Phoebe Chapman
@phoebechapman.bsky.social
🇦🇺 in 🇳🇿 at Uni of Otago using genomic approaches to explore diversity, microbes and parasites primarily in aquatic/marine ecosystems. Variously an ecologist, wildlife wrangler/photographer, diver/hiker/skier/etc 🐧 🐢 🐸 🧬 🌊 🏳️🌈 http://phoebeachapman.github.io
The work we did with kākāpō is now not possible because the govt has said that our funding should go to science that makes money. Members of our current govt have said that if an endangered species is in the way of a mine or a new road then it’s goodbye #nzpol peterkdearden.substack.com/p/on-kakapo
on Kākāpō
and extinction
peterkdearden.substack.com
If there’s one thing I miss about Aus (other than a Brisbane summer storm) it’s the smell of flowering wattle.
Bushbark@bushbark.bsky.social · 2mo agoSmells as wonderful as it looks. Wattle. #BloomScrolling #ausSky 🌿
I've sometimes wondered if there are additional reasons why bacteria thrive inside mammal guts, and this is a fascinating answer to that question. 👀
Kevin Forsberg@kvnforsberg.bsky.social · 2mo agoHumans and bacteria share strategies to defend against viruses. We wondered: could they use each other's genes? Yes, both can! Bacteria can use human immune genes to defend against phages AND Human cells can use bacterial genes for viral defense. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Our paper is out! 📣 we find that molecular measures of genetic variation do not predict heritable genetic variation across species - important implications for the application of genomic data for conservation! www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Nucleotide diversity is a poor predictor of short-term adaptive potential | PNAS
The capacity to adapt is essential for a population to avoid extinction in a changing world and is recognized as a global conservation priority. Ad...
pnas.org
What contributes to the occurrence of disease-like blemishes in bull kelp in New Zealand? In this project led by superstar student Sabine de Klein, we surveyed and modelled blemish numbers in Durvillaea poha beds with respect various environmental factors. 🧪🦑🐙
Environmental and anthropogenic stressors may influence the prevalence of disease-like phenotypes in an intertidal kelp
The effects of climate change and human pollution on ecosystems worldwide are becoming increasingly apparent and are expected to increase disease susc…
sciencedirect.com
H5 strain of bird flu on Heard Island? Samples are yet to be tested. "The majority of mortalities were detected in elephant seal pups and in a small number of adults." — Dr Julie McInnes, wildlife ecologist with AAD and @imas-utas.bsky.social ▶️ www.abc.net.au/news/2025-10... 📸 Matt Curnock
The last paper from our project looking at the link between skin bacteria and a tadpole’s ability to regenerate its tail. A good summary in @frogsquisher.bsky.social’s comments!
Caroline Beck@frogsquisher.bsky.social · 10mo agoThe last chapter of our RSNZ Marsden funded work on the microbiome and regeneration is out in Developmental Dynamics 🧪🐸🦠🧫https://anatomypubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/dvdy.70088 @phoebechapman.bsky.social
Parasite extinctions in threatened species may be far more prevalent than previous estimates suggest. Our new study of kākāpō dung spanning from ~1,500 years ago to present, finds >80% of parasite species were lost as the host species declined.
Long-term parasite decline associated with near extinction and conservation of the critically endangered kākāpō parrot
Boast et al. analyze a unique fecal record of the endangered kākāpō parrot to reveal >800 years of changing parasite communities. Parasite losses occur during the species’ decline to near extinction a...
cell.com
You want to collect insects (and maybe other arthropods) for reference genome sequencing, but don't want to spend a fortune on dry ice shipping! All you gotta do is SQUISH. THAT. BUG! More details in our recent preprint: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Everyone knows about AMOC but have you heard about SMOC?! Stand by for extreme penguinity! www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Ocean current scientists are very upset and you should be too | First Dog on the Moon
It’s bad news for the Antarctic sea ice and everyone who relies on it being there (everyone)
theguardian.com
Saw this somewhere on the socials today, seems… relevant.
Better late than never for #worldpenguinday and #superseabirdsunday! Deadpan Gentoo had enough of my photography crap I reckon #marinelife 🦑 #birds 🪶
My nightmare in #eDNA is to detect a rare or threatened species that turns out to be a false positive, so we set out to evaluate some of the commonly used taxonomic classifiers. The results are finally out: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.... 1/3
A Comprehensive Evaluation of Taxonomic Classifiers in Marine Vertebrate eDNA Studies
Environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding is a widely used tool for surveying marine vertebrate biodiversity. To this end, many computational tools have been released and a plethora of bioinformatic app...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
Plastic pollution along Australia’s coastline has dropped by more than a third over the last decade. Researchers recorded a 39% decrease in coastal debris density and a 16% increase in areas with “no plastic debris at all.” www.sbs.com.au/news/podcast...
Australia making a dent in plastic packaging pollution on coastlines, CSIRO finds
Plastic pollution along Australia’s coastline has dropped by more than a third over the last decade. That’s according to new research from Australia’s national science agency CSIRO, published in the M...
sbs.com.au
For this week’s #superseabirdsunday - hoiho / yellow-eyed penguin, Enderby Island #seabird #birds 🪶 #naturephotography #penguin #newzealand
If you’re new here, welcome. Our Antarctica Nudist Colony Government was formed after Seal hunters left our land around 1920. We occasionally allow scientists to study our 29 mammals, multiple seabirds, and limited flora, but have no permanent human settlement. Australia partially protects us 1/2
Even when it's just the two of them, in an otherwise empty Oval office, Trump and Musk still aren't the smartest guys in the room.
Three Southern Royal albatross sharing a juicy piece of gossip on Enderby Island (NZ sub-Antarctic) #seabirds #superseabirdsunday #marinelife #wildlifephotography #naturephotography #birds
A bit of Saturday science - our new paper out this week is the first published record of a myxozoan parasite in Murray River turtles (Emydura macquarii) in Australia @vgonzaleza.bsky.social #parasitology 🪱 #herpetology #turtle 🐢
Renal myxosporidiosis by an unknown Bivalvulidan myxozoan parasite in Murray River turtles (Emydura macquarii) in Australia
This case series provides the first published record of a myxozoan parasite in Murray River turtles (Emydura macquarii) in Australia. Thirteen turtles…
sciencedirect.com
Not much a skua won’t fight over. Enderby Island, sub-Antarctic New Zealand #birds #marinelife #seabirds #birdphotography
Back from two weeks aboard the HMNZS Canterbury as one of the scientists on the 2025 Blake Expedition to the NZ sub-Antarctic Islands. Will progressively drop photos and commentary here as I go through them #marinelife #naturephotography #sealion #pinniped
2025 Blake Expedition on Operation Endurance with the NZ Navy. Off to the sub-Antarctic Campbell and Auckland Islands to do some sciencing and inspire the next generation!
