Wildlife ecologist, trophic ecologist, museum lover, truffle admirer, biological illustrator, and assistant professor at ETSU.
Johnson City, Tennessee
Joined November 2013
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Out in @AnimalEcology, we investigate the influence of masting on timing of reproduction in small mammals using a 12-year dataset. Seed availability alters probability of reproduction for both sexes and can change timing of reproduction by over 2 months!
besjournals.onlinelibrary.wi…
Truffles and carnivores made the news. Our Ecology Letters paper was picked up by the @TheEconomist last week: economist.com/science-and-te…
Research shows that carnivores play an important role in ecosystem function by providing a largely overlooked mechanism for long-distance dispersal of beneficial mycorrhizal fungi. twin-cities.umn.edu/news-eve…
Out in @Ecology_Letters! We assessed the effectiveness of #carnivores as secondary dispersers of mycorrhizal #fungi. Larger carnivores deposited fewer spores but moved them farther, creating a continuum between the quantity & quality aspects of dispersal.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/…
Ryan Stephens retweeted
PHD STUDENT WANTED! ...to work in my project “How does animal-mediated seed dispersal affect range shifts of European beech in the Swiss Alps?”
All details provided in the link.
*funded by National Science Centre in Poland (Sonata)
ibs.bialowieza.pl/ogloszenia…
Ryan Stephens retweeted
Outer space is harsh. Extreme temperatures and radiation can break down most materials, but a study on the International Space Station finds a biological molecule that holds its own: melanin derived from fungus. In PNAS: ow.ly/QvbA50VLAZb
ALT Astronauts Jessica Meir and Andrew Morgan are preparing carriers containing fungal melanin samples for space exposure outside the International Space Station. CREDIT: NASA
Ryan Stephens retweeted
Stable isotope analysis reveals individual variations in feeding habits among wild Japanese macaques - Funakawa - Ecological Research #stableisotopes esj-journals.onlinelibrary.w…
Finally found a task in the lab for him. Will work for candy and phone time. #labwork
Looking for wild owl scat and pellets. We are investigating secondary spore dispersal in owls and have some cool feeding trial results but would like to demonstrate that this is occurring in the wild. Looking for forest-dwelling species. Please reach out if want to collaborate.
I'm recruiting a PhD student and at least one masters student starting fall 2025. Please get in touch if you are interested! #Ecology
Ryan Stephens retweeted
Check out the new paper in Mycologia by Alassane Sow et al. - a collaboration by our lab and Greg Bonito's lab at MSU describing two edible North American truffles. @BenLemmond @JudVanWyk : tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.…
Asked if this was an NMDS ordination. Turns out it’s “small mammal poops”. Looks like we have an #ecologist in the making; although I wonder what his teachers think when he explains his drawings.
Ryan Stephens retweeted
Extremely excited to say that the final chapter of my MS thesis was just published open access in Ecology @ESA_org (doi.org/10.1002/ecy.4454)!
Ryan Stephens retweeted
Autum is coming.
It's time to start tracking the fate of seeds dispersed by rodents. This season - invasive red oak (Quercus rubra) acorns.
I used seed tagging in several of my previous studies, e.g. link.springer.com/article/10…
Ryan Stephens retweeted
JUST PUBLISHED:
What time of the day do ripe fruits drop to the ground?
Who cares?
The answers in this intriguing work led by Pedro Garrote:
besjournals.onlinelibrary.wi…
Ryan Stephens retweeted
Scottish mountain hares do not respond behaviorally to increased camouflage mismatch
doi.org/10.1111/oik.10834
📷 © Marketa Zimova
@NordicOikos @WileyEcolEvol #behavioralplasticity #camouflage #climatechange #mountainhares #phenologicalmismatch
Ryan Stephens retweeted
New & #OpenAccess in @ESAMonographs: The trophic cascade involving Yellowstone wolves, elk, and aspen is primarily driven by predator-induced reductions in elk density rather than changes in elk behavior
doi.org/10.1002/ecm.1627
With #OpenData in @datadryad
#NSFFunded @NSF
ALT Locations of randomly sampled aspen stands in northern Yellowstone National Park. The northern Yellowstone elk winter range is the maximum distribution of the northern Yellowstone elk population during winter when elk often browse young aspen
Ryan Stephens retweeted
I'm awaiting funding decisions but anticipate recruiting a PhD student for fall 2025
If ur @ #TWS2024, have interests & skills that align w/our lab, & want 2 talk, pls get in touch or stop by the poster session where I'll present on coyote work done w/@RolandKays & #SnapshotUSA
ALT Map of coyote abundance across the USA
Ryan Stephens retweeted
Europe is facing a seed dispersal “crisis,” due to extinction threats and population changes among the animals that do the seed dispersing, according to a new study in Science. bit.ly/4dKyW0s
I've found 9 AMF spore morphotypes in the scat of mammals and I'm wondering if anyone might be able to help me get to species, genus, or family level. Given that animals are eating them, many are likely sporocarpic species.
