Maria Litto
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mlitto.bsky.social
Maria Litto
@mlitto.bsky.social
360 followers 930 following 4 posts
Lab manager @socialinsectlab.bsky.social @unimainz.bsky.social ~ Interested in ecology and evolution of social insects and trophic interactions. She/her 🇮🇹🇩🇪🏳️‍🌈
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Reposted by Maria Litto
clariona.bsky.social
It was a great pleasure to present my PhD work and interact with some amazing fellow researchers at my very first IUSSI conference @uissi-social.bsky.social @socialinsectlab.bsky.social 🐜🐜🐜
August 24, 2026 at 4:48 PM
Reposted by Maria Litto
bchitadze.bsky.social
Giving a talk at #IUSSI2026 in Freiburg — such an amazing opportunity!

It was a real privilege to share my work on host–parasite interactions and to be part of such a wonderful meeting. Grateful for the experience and inspiring discussions! #Ant #Lifespan #Parasitology @socialinsectlab.bsky.social
August 20, 2026 at 1:39 PM
Reposted by Maria Litto
socialinsectlab.bsky.social
Our PhD student Max Bolder @boldest-ant.bsky.social published a very fascinating story about the vampire #ants Stigmatomma pallipes. Queens may look alike but they differ in behavior and gene expression. Do you want to know more? Check below! 🐜
April 29, 2026 at 1:41 PM
Reposted by Maria Litto
temnothorax.bsky.social
Save the date and join us next March for the GEM Evolution Meeting😀
April 24, 2026 at 12:38 PM
Reposted by Maria Litto
giblasi.bsky.social
Our paper is now out in Proceedings of the Royal Society B 🧬🐜

Explore how tissue- and caste-specific DNA methylation relates to gene expression, while parasite-induced transcriptional changes occur independently of DNA methylation.
👉 doi.org/10.1098/rspb...

Thanks to @socialinsectlab.bsky.social
DNA methylation reflects tissue and caste identity but not parasitism-induced changes in a social insect
Abstract. The role of DNA methylation in regulating transcriptional activity and post-transcriptional modifications in insects, particularly in social inse
royalsocietypublishing.org
February 6, 2026 at 10:29 AM
Reposted by Maria Litto
socialinsectlab.bsky.social
3-year PhD position in insect ecophysiology and land-use intensity with PD Dr. Florian Menzel (@unimainz.bsky.social) and Prof. Dr. Thomas Schmitt ( #Würzburg ). Application deadline: February 4th, 2026. More info here: www.blogs.uni-mainz.de/fb10-evoluti... #insects #ecophysiology #land-use #CHCs
Vacancies | Behavioural Ecology and Social Evolution
www.blogs.uni-mainz.de
January 7, 2026 at 12:54 PM
Reposted by Maria Litto
alexwild.bsky.social
This is such a cool study. A parasitic ant queen tricks worker ants into murdering their own queen, so the parasite can take over the colony.
This parasitic ant tricks workers into committing matricide
Newly mated parasitic queen ants invade colonies and spray their victims with a chemical irritant that provokes the workers to kill their mother.
www.sciencenews.org
November 17, 2025 at 5:43 PM
Reposted by Maria Litto
evolutionvu.bsky.social
What can we learn from Natural History Museums? @corriemoreau.bsky.social gives some examples! #evolution #scicomm #museums @ncse.bsky.social
October 30, 2025 at 1:22 PM
Reposted by Maria Litto
plosbiology.org
#Haplodiploid inheritance is found in all species of #Hymenoptera. @mwbstr.bsky.social &co map the #sex determining #gene of the red mason #bee to the ANTSR gene region, suggesting a shared, ancient origin of #SexDetermination in bees & ants >150 Mya ago @plosbiology.org 🧪 plos.io/47COEtH
Complementary sex determination (CSD) in bees and ants. Top left: Single-locus CSD is likely to be the predominant mode of sex determination in Hymenoptera. CSD loci have been identified in two species: the honeybee Apis mellifera and the invasive ant Linepithema humile. The tree shows evolutionary relationships between these species and Osmia bicornis, the main subject of this study. The origin of Hymenoptera is estimated as 386 million years ago and the common ancestor of Apoidea and Formicoidea is estimated as 153 million years ago. Top right: Under single-locus CSD, females are heterozygous at the CSD locus, whereas males are haploid and therefore hemizygous. A large number of CSD alleles are expected to segregate in outbred populations. A small proportion of homozygotes at the CSD locus are produced by chance, when parents share an allele, which results in the production of sterile diploid males. Middle: An O. bicornis nest consists of a row of cocoons in a tube. The mother lays fertilized diploid eggs deepest in the nest and unfertilized haploid eggs closer to the entrance. Eggs develop into adults inside cocoons. Diploid eggs typically develop into females whereas haploid eggs become male. A small proportion of diploids that are homozygous at the CSD locus develop into diploid males, which occur amongst females and are larger than haploid males. Bottom: A male and female red mason bee mating. Photo by Marie Louise Huskens.
November 4, 2025 at 8:58 AM
mlitto.bsky.social
Great working environment and beautiful location!
michaelraissig.bsky.social Michael Raissig @michaelraissig.bsky.social · Oct 30
🌿🌱 We’re hiring a tenure-track Assistant Professor (potentially open rank) at the Institute of Plant Sciences
@unibe.ch in Plant Population Ecology 🌻🌳

Be our colleague and join us in beautiful Bern, Switzerland

Apply by Jan 23 2026 👉 ohws.prospective.ch/public/v1/jo...
October 31, 2025 at 9:18 AM
Reposted by Maria Litto
jaimesnino.bsky.social
We are hiring!! #job Interested in #Ageing #Evolution #Ants #Single-cell 🐜🧬 Check our call, we offer a PhD position at the Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz! check the link
www.blogs.uni-mainz.de/fb10-evoluti...
Behavioural Ecology and Social Evolution
www.blogs.uni-mainz.de
October 27, 2025 at 4:03 PM
Reposted by Maria Litto
royalsocietypublishing.org
Better safe than sorry: leg amputations as a prophylactic wound care behaviour in carpenter ants buff.ly/INPxtKN | #ProcB #Behaviour #Evolution #WoundInfection
October 27, 2025 at 9:02 AM
Reposted by Maria Litto
selfishmeme.bsky.social
You may have missed this #ant poster at #ESEB2025, but be sure not to miss the article just published in #openacess in @nature.com: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
One mother for two species via obligate cross-species cloning in ants - Nature
In a case of obligate cross-species cloning, female ants of Messor ibericus need to clone males of Messor structor to obtain sperm for producing the worker caste, resulting in males from the same moth...
www.nature.com
September 4, 2025 at 10:06 AM
Reposted by Maria Litto
socialinsectlab.bsky.social
Last week our PhD Selina Huthmacher presented her work at ‪@ceiussi.bsky.social‬ on #CHCs in ants. If you want to know more check her recent paper >> royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/abs/10.1... <<
September 2, 2025 at 10:07 AM
Reposted by Maria Litto
socialinsectlab.bsky.social
Also another of our PhD student Max Bolder had the opportunity to discuss some of his new results about the vampire ants Stigmatomma pallipes. If you want to know more contact him on Bluesky >>> @boldest-ant.bsky.social <<<
September 2, 2025 at 10:11 AM
Reposted by Maria Litto
animalbehaviour.live
⏳ Time is ticking… Only 5 days left!

Don’t miss your chance to share your work at #ABL2025, our free online conference on animal behavior research.

🎤 15-min oral talks
🎥 5-min video posters
📅 Deadline: September 7
📄 Submit your abstract now 👉 ablaoc25.sciencesconf.org
September 2, 2025 at 6:24 AM
Reposted by Maria Litto
socialinsectlab.bsky.social
Don't forget the talk of Max today at 3 pm about #vampireants 🧛🐜 @ceiussi.bsky.social #CEIUSSI
socialinsectlab.bsky.social Social Insects Lab - JGU Mainz @socialinsectlab.bsky.social · Aug 26
2 of our PhD students, Max Bolder (@boldest-ant.bsky.social) and Selina Huthmacher are going to the
8th Central European IUSSI Meeting (@ceiussi.bsky.social)! If you are there don't miss their talks! 🐜👑🐜👃More info 👇
ce-iussi-meeting-szeged2025.iussi.de/programme/
August 28, 2025 at 8:01 AM
Reposted by Maria Litto
eivimeycook.bsky.social
We’ve got seven places left!

Sadly, this is the last Evolution of Ageing workshop to be held with the Gutenberg series. It won’t be continuing next year!
iqcb-mainz.bsky.social IQCB Mainz @iqcb-mainz.bsky.social · Jul 14
Join the GUTENBERG WORKSHOP on the Evolution of Ageing!

Organizers: Margaux Bieuville, @kokkonut.bsky.social and Victor Ronget @unimainz.bsky.social, and eivimeycook.bsky.social @uofglasgow.bsky.social

Info at gutenberg-workshops.uni-mainz.de/evolution-ag...

#ageing #evolution #lifesciences
The Gutenberg Workshop on the Evolution of Ageing is organized by Margaux Bieuville, Hanna Kokko and Victor Ronget from the University of Mainz together with Edward Ivimey-Cook from the University of Glasgow. The Workshop will take place from 30 September to 2 October 2025 at Wasem's Monastery Engelthal Ingelheim.
August 27, 2025 at 2:11 PM
Reposted by Maria Litto
socialinsectlab.bsky.social
2 of our PhD students, Max Bolder (@boldest-ant.bsky.social) and Selina Huthmacher are going to the
8th Central European IUSSI Meeting (@ceiussi.bsky.social)! If you are there don't miss their talks! 🐜👑🐜👃More info 👇
ce-iussi-meeting-szeged2025.iussi.de/programme/
August 26, 2025 at 10:42 AM
Reposted by Maria Litto
joelpick.bsky.social
🚨Introducing the @sortee.bsky.social Guidelines for Data and Code Quality Control in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology🚨 doi.org/10.32942/X24...

Increasingly E&E journals are recruiting data editors. We provide standardised guidelines for journals with data editors and those wanting to recruit them 🧵
The SORTEE Guidelines for Data and Code Quality Control in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
doi.org
August 15, 2025 at 12:57 PM
Reposted by Maria Litto
giuliascarparo.bsky.social
Thanks to Sofia and May Sheday for the courageous and inspiring talks! The scientific world cannot remain silent @eseb2025.bsky.social #ESEB2025 #inclusivity 🏳️‍🌈 #transrights 🏳️‍⚧️ #freepalestine 🇵🇸
August 22, 2025 at 11:03 AM
Reposted by Maria Litto
ethoges.bsky.social
Guidelines for experimental design for ecology and evolution
djmmeeg.bsky.social Dustin Marshall @djmmeeg.bsky.social · Nov 7
I wrote (ranted) on experimental design as I was frustrated as an editor at how little guidance students were getting. I underestimated the interest in the issue: it has been downloaded 10,000+ times! Clearly it’s something we need to be talking about more. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
Principles of experimental design for ecology and evolution
Here I argue that we do not discuss experimental design, often until it is too late. This editorial seeks to begin a conversation about how and where to replicate appropriately.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
August 20, 2025 at 10:02 AM
Reposted by Maria Litto
flodebarre.eurosky.social
Final words of the last #ESEB2025 plenary by @jmappes.bsky.social:
"Science moves forward when we keep both our curiosity and our humility"
Photo of the final slide of J Mappes's plenary at ESEB Text on the slide: Take-home Natural history matters Ecological reality is complex Fresh ideas matter Be ready to reject your favourite hypothesis Science moves forward when we keep both our curiosity and our humility
August 22, 2025 at 7:51 AM