@egmitchell.bsky.social @huwiceandstuff.bsky.social @rowanwhittlebas.bsky.social @camzoology.bsky.social @bas.ac.uk @newnhamcollege.bsky.social @awi.de

However, the pink morph exhibits dispersal plasticity, and is able to increase its dispersal distances, when in competition with the pink morph in mixed communities, increasing alpha diversity.

Coauthors Huw Griffiths, Nile Stephenson, Rowan Whittle, Autun Purser, Andrea Manica & Emily Mitchell.

Furthermore, we discovered that coexistence of the pink and orange morphs is due to inter-morph competition, with the orange morph emerging as the stronger competitor, maintaining its reproductive behaviour across all community types.

Using Spatial Point Process Analysis, a method borrowed from forest ecology, we discover that limited dispersal, rather than environment, structured the spatial arrangement of the cup corals. Dispersal limits of 6-10 cm suggests these cup corals are likely brooders, which produce crawl-away larvae.

We ask two questions: what processes drive the spatial distribution of Antarctic epibenthic communities at centimeter scales, which has largely been put down to “unknown biological factors”? Second, how do two, apparently very ecologically similar morphs coexist on the Powell Basin?

In in-situ seabed photos, they are only distinguishable by the colour of their tentacles, so we term them the “pink” and “orange” morphs. The corals form mixed communities and single population dominant communities, where either morph is near-absent.

Thank you so much!

Thank you so much for joining! And suggesting we facilitate Zoom attendance!

@fossilsndcoffee.bsky.social I will email you and friends once the viva date has been scheduled!

So we don’t typically have a public defense, just an oral exam with two examiners. The department encourages a pre-viva talk but it’s not usually done - I however, hope to do so! In which case I will opt for hybrid!

Thank you Brendan!!

Yay! 😁😁😁

My thesis was very kindly supervised by the wonderful @egmitchell.bsky.social , Andrea Manica, @rowanwhittlebas.bsky.social and @huwiceandstuff.bsky.social , based out of @camzoology.bsky.social, the Museum of Zoology and the British Antarctic Survey!