Frigatebirds are awesome. Flying machines that wander huge distances across tropical oceans they have the longest rearing period of any bird (~13 months) and skeletons lighter than their feathers. This imm. great frigate was in the tropical Indian Ocean #seabirdsunday

Our collection of completed PhD theses for the programme is growing steadily. It's exciting to see them printed and all together. Looking forward to some more coming very soon! Congratulations to everyone graduating this year!

Call for abstracts for #RCUK2024 is now open! Deadline 15th September 2024. See all details - and don’t forget to sign up for our RCUK news mailing list - on our website: reefconservationuk.org

"The successful use of machine learning tools to conduct our survey suggests that in combination with local stakeholders in the territory, regular and reproducible monitoring of these reefs could become routine" Eloise Elkington University of Oxford #ScientistSpotlight #ECR

A good way to start the week: A new paper out! 💃 "Diverse and ecologically unique #mesophotic coral ecosystems in the central Indian Ocean" which you can find here: doi.org/10.1007/s00338…. A quick thread 👇

In this study we present data on the alpha and beta #diversity of the #benthic communities within #MCEs (from shallow 15m to 160m here) in the #Chagos Archipelago, Indian Ocean

"That first moment of seeing one in the wild was quite extraordinary" Heather Koldewey ZSLMarine joins Brains On! Universe to talk about seahorses! Listen here: brainson.org/episode/2024/0…

Inclusive Coasts and Seas: Connecting Diverse Voices by Minorities in Shark Sciences (MISS) x SIARC This virtual workshop in Jan or Feb 2025 will focus on inclusive marine conservation, skills tutorials, networking opportunities For more details & how to apply: misselasmo.org/miss-x-siarc.h…

"Working in a team of terrestrial and marine researchers has made me appreciate what we all know intuitively to be true: terrestrial & marine ecology are not separate realms but deeply connected and interacting components of a single ecological whole" Yadvinder Malhi #ScientistSpotlight

What can nature itself teach us about how to heal our planet and support biodiversity? Heather Koldewey joined the last #KewUnearthed podcast episode, available to listen to here: buff.ly/3yKOS4n ZSL Kew Gardens

Atolls are vital for seabirds - and vice versa! 🐦🏝️💞 Check out my NatureEcoEvo News & Views article: nature.com/articles/s4155… 📸 Nathan Hudson-Peacock; sooty terns on an atoll island.

'Seabirds play critical roles on islands. By catalysing terrestrial and marine productivity through guano nutrient input, seabirds support natural island functioning.' Atolls are globally important sites for tropical seabirds - New NatureEcoEvo paper nature.com/articles/s4155…

"The Central Indian Ocean may be one of the last tropical refuges where cetaceans remain protected from human impacts, yet we know very little of their populations. Understanding what they do & why is key for protecting these amazing animals!" Isha #ScientistSpotlight

Our Marine Science Programme focuses on the Indian Ocean region. Projects can focus on specific areas or work all across the region to understand connectivity between locations across this large ocean basin. Find out more about our work here: buff.ly/46OlSFJ

"It is fascinating to explore the sea on a molecular level. Small tissue samples can reveal surprising species and their relationships, which nobody could have guessed just by looking with the naked eye." lankika anjani Blue Resources Trust #ScientistSpotlight

We coordinate a large marine science programme. The #IOMarinSscience programme funds 96 researchers from 24 institutions across 9 countries & collaborates with 36 Indian Ocean regional institutions. The 2023 Impact report is now available to read here - zsl.org/what-we-do/pro… 🧵

We use science to inform conservation action and management. The #iomarinescience programme has published over 175 scientific papers to date. From shark ecology to coral reef health to illegal fishing. Find out more about ⛴ 🌏 Marine Science 🐠 🐟 here - zsl.org/what-we-do/pro…

PhD student Jessica Savage ZSL Science joined an expedition to the central Indian Ocean earlier this year to continue her research on microplastic presence and abundance by taking sand and water samples. Read more about the expedition here marine.science/2024/05/15/mul…

New Nautilus Rewilding issue with the Bertarelli Foundation is out now! #iomarinescience scientists discuss what has been done and what can be done to improve the health of the ocean through rewilding Read here: paperturn-view.com/?pid=ODg8826409 Bertarelli Foundation Nautilus Magazine

Sea turtles hatch with at least two strategies for finding their way pre-programmed into their brains: the movement of waves and the Earth’s magnetic field. nautil.us/how-sea-turtle…