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Lodewijk van Walraven @lodewijkw.bsky.social · 26/09/2024

For the #LEGO #SHIPtember build challenge (build a 100+ stud length spaceship in September) I built Deep Space Scavenging Vessel Oithona: a copepod-inspired spaceship in #UFO style! It uses about 2500 parts. #MOC

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Lodewijk van Walraven @lodewijkw.bsky.social · 25/09/2024

In addition to the copepod I also built a #LEGO crab larva (zoea)! #plankton #MOC What plankton organism should I build next?

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Lodewijk van Walraven @lodewijkw.bsky.social · 24/09/2024

Finally built the #LEGO #copepod I designed in Studio! Especially like the look of the Ninjago swords and scythes for mouthparts and legs. #plankton #MOC

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Lodewijk van Walraven @lodewijkw.bsky.social · 04/07/2024

This female Japanese shore crab in the Wadden Sea was busy releasing her babies into the water! You can see the tiny zoea larvae being released into the plankton where they will live for several weeks and many will be eaten. The few survivors settle on the bottom again.

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Lodewijk van Walraven @lodewijkw.bsky.social · 04/07/2024

We saw a wide range of fish species during our dive in the Wadden Sea off #Texel such as tompot blenny, whiting, rock gunnel, longspined bullhead, fivebeard rockling and even a seabass!

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Lodewijk van Walraven @lodewijkw.bsky.social · 03/07/2024

The huge mussel spatfall in the Wadden Sea caused a feeding frenzy of sea stars and crabs! Likely within a few weeks most of the mussels will be eaten or washed away by the tides.

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Lodewijk van Walraven @lodewijkw.bsky.social · 03/07/2024

Diving in the Wadden Sea is rarely possible because of the extremely turbid conditions, but last week we could finally dive again due to very calm conditions. We discovered that every available surface was covered by a thick layer of juvenile mussels "seed"!

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Lodewijk van Walraven @lodewijkw.bsky.social · 07/02/2024

Interested in pursuing a PhD in zooplankton ecology? We have three PhD positions available! The PhDs will study different aspects of zooplankton ecology in a changing North Sea, based at NIOZ with additional supervision by us at WMR. Info: workingat.nioz.nl/o/...

workingat.nioz.nl

Three PhD positions: North Sea Zooplankton Dynamics

Three job opportunities at Royal NIOZ: We are looking for three enthusiastic PhD candidates (4 years) within the MonZooSS project to study the functioning of zooplankton in a changing North Sea THE I

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Lodewijk van Walraven @lodewijkw.bsky.social · 19/12/2023

This week we @WURmarine are trialing the use of the Plankton Imager on RV Tridens during the ICES herring larvae survey in the English Channel. Continuous sampling of zooplankton composition at 1000s of images per min. First images look great! #Plankton #MarineLife.

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Lodewijk van Walraven @lodewijkw.bsky.social · 29/11/2023

The Norway Lobster Nephrops norvegicus also has planktonic larvae which grow quite big before settling. They are instantly recognisable because of their huge spoiler-like telson! #Plankton #MarineLife

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Reposted by Lodewijk van Walraven

Todd Oakley @ostratodd.bsky.social · 29/11/2023

Beautifully written piece in the NYT about the latest paper from @nikohensley.bsky.social describing incredible and coordinated blue-waves of bioluminescence in Panamá #evolution 🧪🦑 #invertebrate www.nytimes.com/2023/11/28/s...

nytimes.com

These Underwater Fireworks Are From ‘Sea Fireflies’ Looking for Mates

Tiny crustaceans the size of sand grains sneeze up packets of glowing mucus to impress potential partners.

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Lodewijk van Walraven @lodewijkw.bsky.social · 28/11/2023

When the barnacle larva transforms into its final stage, the cypris larva, it is ready to settle. It swims around sniffing for other barnacles and a nice rock to settle on. Once found it glues itself to the rock and is stuck forever! #Plankton #MarineLife

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Reposted by Lodewijk van Walraven

Jeff Day @jeffday.bsky.social · 28/11/2023

yooo, new true jelly (scyphozoa) dropped! santjordia pagesi, based on two specimens collected 8 years apart from the sumisu caldera south of japan. genetic analysis places it in the ulmaridae family but it's unique enough to merit its own subfamily. 🧪🦑 mapress.com/zt/article/v...

mapress.com

A new subfamily of ulmarid scyphomedusae, the Santjordiinae, with a description of Santjordia p...

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Lodewijk van Walraven @lodewijkw.bsky.social · 27/11/2023

Barnacles have larvae in the plankton as well! The nauplius larva reveals their crustacean origin - it looks similar to the copepod nauplius larva but can be recognised by the two "horns" and the way it swims rowing its appendages. #Plankton #MarineLife

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Lodewijk van Walraven @lodewijkw.bsky.social · 26/11/2023

Phyllosoma larvae are quite rare in the plankton and I only found a few, like this one I found on a Mediterranean holiday. Here imaged using an old school (100+years) microscopic illumination technique called Rheinberg Illumination. #Plankton #MarineLife

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Lodewijk van Walraven @lodewijkw.bsky.social · 25/11/2023

Perhaps the weirdest and coolest crustacean larvae are the thin, flat and transparent Phyllosoma larvae of spiny lobsters, slipper lobsters and relatives. They can often be seen riding on- and eating jellyfish! #plankton #MarineLife

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Lodewijk van Walraven @lodewijkw.bsky.social · 24/11/2023

After moulting a few times as zoea larva the crabs enter their final larval stage; the megalopa which already looks like a tiny adult crab, which will settle on the seafloor. These crab larvae are voraceous predators of the plankton! #plankton #MarineLife

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Lodewijk van Walraven @lodewijkw.bsky.social · 23/11/2023

This is the cutest crab larva of all: the larva of the pea crab Pinnotheres pisum! It has only small spines and is already as round as the adults. #plankton #MarineLife

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Lodewijk van Walraven @lodewijkw.bsky.social · 22/11/2023

Here is another zoea larva of a brackish water crab ( Rhithropanopeus harrisii). This one has super long spines! #plankton #MarineLife

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Lodewijk van Walraven @lodewijkw.bsky.social · 21/11/2023

Crustaceans such as crabs, shrimp and even barnacles often have a larval stage in the plankton. These can have bizarre shapes! This is a zoea stage larva of a crab, which has long spines to decrease its chance of being eaten by predators. #plankton #MarineLife

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Lodewijk van Walraven @lodewijkw.bsky.social · 21/11/2023

Many bottom dwelling organisms like crabs, worms, sea stars and barnacles have larval stages in the plankton. Carried by currents the larvae can be transported to other areas. Often the larval stage does not look like the adult at all! Can you guess which is which? #MarineLife

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Lodewijk van Walraven @lodewijkw.bsky.social · 20/11/2023

I am a marine biologist studying zooplankton using innovative tools like in-situ imaging devices and genetics. In my spare time I like to spend hours at the microscope to capture images of the beautiful and bizzarre planktonic creatures. I'll try to share an image every day!

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Lodewijk van Walraven @lodewijkw.bsky.social · 18/11/2023

I created a short film showing the diversity and beauty of the zooplankton! It shows examples from a wide range of taxa from copepods to the weirdest larvae. Watch full version in beautiful 4K! Youtube: youtu.be/2OtAV6T2SLg Vimeo: vimeo.com/755893528

vimeo.com

ZOOPLANKTONIC - plankton diversity

This short film shows the diversity and beauty of the organisms that make up the zooplankton. It shows examples of organisms from a wide range of taxa, both holoplankton…

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