I am a PhD candidate at The Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies and James Cook University

The influence of habitat degradation induced stress on population regulation of coral reef fishes

2020 to 2023

Project Description

The combined effects of climate-induced and local anthropogenic disturbances have caused some reefs to shift from coral- to algal-dominated systems. While populations of many reef fish species decline rapidly following coral loss, populations of some fish species (including some species that are considered coral dependent) persist. The potential sub-lethal effects (i.e., declines in fitness) of coral loss on these surviving individuals are unknown, and are likely to have important repercussions for population replenishment and community dynamics over longer timeframes.

The overall objective of this project is to better understand how loss of live coral may affect the fitness of fishes through alterations in energetics and stress physiology, and what may influence their resilience to habitat change. Using multiple lines of investigation, I aim to provide evidence for the contribution of sub-lethal or physiological processes to the observed shifts in fish communities following the loss of coral, and how this varies with ecological versatility (i.e., the habitat specialist-generalist continuum).

Project Importance

Understanding how coral loss may affect the stress levels of coral reef fishes, and how these changes may affect individual fitness is critical to predict the likely future configurations of reef fish communities.

Project Methods

Field and Lab based methods will be used to assess the influence of habitat degradation induced stress on coral reef fishes

Project Results

Correlations between habitat quality, stress hormones and fitness metrics depending on how specialized each species is for live coral

Keywords

Behaviour,
Chemical ecology,
Climate change,
Coral reefs,
Ecology,
Field based,
Fish,
Manipulative experiments,
Physiology