Patrick Smallhorn-West

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

I am working in collaboration with the Ministry of Fisheries in the Kingdom of Tonga to provide a national assessment of the current state of their coral reefs, as well as of the impact of their MPA network. In addition my research focuses on developing novel techniques for assessing MPA impact, or the actual difference conservation can make, which incorporates accounting for confounding factors and moves beyond traditional approaches. The project is supervised by Geoff Jones, Tom Bridge, Bob Pressey and Georgina Gurney.

James Cook University

patrick.smallhornwest@my.jcu.edu.au

0481709936

Media Releases

13 Aug 2019

Marine heatwaves a bigger threat to coral reefs than previously thought

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

13 Aug 2019

Coral reefs are in jeopardy but can still be saved

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

01 Aug 2019

Tracking baby fish for better reef management

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

17 Jul 2019

Fussy fish can have their coral, and eat it too

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

Seminars

08 Aug

Multi-level governance and complex environmental change in Indonesia’s tropical peatlands

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

07 Aug

Mapping the genomic seascape of environmental adaptation

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

05 Aug

Understanding and influencing human behaviour to bolster conservation of coral reefs

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

05 Aug

The neurobiological mechanisms through which elevated CO2 affects cephalopod behaviours -Confirmation seminar

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

31 Jul

Exploring eco-evolutionary dynamics to predict the future of coral reefs

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

25 Jul

The changing face of Marine Park Management: adaptive management of marine and island habitats in the Great Barrier Reef

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

11 Jul

Photosymbiosis in the Palaeozoic: the origin of MCEs and Devonian bleaching

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

04 Jul

Investigating the ecological drivers of coral and human diseases across the tropics

Abstract: Disease transmission is a natural process that helps shape the ecology and evolution of all organisms on Earth, yet, the burden and distribution of disease outbreaks is changing at an alarmi

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

1

People and ecosystems

2

Ecosystem dynamics: past, present and future

3

Responding to a changing world

Coral Bleaching

People