Justin Stewart

Justin Stewart

@thecrobe.bsky.social

Ecology and evolution of plant-microbe symbiosis. Mapping fungal diversity and carbon. Postdoctoral Fellow at SPUN

1.6K followers696 following189 posts

Justin Stewart reposted

Nature Microbiology
@natmicrobiol.nature.com

#NatMicroPicks A network like none other! 🌍🍄 Global data and modeling estimates that arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi form extensive underground networks that play a major role in plant carbon–nutrient exchange #MicroSky www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

science.orgGlobal density and biomass of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal networksArbuscular mycorrhizal fungi form symbioses with ~70% of plant species, building hyphal networks that exchange nutrients for host-derived carbon. These tubular networks move ~1 billion metric tons of ...
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Justin Stewart
@thecrobe.bsky.social

Corentin Bisot,Rachael Cargill , Michael Van Nuland, PhD, Heidi Hawkins, Loreto Oyarte Galvez, Malin Klein, Marije van Son, Victoria Terry, Louis Paré, Claudia Banchini, Franck Stefani, Felix Kahane, Kai-Kai Lin, Renato Braghiere, Katie Field, Nadia Soudzilovskaia,

Justin Stewart
@thecrobe.bsky.social

To create the first global maps of this hidden infrastructure, we assembled data from over 16,000 soil cores across the globe, developed machine-learning models, and calibrated our estimates using robotic imaging of more than 300,000 living arbuscular mycorrhizal hyphae.

Justin Stewart
@thecrobe.bsky.social

Surprisingly, these fungal networks weigh relatively little. But like roads, infrastructure matters less because of its weight than because of what it connects. These are the roads of soils, moving carbon and nutrients between plants and the underground.

Justin Stewart reposted

Society for the Protection of Underground Networks (SPUN)
@spun.earth

Global topsoil contains ~110 quadrillion km of fungal threads, roughly one billion times the distance from the Earth to the Sun. A new study in @science.org maps this hidden arbuscular mycorrhizal infrastructure for the first time. Explore the Mycorrhizal Infrastructure Map: buff.ly/PISOj8k

a-hidden-infrastructure.spun.earthA hidden infrastructureMapping Earth’s underground mycorrhizal fungal networks — the hidden infrastructure beneath our feet.

Justin Stewart reposted

Laura Alencar 🇧🇷🐍🦎
@alencarlrv.bsky.social

Interested in #macroevolution, #macroecology, and mountain biodiversity? I'm recruiting a #postdoc for an NSF-funded project at Yale, in collaboration with Martha Muñoz (Yale) and Maya Stokes (Florida State University). I'll be at #Evol2026 and happy to chat! Link below

Justin Stewart reposted

Dr. Carly Kenkel
@drcarl.bsky.social

The list of Ecology/Evolution/Marine Bio Labs recruiting grad students for Fall 2027 is live! PIs enter your position info here: forms.gle/MAGd4ohyPeoY... students (and PIs not recruiting) share the composite list: docs.google.com/spreadsheets... Please share widely! 🧪

forms.gleEcology/Evolution/Marine Biology labs recruiting for Fall 2027Please complete this form if you are a PI recruiting graduate students for a Fall 2027 start. If you are NOT recruiting, feel free to share the response sheet with prospective students looking for lab...

Justin Stewart reposted

Garry Peterson
@resiliencesci.bsky.social

Biodiversity loss will decrease the future creditworthiness of nations Agarwala+ doi.org/10.1038/s415... "financial markets are systematically underpricing nature related risks, with consequences for public finances, nature and financial stability."

doi.orgBiodiversity loss will decrease the future creditworthiness of nations - Nature Ecology & EvolutionScenario modelling reveals how sovereign credit ratings and the cost of borrowing across 23 nations would change under partial collapses in timber production, wild pollination services and marine fish...

Justin Stewart reposted

Tadashi Fukami
@fukamit.bsky.social

Assistant Professor position available at Stanford University, in any area of Earth System Science. Apply by October 1, 2026. facultypositions.stanford.edu/jobs/assista...

facultypositions.stanford.eduAssistant Professor, Department of Earth System Science - Stanford University, California, United StatesThe Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor position in the Department of Earth System Science (https://earthsystemscience.stanford.edu). Ea...

Justin Stewart reposted

Prof Ian Hall
@ianhall.bsky.social

Even if future habitats remain suitable, many species may never reach them. A new study finds that under >4°C warming, ~78% of Earth’s land could lose the connectivity needed for wildlife migration by 2061–2080, increasing risks of isolation and biodiversity loss. www.nature.com/articles/s41...

nature.comWarming erodes climate connectivity for terrestrial vertebrates - Nature Climate ChangeThe authors consider connectivity—specifically, the functional effectiveness of climate connectivity (FECC)—under climate change. Under high emissions (SSP5-8.5), FECC is projected to decline across 7...

Justin Stewart reposted

Fantin Mesny
@mesny.bsky.social

🎉 📰 Very happy to share the journal publication of our manuscript "Plant-associated fungi co-opt ancient antimicrobials for host manipulation"! #ScienceAdvancesResearch @science.org @teamthomma.bsky.social www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

science.orgPlant-associated fungi co-opt ancient antimicrobials for host manipulationFungal effectors may have evolved from ancient antimicrobials, shaping plant microbiota and immunity during infection.

Justin Stewart reposted

The New York Times
@nytimes.com

Global tree loss fell 14% in 2025 from the year before, according to a report published on Wednesday by the World Resources Institute, though that decline was partly offset by destruction from wildfires, which consumed about 26 million acres.

nyti.msGlobal Deforestation Slows, W.R.I. Report Finds. But Wildfires Are Taking a Toll.In 2025, the world razed less forest than any other year in the last decade. The bad news: global warming is making wildfires more frequent and intense.

Justin Stewart reposted

People and Nature
@peopleandnature.bsky.social

🌿 New study analyzes 111 papers focused on the relationship between Indigenous Peoples' lands and conservation outcomes. 75% show that Indigenous lands deliver conservation outcomes that are at least equal to state protected-areas. 📖 Read the full paper here ➡️ buff.ly/D41kpCz

Justin Stewart
@thecrobe.bsky.social
Journal of Ecology@journalofecology.bsky.social

🚨We're accepting proposals for our latest Special Feature, "Mountain Biodiversity in the Anthropocene" joint with @animalecology.bsky.social, @jappliedecology.bsky.social and @funecology.bsky.social! 🏔️Deadline to submit is 17 May. For more info 👉️ buff.ly/iNVgR40

Justin Stewart reposted

Jean-Michel Ané
@jeanmichelane.bsky.social

Humans really screwed up this planet beyond belief...  Nanoplastics interfere with plant-mycorrhizal communication and limit plant growth | The ISME Journal | Oxford Academic

sco.ltNanoplastics interfere with plant-mycorrhizal communication and limit plant growth | The ISME Journal | Oxford AcademicMore than 80% of land plants form symbiotic relationships with arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi for nutrient uptake. As emerging soil pollutants, nanoplastics (NPs) accumulate in both crop and AM fungal tissue, posing non-negligible toxicity and health risks. However, whether and how NPs can impact plant-AM fungal partnership throughout the symbiotic process remains poorly understood. Here, using axenic root-fungal culture, fluorescence NP tracking, and real-time symbiotic signal monitoring, we show that during pre-colonization phase, NPs reduced spore germination rates (−48%) due to the NP accumulation on spore surface, hindering symbiotic signal perception. During the colonization phase, NPs entered fungal cells, disrupted organelles, and accelerated hyphal senescence, consequently reducing hyphal branching length (−22%) and secondary spore production (−32%). In real-world soil, inoculation of secondary spores (reproduced under NPs) formed fewer arbuscule structures (−46%) within maize roots with reduced carbon allocation to AM fungus, leading to lower hyphal length density (HLD) (−24%). During the post-colonization phase, lower HLD impaired the well-known function of phosphorus (P) mineralization by hyphae-enriched bacteria, reduced soil available P (−5.7%) and maize shoot P (−20%), eventually resulting in compromised plant performance. Our findings reveal an integrated yet largely underexplored mechanism of how NPs hinder plant performance by disrupting the dynamic relationship between plants and their symbiotic partners. In a broader context, understanding the alteration of plant-microbial interaction (rather than separately) under emerging stress can provide ecologically relevant implications for sustaining agricultural and terrestrial ecosystems.

Justin Stewart reposted

Charles Mullon
@charlesmullon.bsky.social

Applications now open for the UNIL Summer School on Modelling for Evolutionary Biology (31 Aug–5 Sep 2026, Lausanne)! For PhD & postdocs interested in formal approaches to evolutionary ecology (incl. social evo, life-history, species interactions). Scholarships available, Pls RP! shorturl.at/fo1GA

Justin Stewart reposted

Séamus Holden 🔬🦠🧫
@seamusholden.bsky.social

Join us! We are recruiting an Associate/ Assistant Professor in quantitative, systems and engineering biology (QSEB) @warwicklifesci.bsky.social . warwick-careers.tal.net/vx/lang-en-G...

warwick-careers.tal.netAssociate Professor or Assistant Professor in Quantitative, Systems and Engineering Biology (111546-0426) - University of WarwickTitle: Associate Professor or Assistant Professor in Quantitative, Systems and Engineering Biology (111546-0426). Application Deadline: . Position Type: Permanent
Justin Stewart
@thecrobe.bsky.social

Can we use plant relatedness as a shortcut to predict root microbiomes? In our new study, we tested this idea directly. Out now in ISME Communications. Here we used machine learning, phylogenies, and root traits for 22 plant species covering 135 million years evolution. doi.org/10.1093/isme...

Justin Stewart
@thecrobe.bsky.social

Honored to receive the People’s Choice Poster Award at GSB 2026 Grateful to be in a room where soil life is not overlooked, but the center of every conversation. Thanks to everyone who stopped by, asked questions, and voted.

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Justin Stewart reposted

Jens-Christian Svenning
@jcsvenning.bsky.social

New Science Advances paper: 60 years of change across European plant communities reveals a widespread shift toward denser vegetation, with increasing shade tolerance across habitats. Proud to co-author this important work🍃 #ecology www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

science.orgSixty years of plant community change in Europe indicate a shift toward nutrient-richer and denser vegetationBioindication reveals a 60-year shift toward denser, more productive vegetation, but a weak thermophilization signal.
Justin Stewart
@thecrobe.bsky.social
Nature Reviews Biodiversity@natrevbiodiv.nature.com

ICYMI: New online! Digitally native species are a necessary shift in taxonomic practice

dlvr.itDigitally native species are a necessary shift in taxonomic practiceNature Reviews Biodiversity, Published online: 07 April 2026; doi:10.1038/s44358-026-00156-yBiodiversity science laments how little is known about the planet’s biodiversity, yet routinely discards much of the taxonomic evidence generated during species description. Digitally native species conceived and maintained in machine-actionable environments can both address shortcomings and broaden participation in taxonomy.
Justin Stewart
@thecrobe.bsky.social

At the Global Soil Biodiversity conference in Victoria? I’m presenting new global maps of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, tracing how plant carbon builds hyphae and spores belowground. Poster 16, come by if you’re around on Monday (today!) #GSB2026 #GSB4 Spores/hyphae by @vkokkoris.bsky.social

Justin Stewart reposted

Nature Ecology & Evolution
@natecoevo.nature.com

A dated phylogeny of 16,585 vascular plant species native to China reveals three major centres of endemism, including a potential new global biodiversity hotspot 🧪 www.nature.com/articles/s41...

nature.comA comprehensive dated phylogeny of China’s vascular plants reveals a hidden global biodiversity hotspot - Nature Ecology & EvolutionA dated phylogeny of 16,585 vascular plant species native to China reveals three major centres of endemism, including a potential new global biodiversity hotspot.

Justin Stewart reposted

Katharine Hayhoe
@katharinehayhoe.com

Natural climate solutions can deliver a host of benefits for people + nature. So what’s holding them back? A new @science.nature.org-led global study analyzed >500 projects across 137 countries to identify 46 implementation barriers. Turns out, most aren’t scientific or ecological—they’re human!

nature.comGlobal literature review and survey of implementation constraints on natural climate solutions - Nature CommunicationsThis study analyzes 15,572 pathway-specific, georeferenced Natural Climate Solution implementation constraint observations in 137 countries, finding that lack of policy coordination or implementation ...

Justin Stewart reposted

Nature
@nature.com

Carbon dioxide has been turned into minerals in Earth’s subsurface using recirculating water flow — a viable way to sequester this greenhouse gas in water-scarce areas go.nature.com/4rUAH2k

go.nature.comPilot project paves way to storing CO2 underground as minerals in arid countriesCarbon dioxide has been turned into minerals in Earth’s subsurface using recirculating water flow — a viable way to sequester this greenhouse gas in water-scarce areas.