Researchers
Students
Alumni
ManagementPaola G Rachello-Dolmen
PhD Graduate
University of Queensland
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
Paola is originally from Bogota (Colombia) but rose by Italian parents. She completed her BSc (Hons) in Biology at Pontificia Universidad Javeriana and her MSc in Biological Sciences at the University of Amsterdam. Then, she and her partner Alberto moved to Brisbane where she completed her PhD in Marine Science at The University of Queensland under the supervision of John M. Pandolfi, Winston F. Ponder and Vera Weisbecker. Her research looked at microgastropods (<5mm) found as fossils in sedimentary cores and in modern death assemblages collected in Moreton Bay, a heavily impacted marine region of subtropical Queensland, Australia. She established the temporal and spatial variability of species diversity and taxonomic composition prior to and following European settlement (~1840). An inventory of 53,260 specimens belonging to 219 species was recorded. Micromollusc abundances were linked to key environmental parameters (substrate, nitrogen, temperature, turbidity and depth), traits (shape, sculpture, distribution, and feeding type) and Holocene assemblages had persistent community composition from 7500 to 160 yrsBP. Community shifts are interpreted to be the result of declining water quality from human impacts. Currently, Paola is working as a Post-doctoral Research Associate for Dr. Ethan L. Grossman and Dr. Aaron O’Dea at Texas A&M University and Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. Her current research focused on the environmental drivers of Neogene biotic turnover in the Caribbean.
New research reveals marine heatwaves are a much bigger threat to coral reefs than previously thought, with effects that go beyond coral bleaching. In the study, scientists show for the first time th
The world’s largest coordinated study of coral reefs identifies just where and how to save coral reefs across the Indo-Pacific.More than 80 scientists, including an Australian team from the ARC
A group of Australian scientists has created the world’s first computer model that can accurately predict the movements of baby coral trout across the Great Barrier Reef.The study confirms the i
Being a fussy eater is a problem for reef fish who seek refuge from climate change on deeper reefs. But, scientists discovered, the coral that these fussy fish eat can support them.The study was l
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
Abstract:Developing global environmental policies, and implementing these at a local level has proven extremely challenging. I will present research using ethnographic techniques and multi-level
Abstract: Recurrent bleaching events since the early 1980’s have led to enduring ecosystems changes throughout the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea and the increasing frequency and intensity of
Abstract: Conservation relies largely on the ability to influence behaviours and ensure rule adherence. Yet, noncompliance in conservation contexts is common. For instance, poaching regularly neg
AbstractProjected near-future ocean CO2 levels alter behaviours that affect survival, such as predator escape and foraging, in marine invertebrates. However, the mechanisms responsible for these e
Abstract:The long-standing paradigm that ecology and evolution play out on different timescales is increasingly challenged by recent studies that show real-time interaction of the two. Similarly t
Abstract: The declining condition of many habitats in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area means marine park managers have to take a different approach to management. Managers can no longer rely
Abstract: Photosymbiosis is the main driver of reef development because it enhances calcification rates, thereby allowing corals to grow in oligotrophic environments. The reefal systems of the Palae
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