A5016470380- Coral and Marine Ecosystems Studies
- Marine and fisheries research
- Marine and coastal plant biology
- Coastal wetland ecosystem dynamics
- Ichthyology and Marine Biology
- Water Quality Monitoring Technologies
- Tropical and Extratropical Cyclones Research
- Coastal and Marine Management
- Complex Systems and Decision Making
- Fish Ecology and Management Studies
- Ocean Acidification Effects and Responses
- Cephalopods and Marine Biology
The University of Queensland
2016-2024
Australian Institute of Marine Science
2021-2024
The University of Western Australia
2024
ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies
2016-2021
Australian Research Council
2021
Universidad de Los Andes
2011
Coral reefs underpin the environmental, social, and economic fabrics of much world's tropical coast. Yet, fine-scale distribution composition coral have never been reported consistently across planet. Here, we present new area estimates enabled by global geomorphic zone benthic substrate maps at 5 m pixel resolution. We revise reef to 348,361 km2 shallow 80,213 (46,237–106,319 km2, 95% confidence interval) habitat. The mapping used more than 1.5 million training samples supported 480+ data...
AbstractCrown-of-thorns sea stars (Acanthaster sp.) are among the most studied coral reef organisms, owing to their propensity undergo major population irruptions, which contribute significant loss and degradation throughout Indo-Pacific. However, there still important knowledge gaps pertaining biology, ecology, management of Acanthaster sp. Renewed efforts advance understanding Pacific crown-of-thorns on Australia's Great Barrier Reef require explicit consideration relevant tractable gaps....
Abstract Cumulative impacts assessments on marine ecosystems have been hindered by the difficulty of collecting environmental data and identifying drivers community dynamics beyond local scales. On coral reefs, an additional challenge is to disentangle relative influence multiple that operate at different stages ontogeny. We integrated life history, population dynamics, spatially explicit assess cumulative stressors across 2,300 km world’s largest reef ecosystem, Australia’s Great Barrier...
Abstract Global overfishing of higher‐level predators has caused cascading effects to lower trophic levels in many marine ecosystems. On coral reefs, which support highly diverse food webs, the degree top‐down cascades can occur remains equivocal. Using extensive survey data from reefs across relatively unfished northern Great Barrier Reef (nGBR), we quantified role reef sharks structuring fish assemblages. a structural equation modeling (SEM) approach, explored interactions between shark...
Abstract Crown‐of‐thorns starfish (CoTS) naturally occur on coral reefs throughout the Indo‐Pacific region. On Australia's Great Barrier Reef (GBR), outbreaks of CoTS populations are responsible for ecologically significant losses corals, and while they have been documented decades, now undermine recovery from multiple stressors, especially anthropogenic warming. Culling interventions currently best approach to control GBR, but assessing effectiveness under stressors is complicated. Using an...
Coral bleaching, cyclones, outbreaks of crown-of-thorns seastar, and reduced water quality (WQ) threaten the health resilience coral reefs. The cumulative impacts from multiple acute chronic stressors on "reef State" (i.e., total cover) Performance" deviation expected rate cover increase) have rarely been assessed simultaneously, despite their management relevance. We evaluated dynamics (total per morphological groups) in Central Southern Great Barrier Reef over 25 years, identified compared...
Environmental reservoirs of zooxanthellae are essential for coral larvae settlement; understanding where they occur and how maintained is important reef ecology. This study investigated the dispersal Symbiodinium spp. by stoplight parrotfish Sparisoma viride , which had high mean densities viable cultivable (3207–8900 cells ml −1 ) in faeces. Clades A, B G were detected using amplified chloroplast ribosomal sequences (cp23S-HVR), corresponded with diet preferences fish environmental...
The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park (GBRMP) is the largest network of marine reserves in world, yet little known efficacy no-fishing zones relatively lightly-exploited remote parts system (i.e., northern regions). Here, we find that detection reserve effects challenging and heterogeneity benthic habitat composition, specifically branching coral cover, one strongest driving forces fish assemblages. As expected, biomass targeted species was generally greater (up to 5-fold) no-take than fished...
Abstract Carbonate budgets are increasingly being used as a key metric to establish reef condition. To better understand spatial variations in framework and sediment net carbonate budgets, we quantified biogenic production, erosion, dissolution within between five distinct geomorphological habitats of Heron Reef on the southern Great Barrier Reef. The protected slope had greatest estimated budget (22.6 kgCaCO 3 m −2 yr −1 ± 2.4 SE), driven by abundant, fast‐growing acroporid corals coupled...
Australia’s Great Barrier Reef (GBR) is a globally unique and precious national resource; however, the geomorphic benthic composition extent of coral habitat per reef are greatly understudied. However, this critical to understand spatial disturbance impacts recovery potential. This study characterizes quantifies based on depth, maps more than 2164 shallow offshore GBR reefs. The mapping approach combined Sentinel-2 satellite surface reflectance image mosaic derived wave climate, slope field...
Reef carbonate production and sediment generation are key processes for coral reef development shoreline protection. The calcified green alga Halimeda is a major contributor of calcareous sediments, but rates herbivory upon driven by biotic environmental factors. Consequently, estimating calcium (CaCO 3 ) transformation into requires the integration gains losses across habitats seasons, which rarely considered in budgets. Using seasonal recruitment, growth, senescence derived from...
ABSTRACT Cumulative impacts assessments on marine ecosystems have been hindered by the difficulty of collecting environmental data and identifying drivers community dynamics beyond local scales. On coral reefs, an additional challenge is to disentangle relative influence multiple that operate at different stages ontogeny. We integrated life history, population spatially-explicit assess cumulative stressors across 2,300 km world’s largest reef ecosystem, Australia’s Great Barrier Reef (GBR)....