Our Q&A article on inbreeding for conservation is out in BMC Biology! We discuss some important key concepts related to inbreeding in the light of new genomic tools and what it means for conservation when we want to improve species survival. #consgen bmcbiol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10....

Great stuff!

A particular concern for modern coral conservation practices!

Last paper of the year! A new nudibranch species as a result of exploring the feeding ecology of hydroid feeding nudis in Thailand! Since I started this work almost 10 years ago, there's finally been some trickling of global nudi ecology research which is great! Link in comments #MarineEcology 🌐🌏🌊🦑

An all-too-common interaction I've had: Scientist: Our research can help shape policy to protect this endangered animal. Me: Neat! How? What policy? What is it now, and what should it be instead? Scientist: Uhhhhh..... Our new paper can help! www.southernfriedscience.com/shark-scient... 🧪🦑🌍🦈

Hot off the press, our work on reviewing one of the most taxonomically complex group of scleractinian corals, based on new records from Thailand. This investigation is the precursor to a couple of rather interesting ecological findings (coming soon 😉). rdcu.be/ePm3r #MarineBiodiversity 🦑🌏🪸🌊

I am pleased to announce the publication of the most extensive assessment of the coral reefs of Thailand conducted to date! This took years of work, but we are now placed for conservation action to embrace the nuances and complexity of reef ecosystems! Link in the comments! #MarineEcology 🌐🌏🪸🌊🦑

In a 2020 #ScienceReview, researchers investigated how systematic racist practices such as residential segregation have led to an unequal distribution of “nature” within cities. Learn more on #WorldHabitatDay: https://scim.ag/3KQnEir

As we prepare for the follow-up study on the impact of discarded fishing gear on #marinelife I wanted to throw back to this great article by @mongabay.com on our work studying this issue (link in the comments). Slowly disentangling this problem across the region🦑 news.mongabay.com/2025/01/unde...

Our next paper from this year is the first-of-its-kind for Thailand! A multidisciplinary look into the bridge between SCUBA tourism, biodiversity, economics, taxonomy and awareness. Marine biodiversity valuations can guide funding and policy! #MarineBiodiversity 🦑🌐🌏🪸🌊 www.mdpi.com/3042-4658/2/...

A new scorpion species is described from Thailand's Doi Phu Kha National Park. Find out more about it here: doi.org/10.3897/zook... #ecology #scorpions #taxonomy

In an unconscionable decision, the Smithsonian Institute has decided to no longer support the Biodiversity Heritage Library from 1 Jan 2026. Please someone step up and take it over.

Our newest paper just out: Coral recruits and juveniles on artificial substrates differ in their competitive capacity in comparison to their mature reef counterparts! We focused on a single area, so would love to see if the same trends are found elsewhere! Link in the comments! #MarineEcology 🌐🌏🪸🌊

We have just finished reviewing our 2024 data for Tao Talay Aow Thai, the largest sea turtle citizen science program in Thailand! Our trend of observations continued to grow, largely driven by areas with the greatest SCUBA diving activity and resident turtle populations. tinyurl.com/y433r466 🌐🌏🐢🌊

Next stop in our coral connectivity project at ATMEC is the western Gulf of Thailand! This time, the team were able confirm a synchronized coral spawning event with more than 50 corals from 7 genera along with their dispersal patterns. Exciting updates coming soon! 🌐🌏#MarineEcology

Check out the brand new portal for the Biodiversity Literature Repository! www.biolitrepo.org, hosted by Zenodo @cern.bsky.social @plazi-species.bsky.social @gbif.org @sib.swiss

For context, the Great Barrier Reef has more than a million hectares of coral reef habitat.

A new study by @alexpigot.bsky.social and colleagues reveals the critical role of biodiversity in the functioning of ecosystems. @uclcber.bsky.social www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

🚨 NEW paper 🚨 🐠Coral reef nightlife becomes more predatory with light pollution💡 My first publication from my @thefsbi.bsky.social PhD at @bristolbiosci.bsky.social is out TODAY in @globalchangebio.bsky.social! onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/... 🧵(1/6)

Fossil evidence confirms that the Indian (Rhinoceros unicornis) and Sundaic (Rhinoceros sondaicus)rhinoceroses evolved independently over a long period of time, and the differences between them reflect deep evolutionary adaptations, a new ZooKeys study found.

Vertebrates receive 82.9% of conservation funding, according to a study of @IUCN data, with large-bodied mammals receiving the largest shares. Algae and fungi received less than 0.2% of funding. The authors call for this bias to be addressed. In PNAS: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

Our latest paper just out! After almost a decade of monitoring, we find growing evidence of community distinction and change in 21st century coral recruits when compared to their mature reef counterparts. A rare work looking into succession on reefs and more! Paper: rdcu.be/ebLaw #MarineEcology 🌐

We programmed a crawler to search open web marketplaces for every animal on the IUCN red list. Nearly 2/3 of our matches were shark jaws, comprising 9 of the top 10 openly traded threatened species. A glimpse of the global trophy trade of endangered sharks: 🌏 🦑 🧪 🧵 urldefense.com/v3/__https:/...

Huge analysis out as a preprint today! For every 9 years an animal spends in the wildlife trade, it shares an additional pathogen with humans. Clear long-term impacts based on 40 years of global trade data 🧪😷 biorxiv.org/content/earl...

If this hasn't been shared around already, this work reinforces what evidence-based conservation has already been saying. Within the world of coral reefs, there are a large number of 'conservation' practices that make this particular issue worse, not better. www.nature.com/articles/s41...

New article written about our paper on the MARsCI program to study ecological impacts of discarded fishing gear in Thailand. As always, we're happy to have ATMEC acknowledged in our efforts to improve biodiversity conservation and research in Thailand! #marineconservation 🌏🐠🐡🦀🦈 tinyurl.com/ym45sr5p

Every year, there is an uproar in Thailand about the growing spikes in air pollution. Public outcry in Thailand is sometimes enough to drive action by the powers that be. Alas on this, what is the cost of 'progress'? This morning, Thailand sits in a neat bubble connecting China and India. #Pollution

"What even are subspecies, these neither-this-nor-that intermediates, these creatures caught between binomials, like actors surprised mid-costume change?" I wrote about Noah's ark, wrens, ruddy ducks and Booming Ben, for @aeon.co. aeon.co/essays/the-c...

Our first Funk lecture of the new year is tomorrow! For more information and to register please visit our website: www.biogeography.org/news/news/gh...

Weekend spent starting a big new chapter for Thai coral reef science, big things to come over the next two years! This is what collaboration looks like, in the field and the lab! #Fieldwork #Marinebiology #DMCR #ATMEC

What is a #biome? 🌳🌲🌱 How can we delineate past, present and future biomes, despite the patchy and incomplete data we have on the distribution of nature on Earth? 🌍🌐 Our review 👉 doi.org/10.1002/ecm.... 🧪 #ecology #biogeography #paleoecology #climate #vegetation #FunctionalTraits

How do animals compensate for trait loss? In beetles, symbiosis is a consistent strategy. Where the repeated loss of endogenous digestive enzymes is offset by functionally convergent symbioses: www.cell.com/current-biol... Excited to share our latest, out today in @currentbiology.bsky.social!

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As a sci journo, part of my job is interrogating research to make sure I report on sound science. Ten years ago that meant checking researchers against retractions list, checking stats and methods. Today, I have to answer questions like "are these researchers real?" and "is this all bullshit?"

A taxonomic inventory of faunal diversity at the methane seeps on the Pacific margin of Costa Rica: doi.org/10.3897/zook... #biodiversity #biogeography #ecology @etilic.bsky.social

Often coral reef conservation and science discourse with policy makers (particularly in SE Asia) is mired in the usual swamp of saving face. How refreshing then it was this week to participate in a collaborative movement to do something new and evidence-based in reef conservation. More to come.

electron microscope image of a coriander leaf

Started the year with micro-morphology for nerdy taxonomy #2 - Micro-CT scanning of some upcoming (new?) species. Huge thanks to staff at the STREC @ Chulalongkorn University for technical expertise and @elm00.bsky.social for nerd support! #microscopy #microCT #marinebiodiversity #whosthatpokemon

A new study led by Scripps Oceanography researchers sheds light on the evolutionary magic behind the evolution of anglerfish. From their glowing lures to their bizarre mating habits, these deep-sea fish are a testament to the wonders of adaptation. Discover how these creatures thrive in the deep.

Yesterday marked 10 years since my first academic publication. Despite being a decade later, I'm about to start a new adventure back into synchronised spawning. Just a reminder that the Venn diagram between careers in the ecological sciences and the adult film industry may never truly disappear.

1/ Some scientists hold back from engaging in advocacy for fear it'll harm public trust in science - but new research from @colognaviktoria.bsky.social and colleagues shows the opposite can happen 🧵

Mei Lin's work in Singapore has long been an inspiration for many of our recent and upcoming work in Thailand

Ending the year with micro-morphology for nerdy taxonomy #1 - Scanning Electron Microscopy never gets old @ Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai! ps: Any Diatom people around? We're finding a lot of funky stuff..