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Anna MacDonald

@annamac.bsky.social

9.9K followers 3K following 190 posts

Uses DNA to study wildlife | plays hockey 🏑 | drinks tea | hikes | adventures with dogs | open heart surgery x2 #conservation #genetics #consgen #eDNA #ecology #Antarctica #biodiversity #seabirds #marsupials #WildOz Live in lutruwita / Tasmania 🇦🇺🇬🇧🏳️‍🌈 she/her

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Reposted by Anna MacDonald

Marine eDNA Dude @marinednadude.bsky.social · 21d

For the first time this Spring, NOAA adopted eDNA into a formal stock assessment of Pacific Hake and this was supported by the Scientific Review Group for the Pacific Fisheries Management Council.

www.fisheries.noaa.gov/s3/2025-03/2...

www.fisheries.noaa.gov

Anna MacDonald @annamac.bsky.social · 23d

“Cheese?”

Portrait of a dog in the kitchen, looking happy and expectant and optimistic that she will get some cheese

Anna MacDonald @annamac.bsky.social · 23d

Gorgeous :)

Anna MacDonald @annamac.bsky.social · 23d

I mean look at this

Anna MacDonald @annamac.bsky.social · 23d

It is her trademark. I think it’s a malamute size tongue in a kelpie size face!

Anna MacDonald @annamac.bsky.social · 23d

A little more dog spam, Sakura and Syra enjoying a forest walk 🐾 🐾
#RescueDog #AdoptDontShop

Two husky type dogs, one wolf grey and one black and white, standing on a train in the forest with green trees behind. Both dogs look happy

Anna MacDonald @annamac.bsky.social · 23d

Our other (slightly younger) old lady Syra is a kelpie-husky-malamute mix and she does like to run with me. Never tried her with a sled but I reckon she’d have been speedy when she was younger!

Anna MacDonald @annamac.bsky.social · 23d

I think she’d have a threshold where she’s just stop and sulk! Never had the heart to test it ;)

Anna MacDonald @annamac.bsky.social · 23d

What a lovely old sled dog. You can see the age and wisdom. Would steal my heart too!

Anna MacDonald @annamac.bsky.social · 23d

Definite similarity :) Sakura is part Labrador though, and always more interested in cheese than running long distances!

Anna MacDonald @annamac.bsky.social · 23d

It’s been a while since I posted some dog spam. Here’s Sakura enjoying the beach 🐾
#RescueDog #AdoptDontShop

A photo of a happy husky-type dog walking along the sand at the beach, with water in the background.

Reposted by Anna MacDonald

Polar Observer @polarobs.bsky.social · 23d

Astronauts on long-duration space missions could benefit from new #Antarctic research trialing ways to measure changes in brain and body function during deployments.

www.antarctica.gov.au/news/2025/as...

Astronauts to benefit from brain tests in Antarctica – Australian Antarctic Program (News 2025)

Astronauts on long-duration space missions could benefit from new Antarctic research trialing ways to measure changes in brain and body function during deployments.

www.antarctica.gov.au

Reposted by Anna MacDonald

Maarten De Brauwer @maartendb.bsky.social · Sep 4

Job opening! CSIRO @csiropublishing.bsky.social is currently hiring 2 #eDNA Postdoctoral Fellowships!

sednasociety.com/2025/09/04/j...

Job opportunities: 2 Postdoctoral Fellowships at CSIRO

CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, is currently recruiting two eDNA Postdoctoral Fellows. Applications close on October 5th. More information and links below. CSIRO Postdoctoral Fell…

sednasociety.com

Reposted by Anna MacDonald

Philipp Bayer @philippbayer.bsky.social · Aug 29

This is great - we a huge need in the #eDNA community to have data-informed standards for eDNA identity cutoffs, not just the bog-standard 97%
besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
For Chordata there is no cutoff that leads to 0% error when assigning species!! (Table S4)

Taxon‐specific BLAST percent identity thresholds for identification of unknown sequences using metabarcoding

The identification of organisms in environmental samples using metabarcoding relies on factors such as taxonomic assignment methods, genetic markers, reference databases and confidence thresholds ...

besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

Reposted by Anna MacDonald

Erin Hahn (she/her) @erinhahn.bsky.social · Jul 16

📣 New paper! 📣

We summarise the outputs of last year's @sednasociety.bsky.social Airborne eDNA Workshop & chart a path for airborne eDNA as a transformative tool for #biodiversity, #biosecurity & #conservation.

🔗 tinyurl.com/4a8vb6ja

#eDNA #airDNA #SeDNAS

Reposted by Anna MacDonald

Justine E. Hausheer @justinehausheer.bsky.social · Jun 19

“Like climate change denialism, invasive species denialism is toxic” and “does a disservice to conservation.” PREACH 🙌💯 #iccb2025

Reposted by Anna MacDonald

Justine Shaw @justineshaw.bsky.social · Jun 19

It's essential to build genetic diversity into the design of protected area. @lausally.bsky.social shares learnings about biodiversity hotspots in Antartcic marine waters informed by genetic data. Supported by @arcsaef.bsky.social #ICCB2025

Reposted by Anna MacDonald

Nat Forsdick @natforsdick.bsky.social · Jun 19

Elize Ng describes the challenges of coordinating #conservation across the East Asian Australasian Flyway. What has been done, and how successful have these actions such as predator control, habitat protection and restoration been? #ICCB2025 🪶

Reposted by Anna MacDonald

Justine Shaw @justineshaw.bsky.social · Jun 19

The use of eDNA to survey invasion risk to Antarctic waters. Frances Perry from @arcsaef.bsky.social @university adelaide explains how ocean environments & ships hull can be sampled simply & easily using eDNA approaches #ICCB2025

Reposted by Anna MacDonald

Society for Conservation Biology Oceania @scboceania.org · Jun 19

Conservation is not a new thing in Melanesia! #ICCB2025

Reposted by Anna MacDonald

Nat Forsdick @natforsdick.bsky.social · Jun 19

Our #ICCB2025 #conservation congress statement from today’s @scboceania.org members meeting: static1.squarespace.com/static/66c56...

static1.squarespace.com

Reposted by Anna MacDonald

Dr. Holly P Jones @dochpjones.bsky.social · Jun 19

Happy World Albatross Day!!

Did you know that the world’s oldest known wild bird is an albatross!?

After her mate disappeared a few years ago, we thought Wisdom, a now 74 year old Laysan Albatross who breeds on Midway Atoll, was done breeding bc they mate for life.

1/2

#ICCB2025
🧪

Dr. Holly P Jones @dochpjones.bsky.social · Jun 16

Have you ever wondered just how big an albatross is?

Wonder no more; meet Jessica Alba, the life-sized albatross! This beauty is for outreach and hauled around by my buddy who works for @birdlifeglobal.bsky.social in the Pacific.

Albatross mate for life, do courtship dances and are majestic!

🧪

Me with a life-sized albatross

Reposted by Anna MacDonald

Damien Huffer @damienhuffer.bsky.social · Jun 19

Next up, Antarctic biosecurity and conservation session. Justine Shaw, QUT and SAEF. Conserving a global commons. What about the non-migratory species, small species, ice-free biodiversity? Threats and management under climate change. @iccb2025.bsky.social #ICCB2025

Anna MacDonald @annamac.bsky.social · Jun 19

Next at #ICCB2025 our symposium on using non-invasive & museum genetic samples for conservation. First up is @kymottewell.bsky.social on using scat DNA for ghost bat individual ID and #consgen. The ghost bat is Australia’s largest carnivorous bat (*bat in photo not to scale!)

Kym Ottewell presenting a slide featuring a large photo of a ghost bat

Reposted by Anna MacDonald

Professor Euan Ritchie @euanritchie.bsky.social · Jun 18

All of this!

Thank you, Amy Van Nice, thank you for speaking truth out loud but also providing hope! #ICCB2025