Researchers
Students
Alumni
ManagementCatalina Aguilar-Hurtado
PhD graduate
James Cook University
catalina.aguilarhurtado@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
Catalina was born and grew up in Cali, Colombia. She completed her BSc in Biology at University of los Andes and did her research on Caribbean octocoral systematics. Shortly after, she did some internship at research stations in South America and in 2008 joined a master program at the University of the Ryukyus in Okinawa, Japan. During these two years she studied the systematics of an octocoral family (Melithaeidae) and sampled corals throughout the Ryukyu Archipelago. In 2011 she began her PhD studies at JCU within the School of Pharmacy and Molecular Sciences under the supervision of Dr David Miller. Her PhD research focuses on the coral transtriptomic analysis under different environment conditions, including the effects of elevated CO2 on the coral immune system.
Scientists have developed a new genetic tool that can help them better understand and ultimately work to save coral reefs. “Surprisingly, we still don’t know how many coral species live on the
A new study suggests ‘dead’ coral rubble can still sustain life, with a large number of tiny animals hidden and living amongst the ruins. While the study does not suggest dead coral has the sam
A new study on coral evolution has found climates similar to what we’re seeing today have previously devastated hard-bodied corals—the architects of coral reefs—while making way for their softer
Researchers have discovered a new way to measure the complexity of the world’s habitats—a crucial factor as environments across the globe face extraordinary change. The study was led by Damaris T
Abstract: There is often a mismatch between the scales at which ecosystems are threatened by human impacts and those at which management and policy are implemented. Better understanding the scales ov
Abstract: Ocean warming and acidification are challenging the tolerance limits of scleractinian corals. However, beneficial acclimation and stress-hardening via phenotypic plasticity may be pathw
Abstract: Globally, coral reefs are under threat. Unfortunately, the rate of ecosystem degradation often surpasses the rate of generation of knowledge required to support management. Despite the consi
Abstract: Illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing threatens resource sustainability and equity. A major challenge with such activity is that most fishing vessels do not broadcast their positions
Abstract: Coral reefs are among the most diverse and productive ecosystem's worldwide, but their future is threatened by a host of anthropogenic disturbances. To protect reefs and their services to hu
Abstract: Differentiating the relative contribution of host genetic background and surrounding environment on microbiome structure is critical to assess how microbial associations are determined and t
Abstract: The Torres Strait is an asset for the world’s life support system. But the region’s people are facing a number of serious challenges including rising sea levels, extreme weather and poo
Abstract: Sponges underpin the productivity of coral reefs, yet few of their microbial symbionts have been functionally characterized. Here we present an analysis of ~1200 metagenome-assembled genome
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