Patrick Duffy
@pduffyplankton.bsky.social
PhD Candidate | Biological Oceanography | In situ Imaging | Gelatinous zooplankton | UGA/SKIO (views are my own)
Hyping up one of my favorite plants I keep, the Yaupon holly. It is the only native NA plant to contain caffeine (tea plant) and grows densely on the SE-USA coastline. The strong and fibrous root systems are an under-appreciated guard against soil erosion.
October 19, 2025 at 8:07 PM
Hyping up one of my favorite plants I keep, the Yaupon holly. It is the only native NA plant to contain caffeine (tea plant) and grows densely on the SE-USA coastline. The strong and fibrous root systems are an under-appreciated guard against soil erosion.
Saxsquatch, the only sasquatch playing sax and mixing with EDM, is playing 1 & 1/2 hours from me in a few weeks. Genuinely my favorite artist to have on playlists, hear people like, then be able to state, "Yea, that's a dude in a Sasquatch costume".
October 8, 2025 at 11:18 PM
Saxsquatch, the only sasquatch playing sax and mixing with EDM, is playing 1 & 1/2 hours from me in a few weeks. Genuinely my favorite artist to have on playlists, hear people like, then be able to state, "Yea, that's a dude in a Sasquatch costume".
@oceanemily.bsky.social found a color-image of this Doliolida nurse 'morph' (taxa?) captured by a blackwater dive photographer. I wish it answered any of my questions!!! Absolutely stunning photo that creates more questions.
September 25, 2025 at 11:00 PM
@oceanemily.bsky.social found a color-image of this Doliolida nurse 'morph' (taxa?) captured by a blackwater dive photographer. I wish it answered any of my questions!!! Absolutely stunning photo that creates more questions.
Had some fun "getting as far up-river as possible in 30 minutes one-way" today with my senior undergrads.
September 18, 2025 at 1:53 AM
Had some fun "getting as far up-river as possible in 30 minutes one-way" today with my senior undergrads.
The chiltepin pepper is the only Capsicum native to the USA, and has become one of my favorite backyard crops. Good heat, fruity flavor, easily dries into peppercorns that look pretty and are useful.
August 31, 2025 at 7:02 PM
The chiltepin pepper is the only Capsicum native to the USA, and has become one of my favorite backyard crops. Good heat, fruity flavor, easily dries into peppercorns that look pretty and are useful.
I don't think I've seen a doliolid nurse like this before... what is hanging out from the trophozooids? My gut is saying fungus?... Could be 'stuck diatom chains', but the strands bend; could be fecal material, but it looks too solid and long. Sticking from every trophozooid, so not image-artifact.
July 16, 2025 at 6:56 PM
I don't think I've seen a doliolid nurse like this before... what is hanging out from the trophozooids? My gut is saying fungus?... Could be 'stuck diatom chains', but the strands bend; could be fecal material, but it looks too solid and long. Sticking from every trophozooid, so not image-artifact.
Oh hey, that's a Siphonophore that I encounter frequently using shadowgraph imaging in the South Atlantic Bight off the SE, USA coast. They aren't the only "oddly geometic" gelatinous zooplankton I've noticed. I added another image of a different species I don't have time (in my PhD) to identify.
July 9, 2025 at 11:17 PM
Oh hey, that's a Siphonophore that I encounter frequently using shadowgraph imaging in the South Atlantic Bight off the SE, USA coast. They aren't the only "oddly geometic" gelatinous zooplankton I've noticed. I added another image of a different species I don't have time (in my PhD) to identify.
"Doliolids look like hand grenades" oh great, now I'm researching why hand grenade shapes influence trajectory
June 30, 2025 at 7:52 PM
"Doliolids look like hand grenades" oh great, now I'm researching why hand grenade shapes influence trajectory
I love how much energy some larval/juvenile fishes invest early into eyes and jaws. Pictured here are some young eels (Leptocephalus) from the South Atlantic Bight during August 2022. Look at that jaw on the smaller ~2cm individual! #FishLarvae
June 24, 2025 at 5:25 PM
I love how much energy some larval/juvenile fishes invest early into eyes and jaws. Pictured here are some young eels (Leptocephalus) from the South Atlantic Bight during August 2022. Look at that jaw on the smaller ~2cm individual! #FishLarvae
My favorite (unprocessed) image so far from our SAB shelf dataset. The entire doliolid life cycle in 1.9L; plus we hit a Nurse so it's a great example of "don't trust the output of your image-segmentation without verifying manually". AI would incorrectly classify the "freed" Phorozooid as Gonozooid.
June 13, 2025 at 8:40 PM
My favorite (unprocessed) image so far from our SAB shelf dataset. The entire doliolid life cycle in 1.9L; plus we hit a Nurse so it's a great example of "don't trust the output of your image-segmentation without verifying manually". AI would incorrectly classify the "freed" Phorozooid as Gonozooid.
Guess who got a tire replaced and the others rotated yesterday, but had to go back and wait 3 hours this morning because of new scary sound. At least they gave me a free inspection.
June 6, 2025 at 3:36 PM
Guess who got a tire replaced and the others rotated yesterday, but had to go back and wait 3 hours this morning because of new scary sound. At least they gave me a free inspection.
Ooooof got close to beating my sunflower height record from last year, but I don't think I got there this year using the 3rd gen seeds that gave inconsistent results. Maybe 4th gen will be better. Zone8b/9a is a wild and variable place.
June 3, 2025 at 11:51 PM
Ooooof got close to beating my sunflower height record from last year, but I don't think I got there this year using the 3rd gen seeds that gave inconsistent results. Maybe 4th gen will be better. Zone8b/9a is a wild and variable place.
The photos of Ukraine's fields covered in fiber optic cables from drone-warfare is something that has stuck with me this week. Each individual thread carrying death. Humans have left scars on the Earth before, but this is different.
June 1, 2025 at 4:06 PM
The photos of Ukraine's fields covered in fiber optic cables from drone-warfare is something that has stuck with me this week. Each individual thread carrying death. Humans have left scars on the Earth before, but this is different.
Successfully unplugged from technology for a few days in GA mountains.
May 31, 2025 at 3:21 PM
Successfully unplugged from technology for a few days in GA mountains.
If you ever wondered why zooplankton in situ imaging is typically done in waters > 100 m, here's an example of the chaos we are figuring out how to deal with on a continental shelf.
May 21, 2025 at 7:13 PM
If you ever wondered why zooplankton in situ imaging is typically done in waters > 100 m, here's an example of the chaos we are figuring out how to deal with on a continental shelf.
The worms in my backyard bin may deserve an honorary oceanography degree by the time I'm done with my dissertation. I read hard copies and make digital notes, but at least I don't want stacks of paper.
May 19, 2025 at 11:27 PM
The worms in my backyard bin may deserve an honorary oceanography degree by the time I'm done with my dissertation. I read hard copies and make digital notes, but at least I don't want stacks of paper.
I could watch appendicularians/larvaceans (can we please just pick one term?) all day; note the house contractions that 'pump' due to movement. Video captured via 'benchtop' shadowgraph camera setup from specimens collected via nets (non-filtering end) while onboard the R/V Savannah. #planktonsky
May 16, 2025 at 4:18 PM
I could watch appendicularians/larvaceans (can we please just pick one term?) all day; note the house contractions that 'pump' due to movement. Video captured via 'benchtop' shadowgraph camera setup from specimens collected via nets (non-filtering end) while onboard the R/V Savannah. #planktonsky
"The best laid plans of student and PI...."
May 12, 2025 at 8:53 PM
"The best laid plans of student and PI...."
I recommend this textbook for descriptions/understanding invertebrate physiology. (And I'll gladly photo-copy Chapters if needed).
May 5, 2025 at 5:27 PM
I recommend this textbook for descriptions/understanding invertebrate physiology. (And I'll gladly photo-copy Chapters if needed).
#invertefest needs some more marine representation, so here are 2 Liriope sp. hydrozoan and a teeny ctenophore amongst numerous copepods. Data recorded (5 fps) via a benchtop shadowgraph camera from a non-filtering end plankton net tow.
April 25, 2025 at 4:59 PM
#invertefest needs some more marine representation, so here are 2 Liriope sp. hydrozoan and a teeny ctenophore amongst numerous copepods. Data recorded (5 fps) via a benchtop shadowgraph camera from a non-filtering end plankton net tow.
In the U.S. domestic soccer cup (Llamar Hunt U.S. Open), a burrito-chain's amateur team is 1 win away from the Round of 32 and facing MLS sides, again.
April 14, 2025 at 11:38 AM
In the U.S. domestic soccer cup (Llamar Hunt U.S. Open), a burrito-chain's amateur team is 1 win away from the Round of 32 and facing MLS sides, again.
Hey #planktonsky I'm stumped on this ROI, processed from a ~1.9L imaging volume with a 25cm field of view (so potential spatial overlap in image not present in volume). It's a Thalia democratica with some other chaos happening. What is the Christmas-wreath (worm of some type?).
April 12, 2025 at 3:25 PM
Hey #planktonsky I'm stumped on this ROI, processed from a ~1.9L imaging volume with a 25cm field of view (so potential spatial overlap in image not present in volume). It's a Thalia democratica with some other chaos happening. What is the Christmas-wreath (worm of some type?).
Hmmmmm.... That's a suspicious relationship between size and reproductivity of doliolid phorozooids. Prey-fields may be important towards pelagic tunicates choosing "reproduce fast" vs "reproduce a lot".
April 4, 2025 at 5:58 PM
Hmmmmm.... That's a suspicious relationship between size and reproductivity of doliolid phorozooids. Prey-fields may be important towards pelagic tunicates choosing "reproduce fast" vs "reproduce a lot".
I switched to heirloom plants last year, harvested seed, and re-planted this year. More resistant to harsh SE weather and better yields; my red radish are beet sized.
April 2, 2025 at 5:45 PM
I switched to heirloom plants last year, harvested seed, and re-planted this year. More resistant to harsh SE weather and better yields; my red radish are beet sized.