Christina Birnbaum, PhD 🍃
Senior Lecturer in Terrestrial Ecology @soaes-unisq.bsky.social @unisq.bsky.social | Lead Convenor of @esaplantsoilecol.bsky.social
Plant-soil Ecology Special Interest Network | she/her, own views
sites.google.com/site/birnbaumchrist…
- "In this sense, academic publishing rivals the music and film industries. Some publishers report profit margins comparable to tech giants such as Microsoft and Google." The 5 stages of the ‘enshittification’ of academic publishing theconversation.com/the-5-stages...
- “Emma believed research should be about teamwork rather than personal accolades.” I’m so saddened to hear of Prof Johnston’s passing. She was a true inspiration for women in science and beyond. Gone too soon… Vale Emma Johnston 🕯️ theconversation.com/emma-johnsto...
- These Xmas holidays will look very different with the addition of this cuteness to the family 💜 #puppy
- Reposted by Christina Birnbaum, PhD 🍃Congratulations to the winners from the Plant-Soil Symposium at the @ecolsocaus.bsky.social conference last week generously sponsored by the @britishecologicalsociety.org. Thank you for supporting the fantastic research being led by these student researchers in plant–soil ecology in Australia! 🧵
- Feeling very grateful to have such wonderful people to work with every day @unisq.bsky.social. On the left, Birnbaum ecology group 2025. On the right, word cloud of how we have been feeling this year.☺️
- Well done to Genavieve (pictured below on the right) presenting at her first ever scientific conference! Even better when your co-supervisor makes a special trip from Western Australia to support you 🥹 #ESA2025 @esaplantsoilecol.bsky.social
- Reposted by Christina Birnbaum, PhD 🍃🌳🌿💚 Monday morning good news story! Following strong opposition from local councils & residents, Alcoa has shelved its plans to explore the Perth Hills #jarrah #forests for its #bauxite mining expansion... for now at least. #wildoz #conservation #ozflora #trees www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11...
- How good is this poster from our master's student Genavieve Jurd ?! 👇🎉☺️ If you are attending @ecolsocaus.bsky.social conference next week, please support ECRs like Genavieve during the Barbara Rice memorial poster session on Monday evening!
- This project was possible thanks to the wonderful support from MALDIID CEO Sofie De Meyer, Wildflower Society of Western Australia, and financial support from Friends of Meelup, The Ecological Society of Australia and University of Southern Queensland. We salute you all!
- I'm so sad to miss out on this fantastic symposium. Please make sure you check it out and share the insights with us on Bluesky, too! 🍄
- Ecological Society of Australia conference is already next week! Our symposium "Functional biodiversity and bold insights from plant-soil ecology" will be on Wed (Nov 26) afternoon 130-530pm. Cracker talks on 🔥❄️⛰️🚱🧬🫧🌿🐮🌾🍄 (did you guess them?!) @ecolsocaus.bsky.social esa2025.org.au
- Reposted by Christina Birnbaum, PhD 🍃The final version is now available #AmJBot bsapubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
- Reposted by Christina Birnbaum, PhD 🍃[This post could not be retrieved]
- Reposted by Christina Birnbaum, PhD 🍃Most major theories in ecology assume some sort of equilibrium, but only ~half of empirical tests acknowledge it & even fewer observed it in their system. Does this matter? How did the idea become so pervasive in ecology anyway? Find out in our new paper! onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
- Monday was spent scouting for new field sites when we stumbled upon this beauty 😍 Dipodium roseum - a saprophytic orchid that does not produce chlorophyll but rather relies on carbon from decaying matter near eucalypt trees.
- Invasion impacts in terrestrial ecosystems: Global patterns and predictors | Science www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
- Reposted by Christina Birnbaum, PhD 🍃.@cmarin.bsky.social and 127 co-authors present a global call to strengthen national #SoilBiodiversity action, in an #OpenLetter to policymakers at 27th meeting of the @unbiodiversity.bsky.social SBSTTA taking place in Panamá City this week. 📖 nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/... #SBSTTA27
- Reposted by Christina Birnbaum, PhD 🍃📢 Over 120 researchers have issued a major call to action for a coordinated approach to studying soil biodiversity! 📢 This letter urges policymakers, scientists, and others to recognize the importance of soil biodiversity and harmonize efforts. 🪱 nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
- 128 authors - 1 message: Open letter: A global call to strengthen national soil biodiversity action through coordination and harmonization - Marín - PLANTS, PEOPLE, PLANET - Wiley Online Library nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/... Thanks @cmarin.bsky.social @thegsbi.bsky.social for leading!
- Here goes a bit of shameless self-promotion: If you missed my National Science Week online webinar, it is now available via YouTube. Friends with benefits or frenemies: The role of soil biota in shaping plant responses. youtu.be/B_hnTfg10TM?...
- Reposted by Christina Birnbaum, PhD 🍃The October intake of our free mentoring for early career ecologists is now open for registration! 🦇 You've got questions and they've got the answers! (They'll try their best 😅) Jump online to apply and check out the range of mentors available: tinyurl.com/bderjjxj #mentoring #mentor #ecology
- Reposted by Christina Birnbaum, PhD 🍃In the first half of 2025, renewables became the biggest source of global electricity for the first time, as wind & solar growth exceeded global demand growth Shocking that it's China & India leading - EU & USA have fossil power growing ember-energy.org/latest-insig...
- Reposted by Christina Birnbaum, PhD 🍃Our department at UBC is hiring for a professor of forest ecophysiology, including "tree ecophysiology; plant abiotic or biotic stress physiology; forest mortality and climate change responses; forest carbon balance; tree water relations; or nutrient use." Learn more at: tinyurl.com/5da56f5c
- Reposted by Christina Birnbaum, PhD 🍃Loyalty and nutrient trade… University of Western Australia researchers show how plants and fungi keep their partnerships alive—even in the face of cheating 🍃 ❤️ 🍄 #Mycorrhiza #Evolution
- The world needs more of Jane Goodalls and alike. Dr Goodall was such an inspiration. I was fortunate enough to see her speak and meet at Tulane University speaking tour in 2016-2017, she came across so humble and gentle yet firm in her opinions and of course, very wise. RIP, legend 💫
- Started my Friday with this lovely E-Mail: "Well I also happened to watch your interview on YouTube today and I must say you are truly an amazing person both inspiring and insightful." ☺️ So, I went and checked the above-mentioned interview, a talk actually, and it has 1.1 k views on YouTube! 🤯
- So many plant-soil enthusiasts out there or what's happening?! Here is the link to the video if I got you intrigued: youtu.be/6elBF_ParMU?...
- What do leaf endophytes and koalas have in common? They co-occur in our native ecosystems! If you are keen to learn more or come and study with us, check out our programs 👇 unisq.edu.au/study/degree... 📷@unisq.bsky.social Master of Research student Fiona Stone captured this fab footage 💚
- Meet Fiona, who snapped that adorable video of a mommy koala and her bub. As part of her MRES, Fiona is studying the leaf endophyte diversity in dry rainforests near Crows Nest, QLD. She is supervised by myself and John Dearnaley.
- Reposted by Christina Birnbaum, PhD 🍃“Nature conservation is not working unless it protects entire ecosystems with all their interacting members—big and small” Fantastic opinion piece on advancing nature conservation to the next level by applying existing microorganism strategies to microbes.
- Reposted by Christina Birnbaum, PhD 🍃Assistant Professor (Quantitative Microbe-Plant-Environment Interactions), Dept of Microbiology, Fall 2026 apply.interfolio.com/173345 at University of Tennessee - Knoxville. Position is part of a faculty cluster hire in Bioinformatics, Genomics and Quantitative-based Solutions for Food Security.
- Reposted by Christina Birnbaum, PhD 🍃Tiny organisms - big impact: microbes are finally receiving the attention they deserve 👏👏👏 www.monash.edu/news/article...
- Reposted by Christina Birnbaum, PhD 🍃Mini marsupial bounces back from the brink! Once listed as Endangered, the crest-tailed mulgara expanded its range by more than 48,000 km² between 2015 and 2021, lifting its status to Least Concern. Biocontrol contributed to the heartwarming bounce-back. f.mtr.cool/afllseseeb
- Reposted by Christina Birnbaum, PhD 🍃Save the date! 🗓️ Thu 25 Sep, 12pm AEST/2pm NZST Our September seminar will feature Eric Asare from @EdithCowanUni on fungal pathogens of peppermint! Free registration (donations welcome) @ecolsocaus.bsky.social @plant-pathogens.bsky.social www.australasianmycologicalsociety.com/post/septemb...
- Reposted by Christina Birnbaum, PhD 🍃📢🌿Available #traits #FunctionalTraits PhD position in my group @westsyduhie.bsky.social, closes 30th Oct. Topics: “Climate adaptations in Australian native grasses”; OR “Plant resource economics”. Apply via WSU Online Portal. Eligibility and other key info here: wrightlab.wordpress.com/news/
- Reposted by Christina Birnbaum, PhD 🍃It’s #3MT season, and #PhDstudent Abby talks about this important little mouse and its impact on the world. Head to the link to watch and vote (by simply liking the video on YouTube) to help raise awareness about the tiny mouse and help Abby win! youtube.com/watch?v=L1NLxg-inQA
- Reposted by Christina Birnbaum, PhD 🍃Super excited about this new Open Rank tenure-track faculty search for the MSU Plant Resilience Institute. We successfully hired two excellent new faculty in our last search and we are hoping to build on that success with this search. careers.msu.edu/jobs/assista...
- Reposted by Christina Birnbaum, PhD 🍃Please share with your big picture colleagues. Join us @umontreal.ca as an Assistant Professor of Global Change Biology. rh-carriere-dmz-eng.synchro.umontreal.ca/psc/rhprpr9_...
- Great way to end the EMAPI 2025 conference with a field trip to Ōtamahua/Quail island - such a beautiful place 🤩
- Catching up on the latest plant invasion ecology science at EMAPI2025 this week in Lincoln, NZ - great talks and even greater reunions with old colleagues! #conference #weeds
- Reposted by Christina Birnbaum, PhD 🍃📖Published📖 In this review paper, Ferrante and Lövei propose a standardised set of methods to monitor ecosystem functions that underpin ecosystem services and disservices 🌱 🌍 🧪 Read the article here 👇 buff.ly/2rAeHgq
- Reposted by Christina Birnbaum, PhD 🍃FUCK YEAH SCIENCE arstechnica.com/science/2025...
- Global Review of Blue Carbon Ecosystem Microbial Communities - Birnbaum - 2025 - Environmental Microbiology - Wiley Online Library enviromicro-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
- I don't particularly like Mondays (who does?!) but I like a Monday when a mammoth paper with fantastic colleagues as co-authors gets accepted for publication!!! This paper has been in the works (on/off) since 2020! Stay tuned for more details soon... #academia
- Reposted by Christina Birnbaum, PhD 🍃Join @alittlebitmeg.bsky.social in August for our National Science Week webinars as she talks about the wildlife you might find in your neighbourhood, and how to identify them! Join here: unisq.zoom.us/j/88291112520
- Reposted by Christina Birnbaum, PhD 🍃Join @christinabirnbaum.bsky.social in August for our National Science Week webinars as she talks about the role soil biota plays in shaping plant responses in variety of ecosystems. Join here: unisq.zoom.us/j/85618797119
- Reposted by Christina Birnbaum, PhD 🍃The database of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in Australia is out! onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/... You can access data summaries via the website www.ausamf.com We have data from 610 sites with data from another 500 locations to be added by the end of the year! Thanks to all collaborators
- Great to see this mammoth effort by @frewecologist.bsky.social et al finally published! AusAMF: The Database of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungal Communities in Australia - Frew - 2025 - Global Ecology and Biogeography - Wiley Online Library onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
- UniSQ Ravensbourne field station is not only an active teaching space but also a site for important long-term global research 🧐 Today our group was out in the field sampling for a worldwide project that will reveal global soil biodiversity patterns - what a day to be outside!🦠🧬
- "A lot of science that seems frivolous at first is later proven to be powerfully useful. Discovery is a crooked road." In defense of silly science | Science www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
- Reposted by Christina Birnbaum, PhD 🍃
[This post could not be retrieved] - Reposted by Christina Birnbaum, PhD 🍃It’s World Environment Day! We are at the Toowoomba event all day at Lake Annand
- 📢We have a new initiative! 📢 Ecological Society of Australia Plant–Soil Ecology: ECR Spotlight series Are you an ECR working on plant-soil ecology across diverse ecosystems in Australia – from seagrass beds to deserts? Fill in the form below to be featured in our series! forms.gle/YDfqXvnFEzMxju…
- Reposted by Christina Birnbaum, PhD 🍃Pint of Science is back this year! CSAS researcher Meg Edwards @alittlebitmeg.bsky.social will talk about "Studying the underloved and underappreciated wildlife". Tix are selling fast! Get yours here: pintofscience.com.au/event/tiny-t...
- 📣New paper 📣 We analysed papers on soil microbial diversity spanning 23 years in Southeast Asian tropical peatlands. Most studies assessed soil bacterial communities using culture-based methods in agriculture. Less info on unmodified peatlands - baseline? scholar.google.com.au/citations?view…
- Reposted by Christina Birnbaum, PhD 🍃A tricky thing about modern society is that no one has any idea when they don’t die. Like, the number of lives saved by controlling air pollution in America is probably over 200,000 per year, but the number of people who think their life was saved by controlling air pollution is zero.
- Reposted by Christina Birnbaum, PhD 🍃Invisible losses: thousands of plant species are missing from places they could thrive – and humans are the reason theconversation.com/invisible-lo...
- Reposted by Christina Birnbaum, PhD 🍃Mycorrhizal fungi promote native & suppress invasive plants & help prevent soil erosion Why don't (fed or state) governments monitor fungi? Soil biology, generally, is not included in biodiversity assessments. Yet soil contains 59% of biodiversity? Madness. theconversation.com/from-trading...
- Reposted by Christina Birnbaum, PhD 🍃📣 Calling all change-makers 📣 We are now welcoming proposals for symposia at our ESA2025 conference later this year! Theme- Biodiversity on the brink: Bold actions for a resilient future 🌳🦇 Take this chance to shape discussions and drive real change Apply via esa2025.org.au #ecology #ESAus2025
- New paper alert! A bit of a blast from the past as this project started as part of my postdoc with @emilycfarrer.bsky.social @tulaneu.bsky.social 🤓 Great memories working in the coastal wetland systems of Louisiana 🫶 academic.oup.com/femsle/artic...
- Reposted by Christina Birnbaum, PhD 🍃Exciting news – new funding opportunities are now available! Whether you’re working on forest management, wildlife management, or marine ecology, this is your chance to secure the resources you need. Apply today 💚 tinyurl.com/2kuj66w2 #Ecology #Scholarships #Grants #FundingOpportunities
- Reposted by Christina Birnbaum, PhD 🍃🌸 OPPORTUNITIES FOR ECOLOGISTS | MARCH 🌸 Check out this roundup of exciting jobs, scholarships and volunteer opportunities —your next adventure starts here! See the full range of opportunities (many more!) online now tinyurl.com/4s2vc5t9 #EcologyCareers #EnvironmentalJobs #Hiring #ecology
- Reposted by Christina Birnbaum, PhD 🍃Congrats to SPUN collaborator and Mycorrhizal Ecologist @camilletruong.bsky.social on this publication in Scientific Data. Camille and her team are breaking new ground in soil fungal research, leveraging advanced DNA sequencing techniques to enhance our understanding of belowground biodiversity.
- How do you study invisible organisms, such as fungi, from the environment? We provide a benchmarked meta-barcoding dataset for soil fungi in Australia and Antarctica, combined with +100 predictor variables to fast-track data exploration, research and conservation. rdcu.be/ebCeu
- Yesterday during my ecology class time, a cute magpie lark (peewee) decided to join the class, had a bit of a wonder and “listen” about biotic interactions I was explaining, then calmly walked out. Ecology in action! 🐦⬛😊 #teaching #university 📷 Wikipedia
- It was a pleasure to host last week biotech company MALDIID CEO and founder Dr Sofie De Meyer @soaes-unisq.bsky.social! Microbes can be harnessed in so many ways to benefit the environment and agriculture and we are exploring how to do this together! This is an exciting space… 🦠🧫🌾🌱
- Reposted by Christina Birnbaum, PhD 🍃Boost your garden’s productivity by increasing mycorrhizal #fungi in the soil. Dr. Vasilis Kokkoris from VU Amsterdam explains why mycorrhizae are beneficial for plant growth and soil health. Learn more about enhancing soil health here: www.spun.earth/articles/how...
- Reposted by Christina Birnbaum, PhD 🍃Dr Christina attended Science Meets Parliament 2025, a 2 day event organised by Science & Technology Australia. As the event, delegates have an opportunity to meet with parliamentarians. @christinabirnbaum.bsky.social met with South Australian Senator Andrew McLachlan at the Parliament House.
- First day of #SMP2025 done and dusted! Incredible presentations, amazing networking and proximity to policymakers today has been a bit of a pinch me moment. Very grateful to be here and can’t wait for tomorrow!
- Reposted by Christina Birnbaum, PhD 🍃A single gram of soil can contain up to 90 meters of fungal networks. Nearly all plants on Earth form partnerships with mycorrhizal fungi for nutrients. It's a relationship that spans 450 million years. Watch to the end to see these fungi in action. Video by Tuane Eggers & music by Beto Mohr.
- It’s a good day at work when you get to pat a cute wombat 🥰 as part of O-week activities at UniSQ.
- Reposted by Christina Birnbaum, PhD 🍃Removing institutional barriers to long-term fieldwork is critical for advancing ecology @cp-trendsecolevo.bsky.social www.cell.com/trends/ecolo...
- Reposted by Christina Birnbaum, PhD 🍃Today is #WorldWetlandsDay. Wetlands are foundational to our shared future, they provide vital ecosystems, & enrich our lives in so many ways. This one, at Tahbilk, makes my heart sing. Let's do everything we can to support them, & their role in healthy Country. #TaungurungCountry #WWD2025
- Geez, I love these starter packs to group follow relevant researchers. Thank you so much for creating these, @balachaudhary.bsky.social and others 👍
- Hey BlueSky! I made a starter pack for folks working on mycorrhizal symbioses. LMK who else to include! go.bsky.app/285P8Tnat://did:plc:kcrkcdd3y3lk7dpfxu666lj7/app.bsky.graph.starterpack/3lh5ctmvrnk22
- I'm so thrilled to announce that I will be attending #SMP2025 next week in Canberra! 🥳 Cannot wait to network and learn about effective engagement strategies with policymakers. Thank you to The Australian Institute of Nuclear Science and Engineering for the kind support!
