Kathleen Kay
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kathleenmkay.bsky.social
Kathleen Kay
@kathleenmkay.bsky.social
850 followers 510 following 110 posts
Scientist, professor, mom, trail runner, plant lover. UC Santa Cruz.
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Kathleen Kay @kathleenmkay.bsky.social · Aug 8
Is the Most Effective Pollinator Principle a zombie idea? How do plants adapted to one pollinator shift to another without traversing an adaptive valley? How should we measure fitness in pollinator selection studies? We explore these questions and more in a new review doi.org/10.1093/aob/...
Beyond the Grant–Stebbins model: floral adaptive landscapes and plant speciation
AbstractBackground. Floral diversity, a striking feature of angiosperm evolution, provides the impetus and rationale for linking pollinator-driven selectio
doi.org
Reposted by Kathleen Kay
aidemm.bsky.social
Please share! My lab is recruiting a postdoctoral scholar in evolutionary development. For more details feel free to email me.
October 6, 2026 at 3:00 PM
Reposted by Kathleen Kay
vscooper.micropopbio.org
Authors!🚨 While you scramble for scarce $ 🤔

“Springer Nature reports revenue growth of 6.2%..and adjusted operating profit growth of 7.7%. They reported even more stunning submission growth of 30% and published article growth of 13%.”

Publishing in society journals helps YOU not them👇🏻. Pass it on.
Man Lying on a Pile of Money
ALT: Man Lying on a Pile of Money
static.klipy.com
September 16, 2026 at 3:05 PM
Reposted by Kathleen Kay
timnitgebru.blacksky.app
The only person in public service who has consistently made 100% sense on issues of "AI," which is why they hate her so much.
Law enforcers already have authority to charge companies and their CEOs for creating and releasing dangerous, unvetted, or defective products. We shouldn’t let discussions about new legal regimes distract from the fact that there’s no AI exemption from laws already on the books — a point @FTC emphasized repeatedly during my tenure. 1. There is an extensive set of laws that govern dangerous and defective products. For example, releasing unvetted AI models or agents can violate consumer protection laws. Shipping flawed AI tools without implementing adequate measures to detect and stop rogue or defective AI agents can be an “unfair or deceptive” act or practice under the FTC Act (and analogous state laws). And some state AGs are already exploring holding AI firms and their CEOs criminally liable when their models participate in criminal activity. 2. Existing laws also prohibit “unfair methods of competition.” This covers instances where AI firms appropriate the competitively sensitive information of their customers, including through tracking their use of various tools. It can also cover instances where firms pursue dangerous behavior, aware that doing so may compel rivals to do the same. As the Supreme Court has noted: “A method of competition which casts upon one's competitors the burden of the loss of business unless they will descend to a practice which they are under a powerful moral compulsion not to adopt, even though it is not criminal, was thought to involve the kind of unfairness at which the [unfair methods of competition] statute was aimed." 3. The highly concentrated and interconnected structure of these markets could be creating major risks and conflicts of interest. We had started investigating these partnerships and cross-investments across the stack (and released a preliminarily overview of some findings: https://ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2025/01/ftc-issues-staff-report-ai-partnerships-investments-study). Both federal and state enforcers should be scrutinizing these opaque relationships and inter-dependencies. We are already seeing how these relationships could undermine accountability. For example, OpenAI could face liability given the Hugging Face incident, but Hugging Face being bought up by Nvidia means that we’re unlikely to see it file a lawsuit over this — given Nvidia’s strong incentive to see OpenAI continue full speed ahead. 4. As AI tools dramatically change the landscape of cybersecurity risks and hacks, all businesses should be doubling down on having core security protections in place. Firms that fail to invest in adequate data security measures or fix known vulnerabilities can also be breaking the law. A recent analysis showed that around 1/3 of Fortune 100 companies do not even have a way to notify them about security issues. During my @FTC tenure, we sued firms for poor data security practices and held CEOs liable when they were personally responsible. https://this.weekinsecurity.com/dozens-of-americas-largest-companies-have-no-simple-way-to-report-security-flaws/ https://ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2022/10/ftc-takes-action-against-drizly-its-ceo-james-cory-rellas-security-failures-exposed-data-25-million 5. As policymakers consider new legal regimes, we should be looking to lessons from prior efforts to govern major sectors, such as banking and other networks, platforms, and utilities. Tools like structural separations, nondiscrimination, and supervision could be key, and there’s a rich history of what works and what doesn’t. But we can and must pursue any new efforts alongside enforcing existing laws.
September 13, 2026 at 11:03 PM
kathleenmkay.bsky.social
This is an amazing book and a great way to introduce undergrads to stats and R
ybrandvain.bsky.social ybrandvain.bsky.social @ybrandvain.bsky.social · Sep 4
I'm excited to release the newest version of my free applied biostats textbook. It's tidyverse style, clarkia inspired and loads of fun

Im putting this down until the end of the semester, when I'll add and polish additional chapters, but the 1st 21 are pretty solid

yanivjb.github.io/biostats-book
Applied Biostatistics
yanivjb.github.io
September 4, 2026 at 8:32 PM
Reposted by Kathleen Kay
botsocamerica.bsky.social
Foliar salt spray exclusion & tissue tolerance underlie local adaptation to oceanic salt spray

New #AJB research by @madisonplunkert.bsky.social, @pcdurant.bsky.social, @davidlowry.bsky.social & Katherine Egeler

doi.org/10.1002/ajb2...
#botany #plantscience #monkeyflower #Mimulus
The coastal perennial ecotype of Mimulus guttatus DC. (syn. Erythranthe guttata DC.) growing on a cliff at Montara State Beach, Montara, California, USA, with oceanic salt spray damage on the leaf margin. Coastal M. guttatus has delayed flowering, which contributes to a salt spray escape strategy by reducing the amount of salt spray reaching these plants. Still, some salt spray contacts the plant, so later-acting strategies that keep sodium from entering the leaves and prevent cell damage are also key for local adaptation to coastal habitat. (Credit: David Lowry)
August 18, 2026 at 4:34 PM
Reposted by Kathleen Kay
calbotsoc.bsky.social
Hybridization is common among plant taxa, and interspecific hybridization has played a major role in plant evolution, including speciation events, adaptive introgression, and range expansion. The authors investigate reports of hybrid oaks to further assess their relationships.
August 17, 2026 at 7:30 PM
Reposted by Kathleen Kay
ybrandvain.bsky.social
Introducing my 1st R package.

I built this to address common misunderstandings of linear models i often see in intro biostats students.

this is strongly paternalistic and aims to improve students' understanding of intro stats

comments welcome
yanivjb.github.io/honestlm/
#Rstats #ggplot2 #biostats
Guardrails for Teaching Linear Models
Provides small, opinionated wrappers around familiar linear model workflows. The package keeps base R and ggplot2 interfaces recognizable while adding guardrails around common interpretation traps, in...
yanivjb.github.io
July 8, 2026 at 7:59 PM
Reposted by Kathleen Kay
calacastellanos.bsky.social
We work really hard at the Journal of Pollination Ecology @jpollecol.bsky.social but this was still a (very pleasant) surprise - JPE's 2025 impact factor is 1.8. Keep supporting Society-published, independent open access journals! #OpenAccess
#Pollination
jpollecol.bsky.social JPE - Journal of Pollination Ecology @jpollecol.bsky.social · Jun 18
Clarivate released the 2026 JCR yesterday.
We are thrilled that, from a standing start, JPE's first-ever Impact Factor is 1.8!
An outstanding result for the journal and a testament to the high-quality contributions of our authors, reviewers and editors.

Carolin and Maria Clara
JPE Senior Editors
June 22, 2026 at 9:45 PM
Reposted by Kathleen Kay
cwebbonline.com
One of my favorite moments of the day. If you missed it, take a moment… 🤎

John Legend and Common performing “Glory.”
June 18, 2026 at 8:45 PM
Reposted by Kathleen Kay
calbotsoc.bsky.social
Will you be at Botany 2026? Andy will be taking photos / recording social media content for the California Botanical Society at Botany 2026. If you are presenting a poster or talk about Cali or Western American Botany at the conference

#Botany2026
June 17, 2026 at 7:50 PM
Reposted by Kathleen Kay
annbot.bsky.social
🌿 Join us at #Botany2026 for the Annals of Botany Special Lecture by Casper van der Kooi.

🌼Evolutionary ecology of floral visual signals

Discover how floral colours and visual signals evolve and shape plant–pollinator interactions.

#PlantScience #Botany #Pollination
Promotional slide for the Annals of Botany Special Lecture at Botany 2026. The graphic features a green background with a portrait of Casper van der Kooi from the University of Groningen, The Netherlands, on the right. The lecture title, “Evolutionary ecology of floral visual signals,” is displayed prominently in the center. The event is scheduled for August 4th at 1:30 pm. The Annals of Botany logo appears at the top left, and the slide concludes with the invitation “Join us at Botany 2026!” accompanied by a leaf icon.
June 16, 2026 at 3:43 PM
Reposted by Kathleen Kay
kheyduk.bsky.social
Lab paper exploring integrated -omics in closely related C3 and CAM species of Yucca. I lured @wickellomics.bsky.social to the lab with this data set as "low hanging fruit" and it was anything but, hah. Thanks to David and all co-authors for getting this published! doi.org/10.1093/jxb/... 1/2
Integrative analysis of CAM photosynthesis reveals its impact on primary metabolism in Yucca
Integrated transcriptomic, proteomic, and metabolomic analyses reveal extensive reorganization of primary metabolism, and highlight the importance of post-
doi.org
June 16, 2026 at 4:01 PM
Reposted by Kathleen Kay
bjenquist.bsky.social
Sad to hear of the passing of Robert Ricklefs - a giant of Ecology who simultaneously pushed forward big ideas at multiple biological levels yet took time for detailed natural history .. McGill does a nice job summarizing his impressive contributions 🌐🧪 dynamicecology.wordpress.com/2026/06/11/r...
Robert Ricklefs – in memoriam
Robert Ricklefs, a giant of ecology, passed away on Sunday. It is hard to overstate the extensive impact Bob had on the field. He was elected a member of the National Academy of Sciences in the US,…
dynamicecology.wordpress.com
June 11, 2026 at 6:20 PM
Reposted by Kathleen Kay
johnstinchcombe.bsky.social
How do you turn a purple flower white?

Another from lab, led by @damianmicroeco.bsky.social and Emily Glasgow, with big contributions from Martin Henry, Margaret Li, and Amanda Peake.

Mendelian Polymorphisms for the Win!

#evolbio #plantscience
White-flowered Ipomoea hederacea, lacking anthocyanins in the flowers and throughout the plant
June 11, 2026 at 7:06 PM
Reposted by Kathleen Kay
seemasheth.bsky.social
It was fun to work on this meta-analysis of resurrection studies involving plants with Lillie Pennington, Steven Franks, Jill Anderson, and @elenahamann.bsky.social! doi.org/10.1002/ajb2...
Two decades of resurrection studies: What have we learned about contemporary evolution of plant species?
Premise Global climate change has altered the eco-evolutionary trajectories of plant species, leading to observed shifts in phenotypes, such as earlier flowering. However, disentangling the contribu...
doi.org
June 11, 2026 at 1:42 PM
kathleenmkay.bsky.social
In my lab's latest, we experimentally test the decades-old idea that plants switch from bee to hummingbird pollinators in tropical mountains because bee activity declines in cool cloud forest conditions nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Pollinator efficiency, rather than bee decline, explains a shift to hummingbird pollination in tropical montane forests
Hummingbird pollination is a hallmark of American plant diversity and has long been thought to evolve in tropical mountains due to declining bee activity. Using sister species of Costus specialized o...
nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
June 8, 2026 at 8:50 PM
Reposted by Kathleen Kay
calbotsoc.bsky.social
What is Plant tissue culture, and how will it potentially be useful for conservation? Plant tissue culture is the application of advanced horticultural techniques in a sterile, in vitro environment to propagate new plants.
June 8, 2026 at 6:05 PM
Reposted by Kathleen Kay
smwadgymar.bsky.social
HUGE kudos to SSE leadership for spearheading collective action against OMB's proposed rule. 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼🧪

Societies matter!! Support them with your engagement, conference attendance, and choice of journals.

SSE members: please consider signing these letters!

SSE non-members: please consider joining ☺️
gbaucom.bsky.social Gina Baucom @gbaucom.bsky.social · Jun 4
Member action is needed. Please read the email, review the proposed SSE response, and consider signing on before the June 15 deadline.

**Importantly, submit your individualized comment to OMB by July 13!**

Screenshots of the full message below. ⬇️
Dear SSE Community, I hope this message finds you well, wherever the new season has taken you. I'm writing with news that requires our community's immediate attention and action. On May 29, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) published a proposed rule — the largest overhaul of federal grant regulations since 2013 — that would fundamentally restructure how scientific research is funded in the United States. The comment deadline is July 13, 2026. That gives us six weeks, and we need every one of them. Read the proposed rule.
June 4, 2026 at 4:22 PM
Reposted by Kathleen Kay
gbaucom.bsky.social
🚨SSE members: check your inbox!🚨

SSE has sent an important email regarding the OMB's proposed overhaul of federal grant regulations--changes that could affect peer review, publishing, conferences, professional societies, international collaborations, and more. @sse-evolution.bsky.social
June 4, 2026 at 2:48 PM
Reposted by Kathleen Kay
calbotsoc.bsky.social
It’s time for our next upcoming Botany Speaker!!!! Next Thursday, June 11th, from 7 to 8 pm PT, Sarah Jacobs, the Assistant Curator and Howell Chair of Western North American Botany at the California Academy of Sciences, will be talking to us about the notoriously difficult taxonomy of Castilleja.
June 2, 2026 at 4:02 PM
Reposted by Kathleen Kay
minyaaa.bsky.social
Here's the article from the Siebel Center for Design: designcenter.illinois.edu/stories/IB-1... Very proud of my awesome students!
IB-103 Turns Plant Biologists into Makers
IB-103 Turns Plant Biologists into Makers
designcenter.illinois.edu
June 2, 2026 at 2:57 PM
Reposted by Kathleen Kay
kazohashilab.bsky.social
Our new paper out!

By comparing body pollen carried by diverse insect pollinators visiting the same Ligustrum flowers, we found striking variation not only among major pollinator groups, but also within them — even between males and females of the same bumble bee species.

Free view: rdcu.be/fj68l
May 26, 2026 at 12:41 PM
kathleenmkay.bsky.social
"the thing holding the coalition together is a base-line eco-fascist motherhood politics that merges libertarian individualism with consumer choice and frames keeping track of it all as women’s natural, right and proper societal role" 🔥🔥
May 23, 2026 at 2:23 PM
Reposted by Kathleen Kay
evolmtg.bsky.social
Virtual Evolution is this week! Check out the schedule here: www.evolutionmeetings.org/virtual-prog...
Virtual Program
Please use the link below to access the virtual program in advance of the conference, as well as the Zoom Event link where the event will be held.  NOTE:  Access to the Zoom event is only for paid...
www.evolutionmeetings.org
May 18, 2026 at 5:37 PM
Reposted by Kathleen Kay
calbotsoc.bsky.social
Interested in listening to Dr. Ricardo Kriebel's, Moving Flowers: Evolution of Floral Form, Function & Pollination in Salvia? You can watch his talk right now on our YouTube channel! Use the link below to watch recordings of previous and upcoming talks!
May 16, 2026 at 5:56 PM