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Fiona Chong

@fchong.bsky.social

49 followers 140 following 9 posts

I like measuring nature. Thinking about high latitude reefs, populations and communities.

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Fiona Chong @fchong.bsky.social · 16d

Beautiful south coast of NSW

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Reposted by Fiona Chong

Maarten De Brauwer @maartendb.bsky.social · May 27

Curious about what lives in NSW (Australia) estuaries?

We established a new open access baseline with more than 10,000 taxa for >250 sites using #eDNA methods.

Short summary online today with links to video and a site map

theconversation.com/from-surpris...

@sednasociety.bsky.social

From surprise platypus to wandering cane toads, here’s what we found hiding in NSW estuaries

Researchers worked with Indigenous Rangers to map life in 34 estuaries across NSW using environmental DNA - and made a host of unexpected discoveries.

theconversation.com

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Fiona Chong @fchong.bsky.social · Apr 23

And I learnt that #NewCaledonia is one of the few places in the world where Nautiluses are found in the shallows. And it's also in the emblem of NC.

A Nautilus shell, a flèche faîtière through tutut shells and an Araucaria pine

Fiona Chong @fchong.bsky.social · Apr 23

It's certainly not everyday that we see a #Nautilus in the wild, with our own eyes. But today was the day! Here it was hanging out in the lagoon, in less than 5m of water, with its own Chrysiptera taupou (Southseas devil) friend.

A nautilus chilling under a Montipora coral with a C. taupou hiding behind its shell

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Fiona Chong @fchong.bsky.social · Apr 8

All this is made better and even more fun by excellent colleagues on the survey team Dom Muenzel @bioscienceleeds.bsky.social and Brian Stockwell from Uni South Pacific. Here they are as handsome underwater models.

Two divers hanging out in the lagoon with beautiful visibility. Brian S in front, Dom M slightly to the back.

Fiona Chong @fchong.bsky.social · Apr 8

We are surveying entire communities in the outer #reefs and the lagoons - doing UVCs, benthic photo transects and eDNA. This gives us a really comprehensive picture of the diversity and abundance reef life here.

A white tip reef shark gliding above white sand and small coral bommies, in a lagoon

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Fiona Chong @fchong.bsky.social · Apr 2

We are onboard the French RV ANTEA for the next 3.5wks to explore the beautiful #reefs of Nouvelle Caledonie on the NSF-NERC funded DisKer project: Resolving dispersal kernels 🐠🚢🌏🌊. Day 1 of dives today! Watch this space. @mariabeger.bsky.social @bioscienceleeds.bsky.social

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Reposted by Fiona Chong

Faculty of Biological Sciences @bioscienceleeds.bsky.social · Mar 3

Congratulations to Prof. @mariabeger.bsky.social who has won a Water Woman Award from water@leeds.

Not only has Maria secured competitive grants and driven research impact, she also consistently fosters an inclusive research culture 👏

biologicalsciences.leeds.ac.uk/biological-s...

Professor Maria Beger smiles at the camera.

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Fiona Chong @fchong.bsky.social · Feb 26

Clare... Such kind words, thank you! 💖💖💖

Fiona Chong @fchong.bsky.social · Feb 26

Pinch me!!! Massive thanks to awesome (and long-suffering) supervisors Domino and @mariabeger.bsky.social !!! Also to the chair Africa Gomez and examiners Gal Eyal, Mati Patel for reading my thesis and asking interesting questions. @eeiathull.bsky.social

Domino Joyce @domino-joyce.fishsci.com.ap.brid.gy · Feb 26

Congratulations Fiona on passing your viva (with no corrections! 🙀 ) #coral #academicchatter #reef #scuba #greatbarrierreef #okinawa #nerc

Fiona taking a selfie with examiners Matishalin Patel and Gal Eyal on a screen via Zoom and chair Africa Gomez.

Fiona holding a congratulatory chocolate cake with a mock up of the figure from one of her papers made of sweets

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Fiona Chong @fchong.bsky.social · Feb 18

Here so early that I can use my preferred username!!!