This animation was commissioned to communicate Laura-Li's research to a broad audience, making the science of nutrient cycling, food web dynamics, and island conservation accessible without requiring prior knowledge of marine biology or ecology. It is intended for use in public engagement, educational, and conference settings.

This is one of a series of animations produced for Envision PhD researchers. Envision runs a competition in which early-career researchers submit a brief for an animated film; selected winners have their research brought to life through professional animation.

Script & style concept

We collaborated Laura-Li to write a 2 minute script for the animation based on the competition entry that explained her research and pitched the storyline concept.

A style concept was created using colours inspired by the environment of the islands and coral reefs studied in an organic, textured style with pencil marks and pastel smudges to give an idea of how the animation would look.

Sketched storyboards

A storyboard was sketched out based on the script in Photoshop then uploaded to Boords. The storyboard images were then put into a video sequence with a draft voiceover recording so we could test the timings and ensure the script and images made sense when played together.

At this point we made some script and image revisions before moving to the next stage.

Sketched storyboards - animation about biodiversity of The Eastern Arc Mountains

Illustrated storyboards

Once the sketched storyboards were signed off, the storyboards were illustrated in the style design.

The illustrations were created using Adobe Photoshop with a mix of digital painting and photo collage techniques for textures.

Some revisions were made before moving onto the next production phase.

Animation

The animation phase started by preparing all the illustrations for animation. This involved separating artwork out onto layers and naming them.

The illustrated storyboard files were imported into Adobe After Effects then animated.

A professional voice over artist recorded the script then the audio track was mixed and edited so it could be animated in time to.

Research Insights

Coral reefs are often described as the rainforests of the sea, but they face mounting pressure from climate change, pollution, and invasive species. Less obvious is the role played by an entirely different ecosystem high above the waves: seabird colonies on nearby tropical islands.

Seabirds feed far out at sea, then return to their island homes, bringing with them nutrients accumulated from their ocean foraging. Their droppings — rich in nitrogen and phosphorus — act as a natural fertiliser. Rain washes these nutrients from the islands into the surrounding ocean, where they nourish coral reefs, boosting algal growth and coral productivity.

On many islands, however, this vital nutrient pipeline from sky to sea has been broken. Invasive species, particularly rats introduced via boats, have devastated seabird colonies by preying on nests and eggs, while invasive vegetation such as coconut plantations has displaced the native habitat seabirds depend on. The loss of these colonies severs the nutrient connection between ocean and reef.

Laura-Li's research focuses on cryptobenthic reef fishes — small, often overlooked species that play an outsized role in reef food webs as prey for larger predators. By comparing reefs near seabird-rich islands with those near seabird-poor, rat-infested islands, and using stable isotope analysis (a form of chemical fingerprinting that tracks how nutrients move through food webs), the research has found a clear pattern: where seabirds thrive, cryptobenthic fish become enriched with seabird-derived nutrients, grow larger, and increase in biomass — supporting healthier populations of the larger predatory fish that rely on them. Where seabirds are absent, these small fish — and the wider reef food web — suffer.

The implications extend to human communities too. Fewer prey fish supporting larger predators ultimately means less food available for the fisheries that coastal communities depend on. But the research also points to a practical conservation opportunity: by removing invasive species and restoring native island habitats, it may be possible to rebuild seabird colonies and, in doing so, help restore the nutrient pipeline that sustains coral reef health. Sometimes, helping a reef recover begins with protecting a bird.

What the client said