Cassandra Thompson
Master of Philosophy candidate
Bachelor of Science (Environmental Science), James Cook University
James Cook University
cassandra.thompson@my.jcu.edu.au
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
Master of Philosophy candidate
Bachelor of Science (Environmental Science), James Cook University
James Cook University
cassandra.thompson@my.jcu.edu.au
Bio:
Cassy grew up in various locations around the coast of Australia starting in Perth, Western Australia, and ending up in Townsville, North Queensland. After undertaking a research project at the age of 8 focussing on deep-sea anglerfish, she was hooked on the marine world. This may have also been where her interest and excitement over frogfish (to the dismay of her supervisors and anyone who stops long enough to listen) was first sparked. A first-time snorkel at Coral Bay, and a dive with Dad’s giant SCUBA gear in the home pool, followed shortly thereafter cementing the love for being underwater. After completion of undergrad studies and volunteering at the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) in Townsville, she landed a short-term contract there as a technical assistant on an aquaria-based ecotoxicology study of seagrass that when finished, led to other short-term positions at AIMS until accepting a job at Lizard Island Research Station (LIRS). Between finishing at LIRS and starting her current employment and study adventure she travelled through south-east Asia and worked as a divemaster and survey techniques instructor for Operation Wallacea on Pulau Hoga, Wakatobi Marine Park, Indonesia in both 2015 and 2016. Currently she is working as a research assistant in the Pratchett Lab, and studying part time towards her Master of Philosophy under the supervision of Prof. Morgan Pratchett, Dr. Andrew Hoey, and Dr. Mia Hoogenboom. Her work for the Pratchett Lab includes investigating spatial and temporal variation in population dynamics of crown-of-thorns starfish, investigating traits of corals specific to aquarium trade fisheries, and conducting surveys for coral monitoring (on the Great Barrier Reef and in the Coral Sea).
Personal profiles:
OrcID | ResearchGate | Twitter | Google Scholar
Project title and description:
“Effects of coral loss on reproductive biology and population viability of Chaetodon Butterflyfish”
Coral reefs worldwide are experiencing severe and sustained habitat degradation, with declines in the abundance of habitat-forming and reef-building corals due to coral bleaching and damage from more frequent and severe storm events. Ongoing declines in abundance of corals have direct effects on many reef-associated organisms and especially those species that rely on coral for food or habit
Collecting CoTS settlement traps on SCUBA. Photo credit: Ciemon Caballes
at. Specialised fishes such as butterflyfish, that have evolved close and critical relationships with scleractinian corals may be extremely vulnerable to widespread reef degradation and coral loss. Exploring changes in abundance and behaviour of coral-feeding butterflyfishes across spatial and temporal gradients in live coral cover will increase our understanding of disturbed coral reef ecosystems. Species-specific vulnerability of coral-feeding butterflyfishes to severe and widespread coral loss will depend not only on their specific reliance on corals, but their sociality and reproductive mode. Most species of butterflyfishes are pair-forming and presumed to be highly monogamous. However, some butterflyfishes such as the obligate corallivore Chaetodon trifascialis (Chevron butterflyfish) exhibit much more complex sociality. In areas with high cover of preferred coral prey, individuals of C. trifascialis reside in small overlapping territories suggesting that this species is haeremic, whereby males mate sequentially with the several different females within their territory. If so, this mating system may be extremely vulnerable to declining availability of coral prey. As their food source diminishes, their territories may become further apart, which may also affect the energy costs of maintaining a harem, decreasing the reproductive viability of fish in that area. It is also unclear how harems form and are maintained, unless C. trifascialis is capable of changing sex, a trait not yet recorded for this genus.
Publications:
Conference Presentations:
Professional Societies:
Teaching:
2016 Reef Survey Techniques instructor – Operation Wallacea, Pulau Hoga, Sulawesi, Indonesia
Director of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies (Coral CoE) Professor Terry Hughes was recently awarded an honorary Doctor in Science from Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland. Pr
Scientists say coral reefs on a tiny island in the South Pacific have shown incredible resilience and recovery from a recent but very severe disturbance: a volcanic eruption that created a new island.
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
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
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