Ryan Stephens

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.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/13…

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-events/pr…

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/10.1111/el…

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/nab…

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

Stable isotope analysis reveals individual variations in feeding habits among wild Japanese macaques - Funakawa - Ecological Research #stableisotopes esj-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/14…

@pmanlick @bearcicada Cool! Can you send me a copy?

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.

Giving this a go.

@SarahCuprewich Aw, thanks Sarah!

Opportunities to work with a fantastic scientist and wonderful person!! 🍄🐿️

I'm recruiting a PhD student and at least one masters student starting fall 2025. Please get in touch if you are interested! #Ecology

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/10.10…

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.

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.44…)!

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/10.100…

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.wiley.com/doi/full/10.11…

Scottish mountain hares do not respond behaviorally to increased camouflage mismatch doi.org/10.1111/oik.10… 📷 © Marketa Zimova @NordicOikos @WileyEcolEvol #behavioralplasticity #camouflage #climatechange #mountainhares #phenologicalmismatch

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.16… With #OpenData in @datadryad #NSFFunded @NSF

@SnehanjanaC Yes, these are filtered samples that I then viewed under a compound microscope. I think most of these images are at 400X total magnification.

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.