Matthew Hunter

MSc Global Biodiversity and Conservation♻️

University of Sussex🦆

Nihilistic Optimist Conservationist🎑

Spreading Science🔬

#2020EBE

[Matthew Hunter @Mattxh9]

I will be using this account to attract interest in speakers and their seminars from the Current topic’s module @SussexUni. Each seminar will have 4 tweets in distinct categories (plain, x3 #, CAPS! & with photo) to assess twitters ability to circulate scientific content #EBE2020

[Matthew Hunter @Mattxh9]

Dog walkers are major threats to #heathland and their inhabitants. #dogs disturb rare #wildlife and poo alters soil nutrients. @Bethbees used behavioral #science to keep people to paths and put their dog poop in bins. Showing how #psychology and #conservation intertwine. #2020EBE

[Matthew Hunter @Mattxh9]

@BethBees whilst working @sdnpa helped create the heathlands reunited partnership. This joined heath managing partners to restore, increase and reconnect heathland, whilst educating people. @HeritageFundSW provided funding for team, restoration, training and development. #2020EBE

[Matthew Hunter @Mattxh9]

@Bethbees gave a great lecture last week about heathlands and their conservation. Heath is home to a variety of endangered and interesting species. Exposed ground makes it the perfect place for cool reptiles to sunbathe as well as providing space for ground nesting birds #2020EBE

[Matthew Hunter @Mattxh9]

HEATHLAND is rapidly declining in the UK with 80% lost since 1800's!!! Heaths were formed from bronze age farming but are now UNDER THREAT from mining, development and deforestation. Luckily we can CONSERVE heaths BY mimicking our ancestors and GRAZING animals! #2020EBE @BethBees

[Matthew Hunter @Mattxh9]

@DanPapageorgiou & @DamienFarine found that #leadership in guineafowl is defined by dominance and distribution of #resources. Notably shared leadership maintains power balance, much like in human societies. Interestingly #animal #behaviour can inform about our #society's #2020EBE

[Matthew Hunter @Mattxh9]

@DamienFarine and team studied GUINEAFOWL by tagging each bird with GPS. They found that SOCIAL GROUPS have: stable membership, multiple fertile adults and preferentially choose other groups for night/day company. Proving that small bird brains can FORM STRONG SOCIETIES!#2020EBE

[Matthew Hunter @Mattxh9]

Most behavioural studies are done in labs as simultaneous data on all animals is needed to discern social behaviour. However, @DamienFarine and team fitted all members of a wild baboon troop with GPS collars, and found that baboon's solve conflict through democracy. #2020EBE

[Matthew Hunter @Mattxh9]

@DamienFarine from @UZH_en gave a superb lecture last week on simple mechanistic processes and how they can underpin seemingly complex social behaviours. Highly cohesive and coordinated movements can be explained by simple rules of: attraction, alignment and repulsion. #2020EBE

[Matthew Hunter @Mattxh9]

Due to #Covid_19 a huge number of #Malaria nets weren't distributed on time, as distributors could spread #COVID into villages through large community events. Luckily the @WHO stepped in to advocate net distribution, likely saving thousands of lives #2020EBE @ThomasChurcher

[Matthew Hunter @Mattxh9]

Using experimental hut trials and bioassays @ThomasChurcher and team, found that even low levels of insecticide resistance would increase malaria rates. Luckily switching to a new insecticide: piperonyl butoxide, could avert a large % of cases. #2020EBE DOI: 10.7554/eLife.16090

[Matthew Hunter @Mattxh9]

Nets treated with pyrethroid Insecticides are the most effective control against malaria. @ThomasChurcher and team found that due to pesticides widespread use mosquitoes are developing resistance. So, new insecticide development is needed to defeat malaria. #2020EBE

[Matthew Hunter @Mattxh9]

Thought provoking lecture by @ThomasChurcher last month. MALARIA rates have FALLEN by <48% globally since 2000! Mainly DUE TO insecticide treated BED NETS, which prevent mosquitoes feeding on humans and give a lethal pesticide dose to any that try to feed!!! #2020EBE

[Matthew Hunter @Mattxh9]

Honey BEES can travel up to 6km from their hive!!! Because of this they can accumulate POLLEN from a wide area. This pollen CONTAINS trace CONTAMINANTS such as pesticides. Enabling BEES to be used as BIOMARKERS for an area’s contamination! @Ncarrick #2020EBE

[Matthew Hunter @Mattxh9]

@insignia_bee & @Ncarrick developed a protocol for beekeepers to conduct citizen science. 4 sampling techniques were compared to: detect pesticides and conduct DNA botanical analysis. Resulting in the development of APIstrips, the best method for detecting pesticides #2020EBE

[Matthew Hunter @Mattxh9]

@Ncarrick and the C.S.I. Pollen team conducted a study employing beekeepers as citizen scientists. By placing pollen traps on hives, it was discovered that bees tend to collect only 4 pollen types. Showing that bees can collect specific pollen regardless of availability #2020EBE

[Matthew Hunter @Mattxh9]

@Ncarrick highlighted how #Science can now be conducted by anyone not just academics. #volunteers act as ‘citizen scientists’ helping to collect #data over a large scale. Enabling studies that would have been financially and logistically impossible #2020EBE #CitizenScience

[Matthew Hunter @Mattxh9]

Small bees are opportunists. They aren’t fussy about what they eat and keep close to the hive. Making them perfect for small scale efficient pollination. #2020EBE @ProfAndyP

[Matthew Hunter @Mattxh9]

Last months talk by @ProfAndyP on bees’ behaviour showed that large bees have better eyesight and sensitivity to their surroundings. Size also effects bees foraging strategy and information collected about surrounding flowers. And bigger bees collect more nectar. #2020EBE

[Matthew Hunter @Mattxh9]

Great talk by @ProfAndyP on brainy #bees . The effort larger bees spend on #learning about their surroundings is not wasted. As they are more #efficient at finding nectar rich #Flowers on subsequent trips. #2020EBE #beesneeds #nature #Biology

[Matthew Hunter @Mattxh9]

LISTEN UP bees @ProfAndyP says SIZE MATTERS!! Larger BEES INVEST time and ENERGY searching specifically for rewarding nectar RICH FLOWERS. Although if they land on less rewarding flowers they won’t pass up a snack. Chub-bees!!! #2020EBE