Researchers
Students
Alumni
ManagementJoshua Bonesso
PhD Candidate
• BSc. (Wildlife & Conservation Biology) - Latrobe University • BSc. (Hons) - James Cook University
Reef Ecology & Island Futures Lab (REIFLab)
University of Western Australia
joshua.bonesso@research.uwa.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
PhD Candidate
• BSc. (Wildlife & Conservation Biology) - Latrobe University • BSc. (Hons) - James Cook University
Reef Ecology & Island Futures Lab (REIFLab)
University of Western Australia
joshua.bonesso@research.uwa.edu.au
Josh developed a deep passion for coral reefs from a very young age, having spent many vacations exploring the islands of the South Pacific. Having undertook an undergraduate degree at Latrobe University, Melbourne, in Conservation Biology and Ecology, Josh gained valuable real-world experience across terrestrial and marine systems. Following a third year field course to Heron Island on the Great Barrier Reef, Josh was hooked, and relocated to Townsville to complete an Honours degree in coral biology at James Cook University in 2014. His research was aimed at underpinning the molecular mechanisms involved in the regeneration and recovery of injured scleractinian (branching) corals under increase sea surface temperature and storm frequency in the Capricornia Cays, Great Barrier Reef.
Following his Honours degree, Josh was appointed Senior Technician – (Earth Sciences) at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Brisbane, from 2015 – 2019. Throughout his 5 year employment, Josh was instrumental in providing technical, research and teaching support in the School of Earth, Environmental and Biological Sciences. From here, Josh embarked on his PhD journey in WA, beginning July of 2019.
Josh’s PhD is investigating the resilience and stability of carbonate reef-islands under changing metocean states in the Pilbara Archipelago, Western Australia. His research will involve multidisciplinary techniques/methods include/spanning (1) carbonate sedimentology, (2) coral reef ecology (3) reef paleoecology, (3) remote sensing (LiDAR) and (3) radiometric dating (14C and U/Th). His ultimate goal is to provide a novel and transdisciplinary approach for investigating historical island development, contemporary landform stability, and future island resilience under global environmental change, with an application to tropical reef-island systems worldwide. His supervisory team includes Dr Mick O’Leary (UWA), Dr Nicola Browne (Curtin), Dr Michael Cuttler (UWA) and Prof Ryan Lowe (UWA).
Selected Publications:
Bonesso JL, Leggat, W, Ainsworth, TD. (2017) Exposure to elevated sea-surface temperatures below the bleaching threshold impairs coral recovery and regeneration from injury.PeerJ 5: e3719
An international team of scientists has found leaving more big fish in the sea reduces the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) released into the Earth’s atmosphere. When a fish dies in the ocean it si
Australian scientists have discovered a massive detached coral reef just off Cape York on the Great Barrier Reef that’s taller than the Empire State Building or the Sydney Tower. The scientists f
A new study of the Great Barrier Reef shows populations of its small, medium and large corals have all declined in the past three decades. Lead author Dr Andy Dietzel, from the ARC Centre of Excell
Scientists have found that as the world undergoes profound environmental change, identifying and protecting ‘novel’ communities of species can help prevent extinctions within vulnerable ecosystems
Abstract: Increasing human populations around the world’s coastline have caused extensive loss, degradation and fragmentation of coastal ecosystems. Swift losses of coastal ecosystems have been rec
Abstract: CHE is not a particular theory or a single approach but a collection of lines of research that address human-environmental interactions in coastal and marine systems at the local scale
Abstract: How can we care about something we never see or experience? Virtual reality has the potential to connect people with far-away places, and is an effective medium to generate empathy and sel
Abstract: When abundant, seabirds feeding in the open ocean transport large quantities of nutrients onto islands, enhancing the productivity of island fauna and flora. These nutrients can leach int
Abstract: Current-day populations of coral reef fish suffer when exposed acutely to elevated temperatures, but future warming will occur over greater timescales. Recent studies show that developmenta
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
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