Tag: photography

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2023 Photo Competition Winners

Here it is, the ever anticipated results of this year’s photo competition. 

This year was one of the most successful yet, with 56 applications, highlighting the diverse array of work, hobbies, fungi, plants and animals encountered by you all. We feel very fortunate to have seen each application. We want to thank each and every one of you for your submissions. Every year, the competition to be the new image of the blog is fierce, and this year was no exception. 

With 56 applications, we somehow had to create a short list. Thankfully for us, the wonderful Siobhan McDonald, an Irish artist that has collaborated with Trinity’s School of Natural Sciences on numerous occasions, took on this job. Siobhan was tasked with selecting 8 photos, which she did in her stride. Thank you so much Siobhan for selecting such an amazing shortlist – we couldn’t have done it without you! 

Next came the task of selecting which one of the 8 would be our winner. This is where you came in. Thank you to everyone who voted on this year’s competition! We had great engagement in the poll, which saw three images constantly battling for the top position. One image in particular started to take the lead, and received over 30% of the votes. Before we jump ahead and announce the new face of EcoEvo, let’s take a look at the top 8, who are all worthy of the title. 

The 2023 Shortlist 

Blue rayed limpets by Katrin Schertenleib

When snorkeling in Wicklow, I found some of these beautiful, mysterious marine gems: blue-rayed limpets (Patella pellucida) sitting between encrusting bryozoans on some serrated wrack. Their bright blue, iridescent stripes are marvellous to look at and reflect far under water. The stripes are caused by special mineralized (not organic) structures in the limpet shells and might be some mimicry to trick potential predators (DOI: 10.1038/ncomms7322).

Katrin is a PhD student in Zoology, working in the O’Connor lab in the Zoology Dept., who just recently submitted her thesis, and was the winner of last year’s competition. Her Twitter handle is @KatMarSci 

Vervet Monkey by Niamh McCartan 

This image was taken at a campsite on Lake Baringo, Kenya, in October 2018 while on a field course trip with the Zoology Department. 

Niamh is a PhD student in the Luijckx Lab in the Zoology Dept., researching disease dynamics and outbreaks on host-parasite interactions in Daphnia magna. 

Proboscis pollination by Elena Zioga 

The plant Lilium chalcedonicum can be found in Greece, parts of Italy and Albania. This lily has an interesting way of ensuring pollination. The blooms hang downward, offering nowhere for pollinators to perch, so this lily is usually pollinated by insects with a long proboscis. These include moths, like Zygaena ephialtes which fly from bloom to bloom, and suck out the nectar with their long proboscis. In the picture, you may observe its proboscis rolled under its head.

Elena is a PhD student in the Stout Lab in the Botany Dept., who just recently submitted her thesis, and is evaluating the potential for pesticide contamination of floral resources and its impacts on plant-pollinator relationships as part of the PROTECTS project. 

Puffed Robin by Whitney Parker

This robin (Crepe Bench Robin) was trained during a Biodiversity and Conservation master’s thesis project, which tested whether European Robins generalized their experience with familiar food by presenting them with an assortment of food arranged in a color gradient.

Whitney is a PhD student in the Luijckx Lab in the Zoology Dept., researching how disease burden and prevalence differs between Daphnia magna individuals that vary in both genotype and geographic origin.

The Poached Egg Fungus by Luke Quill 

Pictured is Oudemansiella mucida, known as the poached egg fungus, growing from a tree. 

Luke is a PhD student in the lab in the Botany Dept., identifying species of Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi that are present in an agro-ecosystem, which will be incorporated into a myco-phytoremediation plan for edge of field control of agricultural runoff.

Facing Upstream by Frank Spellman

Standing on Mendenhall Glacier looking up-glacier towards its source. Pollen from the surrounding coniferous forests of Tongass National Forest add a brown dusting on top of the ice, and low groans echo as the ice slowly moves down the valley.

Frank is a research masters student in the O’Connor lab in the Zoology Dept., applying ecological theory to improve the stability of yields of cultivated macroalgae, and quantifying the ecological impact.

Endophytic filamentous fungi by Diego Bianchi

Fungi isolated from leaves and roots of wild relatives of barley.

Diego is a PHD student in Hodkinson and Murphy group in the Botany Dept., researching Biostimulants and Biopesticides for Crop production. 

The Winner Is…..

Eyes up to the sky submitted by Jenny Bortoluzzi 

Dr. Aoibheann Gaughran pictured while bird netting in Áras an Uachtaráin as part of the biodiversity survey carried out by the TCD team of ecologists. This image being the winner of the photo competition this year is even more meaningful, as Aoibheann’s bright presence is continually missed in the department. Aoibheann is pictured here doing what she loved, which is how she will always be remembered.

Jenny is a PhD student, who just submitted her thesis, in the Jackson and Payne lab group in the Zoology Dept., focusing on the ecology and conservation of elasmobranchs, studying variation in trophic niches, blue shark feeding ecology, and socio-economic links between angling and conservation in Ireland.

Once again, thank you to everyone who submitted a picture – the competition was very strong!  A special thanks again to Siobhan for creating the shortlist and to everyone who voted. 

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Upcoming 2022/23 EcoEvo Photo Competition

As the semester flies by, the EcoEvo annual Photo Competition draws ever closer!

The 2022/2023 showcasing will be the sixth instalment in the series and if previous years are anything to go by, the judges will have an extremely tough time choosing a winner. Year on year, the bar seems to have risen ever higher so we’re excited to see what you have in store for us!

For those of you in the dark, the EcoEvo Photo Competition is one of the most highly anticipated events of the year for Botany and Zoology, with the winner receiving prestige and respect from the Trinity Natural Sciences cohort. If that isn’t enough for you, the photo that claims first prize also gets to be shown off for year, becoming the new cover photo for the EcoEvo Blog and profile image on all social media pages. This competition gives us all a chance to present the amazing and strange snippets of our research that often miss out on the opportunity to be shared, so send us on whatever you’ve got!

Katrin Schertenleib captured a beautiful moment between two adult Puffins (Fratercula arctic) off the coast of Wexford on the Great Saltee island last year. Currently the poster image for the EcoEvo blog, is it soon to be succeeded by the 2022/23 winner! Click here to see the other entries from last year’s Photo Competition

To enter into the competition, all you have to do is send your photo along with a short caption and/or story to the EcoEvo email account (ecoevoblog@gmail.com). Following on from the successful system of previous years, the entries will be anonymized and sent to an unbiased third party to be judged, ensuring that an equal and fair opportunity is given to each and every participant.

Winners From Earlier Competitions

The five previous exhibitions have each produced a fantastic array of photos. With snapshots coming from the corners of Southeast Sulawesi to the Galapagos Islands and even up to high latitudes of the Arctic. Members of Botany and Zoology have brought us to some of the most amazing and beautiful landscapes on Earth.

To see the 2017 Photo Competition entries, click here

The winner of the inaugural Photo Competition back in 2017 stole the show with a wandering Alpine Salamander (Salamandra atra). This little guy was captured by Alain Finn high up in the Swiss Alps.

To see the 2018 Photo competition entries, click here

Dr Laura Russo was next to snatch first prize in 2018, with the winning snapshot being taken closer to home. This chocolate mining bee (Andrena scotica) found a comfy spot on Laura in the Trinity Botanic Gardens at Darty. 

To see the 2019 Photo competition entries, click here

Jenny Bortoluzzi claimed the 2019 win with an incredible photo from her expedition to the high Arctic where she and her team had the once in a lifetime opportunity to see a female polar bear (Ursus maritimus) in her natural environment. While stunningly beautiful, this image also strikes a chord – a daunting reminder of the uncertain future of the polar regions.

To see the 2020 Photo competition entries, click here

A male Rufous-tailed hummingbird (Amazilia tzacatl) snatched the win in the 2020 showcasing of the Photo Competition, and rightfully so! These tiny birds are notoriously difficult to photograph but Floriane O’Keeffe managed to capture one mid-flight, an impressive feat.

We hope that seeing some of the past winners and runners up strikes ambition within you to photograph everything in the natural world around you. With all that said and done we eagerly await your submissions! Please send them in before the end of December. Winner to be announced in the New Year.

We wish you all the best of luck in the sixth annual EcoEvo Photo Competition!

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The Marvelous Photo Competition 2020, with Special Guest Judge John Holden – Part 2: Entries and the winner

Drumroll please! It’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for! The votes have been cast, they’ve been counted and recounted, and we can finally showcase the entries and reveal the winner of the 4th EcoEvo blog photo competition!

Continue reading “The Marvelous Photo Competition 2020, with Special Guest Judge John Holden – Part 2: Entries and the winner”
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The Marvelous Photo Competition 2020, with Special Guest Judge John Holden – Part 1: Interview with the Judge

It’s that time of year when we redecorate the blog and change the wallpaper with the help of our contributors and their photography skills. That’s right, it’s the 4th annual EcoEvo Blog Photo Competition!

Continue reading “The Marvelous Photo Competition 2020, with Special Guest Judge John Holden – Part 1: Interview with the Judge”
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The Galapagos Islands: paradise lost?

This past August, I was lucky enough to visit the Galapagos Islands during my travels through South America. My visit here was quite possibly the highlight of my trip, with plenty to keep me thoroughly engrossed.

Set some 1000 km off the coast of South America, the Galapagos Islands were first stumbled upon by Tomas de Berlanga in 1535 when his ship was blown off course during a voyage between Panama and Peru. It was almost three hundred years later before the first human briefly settled on the islands, in 1807. However, this was due more to necessity than desire, as the settler in question was marooned on the islands. The islands were eventually made famous by Charles Darwin, who visited aboard the HMS Beagle in 1835, and used his observations of the island species as the basis for his “Origin of Species”.

An array of some of the commonly sighted species in the Galapagos: a blue-footed booby rests in the foreground with a juvenile marine iguana to its right. Behind it are a Galapagos penguin and a Sally lightfoot crab.
Continue reading “The Galapagos Islands: paradise lost?”
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EcoEvo Blog Photo competition winner announcement!

Once again, the time has come for the annual Eco Evo photo competition! The third instalment of the competition saw some wonderful submissions from across the School of Natural Sciences, and the top spot was fiercely contested. Due to their desire to participate, the editors stepped away from the judging process and the shortlisting was conducted by an unbiased third-party and the photos were anonymised. Finally, the vote for the winning photo was put to the Trinity School of Natural Science, again the photos were anonymised.

Read on to see the full gallery of submissions and to find out which photo was chosen as the winner.

Photo by Jenny Bortoluzzi.

A Green turtle swims away with its trusty remora after feeding on seagrass in the Bahamas. Remoras and turtles enjoy a symbiotic relationship as the fish removes parasites and keeps the shell clean while receiving benefits in the form of food, transport and protection.

Continue reading “EcoEvo Blog Photo competition winner announcement!”
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Eco Evo’s 2nd Annual Photography Competition

Photos have been submitted, votes have been cast, and we are now ready to announce the winner of the Eco Evo Photo Competition! Read on to view the whole gallery of entered photos, with the winner at the end. It was brilliant to receive so many great entries, on such varied subjects. This gallery is a testament to the diverse array of interesting things the people of our Zoology and Botany Departments are involved in.

Continue reading “Eco Evo’s 2nd Annual Photography Competition”

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Time for the pheasant

Restless_flycatcher04A reminder for the photo competition. We’ll extend the deadline until the 10th June. You can submit one photograph to this album here. Just log in with username ecoevoblog and password is the same. Don’t make it obvious that it’s your image in case it biases the judge. The theme is ‘Fowl Play’. 

Author: Adam Kane, kanead[at]tcd.ie, @P1zPalu

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No time like the pheasant

 

Let’s run another photo competition. Starting today and running until Monday 18th May anyone can submit one photograph to this album here. Just log in with username ecoevoblog and password is the same. Don’t make it obvious that it’s your image in case it biases the judge. The theme for this month will be ‘Fowl Play’. Prizes will be determined in due course.

Author: Adam Kane, kanead[at]tcd.ie, @P1zPalu

Photo credit: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Aves#/media/File:Tauraco_hartlaubi-20081223b.jpg