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)
Lucie is currently a postdoctoral researcher at “Biologie et Ecologie Tropicale et Méditerranéenne” laboratory at EPHE, Perpignan, France. She recently defended her PhD. on effect of recruitment and post-settlement events on coral population maintenance in French Polynesia. Her research topics encompass coral population dynamics and effects of disturbances on coral communities..
In order to understand the processes contributing to maintenance of coral populations on small isolated reefs, I studied spatial and temporal variation on coral recruitment and the influence of these patterns on adult assemblages. Spatio-temporal variability of recruitment was characterized at an insular scale around Moorea over five years and at a regional scale in the Society archipelago (French Polynesia) over one year. This technique enabled a muti-scale spatio-temporal analysis of the data. Benthic mortality of recruits and juveniles was also quantified around Moorea and the major factors causing mortality were identified. These results emphasize the importance of post-recruitment events in structuring and maintaining adult assemblages, regardless of the spatio-temporal scales considered. However, for some taxa, spatial patterns of adult populations around Moorea are mainly driven by spatial variability of recruitment during previous years. These results illustrate the importance of varied life history traits in mechanisms of population maintenance.
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
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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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