28/02/2023 | Lisa Röpke, a doctoral student at the Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT) in Bremen, has reached the finals of a photography competition organised by the British Royal Photographic Society (RPS): She entered a futuristic-looking image of tiny coral settlers. The famous society for photography was founded in London in 1853 and is one of the oldest organisations of its kind in the world.
What is special about Röpke's picture: she took the photo under a stereo microscope with negative settings (inverted colors) and UV light. The young corals are sitting on discs made of bioplastic, which were produced with 3D printing technology.
At the end of last year, the RPS launched its inaugural Woman Science Photographer of the Year competition to celebrate the remarkable stories behind scientific exploration and application through a female lens.
Entries for the competition came from all over the world – the USA, UK, Kazakhstan, South Africa, Australia, Hong Kong or Argentina. The winners and finalists were selected by a jury of professional women photographers and the chairperson of the RPS “Women in Photography” group.
Two participants from Germany reached the finals of the competition - one of them is Lisa Röpke from Bremen. Until 30 March, her photo will be on display in a digital exhibition at the RPS headquarter in Bristol, together with the prize-winning entries and other shortlisted images.
Series of experiments on the reaction of coral larvae to antifouling coatings
Lisa Röpke's photograph shows coral larvae of the species Acropora tenuis that had settled on a plastic disc before the photograph was taken. The discs were made from biodegradable bioplastics using 3D printing. These special plastics made from polylactic acid (PLA) are obtained from renewable and natural raw materials – in this case fermented plant starch – and can be degraded in nature.
The photo was taken during a series of experiments to investigate settlement, growth, swimming behavior and ultimately the survival of young corals on novel antifouling coatings.
“The purple dots show the corals with their central and, at the time of the photo, only primary polyps. A few coral settlers are growing right next to each other,” Lisa Röpke explains. “The corals are difficult to see with the bare eye because they are only about 0.5 mm in size at this stage of development.”
Röpke took the photo in 2020 during her research stay at the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) in Townsville, her research partners in the project. The young scientist recently published the first results of her work in the journals Scientific Reports and Frontiers in Marine Science.
About Lisa Röpke
Lisa Röpke has been a doctoral candidate at the Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT) since the beginning of 2019. She graduated in Aquatic Tropical Ecology at the University of Bremen. At ZMT, she successfully completed the professional training as a European and German Scientific Diver. Her research focuses on coral reef ecology, reproduction, and restoration, as well as (anti-)biofouling and ecotoxicology. For her doctoral thesis, she is investigating innovative antifouling coatings for their potential application in coral reef restoration programs.
About the Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT)
In research and education, the Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT) in Bremen is dedicated to the better understanding of tropical coastal ecosystems such as mangroves, sea grasses, coral reefs, estuaries and upwelling systems. As an interdisciplinary Leibniz institute, the ZMT conducts research on the structure and functioning of tropical coastal ecosystems and their reaction to natural changes and human interactions. It aims to provide a scientific basis for the protection and sustainable use of these ecosystems. ZMT works in close cooperation with partners in the tropics, where it supports capacity and infrastructure development in sustainable coastal zone management. ZMT is a member of the Leibniz Association. More information at www.leibniz-zmt.de
About the competition „The Woman Science Photographer of the Year“
The UN General Assembly declared February 11th as the International Day of Women and Girls in Science to inspire progress towards gender equality in science and technology. To celebrate and support this initiative, the RPS Women in Photography group are launching their first annual Woman Science Photographer of the Year competition. Our culture cannot be imagined without science. And in our visual world, it’s not enough to just speak about science; we must also show it. For this, we need photographers to capture it and to share it.
The competition is open to any female and female-identifying photographers, regardless of age or photographic experience. Student or researcher, amateur or professional photographer, scientist or person interested in the world; anyone can take part in the competition.
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