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Alex O'Brien

@whatalexseas.bsky.social
14 followers 20 following 1 posts

Marine Researcher and Conservationist: studying my happy place!

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Reef Conservation UK (RCUK) @reefconservationuk.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
We are pleased to announce that the RCUK 2026 Conference abstract portal is now open!! We are welcoming submissions across the following themes: 1. Ecology, behaviour & physiology 2. Conservation & management 3. Emerging tools and modelling Descriptions for these can be found on the portal
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Alex O'Brien @whatalexseas.bsky.social · 17/12/2025
A huge amount of work goes into bringing RCUK together every year, and it was great to be part of the organising committee for this round! Grateful to everyone who contributed, presented, and kept the momentum through the weekend. See you all at the next one!
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Reposted by Alex O'Brien
Reef Conservation UK (RCUK) @reefconservationuk.bsky.social · 12/12/2025
Huge thanks to everyone who made RCUK 2025 a success! We welcomed 120 delegates to Bangor University, with inspiring plenaries, workshops, 20 talks and 31 posters. Congratulations to our student prize winners, and thanks to PeerJ & ICRS for support. See you in London for RCUK 2026!! 🪸🐠
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Reef Conservation UK (RCUK) @reefconservationuk.bsky.social · 21/11/2025
Plenary Speaker 2 Announcement! We’re excited to welcome Dr Melita Samoilys (CORDIO East Africa) as our second plenary speakers for Reef Conservation UK 2025 🪸 Join us in Bangor, Wales on 6th December 2025 Tickets are now live: lnkd.in/ej8FMub3 REGISTRATION ENDS 30th NOVEMBER 2025!!!
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Reef Conservation UK (RCUK) @reefconservationuk.bsky.social · 12/11/2025
Plenary Speaker Announcement! We’re excited to welcome Professor Chris Perry (University of Exeter) as one of our plenary speakers for Reef Conservation UK 2025 🪸 Take a look at a brief overview of his research and an outline of his talk below. Tickets are now live: my.zsl.org/reefconserva...
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Reef Conservation UK (RCUK) @reefconservationuk.bsky.social · 13/09/2025
📣 Abstract Submission Deadline Extended! Great news for reefsearchers and students interested in reef conservation, the deadline to submit your abstract for the 2025 Reef Conservation UK Conference has been extended to Thursday, 19th September at 2 PM! Submit your abstract here: lnkd.in/eNVygyra
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Sal Keith (she/her) @salkeith.bsky.social · 15/09/2025
Field of view affects damselfish anti-predator responses BUT other metrics of structural complexity do not. Implications for how we measure structure & predict its effects academic.oup.com/beheco/advan... @jamesboon.bsky.social is on fire today! @lec-reefs.bsky.social @envisiondtp.bsky.social
academic.oup.com
Site-level variation in field of view is associated with altered anti-predator responses in farming damselfish
The structure of a habitat affects how animals respond to predators. By recording the anti-predator behaviour of reef fish at sites with different levels o
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Cat Sheppard @sheppardcat.bsky.social · 04/09/2025
Third paper from my PhD at @lancasteruni.bsky.social out now. Territorial farming damselfish are more aggressive to smaller neighbours than strangers @envisiondtp.bsky.social #fishinbottles #angrydamsels #nastyneighbours link.springer.com/article/10.1...
link.springer.com
Familiarity mediated by body size predicts intraspecific aggression in farming damselfishes - Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology
Abstract Aggressive territoriality can have significant benefits for resource acquisition yet is a costly behaviour. Selection should therefore favour mechanisms that allow individuals to modify their...
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Sal Keith (she/her) @salkeith.bsky.social · 15/09/2025
New PAPER shows greater depths NOT correlated with more stable communities on Caribbean reefs, contrary to expectations. Led by @jamesboon.bsky.social link.springer.com/article/10.1... @lec-reefs.bsky.social @envisiondtp.bsky.social @opwallscience.bsky.social
link.springer.com
Deeper Caribbean reef fish communities show greater taxonomic and functional change in dominance structure over a nine-year period - Coral Reefs
Fish communities at greater depths on a reef are thought to be less affected by disturbances that more strongly impact shallower areas. As a result, these deeper communities might be expected to show ...
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environmentjob @environmentjob.co.uk · 15/09/2025
environmentjob.co.uk
Care Farm Education & Wellbeing Officer
Wiltshire Wildlife Trust, Oaksey, Malmesbury, Wiltshire, £14,385 - £15,004 depending on experience
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Reef Conservation UK (RCUK) @reefconservationuk.bsky.social · 09/09/2025
🌊 Final call for all reef scientists, conservationists, and enthusiasts! 🌊 Abstract submissions are CLOSING SOON! 📅 Deadline: FRIDAY, 12th September 2025 📅 Conference: 6th December 2025 🔗 Submit your abstract and find all the details here: www.reefconservationuk.org/rcuk-2025.html
reefconservationuk.org
RCUK 2025
Thank you for your interest in RCUK 2025! Abstract submissions for this year's conference are open ( go h ere )!!! ​​ This year we are excited to be taking RCUK on the road again to Bangor...
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Reef Conservation UK (RCUK) @reefconservationuk.bsky.social · 24/07/2025
🚨 Abstract submissions for Reef Conservation UK 2025 are now OPEN! 🚨 We’re inviting abstracts for: 📊 Presentations (12 minutes) ⚡ Speed Talks (5 minutes) 📜 Posters 🗓️ Deadline for submissions: 12th September 2025 🔗 lnkd.in/e3maGC3q 💙 Stay connected with us here or on LinkedIn shorturl.at/gfWW9
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Reef Conservation UK (RCUK) @reefconservationuk.bsky.social · 28/05/2025
A huge thank-you to the team at Bangor University’s School of Ocean Sciences for kindly hosting the event!
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Reef Conservation UK (RCUK) @reefconservationuk.bsky.social · 28/05/2025
🪸 Announcing RCUK 2025! 🪸 📅 Saturday December 6th 2025 (With workshops Friday 5th @ 1 pm) 📍 Bangor University’s main campus Main Arts Lecture Theatre & Prichard-Jones Hall Call for abstracts opens in July – further details over the coming months. More info: www.reefconservationuk.org #RCUK2025
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Operation Wallacea @opwall.bsky.social · 24/04/2025
Check out our new blog by @whatalexseas.bsky.social which showcases the exciting research by Tanaya et al 2025. Their new research shows that corals recover faster on artificial reefs after bleaching than on natural reefs! 🪸 www.opwall.com/article/bene...
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Opwall Science @opwallscience.bsky.social · 08/02/2025
@whatalexseas.bsky.social giving a superb talk on how citizen science projects can contribute to marine conservation outcomes at the inaugural Ocean Advocate Summit in Bristol last week.
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Sal Keith (she/her) @salkeith.bsky.social · 11/02/2025
FULLY FUNDED PHD on using #AI to explore the effects of global change on ecological functions of biological colour. Only 6 days left to apply! www.exageo.org/apply/ With me, Chris Cooney (Sheff Uni) @chris-nemeth.bsky.social & David Roy (UKCEH) based at @lec-reefs.bsky.social @dsilu.bsky.social
exageo.org
Apply – ExaGEO DLA
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Opwall Science @opwallscience.bsky.social · 23/01/2025
New paper out last month pooling standardized reef monitoring data from across the globe (including our research site on Hoga, Indonesia) to examine state shifts in reef ecosystems. Results show concerning shifts from reefs dominated by hard corals to more algae-dominated reefs: shorturl.at/4v7dV
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Opwall Science @opwallscience.bsky.social · 22/01/2025
Very pleased to participate in the first Ocean Advocacy Summit in Bristol soon, where Alex O’Brien & Catherine Edsell will discuss the importance of citizen science in marine conservation. The summit is on 1st Feb - you can find more here: ocean-advocate.org/ocean-advoca...
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