Ashoi is a marine enthusiast from India who grew up sailing, diving, and exploring the intertidal shores of her hometown, Mumbai. From an early age, she developed a deep passion for the ocean, and this curiosity combined with an interest in genetics led her to James Cook University to pursue a Master of Marine Biology.

As part of her degree, Ashoi completed a one-year independent research project in collaboration with AIMS and JCU. Her research investigated spatial and temporal variation in microbial communities in response to river influx in the northern Great Barrier Reef, exploring how microbes can act as indicators of environmental change.

Ashoi is incredibly grateful for the journey so far and the people who have supported her along the way. She is now on the pathway to pursuing a doctorate with what she fondly calls “the best supervisors in the world.”

When she’s not peering at her laptop, Ashoi can usually be found diving, sailing, playing football, or experimenting with new recipes that often turn out terrible. She also instructs dinghy sailing at the Townsville Sailing Club and enjoys racing club boats on weekends while looking forward to where her journey in marine science will take her next.

Using reef-Associated Microbes and eDNA as Tools for Monitoring Great Barrier Reef Health

2026 to 2029

Project Description

Associating spatial and temporal resolution of microbial communities in response to change in water nutrients through river influxes, this project will investigate reef-associated microbes and eDNA related to bleaching to advance genetic tools for monitoring reef health on the Great Barrier Reef, positioning microbes as sensitive indicators of ecosystem change. It will consider how these biological indicators reflect environmental stress, such as water quality changes and bleaching, and assess their potential to complement existing monitoring approaches. The overarching aim is to establish a framework where microbes and genetic tools contribute to more sensitive, timely, and ecosystem-relevant measures of reef condition.
The significance of this work lies in its potential to enhance early detection of reef stress, support the development of scalable monitoring approaches, and contribute to ecosystem-based management strategies at a time when safeguarding reef resilience is increasingly urgent.

Project Importance

The Great Barrier Reef (GBR) is increasingly affected by climate change, urbanisation, and riverine nutrient influx, which alter coastal processes and ecosystem conditions. Microbial communities respond rapidly to these environmental changes and play key roles in nutrient cycling, energy transfer, and overall reef functioning, making them powerful indicators of ecosystem health. This project will leverage microbial and genetic tools, including environmental DNA (eDNA), to track shifts in community composition, functional potential, and gene content in response to stressors such as degraded water quality and bleaching. By integrating these biological indicators with patterns of coastal environmental change, the research addresses two key streams: quantifying drivers of change in northern coastlines and using systems ecology approaches to better understand reef resilience. The aim is to advance reef monitoring by improving detection of environmental stress and providing a more sensitive, biology-informed framework for adaptive management.

Project Methods

The project uses existing datasets created by and fully supported by secured funding through established collaborations with AIMS, IMOS and JCU. It leverages existing infrastructure, data (AIMS Long Term Monitoring Program and Water Quality Monitoring), and laboratory infrastructure plus dedicated ship resources, minimizing additional expenses. Strategic alignment with AIMS@JCU’s priorities—particularly Reef Resilience and Coastal Processes.

Project Results

The project will generate a framework for integrating microbial and genetic indicators into reef monitoring, providing earlier and more sensitive detection of environmental stress. Key outcomes include identifying microbial taxa and functional genes that reliably signal changes in water quality and reef health (using known reef associated microbes) and demonstrating how these indicators correlate with coastal environmental drivers such as nutrient influx and bleaching events. By combining high-resolution microbial and eDNA data with traditional monitoring approaches, the research will fill critical data gaps and advance understanding of ecosystem responses to environmental change. This project builds on existing knowledge by moving beyond taxonomic surveys to include functional and genomic perspectives, enabling more predictive, adaptive, and ecosystem-relevant monitoring strategies for the GBR.

Keywords

Bacteria,
Climate change,
Coastal development,
Field based,
Genetics,
Microbial,
Microbiology,
Molecular techniques,
Monitoring,
Ocean warming,
Plankton,
Pollution,
Quantitative marine science,
Sea level rise