Thanks for all the ‘worms’

Posted on 31 January 2015 by Pete

I have tried to document our field work in the Azores in an attempt to give people an insight into what it is like to do field science, explain a little of the reason why we do our research and also to give to show off one of the most beautiful and pristine series of
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Pico to Terceira: A new population of ‘volcanic’ worms

Posted on 29 January 2015 by Pete

So a few hours to kill – before our 20 minute flight to Terceira. This staggered return was initially a necessity of flight connections than a planned excursion but thanks to some great connections made by Archepeliogo Choice we had arranged to sample in Terceira. So with all our samples packed up we had an
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Discover the volcanic ‘edge’ of Pico

Posted on 28 January 2015 by Pete

Well with the major sample completion complete it was time to see thank the ‘boss’ and find out a little bit more about the Island. Pico is a world heritage site and much of the island is a national park and it is only with the permission of the Parks’s director, Manuel Paulino Costa, that
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Bagging and Tagging

Posted on 27 January 2015 by Pete

The field work is great but you must always remember that you almost need an equal time to bag and tag your samples than it takes to collect them. Luis had made a great start but the next morning there was still another 7 sites to process. Now this is when you find out what
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A ‘Francesinha’ powered afternoon

Posted on 27 January 2015 by Pete

So after a triumphant morning collecting worms we needed to refuel before sampling the lower 1200M. This called for some serious refuelling and Luis’s spotted the solution in a cafe by the Madalena ferry port selling a Porto specialty, a Francesinha – basically a sandwich filled with meat and a whole lot besides covered with
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Four earthworm hunters go up a mountain

Posted on 26 January 2015 by Pete

Well the morning of a major field expedition is always special – especially as you get to help yourself to buffet breakfast without any guilt as you know you will need the calories. Serious, up at 6 am to try and get a few emails dealt with before big breakfast to put us all on
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Three planes and a thesis – a scientist version version of a famous movie

Posted on 25 January 2015 by Pete

You may think that to get to Pico you basically fly straight across the Atlantic Ocean but, as with most travel thats worth while, its not that simple. I have three jumps to get there, Lisbon, Ponta Delgada (Capital of the Azores) then to Pico (via a short stop in Terceira – well it known
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Azores 2015 – Pico, the Importance of Height

Posted on 24 January 2015 by Pete

Azores 2015 – Pico, the price of high rise living !! Its 2000 km from the UK and 4000 km from the USA – its reaches 2,350 M above sea level and it represents a magnificent opportunity to study what soil ecosystems have to do to adapt to live at high altitudes.
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New paper out!!! Our beloved volcanic earthworms!!!

Posted on 10 October 2013 by Pete

Living on a volcano’s edge: genetic isolation of an extremophile terrestrial metazoan A description by Luis of the study which has been published by the group this week. Read the full paper here! The study of populations of soil organisms living near active geothermal vents provides an unusual opportunity to understand the aspects of their population structure and
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Publication: Living on a volcano’s edge: genetic isolation of an extremophile terrestrial metazoan

Posted on 9 October 2013 by Pete

L Cunha1,2, R Montiel3, M Novo1, P Orozco-terWengel1, A Rodrigues4, A J Morgan1and P Kille1 Heredity advance online publication 18 September 2013; doi: 10.1038/hdy.2013.84 Abstract Communities of organisms inhabiting extreme terrestrial environments provide a unique opportunity to study evolutionary forces that drive population structure and genetic diversity under the combined challenges posed by multiple geogenic stressors. High abundance of an invasive pantropical
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