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
Corals sit near the base of the tree of animal life – along with sea anemones, they are about as simple as a true animal gets. However, looks are misleading and our recent studies have established that corals have as many genes as mammals, and have much the same set of genes as man – nominally the pinnacle of animal evolution. Surprisingly, most of the widely studied invertebrates have fewer genes in common with man than does the humble coral. These findings have led to the idea that most ‘animal’ genes arose very early in evolution, and that genes have subsequently been lost at different rates in the various animal lineages.
Professor David Miller will discuss the evidence for ‘ancestral genetic complexity’, and its implications for animal evolution and coral biology.
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
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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
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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
