Ruth Dunn
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ruthedunn.bsky.social
Ruth Dunn
@ruthedunn.bsky.social
1K followers 380 following 34 posts
Researches marine predator movement & energetics with a focus on feathery, flying taxa
🌐 ruthedunn.com
🐧 𝘴𝘩𝘦/𝘩𝘦𝘳
📍 CNRS Postdoc, Montpellier
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ruthedunn.bsky.social
New in @natrevbiodiv.nature.com: our review of the influence of #seabirds, via their nutrient transfer, on islands & adjacent marine ecosystems 🐦🏝️🪸

We highlight knowledge gaps & future directions ✨

"The circular seabird economy is critical for oceans, islands and people": doi.org/10.1038/s443...
Schematic diagram of the influence of seabirds on temperate and tropical near-shore marine systems. Temperatre systems: - Nutrient enrichment and predation on herbivorous invertebrates can lead to increased algal production - Phytoplankton communities change, featuring more large-celled species - Intertidal organisms incorporate seabird-enriched material by grazing on detritus and biofilm in tidepools - Macroalgae biodiversity and primary production are boosted Tropical systems: - Mangrove leaf nutritional quality increases - Corals recover faster after bleaching events - Fish biomass increases across different trophic groups - Pelagic and benthic consumers' foraging behaviour shifts - Parrotfish grazing and bioerosion rates increase - Fish grow larger
October 27, 2025 at 7:49 AM
ruthedunn.bsky.social
New research led by @alicetrevail.bsky.social combines tracking data to show the value of large marine protected areas in encompassing diverse megafauna movements 🐢

doi.org/10.1111/1365...

@jappliedecology.bsky.social @iomarinescience.bsky.social @exetermarine.bsky.social @zslofficial.bsky.social
Photos of a reef manta ray, red-footed booby, and a hawsbill turtles with biologging devices attached to them. The journal logo is also featured, alongside the article title and author list. Some text reads: "Tracking data reveal that very large marine protected areas offer protection for mobile marine megafauna including benthic foragers (turtles), pelagic planktivores (manta ray), and oceanic predators (seabirds)".
August 7, 2025 at 8:51 AM
ruthedunn.bsky.social
"Commuting in crosswinds and foraging in fast winds: the foraging ecology of a flying fish specialist" 💨🐦🐟

New @iomarinescience.bsky.social research out now in @royalsocietypublishing.org: doi.org/10.1098/rspb...

📸 @robinfreeman.bsky.social

🧪🌍🪶
Composite image of the Proceedings B journal title, the manuscript title and the author list, alongside an image of a red-footed booby flying amongst palm trees. Some text reads: "Winds shape the behavioural decisions of red-footed boobies, impacting their foraging commutes and feeding behaviour".
August 6, 2025 at 9:15 AM
ruthedunn.bsky.social
Out now in Coral Reefs: 'Active and passive pathways of nutrient transfer in coral reef ecosystems'

doi.org/10.1007/s003... 🐚

Thank you to my co-authors and field friends from @lec-reefs.bsky.social and beyond for all their help bringing this piece of work together 🌊
Rucha and Ruth on the research vessel after a day of SCUBA diving and carrying SCUBA tanks backwards and forwards (hence some damp patches on their clothes) Javier, Laura-Li, Ruth, and Casey in the sea in their snorkelling kit during their last day of fieldwork.
May 30, 2025 at 11:32 AM
ruthedunn.bsky.social
Excited to be speaking at this COP29 Virtual Ocean Pavilion event tomorrow.

I'll be chatting about @lec-reefs.bsky.social research into marine ecosystem connectivity 🪶🪸🌊

You can register to attend here: cop29oceanpavilion.vfairs.com
Slide that reads 'Ocean, climate and biodiversity interlinkages: Advances in understanding of the nature-climate nexus'. Slide also contains small photos of the 4 panellists and the event moderator: Dan Bayley, Ana Queirós, Gizem Akdoğan, Ruth Dunn, and David Obura.
November 20, 2024 at 10:19 AM
ruthedunn.bsky.social
'Temporal and spatial variability in availability bias has consequences for marine bird abundance estimates during the non-breeding season'.

We present new availability bias correction factors for non-breeding #seabirds in NW Europe: doi.org/10.1002/2688....

#ornithology
📸 Sam Langlois Lopez
Photo of a guillemot on the sea with the journal title, manuscript title, and author names. Text also reads "we encourage use of species-, marine area-, & month-specific correction factors to provide more accurate marine bird abundance estimates".
October 9, 2024 at 8:11 AM
ruthedunn.bsky.social
I’ve loved #CoimbraSeabirds!
It’s been so lovely to reconnect with old friends, hear about all sorts of exciting seabird research, and spend (probably too much) time working on perfecting our various seabird impressions.

Thank you, to the ECOTOP research group and @theseabirdgroup.bsky.social 🩵
September 5, 2024 at 5:53 PM
ruthedunn.bsky.social
Look at these tiny ones! 😍
September 2, 2024 at 9:42 AM
ruthedunn.bsky.social
Recently out in Conservation Biology:

"Island restoration to rebuild seabird populations and amplify coral reef functioning"
doi.org/10.1111/cobi...

🐀🌳 Eradicating rats & restoring vegetation could help to bring back thousands of seabirds and restore nutrient flows to coral reefs 🪽🪸
One photo showing seabirds flying over an atoll island and one photo showing a coral reef with fish swimming by
July 23, 2024 at 8:19 AM
ruthedunn.bsky.social
Out now in Marine Biology: "From route to dive: multi-scale habitat selection in a foraging tropical seabird" 🐦🐟

doi.org/10.1007/s002...

We found that red-footed booby habitat selection varied between their foraging routes in comparison to their dive locations 🌊🌞
Image shows the journal title 'Marine Biology' as well as the paper title 'From route to dive: multi-scale habitat selection in a foraging tropical seabird', the author list (Ruth Dunn, Robin Freeman, Malcolm Nicoll, Julia Ramsden, Alice Trevail, Hannah Wood and Steve Votier), a map of red-footed booby foraging tracks and dive bout locations, a photo of a red-footed booby and some text that reads 'Red-footed booby dive bout dynamics vary across their foraging journeys and are impacted by environmental conditions and the diurnal cycle'
May 2, 2024 at 9:55 AM
ruthedunn.bsky.social
#NewPaper providing a framework that YOU can use to estimate the amount of energy that any population of marine bird (e.g. #seabirds, ducks, & divers) uses day-to-day.

It was a pleasure to co-lead this with my PhD pal Jamie Duckworth 🐦

Out now in JEB: doi.org/10.1242/jeb....
Image reads: Journal of Experimental Biology, A framework to unlock marine bird energetics. A myriad of BMR multipliers -> An easy-to-follow framework -> Exciting new energetic insights. We compiled BMR multipliers for you to combine with your data, using our framework to calculate the energy expenditure of any bird. In the background is a figure illustrating the different marine bird families, their ecological guilds, and whether BMR multiplier data are available. There's also an illustration of a great auk eating a fish.
December 18, 2023 at 10:56 AM