#stefanfwirth — Public Fediverse posts

Please like my #sciencewriting #article about the #robberfly #Tolmerus #cingulatus on #YouTube:

http://youtube.com/post/UgkxMeN8HAxPY1YPckA2Sob1wj84cMZOZWtC?si=da0TS4uxO7zTZbsr

This robber fly needs to be quick when #grooming itself, as it is an #ambushpredator that must be ready to take off at a moment's notice so as not to miss passing flying #prey. That is why I am preparing a YouTube video featuring #slowmotion #footage.
© #StefanFWirth, Berlin 2026

Please support me at https://ko-fi.com/sfwirth

Footage
© S.F. Wirth, Berlin

Please like my #sciencewriting #article about the #robberfly #Tolmerus #cingulatus on #YouTube:

http://youtube.com/post/UgkxMeN8HAxPY1YPckA2Sob1wj84cMZOZWtC?si=da0TS4uxO7zTZbsr

This robber fly needs to be quick when #grooming itself, as it is an #ambushpredator that must be ready to take off at a moment's notice so as not to miss passing flying #prey. That is why I am preparing a YouTube video featuring #slowmotion #footage.
© #StefanFWirth, Berlin 2026

Please support me at https://ko-fi.com/sfwirth

Footage
© S.F. Wirth, Berlin

Please like my #sciencewriting #article about the #robberfly #Tolmerus #cingulatus on #YouTube:

http://youtube.com/post/UgkxMeN8HAxPY1YPckA2Sob1wj84cMZOZWtC?si=da0TS4uxO7zTZbsr

This robber fly needs to be quick when #grooming itself, as it is an #ambushpredator that must be ready to take off at a moment's notice so as not to miss passing flying #prey. That is why I am preparing a YouTube video featuring #slowmotion #footage.
© #StefanFWirth, Berlin 2026

Please support me at https://ko-fi.com/sfwirth

Footage
© S.F. Wirth, Berlin

Please like my #sciencewriting #article about the #robberfly #Tolmerus #cingulatus on #YouTube:

http://youtube.com/post/UgkxMeN8HAxPY1YPckA2Sob1wj84cMZOZWtC?si=da0TS4uxO7zTZbsr

This robber fly needs to be quick when #grooming itself, as it is an #ambushpredator that must be ready to take off at a moment's notice so as not to miss passing flying #prey. That is why I am preparing a YouTube video featuring #slowmotion #footage.
© #StefanFWirth, Berlin 2026

Please support me at https://ko-fi.com/sfwirth

Footage
© S.F. Wirth, Berlin

Please like my #sciencewriting #article about the #robberfly #Tolmerus #cingulatus on #YouTube:

http://youtube.com/post/UgkxMeN8HAxPY1YPckA2Sob1wj84cMZOZWtC?si=da0TS4uxO7zTZbsr

This robber fly needs to be quick when #grooming itself, as it is an #ambushpredator that must be ready to take off at a moment's notice so as not to miss passing flying #prey. That is why I am preparing a YouTube video featuring #slowmotion #footage.
© #StefanFWirth, Berlin 2026

Please support me at https://ko-fi.com/sfwirth

Footage
© S.F. Wirth, Berlin

RE: https://mastodon.green/@plazi_species/117132658704169285

#Skinks are no very tiny #lizards (#Squamata). The #ongoing #discoveries of even larger #new animal and plant #species like this new species from China indicate that #biodiversityresearch is indeed internationally on its good way to counteract the motto " too #manyspecies too #littletime". The ongoing #awareness of #biodiversity research as important part of understanding and counteractung the effects of the increasing human made #globalwarming is a crucial step.

© #StefanFWirth August 2026

RE: https://mastodon.green/@plazi_species/117132658704169285

#Skinks are no very tiny #lizards (#Squamata). The #ongoing #discoveries of even larger #new animal and plant #species like this new species from China indicate that #biodiversityresearch is indeed internationally on its good way to counteract the motto " too #manyspecies too #littletime". The ongoing #awareness of #biodiversity research as important part of understanding and counteractung the effects of the increasing human made #globalwarming is a crucial step.

© #StefanFWirth August 2026

RE: https://mastodon.green/@plazi_species/117132658704169285

#Skinks are no very tiny #lizards (#Squamata). The #ongoing #discoveries of even larger #new animal and plant #species like this new species from China indicate that #biodiversityresearch is indeed internationally on its good way to counteract the motto " too #manyspecies too #littletime". The ongoing #awareness of #biodiversity research as important part of understanding and counteractung the effects of the increasing human made #globalwarming is a crucial step.

© #StefanFWirth August 2026

RE: https://mastodon.green/@plazi_species/117132658704169285

#Skinks are no very tiny #lizards (#Squamata). The #ongoing #discoveries of even larger #new animal and plant #species like this new species from China indicate that #biodiversityresearch is indeed internationally on its good way to counteract the motto " too #manyspecies too #littletime". The ongoing #awareness of #biodiversity research as important part of understanding and counteractung the effects of the increasing human made #globalwarming is a crucial step.

© #StefanFWirth August 2026

RE: https://mastodon.green/@plazi_species/117132658704169285

#Skinks are no very tiny #lizards (#Squamata). The #ongoing #discoveries of even larger #new animal and plant #species like this new species from China indicate that #biodiversityresearch is indeed internationally on its good way to counteract the motto " too #manyspecies too #littletime". The ongoing #awareness of #biodiversity research as important part of understanding and counteractung the effects of the increasing human made #globalwarming is a crucial step.

© #StefanFWirth August 2026

At #night, impressions of the #metropolis of #Berlin shift. Even the famous #sculptures no longer stand out or dominate the #cityscape; instead, like everything else, they are enveloped in darkness, #transforming their #visualimpact. The #sculpture "Berlin", created in 1987 by Brigitte and Martin #MatschinskyDenninghoff, symbolizes the Berlin of that era: a #dividedcity yet intrinsically united.
© #StefanFWirth

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#Photos:
© S.F. Wirth, July 2026

#Greenspaces and #canals are very common in #Berlin, as seen in these #photos: the #treelined #SchlesischeStraße and the #Flutgraben #canal with the famous techno venue "#ClubderVisionäre." Green spaces and #waterways can be havens of #urban #biodiversity. However, canals can also release #greenhousegases, but they can simultaneously act as #carbonsinks.

© #StefanFWirth, June 2026

Please support my freelance work with a donation: https://ko-fi.com/sfwirth

Photos
©S.F.Wirth

Common #ivy #Hedera #helix (#Araliaceae) exhibits either a #creeping or #climbing #stem, named stem #dimorphism, as well as different leaf shapes (#heterophylly). The #species is #native to western, central, and southern #Europe, extending as far as Sweden and Turkey. Elsewhere it appears as #neophyte. Its evolutionary roots lie in Tertiary tropical forests.

© #StefanFWirth

Please support my work, I appreciate even the smallest coffee donation a lot
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#Photos
©S.F.Wirth

Please also like my newest #YouTube #video, showing some #behaviors of the #beetle #Mimela #junii (#Scarabaeidae), which is a #neozoon in #CentralEurope and Germany. It originally is #native to the #Mediterranean region. My video shows #selfcleaning behavior, #locomotion, #flying ssprcts and response to threat (#thanatosis).
©#StefanFWirth 2026

I depend on your kind support for my work
https://ko-fi.com/sfwirth

YouTube video:
https://youtu.be/QPO5ftCGeOw?is=LFM-YitbLSwXsk5n

Photos
©S. F. Wirth, based on my video frames

#Freshwater #lakes,like #Flughafensee #Berlin, play a complex #role in #globalwarming. Their #sediments are important #carbonsinks. However, they also release #CO2/#methane through microorganism activities. Furthermore, #lakeswarmup faster than surrounding air. L. Huang et al.(2024) address this and predict #shifts in #aquaticspecies #distributions and rearrangements of #freshwaterhabitats.
©#StefanFWirth

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Ref
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-024-01491-5

Photos
©S.F.Wirth

In biology/geology "#marinesnow" refers to the #organicdebris of organisms from higher #waterlevels. The #carboncycle thus transfers #CO2 to the #seabed, thus binding the #greenhousegas.
B. Borer et al. (2026) found that #microbial components of this "snow" induce #calciumcarbonate #dissolution in higher waters, reducing their #settlingvelocity and requiring consideration in future #climatemodels.
©#StefanFWirth

Buy me a coffee
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Ref
https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2510025123
Pics
©S.F.Wirth

The #mandrake #Mandragora #officinarum (#Solanaceae) is native to the #Mediterranean region,evtl. except for the Levant, where it might be M. #autumnalis. It prefers open and drier #habitats. Its #roots can vaguely resemble #humanfigures, which is why it had #spiritual significance in the Middle Ages. G. Benítez et al.(2023) studied its history as a #medicinalplant.
©#StefanFWirth

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Ref
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2022.115874

#illustrations
©S.F.Wirth

#Ribwort #plantain #Plantago #lanceolata was originally native to Eurasia and North Africa, but is now found worldwide. It prefers meadows and e.g. lawns in parks. #Pollinators include butterflies. The sticky #seeds are dispersed by animals. M. Pol et al. (2024) investigated its #rootproperties as #cropcultivation perspectives.
© #StefanFWirth #Berlin 2026

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Ref
https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture14081352

#Photos
©S.F.Wirth

#Isopod #Porcellio #hoffmannseggii is one of the largest known #terrestrial isopods. It is native to southern Spain, #Portugal, and #Morocco. Adults can reach a length of 4 centimeters.
It exhibits unusually strong #territorial #behavior and is also known for guarding its #offspring.
I am successfully #breeding this #species.
© #StefanFWirth Berlin January 2026

Please feel free to buy me a coffee: ko-fi.com/sfwirth

Photos
© S.F. Wirth

I wish everyone a happy and healthy start into the #NewYear 2026. In my New Year's Eve post, I here report on aspects of #dog #behaviors and its relationships to humans. #Herding #dogs, for example, have the specific ability to #communicate not only with #humans but also with their grazing #livestock. H. Jeong et al. (2025) addressed the "#Genomicevidence for behavioral adaptation of herding dogs" in their study.
© #StefanFWirth 2025

Reference
https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adp4591

#Photos
© S.F. Wirth

#Chitonida (#Mollusca) exist since the #Cambrian. Bodies are covered with #calcareous #plates, flexibly connected. Most feed on vegetation cover. The #CambrianExplosion made based i.a. on #oxygen significant leaps in #animalevolution. Y. Zhang et al. (2025) assume a change in Earth's orbit altering #solarradiation, leading to land #weathering and #nutrients flow to the sea. Algae thrived and produced much oxygen.
© #StefanFWirth 2025

Ref
https://doi.org/10.1029/2025GL118689

#Pics
#AIassisted, © S.F.Wirth

Some #insects support passive #breathing via tracheae through #active #respiratorymovements, nsmed #convectiveventilation. Muscle contractions cause motions that e.g. dilate the #spiracles, allowing more efficient #gasexchange. The same time, the process also serves #thermoregulation. My example, the #robberfly #Tolmerus #cingulatus, demonstrates this #behavior.

Please watch my YouTube video; my channel needs more views.
https://youtu.be/zSOdFZF18yk?si=J67MJAevRUq-mP6i

©#StefanFWirth #Berlin2025

#Photos
© S.F.Wirth

#Firebug #Pyrrhocoris #apterus is distributed across parts of the #Palaearctic with northward trend. Most individuals are #shortwinged (#brachypterous), only 5% #longwinged (#macropterous). With few exceptions, all are #flightless, but differ in their#lifehistories. E. Gyuris et al. (2010) found differing #individualbehaviors (#personalities) with females of the long-winged morph being "braver and more exploratory."

©#StefanFWirth #Berlin 2025

Ref
https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2010.1326

#Photos
©S.F. Wirth

The #park of #CharlottenburgPalace #Berlin is #historically and #biologically significant. The #baroque #garden was first laid out in 1697 by landscape architect #SiméonGodeau, based on French models. Today's #naturalarea behind it is a haven of #biodiversity. In his article on #pioneeringresearch about Berlin's #urbanbiodiversity, G. Popkin (2023) summarizes the increasing interest in #speciesdiversity in #Berlin.

© #StefanFWirth Berlin 2025

Ref
https://www.science.org/content/article/pioneering-urban-ecology-finds-surprising-biodiversity-berlin-s-green-spaces

#Photos
© S.F. Wirth

#Fleabane #Erigeron #annuus is an #invasive #neophyte in #Europe, originally mative from Canada to Florida (USA). It arrived in Europe and #Asia as an ornamental plant in the 18th century and became naturalized.
C. Wang et al. (2020) studied it in China finding one #alienspecies be able to "generate a #favorable" #speciescommunity #habitat that is beneficial for following ones, using #Solidago #canadensis as 2nd alien.

©#StefanFWirth #Berlin 2025

Ref
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.137128

#Photos
©S F.Wirth

My photo from 2019 shows a #treetrunk in the #Berlin #winter, which has not fallen off all its dried #autumnleaves. In autumn, many #deciduous #trees cork the xylem connections of their leaves so that they do not evaporate more water than the tree can absorb through its roots. The #withered #fallenleaves serve as a #microhabitat for specialized #decomposing #soilorganisms. If old leaves remain on the tree, the organisms there will begin #decomposition processes.

© #StefanFWirth Berlin 2019/2024