People

Research Interests

Dr. Hugo Harrison’s research is best described as the molecular ecology and evolution of coral reefs, with emphasis on the population dynamics of coral reef fishes including: the dispersal ecology and recruitment dynamics of larval fishes, the reproductive success of adult fishes, and the role of hybridisation in speciation. It combines large-scale field studies with novel genetic approaches to address critical questions regarding the effective management of coral reef ecosystems.

Dr. Harrison received his doctoral degree in Marine Biology from James Cook University in Australia and the Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etude in France.  As part of his thesis, Dr. Harrison and colleagues were the first to apply a forensic DNA profiling approach to track the dispersal pathways of fish larvae throughout a network of marine reserves on Australia’s Great Barrier Reefs. Their study provides the first conclusive evidence that larval supply from marine reserves generates important recruitment subsidies to both fished and protected areas.

Curriculum Vitae

Publications online

Selected Publications

• Bonin MC, Saenz-Agudelo P, Harrison HB, Nanninga GB, van der Meer MH, Mansour H, Perumal S, Jones GP, Berumen ML (2015). Characterisation and cross-amplification of microsatellite markers in four species of anemonefish (Pomacentridae, Amphiprion spp.). Marine Biodiversity, in press March 16^th 2015.

• Harrison HB, Saenz-Agudelo P, Al-Salamah M, Messmer V, Pratchett MS, Berumen ML (2015). Microsatellite multiplex assay for the coral-eating crown-of-thorns starfish, Acanthaster cf. planci. Conservation Genetic Resources, in press March 15^th 2015.

• Rueger T, Harrison HB, Jones GP, Mansour H, Berumen ML (2015). Resolving genealogical relationships in the Pyjama cardinalfish, Sphaeramia nematoptera (Apogonidae) with 23 microsatellite markers. Conservation Genetic Resources, in press March 15^th 2015.

• Simpson SD, Harrison HB, Claereboudt MR and Planes S (2014). Long-distance dispersal via ocean currents connects Omani clownfish populations throughout entire species range. PLOS ONE, 9, e107610. Link to full text

• Harrison HB, Feldheim KA, Jones GP, Mansour H, Perumal S, Williamson DH and Berumen ML (2014). Validation of microsatellite multiplexes for parentage analysis in a coral reef fish (Lutjanus carponotatus).Conservation Genetic Resources, 4, 1-4. Link to full text

• Harrison HB, Feldheim KA, Jones GP, Ma K, Mansour H, Perumal S, Williamson DH and Berumen ML (2014). Assessing the accuracy of microsatellite datasets for parentage analysis and species discrimination in two hybridising species of coral reef fish (Plectropomus spp., Serranidae). Ecology and Evolution, in press.

• Harrison HB, Saenz-Agudelo P, Planes S, Jones GP and Berumen ML (2013). On minimising assignment errors and the trade-off between false positives and negatives in parentage analysis. Molecular Ecology, 23: 5738-5742. Link to full text

• Harrison HB, Saenz-Agudelo P, Planes S, Jones GP and Berumen ML (2013). Relative accuracy of three common methods of parentage analysis in natural populations. Molecular Ecology, 22, 1158-1170.  Link to full text

• Harrison HB, Williamson DH, Evans RD, Almany GR, Thorrold SR, Russ GR, Feldheim KA, van Herwerden L, Planes S, Srinivasan M, Berumen ML and Jones GP (2012). Larval export from marine reserves and the recruitment benefit for fish and fisheries. Current Biology, 22, 1023-1028. Link to full text

Current Projects

Significance of no-take marine protected areas to regional recruitment and population persistence on the Great Barrier Reef (NERP 8.3): Recent research has demonstrated that no-take marine reserves in the Keppel Island group on the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) make an important contribution to the replenishment of locally exploited populations of coral trout (Plectropomus maculatus) and stripey snapper (Lutjanus carponotatus). While these compelling findings provided crucial support for green zones as an effective conservation and fisheries management tool, the scale over which reserves benefit fisheries through recruitment subsidies and the degree to which reserves contribute to long-term population persistence have yet to be evaluated. The aim of this project is to understand how marine reserve networks function in a larger conservation and fisheries framework and extend our findings to other commercially exploited coral trout species (P. leopardus) on the GBR. This project will show patterns of dispersal of coral trout larvae on a large regional scale and assess how marine reserves contribute to persistence of coral trout population over future generations. Read more

Initiation and spread of coral-eating crown-of-thorns starfish Acanthaster cf. planci on the Great Barrier and Indo-Pacific region: This project employs novel approaches to the analysis of spatial variation in genetic structure and is aimed at establishing the feasibility of management interventions in preventing ongoing outbreaks of crown-of-thorns starfish.