tours of the two sites of @smnstuttgart.bsky.social. One of the perks of a #museum residency...

Mainly fixated on #insects, both contemporary and ancient, but made some time for the vertebrates too.

#scicomm #naturalhistory #visitStuttgart

There are many ways to monitor new species over time and space.

One is the internet - but this policy brief from @onestop-project.eu claims that tightening access to online #data is stifling efforts. Should #research data access be enshrined in law? https://zenodo.org/records/22009561
#nature

Dr Sajad Noori at @smnstuttgart.bsky.social is at home with large genomic datasets. For the Tapinoma project, he uses analysis of known populations of the introduced ant to predict where else it might be found. Important info when managing a new arrival.
#scicomm #genetics #data #ecology

We've made it to Thursday in my (@garybugsyou.bsky.social) takeover! I'll be sharing some thoughts from the @smnstuttgart.bsky.social team on translating genomic data into more global insights, as well some papers I've read and introduced invertebrates you might not have heard about. #scicomm

As promised, here's a bit of me, @garybugsyou.bsky.social, your takeover host, chatting about what brought me to @smnstuttgart.bsky.social and what I've been up to since getting here. Thanks to Yannik from the museum comms team for the nice lighting and framing.
#frontiers2026 #journalism #scicomm

It's around lunchtime for us, but for ants it's a constant quest for meals. Simple methods that prevent prolific new arrivals getting to potential food, whether that's in a tree or a bin, are an essential part of frontline responses.

#invasivespecies #management #ants

The ornamental plant trade is a source of Tapinoma magnum's arrival in Germany and elsewhere - this research from @ird-fr.bsky.social provides fascinating insight into the genetic diversity brought from different origin countries.

https://peercommunityjournal.org/articles/10.24072/pcjournal.577/

A central focus of the work on introduced species here @smnstuttgart.bsky.social is how pioneer populations in new environments bolster their genetic material in order to thrive - whether humans like it or not. PhD student Lucas Freitas explains more.

#genetics #environment #evolution

#Slugs and #ants on the move are under the spotlight here in Stuttgart - with more non-native invertebrate investigations to come.

I talked to Lucas Freitas about the origins of Arion vulgaris and Tapinoma magnum - and how humans helped them expand their range and change.
#anthropocene #genetics

One of the 'risks' of being a resident journalist at a #museum like @smnstuttgart.bsky.social is that there are so many interesting projects going on that tangents are inevitable.

Just been learning more about the diversity of cave beetles - a scientific frontier in itself!

#beetles #bugsky

It's Day 3 of the @garybugsyou.bsky.social takeover!

I'm going to share some clips from the team here at @smnstuttgart.bsky.social, who are probing for genomic insights on travelling #invertebrates, and hopefully some chat from me (if I manage to clip the video today) #frontiers2026 #scicomm