James Gilbert

James Gilbert

@jdjgilbert.bsky.social

Ok I suppose so. Senior Lecturer Uni of Hull. Late adopter. james.gilbert at hull.ac.uk | wildecolhull.netlify.app | pollinators.hull.ac.uk | Bees, Insects, ecology, evolution, behaviour

242 followers148 following48 posts

James Gilbert
@jdjgilbert.bsky.social

We were just panicking that we’d lost our main back door key and thinking we’d have to change our locks and then it turned out Alex our 6yo had put it in the hedge "for safekeeping"

James Gilbert
@jdjgilbert.bsky.social

Excited to be here for #ece2026tours! Jerome Casas is opening the proceedings with a talk on #insect biophysics and biomimetic design. Jerome convened a conference at this venue 20 years ago which was my first ever conference talk, and also where I first met my now wife, so this is special for me! 😍

James Gilbert
@jdjgilbert.bsky.social

Busy day for the bee lab at #ece2026tours! My talk is at 11.30 today in Parental Care session. Our postdoc Elisa Gomes will be talking about our grant work at 12.15 in Thermal Ecology; our other postdoc Yanet Sepulveda is presenting poster M152 - nesting temperatures in bumblebees. Come say hello!

James Gilbert
@jdjgilbert.bsky.social

Hello #invertzoohull!

Massimo (mirror)@rainmaker1973-m.bsky.social

The Skeleton Panda Sea Squirt (Clavelina Ossipandae) is a translucent reef-dwelling creature whose rib-like structures and panda-like markings give it a spooky look. Found in Southeast Asia, it filters seawater and helps keep coral ecosystems healthy. Original post

James Gilbert
@jdjgilbert.bsky.social

This shows that, while not outright killing bees, real-world climate change is right now having non-obvious but profound effects on their populations (and thus their services to us).

James Gilbert
@jdjgilbert.bsky.social

The paper is on the effect of heat waves on solitary bee fertility, which Jamie found are quite surprisingly severe. He subjected mason bees at a late larval stage to a mild heatwave, recreated in the lab, designed to simulate the recent, very real heat wave in summer 2024.

James Gilbert
@jdjgilbert.bsky.social

When they emerged the next spring, many months later, bees’ sperm counts had dropped by a third, and their sperm were half as active (and there were similar declines in egg production by females) compared to bees not receiving the heatwave.

James Gilbert reposted

Elizabeth Duncan 🐝🪰🔬🥼
@ejduncan.bsky.social

Really excited to see this paper published — congratulations @jamiesmithbio.bsky.social and @jdjgilbert.bsky.social! It’s been a pleasure to contribute to such a fantastic project. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

sciencedirect.comLasting Impacts of Sublethal Prepupal Heatwaves on Fertility-related Traits of the Solitary Bee Osmia bicornisClimate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of heatwaves, which can have severe consequences for insect physiology, development, and repr…
James Gilbert
@jdjgilbert.bsky.social

Happy lab! Finalist undergraduates carrying out their independently designed experiments on various invertebrates - some great ideas this year! #invertzoohull #researchledteaching

James Gilbert
@jdjgilbert.bsky.social

Faculty #job alert - come and join our lovely friendly School! The School of Environmental and Life Sciences @uniofhull.bsky.social are recruiting a #Lecturer in Marine Conservation. Closing date 19 Feb - see details below. www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DQF022/l...

jobs.ac.ukLecturer in Marine Conservation at University of HullAn opportunity for an academic position as a Lecturer in Marine Conservation is available, as advertised on jobs.ac.uk. Apply now and explore other academic job openings.
James Gilbert
@jdjgilbert.bsky.social

Good morning #invertzoohull! Ready to start a new term with some glorious weirdness? So am I!

Dr Craig R McClain@drcraigmc.bsky.social

Meet Duobrachium sparksae: a newly described comb jelly that looks like a glowing hot-air balloon drifting just above the deep seafloor. Transparent, delicate, and unmistakably transfixing, it reminds us how much biodiversity is in the deep oceans. www.fisheries.noaa.gov/feature-stor...

James Gilbert
@jdjgilbert.bsky.social

Great morning at Hull’s Community Orchard with @jamiesmithbio.bsky.social, sharing with the volunteers some results from the bee project, and getting vital feedback for future projects. This orchard sits on the last remaining common land in Hull. It’s a wonderful place full of vitality and energy ❤️

James Gilbert
@jdjgilbert.bsky.social

Just 3 days left to apply for this PhD position - email me with any Qs :)

James Gilbert@jdjgilbert.bsky.social

🚨 New PhD opportunity 🚨 studying foraging movements of #masonbees using novel tracking technology and metabarcoding! With me and @domino-joyce.fishsci.com.ap.brid.gy at Hull and Mike Smith at Sheffield. More at FindAPhD www.findaphd.com/phds/project... or message me directly :)

findaphd.comEnhanced pollinator monitoring using novel flash-detection tags and DNA metabarcoding to track solitary bee foraging for pollen and nectar. at University of Hull on FindAPhD.comPhD Project - Enhanced pollinator monitoring using novel flash-detection tags and DNA metabarcoding to track solitary bee foraging for pollen and nectar. at University of Hull, listed on FindAPhD.com

James Gilbert reposted

James Gilbert
@jdjgilbert.bsky.social

🚨 New PhD opportunity 🚨 studying foraging movements of #masonbees using novel tracking technology and metabarcoding! With me and @domino-joyce.fishsci.com.ap.brid.gy at Hull and Mike Smith at Sheffield. More at FindAPhD www.findaphd.com/phds/project... or message me directly :)

findaphd.comEnhanced pollinator monitoring using novel flash-detection tags and DNA metabarcoding to track solitary bee foraging for pollen and nectar. at University of Hull on FindAPhD.comPhD Project - Enhanced pollinator monitoring using novel flash-detection tags and DNA metabarcoding to track solitary bee foraging for pollen and nectar. at University of Hull, listed on FindAPhD.com
James Gilbert
@jdjgilbert.bsky.social

First data coming through from our pollen nutritional analysis! Do mason bees provide predictably different nutrition to larvae within nests that have been experimentally heated to temperatures representing different climate scenarios? We are about to find out....

James Gilbert reposted

Jacintha Ellers
@jellers.bsky.social

*New paper alert* So proud of this paper led by MSc student Jasmin Merkel! It shows the long-term detrimental effects of high sugar diet and the lack of evolutionary adaptation to it. This is in insects but humans probably don't fare much better... academic.oup.com/jeb/advance-...

academic.oup.comMultigenerational exposure to high-fat and high-sugar diets exacerbates reproductive distress in an insect modelAbstract. In several insect models, high-fat diets and high-sugar diets have detrimental effects, but it is largely unknown if multigenerational exposure c

James Gilbert reposted

Markus Eichhorn
@markuseichhorn.bsky.social

Death and Taxus. As a fan of bad puns in paper titles, this one is a classic. 🌲🌳🧪🌏 link.springer.com/article/10.1...

link.springer.comDeath and Taxus: the contribution of mechanical damage to the multiple factors associated with Taxus brevifolia mortality - Ecological ProcessesBackground Recent increases in tree mortality are often attributed to climate, but climate extremes may just be the last of many stressors that have unfolded over many years resulting in tree death. P...

James Gilbert reposted

Michał Filipiak
@michalfilipiak.bsky.social

🧵1/5 🌍🔬 Our new paper is out! We identify the global mechanisms shaping the elemental composition of organisms — and the results overturn long-standing assumptions in ecology. 👇 Thread ↓ doi.org/10.1038/s414...

doi.orgNitrogen deposition reveals global patterns in plant and animal stoichiometry - Nature CommunicationsOrganisms vary in their nitrogen and phosphorus content, shaping ecological and evolutionary processes. This study shows that nitrogen deposition is a consistent global factor associated with plant an...

James Gilbert reposted

Royal Entomological Society
@royentsoc.bsky.social

🚨 Less than 1 week left! Early Bird registration & abstract submission for #ECE2026Tours close 15 Dec 2025. Join us in Tours, France for 50 symposia across 10 themes covering the full breadth of entomology. Submit your abstract & secure reduced fees today 👉 buff.ly/xfwQHLl irbi-tours.bsky.social

ece2026.orgECE 2026 - XIII European Congress of EntomologyIt is our great pleasure to welcome you to Tours, France, in the heart of the Loire Valley, from June 29 to July 3, 2026.
James Gilbert
@jdjgilbert.bsky.social

🚨 New PhD opportunity 🚨 studying foraging movements of #masonbees using novel tracking technology and metabarcoding! With me and @domino-joyce.fishsci.com.ap.brid.gy at Hull and Mike Smith at Sheffield. More at FindAPhD www.findaphd.com/phds/project... or message me directly :)

findaphd.comEnhanced pollinator monitoring using novel flash-detection tags and DNA metabarcoding to track solitary bee foraging for pollen and nectar. at University of Hull on FindAPhD.comPhD Project - Enhanced pollinator monitoring using novel flash-detection tags and DNA metabarcoding to track solitary bee foraging for pollen and nectar. at University of Hull, listed on FindAPhD.com

James Gilbert reposted

Will Ratcliff
@wcratcliff.bsky.social

1/28 New preprint up, which I think is the best theoretical idea I've ever had. We asked a simple question: what are the costs of investment into non-reproductive somatic cells? Turns out these costs decrease with the *logarithm* of organism size! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

biorxiv.orgThe fitness costs of reproductive specialization scale inversely with organismal sizeThe evolution of reproductive specialization represents a fundamental innovation in multicellular life, yet the conditions favoring its evolution remain poorly understood. Here, we develop a populatio...

James Gilbert reposted

Elli Leadbeater
@ellileadbeater.bsky.social

New PhD position available! For applicants keen to combine evolutionary ecology, neuroscience and animal cognition. Based at UCL with me, @maxreuter.bsky.social, @fcamus.bsky.social and Tamara Boto (Bristol). Directly funded, see here for details and eligibility: www.findaphd.com/phds/project...

findaphd.comHow Memory Evolves: Integrating Cognitive Ecology, Neuroscience, and Experimental Evolution in Drosophila at University College London on FindAPhD.comPhD Project - How Memory Evolves: Integrating Cognitive Ecology, Neuroscience, and Experimental Evolution in Drosophila at University College London, listed on FindAPhD.com

James Gilbert reposted

EvolDir
@evoldir.bsky.social

The University of Cambridge invites applications for a joint Assistant/Associate Professorship in Computational Biology starting April 2026. Strong research and teaching abilities are required. More info: cam.ac.uk #job

James Gilbert
@jdjgilbert.bsky.social

🚨New #behavioural #mimicry paper out in Proc B!🚨 In which we show that hoverflies have evolved to prefer the flower colour choices of their #bee models instead of their #fly relatives. Conversation article here: theconversation.com/natures-grea... Paper here: doi.org/10.1098/rspb...

theconversation.comNature’s greatest method actors: the insects that cosplay bumblebeesWhen you’re an animal undercover, sometimes it’s not enough just to look like someone else
James Gilbert
@jdjgilbert.bsky.social

For more info see the 🧵 below: bsky.app/profile/jdjg...

James Gilbert@jdjgilbert.bsky.social

Excited to share our new preprint, in which we show that mimic hoverflies' flower colour preferences tend to follow those of their models. If the bees you are mimicking prefer visiting blue flowers, then so do you! Comments welcome www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... (LH image credit: Peter O'Connor)

James Gilbert reposted

Harry Siviter
@harrysiviter.bsky.social

PhD position at the University of Bristol (with me!) entitled 'The legacy impacts of extreme climate events on animal behaviour, physiology, and fitness'. Fully funded and is available for UK-domiciled students of black heritage. Please reach out with any questions. tinyurl.com/5n7s8yp9

findaphd.comFunded PhD open to UK-domiciled, home fee applicants of Black African, Black Caribbean or other Black or mixed Black heritage - The legacy impacts of extreme climate events on animal behaviour, physio...PhD Project - Funded PhD open to UK-domiciled, home fee applicants of Black African, Black Caribbean or other Black or mixed Black heritage - The legacy impacts of extreme climate events on animal beh...

James Gilbert reposted

Phil Stevenson
@philstevenson.bsky.social

Great PhD opportunity to work with @juliakoricheva.bsky.social & me looking at floral rewards in forests. @rbgkew.bsky.social @rhulbiology.bsky.social

Julia Koricheva@juliakoricheva.bsky.social

PhD applications are now open @treesdla.bsky.social for 2026 intake. Have a look at a project on effects of forest diversity on floral reward production for pollinators that we advertise with @philstevenson.bsky.social. Do apply/get in touch if you are interested! www.trees-dla.ac.uk/projects/eff...

James Gilbert reposted

Dr Beth Nicholls
@bethbees.bsky.social

🍅Our new paper in @plantspeopleplanet.bsky.social evaluating the effectiveness of #CitizenScience approach for understanding plant-pollinator interactions in urban food growing 🫛 @davegoulson.bsky.social @calacastellanos.bsky.social @leah-salm.bsky.social nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.comUnderstanding Pollination in Urban Food Production: The Importance of Data Validation and Participant Feedback for Citizen Science Project DesignUrban agriculture depends on insect pollination, but knowledge gaps persist due to difficulties accessing diverse growing spaces. We developed a citizen science approach for monitoring insect visits ...
James Gilbert
@jdjgilbert.bsky.social

Congrats to our PhD researcher Matthew Chambers, who by all accounts smashed his first ever conference talk - presenting our preliminary results on mason bee nesting and provisioning behaviour in nests held at different temperatures - which he is now modelling #ento25

James Gilbert
@jdjgilbert.bsky.social

Good luck to all presenting at #ento25! Members of our lab talking today - @jamiesmithbio.bsky.social at 1615 on heatwaves and bee fertility - and Matthew Chambers at 1645 on mason bee provisioning. Find them at the poster session too where they are presenting our poster! Gutted to be missing it!

Royal Entomological Society@royentsoc.bsky.social

The wait is over - #Ento25 starts today! 👉 Collect your badge at the registration desk & meet the RES team 🪲 ⚡ Get ready for 3 days of #InsectScience, ideas & connections! Let’s make this conference unforgettable 🦋🐜🕷️ @UniStrathclyde.bsky.social #Glasgow #Entomology

James Gilbert reposted

Harry Siviter
@harrysiviter.bsky.social

New paper (first work from Bristol!) 'Sulfoxaflor impairs bumblebee memory across moderate and extreme temperatures' @bristolbiosci.bsky.social onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

onlinelibrary.wiley.comSulfoxaflor Impairs Bumblebee Memory Across Moderate and Extreme TemperaturesBumblebees rely on their memory to navigate a complicated landscape and floral marketplace. When foraging, bees are often exposed to a multitude of anthropogenic stressors, but how these stressors in...