Mike Fowler

@theorecol

Theoretical & Quantitative Ecologist. Dad. Whisky lover. Football coach. Relearning the drums. Not necessarily in that order. See also @theorecol@ecoevo.social He/him

781 Following1,453 Followers841 Posts

YouTube YouTube Bluesky

Is this your profile?Claim it and theorecol.dirty.social is yours.Claim profile

Mike Fowler@theorecol· 18d

Also, justifying gen-AI use as it "increases the speed of scientific output" might not be the flex you think it is. I already lack the time to read all the relevant literature (find peer reviewers) I should as an author (editor). Clearly, so do you, in my experience as both reviewer/Editor.

Mike Fowler@theorecol· Jun 19

Increase in number and gen-AI produced proposals could also be driven by lots of explicit language encouraging use of gen-AI in our standard proposals... (From NERC Pushing the Frontiers Jan 2026 call)

Screenshot of the following text from the instructions on a NERC Funding Opportunity web page.
"Use of novel, critical technologies in your application

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) is seeking to support researchers and innovators to develop and make use of novel, critical technologies including artificial intelligence, engineering biology, and quantum technologies throughout its investment portfolio. We have also set out our aspirations for the future of data and technology in environmental science in our digital strategy 2021 to 2030.

In developing your application to this funding opportunity, you may wish to consider how the innovative use of critical technologies and approaches addressing the ambitions of NERC’s digital strategy, might offer opportunities to address your research questions in new and novel ways. This might include the development of new collaborations across domains and disciplines."

Mike Fowler@theorecol· Jun 16

Our first REPAIR annual report is now out, highlighting how our co-created, transdisciplinary research into #biophilic living is developing around the #BIOME building in Swansea. Green things have been planted on roof spaces, residents should be moving in very soon! biophilic.wales/news/post/25...

A green roof space at the BIOME Biophilic Living building in Swansea, UK.

A rooftop vegetable planter at the BIOME Biophilic Living building in Swansea, UK.

A couple of rooftop ponds at the BIOME Biophilic Living building in Swansea, UK.

Mike Fowler@theorecol· Jun 11

Niche stat for rhythm aficionados. Somewhat saddened to ruin it by posting this 🤷‍♂️

Mike Fowler@theorecol· Jun 8

Not a competition, but 35 years since this collection of absolute bangers was released.

Image of the album cover used by Primal Scream on their "Screamadelica" recording, released in September 1991.
The colourscheme (red, yellow, blue white black) and facial like features bear a striking resemblence to the plastid image in the quoted microblog post.

Mike Fowler@theorecol· Jun 1

I mean, lovely work and all, but can't all poop be described with geometry? (and what exactly is the context of "more to come" here? Further stanzas, or pinched off mid-jobby?)

A schematic figure of the position of a model penguin during defaecation and physical parameters used to calculate rectal pressure necessary to expel faecal material over a distance of 40 cm.
Taken from a scientific paper by Meyer-Rocho & Gal (2003). Pressures produced when penguins pooh—calculations on avian defaecation. Polar Biology 27: 56-58. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-003-0563-3

Mike Fowler@theorecol· May 23

Wow! I thought King Kenny had hung up his boots a loooong time ago.

A screenshot of a BBC Sport article headline with the subtitle "Scotland captain Andy Robertson speaks to Kelly Cates and her father Sir Kenny Dalglish before his last game for Liverpool."

Mike Fowler@theorecol· May 23

Oh. The irony 😕

A screenshot showing "pay to access" details for an academic book chapter titled "The NeoFailure of Neoliberalism".

Mike Fowler@theorecol· May 20

I like a manifesto, Put it to the test- Oh there's no fucking way they'll put up with that down the People's Park.

A jumper, on a bandstand, in the People's Park, Dun Laoghaire. I wondered where that had gone.

Mike Fowler@theorecol· Apr 28

Get it now! A solution to all that pesky maths homework. (I finally feel seen by the algorithm)

Picture of some weird, medieval looking hooked torture device sold by Temu that claims to be the "#1 Teeth Cleaner That Easily Removes Plaque, Tartar and Calculus In Under 5 Mins..."

Mike Fowler@theorecol· Apr 22

Got them growing in my gutters! But then, I live right underneath a couple of fairly large sycamores, so maybe not too surprising. (Historical photo – we're not quite that phenologically advanced in south Wales yet.)

Roger the alien, doing an uncanny impression of a sycamore tree.

Mike Fowler@theorecol· Apr 22

Reminds me of the p-value distribution 😀

A frequency histogram showing the distribution of p-values from published research analyses, showing a sudden decline in frequencies for values greater than p=0.05. There is a probability less than 1 in 20 that this distribution could arise by chance.

Mike Fowler@theorecol· Apr 13

"Celebrating 100 years of marine science publishing [by remaining firmly but hopelessly in the past]"

Image of the front cover of the ICES Journal of Marine Science which states "Celebrating 100 years of marine science publishing".

Mike Fowler@theorecol· Mar 26

You have questions? I want to know what these extra pair mates are driving? Stick? EVs? 3 woods? (Is a titleist a type of German chickadee?)

Screenshot of Google Scholar article titied "Experimental evidence that extra-pair mating drives"

Mike Fowler@theorecol· Mar 23

And just what was it that made you first suspect they had used gen-AI to prepare the document?

Image is a screenshot of a filename titled "Add_a_heading.pdf"

Mike Fowler@theorecol· Feb 8

I am using the full range of marks available. Outright fail, to borderline fail. What do you mean do I remember a 20th Century Northern Irish comedian's catchphrase?

Mike Fowler@theorecol· Jan 22

Wonder if I'll get into trouble for sharing this?

Mike Fowler@theorecol· Jan 20

Still image of Blackadder asking Baldrick "Is you plan as cunning as a fox who's just been appointed Professor of Cunning at Oxford University?" taken from Blackadder Goes Forth

Mike Fowler@theorecol· Jan 7

Happy new office coffee maker, to all those who celebrate! Feel free to drop in for a cup (but bring biscuits).

Espresso maker, expressing life giving liquids.

Mike Fowler@theorecol· Jan 4

Well it's a marvelous night for a moondance 🎵🎶

A frozen pond reflecting bright moonlight over Swansea Bay

The shadow of a middle aged man and his dog's ear cast by moonlight on a patch of snow

Mike Fowler@theorecol· Dec 9

Latest piece of Sam Ross's global takeover with #ResponseDiversity thinking just accepted @oikosjournal.bsky.social! Such a cool collaboration with @ceresbarros.bsky.social @lauradee.bsky.social @owpet.bsky.social @hannah-wht-eco.bsky.social Takehiro Sasaki & Anna LoPresti! doi.org/10.1101/2025...

Screenshot of a pdf titled "Expert-led priorities for a response diversity research agenda in ecology" by Sam Ross et al, to be published in the journal Oikos.

Mike Fowler@theorecol· Oct 22

Come for the exchange of knowledge, stay for the views!

Arthur's Seat, waking up to autumnal sunshine, from the Bayes Centre.

Arthur's Seat bathed in autumnal afternoon sunshine, from the Bayes Centre.

Solving some temperature dependent problems during a coffee break: plots and diagrams on a chalkboard.

A rainbow, erupting from an extinct volcano in Edinburgh.

Mike Fowler@theorecol· Oct 20

On my way to exchange some knowledge with some rewilders at an @icms-edinburgh.bsky.social knowledge exchange event in beautiful Edinburgh today!

A building in Edinburgh advertising, amongst other things, fancy leather goods and woodenware, in faded paint on sooty sandstone.

The old eye pavillion in Edinburgh, with bright spots appearing between the evening clouds and a damp, rippled pattern appearing on a street lined with soggy autumn leaves.

Mike Fowler@theorecol· Sep 25

Somewhere, in the distance, Don Henley softly rises from a radio. Dylan Thomas raises an eyebrow.

A sunflower, denuded of its petals, basks in the early autumnal sunshine.

Mike Fowler@theorecol· Sep 18

Just snapped these on my way home in Wales! I love having tree lined streets, and the trees more than pay for the additional maintenance required by reducing temperatures and pollution, etc. But we take it all for granted ☹️

A pavement cracked by tree roots.
Organic rubbish bin included for scale.

Mike Fowler@theorecol· Aug 27

Autoreply from a colleague who I can only assume has been hitting that institutional admin brick wall once too often.

Screenshot stating "I am currently on a phased return from work due to concussion. My replies will be delayed."

Mike Fowler@theorecol· Aug 9

Some art is just a load of rubbish.

A sculpture of the word "Art" behind a large communal rubbish bin on a well-to-do residential street in Zürich, Switzerland. Photographed in July 2025.

Mike Fowler@theorecol· Jul 24

Scotland is a land of contrasts. I can get an electric bus that picks me up in an Edinburgh suburb, 5 mins walk from my childhood home, then drops me off in Dundee, and feels like I'm living in the future. Then I walk past the Victoria Bar on the way to Tannadice. Instantly transported back in time.

Teams heading onto the pitch at Tannadice Park for Dundee United v UNA Strassen in a UEFA Conference 2nd round qualifier. Supporters arms held in the air, waiting in anticipation for a thrilling 1-0 win for the Terrors against a mediocre team from Luxembourg. United were honking. It's as if the manager doesn't actually want us to win games.
Loved it anyway!

Mike Fowler@theorecol· Jul 15

When citation stats go rogue.

Screenshot of a research paper that has collected six hundred and sixty six citations to date.

Mike Fowler@theorecol· Jun 26

Where does one go when fitting that big, complex General Additive Model is just too much hassle?