Back to the Seychelles: science, sediments, and surprises

From April 28th to June 9th 2025, Sandra, Sergi, and Judit from TEB Lab returned to the Seychelles Islands for another exciting round of fieldwork. This time, they were joined by Jaume Pellicer, a botanist specialising in evolutionary biology and genome organisation at the Botanic Institute of Barcelona.

During our time in Seychelles we aimed to extract sediment cores from the islands of Curieuse and St. Anne, and to collect fresh flowers for building a comprehensive pollen reference collection. Thanks to the incredible support from our local collaborators, including IOTA, the Seychelles Herbarium, SIF, and the University of Seychelles, the team successfully achieved all their fieldwork goals.

During our stay, we also had the opportunity to present preliminary results from our previous fieldwork to SIF collaborators. Promising discoveries are on the horizon!

Beyond the research, the team enjoyed the island’s rich biodiversity. We encountered the endemic gecko (Ailuronyx trachygaster) that pollinates the coco de mer palm (Lodoicea maldivica), explored remote forests in search of endemic trees, listened to one of the world’s smallest frogs, and took in breathtaking views while native birds flew overhead.

Now back in the lab, the team is already processing samples, analysing data, and building on the exciting discoveries made in the Seychelles. We already miss the islands!

Authors

Sandra Nogué, PI

Judit Rodrigo, Technician