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Bio:

Sterling grew up on Australia’s Sunshine Coast where he became interested in the marine environment from a young age. He has been at JCU since 2012 and completed a BSc in Marine Biology in 2014 and an Honours in 2016, under the supervision of David Bellwood and Chris Goatley. His honours examined how sediments mediated interactions between surgeonfishes and algal turfs on coral reefs. Since completing his honours he worked as the lab manager in the Bellwood Lab up until the end of 2018. In 2019 he started his PhD candidature under the supervision of David Bellwood and Sean Connolly. Sterling’s research is now building on his earlier honours research to understand how fishes, sediments and productivity will interact to sustain the functioning of future coral reef configurations.

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Project Title:

The functioning of transitioning coral reefs: fishes, sediments and productivity

Publications:

Latrille FX, Tebbett SB, Bellwood DR (2019) Quantifying sediment dynamics on an inshore coral reef: putting algal turfs in perspective. Marine Pollution Bulletin 141: 404-415

Tebbett SB, Streit RP, Bellwood DR (2019) Expansion of a colonial ascidian following consecutive mass coral bleaching at Lizard Island, Australia. Marine Environmental Research 144: 125-129

Bellwood DR, Streit RP, Brandl SJ, Tebbett SB (2019) The meaning of the term ‘function’ in ecology: a coral reef perspective. Functional Ecology doi: 10.1111/1365-2435.13265

Wismer S, Tebbett SB, Streit RP, Bellwood DR (2019) Spatial mismatch in fish and coral loss following 2016 mass coral bleaching. Science of the Total Environment 650: 1487-1498

Tebbett SB, Goatley CHR, Bellwood DR (2018) Algal turf sediments across the Great Barrier Reef: putting coastal reefs in perspective. Marine Pollution Bulletin 137: 518-525

Tebbett SB, Bellwood DR (2018) Functional links on coral reefs: urchins and triggerfishes, a cautionary tale. Marine Environmental Research 141: 255-263

Tebbett SB, Bellwood DR, Purcell SW (2018) Sediment addition and reduced herbivory drive declines in coral reef algal turfs: implications for reefs and reef fisheries. Coral Reefs 37: 929-937

Goatley CHR, Wroe S, Tebbett SB, Bellwood DR (2018) An evaluation of a double-tailed deformity in a coral reef surgeonfish (Acanthuridae) using micro-computer tomography. Journal of Fish Biology 92: 1645-1650

Bellwood DR, Tebbett SB, Bellwood O, Mihalitsis M, Morais RA, Streit RP, Fulton CJ (2018) The role of the reef flat in coral reef trophodynamics: past, present and future. Ecology and Evolution 8: 4108-4119

Tebbett SB, Bellwood DR (2018) Unusual caudal spines in the surgeonfish Zebrasoma scopas. Coral Reefs 37: 251

Tebbett SB, Goatley CHR, Huertas V, Mihalitsis M, Bellwood DR (2018) A functional evaluation of feeding in the surgeonfish Ctenochaetus striatus: the role of soft tissues. Royal Society Open Science 5: 171111

Khan JA, Goatley CHR, Brandl SJ, Tebbett SB, Bellwood DR (2017) Shelter use by large reef fishes: long-term occupancy and the impacts of disturbance. Coral Reefs 36: 1123-1132

Tebbett SB, Goatley CHR, Bellwood DR (2017) Clarifying functional roles: algal removal by the surgeonfishes Ctenochaetus striatus and Acanthurus nigrofuscus. Coral Reefs 36: 803-813

Tebbett SB, Goatley CHR, Bellwood DR (2017) Algal turf sediments and sediment production by parrotfishes across the continental shelf of the northern Great Barrier Reef. PLoS ONE 12: e0170854

Tebbett SB, Goatley CHR, Bellwood DR (2017) The effects of algal turf sediments and organic loads on feeding by coral reef surgeonfishes. PLoS ONE 12: e0169479

Tebbett SB, Goatley CHR, Bellwood DR (2017) Fine sediments suppress detritivory on coral reefs. Marine Pollution Bulletin 114: 934-940

Bellwood DR, Goatley CHR, Khan JA, Tebbett SB (2016) Site fidelity and homing in juvenile rabbitfishes (Siganidae). Coral Reefs 35: 1151-1155

Conference Presentations:

Tebbett SB, Goatley CHR, Bellwood DR (2017) Not all herbivores are herbivores: sediments reveal disparate ecosystem roles of similar fishes. European Coral Reef Symposium. Oxford, United Kingdom

Tebbett SB, Goatley CHR, Bellwood DR (2017) The functional role of fishes on coral reefs: mediation by sediments. Indo-Pacific Fish Conference. Papeete, French Polynesia

Tebbett SB, Goatley CHR, Gordon SE, Bellwood DR (2016) Interactions between sediments and herbivorous fishes on coral reefs. International Coral Reef Symposium. Honolulu, HI, United States of America

Awards and Grants:

James Cook University Prestige Research Training Stipend (2019)

Dr R Palmerston-Rundle Prize for Biological Sciences (2017)

James Cook University Academic Medal (Bachelor Coursework) (2015)

Port of Townsville Limited Prize in Marine Biology (2015)

Chris Alexander Memorial Prizes for Marine Biology (2015)

James Cook University Faculty of Science and Engineering Entry Bursary (2012)