Researchers
Students
Alumni
ManagementDr April Hall (née Boaden)
Advance Queensland Postdoctoral Research Fellow
PhD (2015), James Cook University
James Cook University
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
Advance Queensland Postdoctoral Research Fellow
PhD (2015), James Cook University
James Cook University
April is a post-doctoral research fellow; her research activities explore fundamental concepts of coral reef fish ecology, with a particular focus on marine parks management and conservation of coral reef fish communities. April’s current research activities are focussed around evaluating the value of conservation park (yellow) zones to biodiversity conservation in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. April holds an Advance Queensland Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship, and works in collaboration with the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, as well as the Reef and Ocean Ecology Laboratory. April’s PhD research focused on the importance of predatory fishes on reefs, and the trophic impacts of predator removals on coral reef fish communities. This project provided valuable information on how fishing of predators affects trophic dynamics on the Great Barrier Reef, and demonstrated the utility of no-take marine reserves in protecting ecosystem processes on reefs. Other research projects include investigation of the demographics, reproduction and habitat associations of nemipterid fishes, as well as collaborative projects examining spatial and temporal trends in coral trout abundance in the Capricorn Bunkers. April co-supervises post-graduate students and has held several roles as a course demonstrator in the College of Marine and Environmental Sciences.
April’s research activities explore fundamental concepts of coral reef fish ecology, with a particular focus on trophic relationships in coral reef fish communities. Her PhD research focused on the importance of predatory fishes on reefs, and the trophic impacts of predator removals on coral reef fish communities. This project provided valuable information on how fishing of predators affects trophic dynamics on the Great Barrier Reef, and demonstrated the utility of no-take marine reserves in protecting ecosystem processes on reefs. Other research projects include investigation of the demographics, reproduction and habitat associations of nemipterid fishes, as well as collaborative projects examining spatial and temporal trends in coral trout abundance in the Capricorn Bunkers. April currently co-supervises a masters student, and is a casual course demonstrator in the College of Marine and Environmental Sciences at James Cook University.
Dr Timothy Clark
Darren Cameron and David Wachenfeld (GBRMPA)
Co-supervisor (with Prof. Michael Kingsford) for Honours Student (first class) Stephanie Garra
Project: Inter-relationships between reef fishes and soft corals
Co-supervisor (with Prof. Michael Kingsford) for Masters Student: Lisa Vitale.
Project: Early Life History Traits of Scolopsis bilineatus
Hall AE, Vitale L, Kingsford MJ (2019) Planktonic larval duration, early growth, and the influence of dietary input on the otolith microstructure of Scolopsis bilineatus (Nemipteridae) Environmental Biology of Fishes 102:541-552 doi:10.1007/s10641-019-00852-z Link to full text
Hall, A.E. and Kingsford, M.J. (2016). Variation in the population demographics of Scolopsis bilineatus in response to predators. Coral Reefs. doi:10.1007/s00338-016-1486-0 Link to full text
Hall, A.E. and Clark, T.D. (2016). Seeing is believing: visual rather than chemosensory predator cues elicit a metabolic response in a prey species of coral reef fish. Animal Behaviour. 115:117-126. Link to full text
Hall, A.E. and Kingsford, M.J. (2016). Predators exacerbate competitive interactions and dominance hierarchies between two coral reef fishes. PLoS ONE. Link to full text
*Boaden, A. E. and Kingsford, M. J. (2015). Predators drive community structure in coral reef fish assemblages. Ecosphere DOI: 10.1890/ES14-00292.1. Link to full text
*Boaden, A. E. and Kingsford, M. J. (2013). Distributions and Habitat Associations of the Bridled Monocle Bream (Scolopsis bilineatus : Nemipteridae): a Demographic Approach. Journal of Fish Biology, 83: 618-641. Link to full text.
*Boaden, A.E., and Kingsford, M.J. (2012) Diel behaviour and trophic ecology of Scolopsis bilineatus (Nemipteridae). Coral Reefs 31: 817-883. Link to full text.
* Published in maiden name of April Boaden. Name change to April Hall as of November 2015.
Advance Queensland Fellowship announcement- ‘Centre scientists assess fishing zones’
JCU media release ‘Mix of marine zones matters most for prey fish’
CoE Media release- ‘Fishing impacts on the Great Barrier Reef‘
Science Daily article: ‘Fishing impacts on the Great Barrier Reef‘
The Age: ‘Fishing damaging Great Barrier Reef’s Food Chain’
Scientists say outdated assumptions around gender continue to hinder effective and fair policymaking and action for climate mitigation and adaptation. Lead author of a new study, Dr Jacqueline Lau
For the first time, scientists have assessed how many corals there are in the Pacific Ocean—and evaluated their risk of extinction. While the answer to “how many coral species are there?” is
Scientists have discovered a never-before-seen biodiversity pattern of coral reef fishes that suggests some fishes might be exceptionally vulnerable to environmental change. A new study shows plank
Scientists say stable seafood consumption amongst the world’s poorer coastal communities is linked to how local habitat characteristics influence fishing at different times of the year. In the co
Abstract: The vast majority of reef fishes have a life history consisting of a pelagic larval phase of typically 20 to 60 days, followed by larval settlement where they remain through their juvenile a
Abstract: Social networks have been and remain important across the Pacific Islands, and beyond, for building and maintaining social-ecological resilience. However, there is little quantitative infor
Abstract: The global conservation community is comprised of a range of organisations, processes, and professionals. Given the diversity of these actors, and the complexity of the systems that conser
Abstract: Seasons create a rhythm in nature and, by extension, in the lives of people who depend directly on natural resources. However, our understanding of how seasons affect the ways that people
Abstract: Oceanic shark populations have declined 77% over the past 60 years as a result of overexploitation in fisheries. However, sustainable shark management is limited to a few developed nations
Abstract: Vertigo3 is a new class of small, fast and agile ‘true-flight’ underwater glider, purposely designed for robotic, artificial intelligence-assisted broadscale marine surveys, and capable
Abstract: Recurrent marine heat waves are leading to widespread coral bleaching, transforming the structure and function of tropical coral reefs. Past bleaching events have highlighted large variatio
Abstract: Shallow-water tropical seascapes typically include a range of habitat types such as coral reefs, mangroves, macroalgal and seagrass beds. These habitats can occur in close proximity and are
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