Bertarelli-Annual-Report-2024-FULL - Flipbook - Page 30
Bertarelli Foundation
PhD Graduates 2024
Rosie Dowell
Jennifer Appoo
PhD student at Imperial College London and
PhD student at the University of La Réunion
Zoological Society of London’s Institute of Zoology
“Environmental DNA
(eDNA) methods have really
grown in popularity in the past
decade, and the Chagos Archipelago
represents a perfect environment to test
and apply these methods. It’s incredible
to see how from simply collected seawater
samples, we can readily describe
taxonomic massive diversity over
space and time in this important,
but challenging to reach
ecosystem.”
“Seabirds are
connector species,
providing nutrients essential
to the health of both islands and
oceans. Increasing knowledge,
conservation and management of
seabird populations can result in
maximum benefits for people,
other wildlife, and the marine
environment overall.”
Jennifer’s PhD research looked at the variability
in seabird nutrient signatures and explored how
seabird presence and seasonality impact nutrient
provisioning of terrestrial and coastal tropical island
ecosystems. She also investigated how seabird
nutrient subsidies influence mangrove forests
and the functioning of mangrove food webs. Her
findings highlight the ecological and socio-economic
importance of seabirds in tropical islands.
Rosie’s PhD research investigated the biodiversity and
community structure of micro-eukaryotic (e.g. zooplankton,
phytoplankton) and macrofaunal communities (e.g. fish and
corals) on coral reefs within the Chagos Archipelago using
environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding techniques.
eDNA samples had been collected for this project from over
30 sites across the archipelago, representing both lagoonal
and seaward facing reefs. With these data, they could
describe the broad taxonomic diversity present throughout
the archipelago over multiple years and atolls, and provide
information on species distributions, community drivers and
suggestions for future monitoring in the area.
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