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
João Paulo Krajewski is originally from Brazil, where he gained his BSc and MSc degrees at Universidade Estadual de Campinas (Unicamp). João has been studying reef fish behavior and ecology since 2002 and his main research interests are reef fish foraging and feeding associations. Currently he is a PhD candidate at Unicamp and is interested on the feeding of benthic carnivorous reef fishes. The aim of this study is to verify if there is a relationship between the feeding activity and distribution of benthic carnivorous fishes with the substratum composition. This research has been primarily conducted in Fernando de Noronha, a volcanic archipelago off Northeastern Brazil. Recently João has received a scholarship to spend one year at James Cook University, under the supervision of Prof. Geoffrey Jones, to analyze his data and write scientific articles related to his PhD.
Benthic carnivorous fishes are ubiquitous inhabitants of coral and rocky reefs. These fishes are well known for their critical influence on the structure and composition of habitat and fauna associated to reefs and soft sediments nearby reefs. As the activity (e.g. foraging, resting) of most benthic carnivorous reef fish species is highly related to the reef bottom, substratum composition may strongly influence several aspects of reef fish’s ecology and behavior. In my PhD research I explore the hypothesis that the activity and distribution of carnivorous fishes may be correlated to reef substratum composition. More specifically, I address the hypothesis that benthic carnivorous fishes will be more abundant on reefs where there is a higher relative abundance of their preferred foraging substratum. The study has been conducted at the Fernando de Noronha, a volcanic archipelago 350km off Northeastern Brazil. I have studied the foraging substratum selection, abundance and behavior of five abundant benthic carnivorous species at the study site as well as the substratum composition of several reefs on the archipelago. During this talk, I will present the results of my research to date, especially those related to reef fish foraging substratum selection. Further, I will discuss my expected outcomes for this research and present future research plans to the present study.
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
A new study highlights how healthy mangroves can help some coral reef fish navigate the impacts of climate change. Co-author Professor Peter Mumby, from the ARC Centre of Excellence at the Universi
Scientists say a failure of national management means excessive amounts of harmful chemicals—many now banned in other countries such as the EU, USA and Canada—are damaging the nation’s waterways
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
