Researchers
Students
Alumni
ManagementScott Morrissey
PhD Candidate
BSc. with Honours, James Cook University (2018)
The Reef and Ocean Ecology Laboratory
James Cook University
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. with Honours, James Cook University (2018)
The Reef and Ocean Ecology Laboratory
James Cook University
Bio:
Scott grew up in Bowen, North Queensland, home to some of the most beautiful beaches in Australia. Growing up in such a location resulted in his fascination with the ocean and its inhabitants. He completed his Bachelor of Science majoring in Marine Biology at James Cook University in 2017 and then joined the Reef and Ocean Ecology laboratory in 2018 to undertake an honours project under the supervision of Professor Michael Kingsford. Scott examined the utility of statolith elemental chemistry as a means to reconstruct and elucidate the movements of cubozoan jellyfish and gained a first-class Honours through doing so. Scott then began his PhD in 2020, under the supervision of Professor Michael Kingsford and Professor Dean Jerry. Scott’s PhD research will involve using environmental DNA (eDNA) to locate previously unknown habitats occupied by the benthic polyps of cubozoan jellyfish and investigate the polyp phase of the jellyfish’s life history.
Publications:
Kingsford, M. J., Schlaefer, J. A., & Morrissey, S. J. (2021). Population Structures and Levels of Connectivity for Scyphozoan and Cubozoan Jellyfish. Diversity, 13(4), 174.
Morrissey, S. J., Yanagihara, A.A. & Kingsford, M.J. (2020). Utility of statolith elemental chemistry as a proxy for temperature to elucidate the movements of the Irukandji jellyfish species Alatina alata. Marine Biology, 167, 134.
Morrissey, S. J., Schlaefer, J. A., & Kingsford, M. J. (2020). Experimental validation of the relationships between cubozoan statolith elemental chemistry and salinity and temperature. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 527, 151375.
Awards and Grants:
Australian LIONS Foundation Research Grant 2020
Australian Postgraduate Award, James Cook University 2020
Academic Medal (Bachelor Coursework) 2018
Personal Profiles:
A new study raises questions on whether current conservation science and policy for protected areas could be saving more biodiversity—with political and economic expediency often having taken prece
A new study reveals the strategies that stop bandits from illegally fishing in Australian waters—but warns there is a cost to the region’s poorer countries. Co-author Dr Brock Bergseth, from th
Five world-renowned scientists have signed a letter to UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay to "thank UNESCO for its leadership in recognising the threat of climate change to the Great Barrier Reef
A new study has found baby coral reef fishes can outpace all other baby fishes in the ocean. Lead author Adam Downie is a PhD candidate at the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies at Jam
Abstract: Coral assemblages from the remote Kimberley coast in North Western Australia thrive despite experiencing extreme heat, aerial exposure and fluctuating turbidity. These corals present an
Abstract: Bio-physical interactions can shape the structures and dynamics of populations. Open populations are well mixed over hundreds to thousands of kilometres. In contrast, closed populations exc
Abstract: The elusive Greenland shark (Somniosus microcephalus) is an understudied and putatively important species in the Arctic. They inhabits large parts of the North Atlantic and Arctic Ocean inc
Abstract: The presentation will explore the National NAIDOC Theme and contextualise the connection between Indigenous Self-Determination and Country. The presentation will provide an overview of hist
Abstract: Among all epigenetic modifications, gene body methylation (GBM) is the most studied but arguably the least understood in terms of its function. It is believed by many to facilitate rapid ada
Abstract: I will present some findings showing genetically-identified cryptic coral species within a functional group differing in their response to disturbance (bleaching), environmental gradients (
Abstract: This project aims to set some of the fundamentals necessary for the study of antipatharians (black corals) in the disciplines of ecology, phylogenomics, biology and conservation management.
Abstract: In 1990, Elinor Ostrom published Governing the Commons, a demonstration that communities could successfully manage common pool resources without resorting to individual private property ri
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