Researchers
Students
Alumni
ManagementAlejandra Hernandez
PhD candidate
James Cook University
alejandra.hernandezagreda@my.jcu.edu.au
ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies
James Cook University Townsville
Queensland 4811 Australia
Phone: 61 7 4781 4000
Email: info@coralcoe.org.au
Alejandra grew up in Caracas, Venezuela and completed her BSc (honors) (Biology) at Simon Bolivar University (USB). During her undergraduate studies, Alejandra discovered her passion for corals while she worked as support staff for the Caribbean Coastal Marine Productivity (CARICOMP) program in the Laboratory of Marine Communities and Ecotoxicology (USB). Her undergraduate thesis evaluated the effect of suspended solids on the development of Caribbean ciliate infections in Acropora palmata. During the following four and half years, Alejandra worked as a researcher in the Experimental Ecology Laboratory (USB), collaborating in monitoring programs related to coral reefs, seagrass extensions, and intertidal and subtidal rocky shores, environmental impact assessments and in the evaluation of antibacterial activity in healthy and infected corals. In 2014, Alejandra obtained the Australian Awards Scholarship and moved to Australia. She jointed the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies to begin her PhD under the supervision of Dr. Bill Leggat, Dr. Tracy Ainsworth and Dr. Pim Bongaerts. The focus of her research is coral-associated bacteria, their habitat distribution and response to environmental changes.c
Director of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies (Coral CoE) Professor Terry Hughes was recently awarded an honorary Doctor in Science from Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland. Pr
Scientists say coral reefs on a tiny island in the South Pacific have shown incredible resilience and recovery from a recent but very severe disturbance: a volcanic eruption that created a new island.
A flotilla of Vietnamese fishing boats with crews suffering in harsh conditions is stripping Pacific coral reefs of seafood as the poaching escalates to become an international human rights and securi
In a study published today, scientists report that the long-term success of clownfish depends more on living in a good neighbourhood than it does on good genes. The natural home of the clownfish is
Abstract: I will talk about what we have learned from studying symbioses in algae and corals. Origin of the photosynthetic organelle in algae led to the major rewiring of host metabolic pathw
Abstract: Because coastal fisheries have been a major provider of food and economic growth in modern human history, the inherent characteristics of fish populations have been studied by researchers f
Abstract Climate change is the fastest-growing global threat to the world's natural and cultural heritage. No systematic approach to assess climate vulnerability of protected areas and their communit
Abstract: This presentation will provide an updated prognosis of the overgrazing collapse of kelp beds driven by the range-extending sea urchin (Centrostephanus rodgersii) and outline antidotes cur
Abstract: Disturbances are fundamental to structuring many ecosystems, yet climate-driven alterations to disturbance regimes may prevent recovery in many biomes. Coral reefs of the Great Barrier Reef
Abstract: Outbreaks of the corallivorous Crown-of-thorns starfish (COTS; Acanthaster cf. solaris) have been responsible for 40% of the decline in coral cover on the GBR over the last 35 years. With
Abstract: Complex interdependencies between social and ecological dynamics underpin many important environmental problems. To account for these complex dynamics, over the past several years my collea
Abstract: Coral reef restoration is gaining momentum globally in response to the threat of climate change and associated coral bleaching. In Australia, as part of the Reef Restoration and Adaptatio
Partner Research Institutions
ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies
James Cook University Townsville
Queensland 4811 Australia
Phone: 61 7 4781 4000
Email: info@coralcoe.org.au