Graeme Cumming
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gscumming.bsky.social
Graeme Cumming
@gscumming.bsky.social
5.5K followers 1.4K following 320 posts

Ecologist of the frontiers... Prof at University of Western Australia & posting on ecology, conservation, academic life.

Videos
Environmental science 60%
Geography 15%
Posts Replies Media Videos

gscumming.bsky.social
Graeme Cumming @gscumming.bsky.social · 3h
ah the joys of evolution... this is the kind of beast that got me hooked on biology 🤩
nantanreikan.bsky.social Doug Aoki @nantanreikan.bsky.social · 5h
Barreleye fish.

Reposted by Graeme S. Cumming

nantanreikan.bsky.social
Doug Aoki @nantanreikan.bsky.social · 5h
Barreleye fish.

gscumming.bsky.social
Graeme Cumming @gscumming.bsky.social · 2d
Sugarloaf Rock in WA is a secure breeding spot for locally endangered red-tailed tropicbirds.

gscumming.bsky.social
Graeme Cumming @gscumming.bsky.social · 2d
One thing about Australia is it has incredible public infrastructure. This is at sugarloaf rock, near Cape Naturaliste in WA.
Picture shows a bright orange lifesaving ring fastened to a rock in a remote spot

Reposted by Graeme S. Cumming

natcomms.nature.com
Nature Communications @natcomms.nature.com · 2d
New study uses #satellite records and shows that #SouthernOcean #phytoplankton responds in contrasting ways to marine #heatwaves and #cold spells. The impacts vary sharply by region, exposing distinct #ecological sensitivity to #climate -driven extremes. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Extreme temperature events reshuffle the ecological landscape of the Southern Ocean - Nature Communications
Satellite records reveal that Southern Ocean phytoplankton responds in contrasting ways to marine heatwaves and cold spells. These opposing impacts vary sharply by region, exposing distinct ecological...
www.nature.com

Reposted by Graeme S. Cumming

trevorabranch.bsky.social
Trevor A. Branch @trevorabranch.bsky.social · 2d
The Hallucigenia of sharks.
romtoronto.bsky.social Royal Ontario Museum @romtoronto.bsky.social · 2d
The Helicoprion puzzled scientists for years, who couldn't figure out where to place its spiral-shaped jaw loaded with teeth.

Dr. Nathan Lujan (Curator of Fishes) @potamophile.bsky.social sheds some light on this mysterious, extinct shark. Learn more at Sharks, on now through March 22!

Reposted by Graeme S. Cumming

whysharksmatter.bsky.social
David Shiffman, Ph.D. 🦈 @whysharksmatter.bsky.social · 6d
Marine protected areas aren’t in the right places to safeguard dolphins and whales in the South Atlantic
Marine protected areas aren’t in the right places to safeguard dolphins and whales in the South Atlantic
Despite Brazil’s recent expansions of protected areas, research shows that the favorite habitats of whales and dolphins are still threatened by human activities.
theconversation.com

Reposted by Graeme S. Cumming

c0nc0rdance.bsky.social
c0nc0rdance @c0nc0rdance.bsky.social · 7d
It's hard to grasp how large this grouper is until you see it in comparison to the ship's toilet on the left.

This appears to be an Atlantic goliath grouper or 'itajara' (Epinephelus itajara). They can reach 800 lbs (350 kg) & 8 feet long (2.5 m)

Let's talk about these gentle giants.

gscumming.bsky.social
Graeme Cumming @gscumming.bsky.social · 8d
And no Octopus is not Orlando’s little brother, sorry

gscumming.bsky.social
Graeme Cumming @gscumming.bsky.social · 8d
Nice example of how ecological variability doesn’t play nicely with human economic systems. Climate change will increase this variability further.
thembauk.bsky.social The Marine Biological Association @thembauk.bsky.social · 9d
Octopus numbers exploded around the UK’s south-west coast in 2025 – a new report explores this rare phenomenon

Great write up in @uk.theconversation.com about the Octopus Bloom
uk.theconversation.com The Conversation UK @uk.theconversation.com · 9d
Climate-driven shifts in ocean and atmospheric dynamics underpin these recent blooms in octopus numbers in UK waters.

Reposted by Graeme S. Cumming

australia.theguardian.com
Guardian Australia @australia.theguardian.com · 8d
Thousands of lion’s mane jellyfish have washed into the shallows and on to the sand across Port Phillip Bay, from Altona in the west to Blairgowrie on the Mornington Peninsula, Australia. Photographer and ocean swimmer Rodney Dekker captured video of the incredible sight. 🪼

Reposted by Graeme S. Cumming

thembauk.bsky.social
The Marine Biological Association @thembauk.bsky.social · 9d
Octopus numbers exploded around the UK’s south-west coast in 2025 – a new report explores this rare phenomenon

Great write up in @uk.theconversation.com about the Octopus Bloom

Reposted by Graeme S. Cumming, Vincent Raoult

aunz.theconversation.com
The Conversation AUNZ @aunz.theconversation.com · 9d
The teeth of white sharks are not static weapons but living records of a shark’s changing lifestyle.
Great white sharks grow a whole new kind of tooth for slicing bone as they age
theconversation.com

Reposted by Graeme S. Cumming, Richard Waite

shadowdogdesigns.bsky.social
Catherine @shadowdogdesigns.bsky.social · 10d
Rare Glimpses of Diverse #Marine Life Take the Stage in This Year’s #Ocean Art #Photography Contest

Link for more #photos and information: www.thisiscolossal.com/2026/01/ocea...

Reposted by Graeme S. Cumming, David N. Thomas

ambio-journal.bsky.social
Ambio - A Journal of Environment and Society @ambio-journal.bsky.social · 11d
New Publication:

Conceptualising and mapping polarisation trends in land systems

Open access link: link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Conceptualising and mapping polarisation trends in land systems - Ambio
Polarisation is a key process in land systems, describing land-change trajectories within a region that simultaneously move in opposite directions, such as co-occurring agricultural intensification an...
link.springer.com

Reposted by Graeme S. Cumming, Gareth J. Williams

natcomms.nature.com
Nature Communications @natcomms.nature.com · 11d
New study shows that #marine #HeatWaves exacerbate extreme #rainfall over land by 20–30%, increasing #flood risks for #coastal regions. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Extreme rainfall over land exacerbated by marine heatwaves - Nature Communications
This study shows that oceanic extreme warm events, termed marine heatwaves, exacerbate extreme rainfall over land by 20–30%, increasing flood risks for coastal regions.
www.nature.com

Reposted by Colin A. Simpfendorfer, Graeme S. Cumming, Trevor A. Branch , and 4 more

nickdulvy.bsky.social
Nick Dulvy @nickdulvy.bsky.social · 15d
New paper out today in @natrevbiodiv.nature.com by the #GlobalSharkTrends team: Bending back the curve of shark & ray biodiversity loss;
Read the paper here: rdcu.be/eZ9n9
@sfu.ca
@sfubiosciences.bsky.social
@earth2ocean.bsky.social
Bending back the biodiversity loss curve of sharks and rays. The loss of sharks and rays to date has involved serial depletion of the largest, most evolutionary and functionally distinct species, and the increasing prevalence of smaller-bodied species that have benefited from release from predation.

Reposted by Graeme S. Cumming, Marina Jirotka

joeymaier.bsky.social
joeymaier 🌊 @joeymaier.bsky.social · 16d
#dugong #Thailand

"In 2022, at least 273 dugongs lived in Thai waters..."

They're now losing about 42/year

😨

Looking for Miracle: why have so many dugongs gone missing from Thailand’s shores? | Global development | The Guardian share.google/qIUzUfAX3faR...
Looking for Miracle: why have so many dugongs gone missing from Thailand’s shores?
The Andaman coast was one of very few places in the world with a viable population but then dead dugongs began washing up. Now half have gone
share.google

gscumming.bsky.social
Graeme Cumming @gscumming.bsky.social · 17d
I would disagree, I think, on the grounds that we still have much to learn. One of the biggest issues is that we have been slow to understand the full scope of the sustainability problem and its complexity; object of study has been too narrowly defined. ‘Implementation’ is endogenous, not external.

Reposted by Graeme S. Cumming, Mark Lubell, Julie L. Lockwood

davidho.bsky.social
David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · 17d
Antarctic warming from fossil fuel burning is driving the fastest breeding shift ever seen in penguins. Gentoo, Adelie, and Chinstrap penguins are nesting up to 24 days earlier. This increases competition for food and space, helping Gentoos expand but threatening Chinstrap and Adelie.
Penguins bring forward breeding season as Antarctica warms: study
Penguins are bringing forward their breeding season at record rates as Antarctica rapidly warms due to climate change, according to research published by a global team of scientists on Tuesday.
www.rfi.fr

gscumming.bsky.social
Graeme Cumming @gscumming.bsky.social · 19d
One of the strangest maps you'll ever see...
weatherprof.bsky.social Jeff Berardelli @weatherprof.bsky.social · 19d
Free falling Iguana 🦎 Alert Activated for Monday AM so look out below!
But seriously, the map is colored by where we expect cold stunned iguanas and where they’ll be marked safe.
Keep in mind, they are rare north of the Treasure Coast and Sunshine Skyway.

Reposted by Graeme S. Cumming

weatherprof.bsky.social
Jeff Berardelli @weatherprof.bsky.social · 19d
Free falling Iguana 🦎 Alert Activated for Monday AM so look out below!
But seriously, the map is colored by where we expect cold stunned iguanas and where they’ll be marked safe.
Keep in mind, they are rare north of the Treasure Coast and Sunshine Skyway.

Reposted by Julie L. Lockwood

gscumming.bsky.social
Graeme Cumming @gscumming.bsky.social · 21d
I still need to read this, but looks interesting! 🧪🌍🪸🌐

Reposted by Graeme S. Cumming, Trevor A. Branch

jcamthrash.bsky.social
Cameron Thrash @jcamthrash.bsky.social · 22d
Accounting for ocean impacts nearly doubles the social cost of carbon www.nature.com/articles/s41... #jcampubs 🌊
Accounting for ocean impacts nearly doubles the social cost of carbon - Nature Climate Change
Oceans provide essential ecosystem services to human society, yet the climate impacts on blue capital have long been ignored. Incorporating the latest works on ocean science and economics, researchers...
www.nature.com

Reposted by Graeme S. Cumming

cms.int
Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) @cms.int · 23d
The @iucnshark.bsky.social presents first global overview of Important Shark & Ray Areas for CMS and Sharks MoU species, helping show where they reproduce, feed, gather and migrate. 🦈

>1/3 of sharks and rays risk extinction due to overfishing, habitat degradation and climate change.

Links below!

Reposted by Graeme S. Cumming, Benjamin Wildermuth

felipemartello.bsky.social
Felipe Martello @felipemartello.bsky.social · 23d
Very happy to share this new paper is out! 🚀

Using multitaxa trait-based data, we introduce new indicators that capture ecosystem resilience and the critical role of functionally unique species for sustaining ecosystem functioning.

besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Multitaxa functional diversity increases the resilience of biological natural capital in the Amazon
This study presents a trait-based framework integrating functional diversity into biological natural capital accounting, capturing both ecosystem resilience and species uniqueness across multiple tax...
besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

Reposted by Graeme S. Cumming

pablo-ecology.bsky.social
Pablo Garcia-Diaz @pablo-ecology.bsky.social · 25d
Crime and punishment in the outback: A review of extractive and destructive green crime cases in Australia's criminal justice system 🌎🌐🧪 conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Crime and punishment in the outback: A review of extractive and destructive green crime cases in Australia's criminal justice system
Wildlife and environmental crime is a global issue, but regional assessments of these crimes and their impacts are lacking. We reviewed publicly available case files from Australia's intermediate and...
conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

Reposted by Graeme S. Cumming

uwaoceans.bsky.social
UWA Oceans Institute @uwaoceans.bsky.social · 25d
New OI research from shows 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀 deliver benefits well beyond their boundaries — for ecosystems, communities and economies. A timely framework as Australia works towards 30×30 and a nature-positive future.

🔗 doi.org/10.1016/j.on...

@gscumming.bsky.social
Image created by Teigan Collins and Georgina Harmer.

Reposted by Graeme S. Cumming

angrywaterman.bsky.social
Jack Cousteau ⚓️ @angrywaterman.bsky.social · 28d
oceanographicmagazine.com/news/marine-... marine protection as a means of supporting ecosystem resilience in the face of climate change
Marine protection boosts heatwave recovery for kelp forests - Oceanographic
Scientists find that Californian kelp forests receive a recovery-boost through marine protection following a marine heatwave.
oceanographicmagazine.com

Reposted by Rob Marchant, Graeme S. Cumming

sethf.bsky.social
Seth Finnegan @sethf.bsky.social · 28d
Still working my way through pics and videos from sabbatical in Panama: this is Arawacus lincoides, a stripestreak butterfly displaying a predator-distracting "false head", complete with false antennae that wave when it rubs its wings together.