Bertarelli-Annual-Report-2023-R9-low (1) - Flipbook - Page 29
Scientist Spotlight
Marine Science 2022
Jyodee Sannassy
Pilly
PhD student, Bangor University, UK
Student: Reef health (2017–2023)
“My research is helping
us to better understand
remote reefs and how they
compare to the degraded
reefs in many other areas
in the Indian Ocean to help
improve their management.”
Holly Stokes
PhD student, Swansea University, UK
Student: Sea Turtle Conservation
“The Chagos Archipelago
supports all life stages
of two turtle species and
provides a great opportunity
to study immature turtles
– a currently understudied
life stage. Our research in
the coves of Diego Garcia
shows the highest densities
of immature hawksbill
turtles in the world.”
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Jyodee started her PhD in 2018 and is due
to graduate in 2023. Her research is on the
growth, cover and populations of bottom
dwelling invertebrates, such as corals, sea
fans and sponges, of remote reefs in the
central Indian Ocean. These reefs have been
monitored since 1978 and assessing the
changes in coral reef benthic communities
has proved to be vital in understanding the
future condition and trajectory of the marine
environment in the present warming world.
Jyodee’s research use isolated reefs as an
ocean observatory, as remoteness from direct
human impacts provides a benchmark against
which other reefs can be assessed.
Holly began her PhD in 2020, and is using
a range of technologies, including remote
cameras and drone surveys, to conduct
research on sea turtle ecology in the Chagos
Archipelago. Estimating the total number of
individuals of a population, along with breeding
success, is vital to understanding the ecosystem
role of the two species (green and hawksbill)
and their population dynamics. Holly has
conducted long-term field research to observe
nesting behaviour and hatchling emergence
and investigate how variations in beach zone,
seasonality, beach vegetation, predation and
temperature influence their success. She has
also been exploring how sea level rise may
affect turtle nesting beaches and how rising
temperatures may impact nesting conditions.