Dr Andrew Barnes

 

• The immune system of barramundi (with Dr Justice Baiano)
• Immunity in reef-building Corals
• Immunity and stress in Oysters
• Regulation of virulence in Streptococcus iniae isolated from fish (with Dr Justice Baiano)
• Gut colonisation by probiotic bacteria in prawns (with Dr Justice Baiano)
• Molecular ecology of microbiota in prawn hatcheries (with Dr Justice Baiano)

Prof Bernie Degnan

 

• Understanding the evolutionary origin of animal multicellularity through the study of the sponge genome and development
• How to make a sea shell: molecular genetic basis of patterning and biofabrication of molluscan and other animal skeletons
• How marine invertebrate larvae sense and respond to their environment: molecules to populations to ecology (with Dr S. Degnan and A/Prof G. Skilleter)

Dr Sandie Degnan

 

• Interactions of coralline algae and marine invertebrate larvae
• Environmental genomics of native versus invasive seasquirt populations

Dr Sophie Dove

 

• Correlating annual temperature profile with growth rates of a variety of Scleractinian corals on Heron Island Reef flat. Does temporal variation in symbiont densities affect coral growth rates, areal productivity and/ or host allocation of fixed carbon?
• Does the macro-algae, Laurencia sp. smoother corals? Are the polyps of corals covered by Laurencia sp. alive, and if so, does inter-colony translocation of carbon contribute to their survival?

Dr Norm Duke

 

• Wetlands Watch – engaging local communities in monitoring global changes in tidal marine wetlands
• Static pools in tidal wetlands - is this where the mossies are coming from?
• Apparent sea level rise and massive shifts in wetland vegetation of Moreton Bay - altered tidal regimes, climate or severe storms?
• The unknown effects of mangrove root expansion and degradation – the ups and downs of mangrove sediments
• Are there one or two species of Excoecaria, the Milky Mangrove, in Australia?
• Is climate affecting mangroves of Moreton Bay?

Dr Lexa Grutter

• Coral reef zooplankton community ecology
• Larval reef fish parasites & personality
• Biogeography of cleaner fish
• Parasites of cleaner fish

Prof Ove Hoegh-Guldberg

• Progression of bacterial populations in corals following predation
• Fungi and the well-being of coral - "guilt" by association? (co supervisors: Dr Bill Leggat-JCU, OdenYarden-The Hebrew University of Jerusalem)
• Post-bleaching ecology: Responses of benthic macroalgae to coral bleaching (with Guillermo Diaz Pulido)
• Impacts of increasing CO2 and acidification on calcification of calcareous algae (with Guillermo Diaz Pulido)
• Coral-macroalgae-herbivore-nutrient interactions (with Guillermo Diaz Pulido)

Dr Janet Lanyon

• Impacts of foraging by loggerhead turtles on the benthic community
• Impacts of dugong and green turtle grazing on seagrass communities
• Thermoregulatory ability of dugongs
• Foraging ecology of freshwater turtles

Dr Cath Lovelock

• Physiology and ecology of epiphytic algal communities in mangrove forests
• Ecology of Screw Palm (Pandanas)
• Effects of global climate change on mangroves
• Carbon and nutrient cycling in mangroves
• Ecology and physiology of macroalgae

Dr Dustin Marshall

• Marine community ecology: effects of predation on hard substrate communities

Dr John Pandolfi

• Historical ecology of Indo-Pacific coral reefs
• Ecological change on coral reefs from the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) and Moreton Bay
• Incipient speciation of coralline algae over a latitudinal gradient
• 3-D models of coral growth using Micro-CT Scan technology
• Impacts of recreational fishing on Australian fisheries
• Seagrass-associated foraminifera and lignin phenols from sediments of Moreton Bay as indicators of seagrass history
• History of branching coral communities from western Moreton Bay: recent or ancient mortality?
• Variability in coral morphology between open ocean (GBR) and marginal (Moreton Bay) settings

Dr Cynthia Riginos

• Larval dispersal and connectivity of coral reef fishes and invertebrates

Dr Greg Skilleter

 

• Dynamics of hermit crab populations as a function of available housing (shells): effects of human disturbance in estuaries
• Effects of nutrient enrichment on biodiversity on estuarine mudflats – mussel clumps as model ‘island communities’
• Effects of nutrient enrichment on animal assemblages in mangrove forests – trophic interactions

Dr Ian Tibbetts

• Ecology of fishes in rockpools (food sources and competitive interactions)
• Sound production by halfbeaks (Hemiramphidae): implications for evolution, food processing and temperature on herbivory
• Evolution and ecology of the flyingfishes
• The biology and ecology of herbivorous fishes in high latitude coral reef systems (e.g. Moreton Bay)
• Grazing impact by crabs on rocky shore habitats in Moreton Bay
• Management of artisanal fisheries in the Solomon Islands (Marovo Lagoon)
• The ecology of cryptic herbivores in coral reef systems (Heron Island)
• The functional morphology of sharp teeth in predatory fishes
• Using baited underwater video to census fish communities in Moreton Bay
• The ecology of incoming tidal waters on sand and mud shores in Moreton Bay
• Quantifying BMA grazing on shores of the Brisbane River estuary
• An analysis of ultrastructure of teleost dentition in relation to diet
• Juvenile garfish recruitment to shallow habitats in Moreton Bay

Dr Selina Ward

 

• Dynamics of winter coral bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef
• Changes in mycosporine like amino acids (sunscreen chemicals) in corals under stress and through seasons
• Ocean acidification and recruitment of corals

* Research projects for PhD/MPhil students only