DNA reveals the past and future of coral reefs
New DNA techniques are being used to understand how coral reacted to the end of the last ice age in order to better predict how they will cope with current changes to the climate. James Cook Univer
From 2005 to 2022, the main node of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies was headquartered at James Cook University in Townsville, Queensland (Australia)
Jeff’s background was originally in the ecology of stream fishes and watersheds. His desire to understand the complex relationships of fish communities, rivers and watersheds lead him to the method of qualitative mathematics as a tool to understand the dynamics of complex systems. These research goals have now been broadened to seek general solutions to natural resource problems embedded in diverse ecological and socioeconomic systems. His work with the CSIRO Division of Mathematics, Informatics and Statistics provides a diverse array of challenges in which to carry out this work.
Understanding the dynamics of complex systems is often approached in modelling frameworks that attempt to provide precise predictions to guide research programs and management interventions. In meeting the goal of precision, however, the focus quickly turns to addressing uncertainty in model parameters, and the importance of uncertainty in the structure of the model itself is often overlooked. In qualitative modelling the focus is instead on understanding the influence of model structure on system feedback, and how this feedback affects the dynamics and behaviour of a system. Qualitative modelling allows one to include unmeasurable yet important variables, and it supports conceptual syntheses across disciplines and a diversity of stakeholders. This talk will provide an overview of qualitative modelling and demonstrate its relevancy to research and management programs through examples including the identification of ecological indicators for Australia’s exclusive economic zone and the qualitative dynamics of urchin barrens in Tasmanian rocky reefs.
New DNA techniques are being used to understand how coral reacted to the end of the last ice age in order to better predict how they will cope with current changes to the climate. James Cook Univer
A new study on the effects of climate change in five tropical countries has found fisheries are in more trouble than agriculture, and poor people are in the most danger. Distinguished Profess
James Cook University researchers have found brightly coloured fish are becoming increasingly rare as coral declines, with the phenomenon likely to get worse in the future. Christopher Hemingson, a
Researchers working with stakeholders in the Great Barrier Reef region have come up with ideas on how groups responsible for looking after the reef can operate more effectively when the next bleaching
Abstract: As marine species adapt to climate change, their heat tolerance will likely be under strong selection. Individual variation in heat tolerance and its heritability underpin the potential fo
Abstract: The Reef Ecology Lab in KAUST’s Red Sea Research Center explores many aspects of movement ecology of marine organisms, ranging from adult migrations to intergenerational larval dispersal
Abstract: Macroalgal meadows are a prominent, yet often maligned component of the tropical seascape. Our work at Ningaloo reef in WA demonstrate that canopy forming macroalgae provide habitat for ad
Abstract: Sharks are generally perceived as strong and fearsome animals. With fossils dating back at least 420 million years, sharks are not only majestic top predators but they also outlived dinosa
Abstract: Connectivity plays a vital role in many ecosystems through its effects on fundamental ecological and evolutionary processes. Its consequences for populations and metapopulations have been
Abstract: Evolution of many eukaryotic organisms is affected by interactions with microbes. Microbial symbioses can ultimately reflect host’s diet, habitat range, and even body shape. However, how
Abstract: The past few years have seen unprecedented coral bleaching and mortality on the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) but the consequences of this on biodiversity are not yet known. This talk will expl
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