Annual Report

ARC Centre for Coral Reef Studies James Cook University Townsville Queensland 4811 AUSTRALIA

Phone: 61 7 4781 4000 Fax: 61 7 4781 6722 Email: [email protected] Website: www.coralcoe.org.au

Annual Report 2007 Contents

Vision 2 Research 12 Publications 42 Aims 2 Program 1 – Evolutionary and environmental change 12 Journal Articles 42 Overview 3 Program 2 – Understanding and Managing Coral Books and Book Chapters 47 Reef Biodiversity 14 Director’s Report 5 Conference Proceedings 47 Program 3 – Marine Reserves and Reef Connectivity 16 Management Structure 6 Reports 47 Program 4 – Genetic, molecular and physiological Governance 7 processes 18 Recognition of Excellence by Centre members 48 Program 5 – Resilience of linked social-ecological Membership 8 systems 20 Performance Measures 50 Research 8 Research fi ndings 50 Visiting Scholars 9 Graduate Training 22 Research training and professional education 50 Technical Staff 9 2007 Student members of the International, national and regional links ARC Centre of Excellence 24 and networks 51 Business Team 9 Organisational support 52

Applied science for management of coral reefs 30 National Benefi t 52 Research Program Leaders 10 National and International Linkages 32 Governance 53 QANTAS: The Australian Way article 35

Media Coverage 36 Financial Statement 54 National Benefi t Case-Study 38 Financial Status 55 Case Study 1 – The missing link in coral reef management: where do the larvae go? 38 Acknowledgements 56 Case Study 2 – Conservation planning for a sustainable future 40 Vision Aims

Global leadership in the provision of The aims of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies are that: Research scientific knowledge necessary for Our research is world-best, innovative, and highly relevant to coral reef coral reef managers to sustain the science and management. Research Training & Professional Education We attract and train outstanding coral reef scientists at all stages of career, ecosystem goods and services of the to build human capacity and expertise in coral reef science world-wide. world’s coral reefs. End-user linkages Transfer of our knowledge, technologies and research outcomes to end- users, industry and the wider community promotes co-operation and improves the management of coral reefs. National and International linkages Our networks and activities nationally and internationally represent a global hub for coral reef science collaborations. Management and Governance Centre management is collaborative, co-operative, multi-institutional, communicative and continuously improving. Commercial Activities Commercial activities and research contracts extend knowledge transfer, nationally and globally.

2 Overview

The ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies was established in July 2005 under the Australian Research Council Centres of Excellence program. Headquartered at James Cook University (JCU), the ARC Centre partnership includes the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS), The Australian National University (ANU), the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) and The University of Queensland (UQ) with collaborative links to 162 institutions in 36 countries.

Major research themes include adaptation to climate change, managing biodiversity, emergent diseases, fi sheries biology, design of marine parks, and coastal management – in short, the science that underpins the sustainable delivery of goods and services from the world’s coral reefs.

3 4 Director’s Report

Welcome to the 2007 annual and commonwealth government departments and Centre’s headquarters in Townsville (with the support report, for our second full year of agencies and universities registered to hear the latest of James Cook University’s Strategic Research Leader operation. This year the Centre science on issues such as climate change, fisheries Program). Program 6 is already attracting students, has continued to expand its management, conservation planning, capacity research fellows and significant consultancies from research and training programs, building, ecosystem-based management and adaptive environmental management agencies, governments and to develop a growing array governance. We continue to add new material to our and non-government organizations, both nationally of outreach and entrepreneurial website (p36) which received almost 2 million hits in and internationally. Other upcoming activities include a activities. The ARC approved our 2007, triple that of last year, with greater than 90% trial review of the Centre to be undertaken by Professors request to substantially raise from outside Australia. Our media up-take from 26 Mandy Thomas and Rob Whelan, scheduled for mid- our Key Performance Indicators press releases this year has also grown rapidly, with February, followed by a formal review by ARC in the for 2007 and beyond. Our applied and basic research over 850 stories featuring the 2007 activities of the second half of 2008. In mid-year, the Centre will play a focuses on the science that underpins the sustainability ARC Centre, for national and international audiences. major role in the 11th International Coral Reef Symposium and management of the world’s coral reefs, not just in Florida, where members will be co-chairing 8 sessions. Australia’s. Consequently, the Centre’s 2007 publications The number of postgraduates supervised by Centre involved co-authors from 162 institutions in 36 countries, personnel grew to 129 students in 2007, double the Finally, I’d like to sincerely thank all of the Centre’s and our 60 or so end-users (see also last year’s report) number of just two years ago (p.22). Our research students personnel and our partners around the world are well and truly global. The publication output of the now come from 33 countries, creating a vibrant multi- (especially in the Australian Institute for Marine Science Centre for this past year includes 127 articles in 67 journals cultural Centre that extends globally Australia’s expertise and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority), for (see p.42), reflecting the multi-disciplinary nature of our in coral reefs, to the next generation of researchers and another outstanding year. I am especially grateful to research. New research contracts, fellowship awards and reef managers. The number of research fellows in the the Centre’s Chief Operations Officer, Jenny Lappin, consultancies have added to our 2005-2010 cash income, Centre also continues to grow very rapidly, from 4 in 2005 our Assistant Director, David Yellowlees, and to which will exceed $50 million in the coming year (p.55). to 19 by the end of 2007, and a further 7 will be recruited Louise Taylor and Olga Bazaka, for their hard work, by mid-2008. Many of our Fellows, Chief Investigators patience and enthusiasm, and to the guidance we The Centre’s engagement with governments, industry, and students received awards and prizes in 2007 (p.48). receive from our Advisory Board. This coming year, NGOs, and the general public continues to grow rapidly. 2008, will be even busier and more productive! For example, in October, the Centre’s membership and A highlight in the coming year will be the launch distinguished guest speakers gathered in Canberra of Program 6, entitled Conservation Planning for a to hold a 2-day Coral Reef Futures Forum, which was Sustainable Future (p. 40), which will augment our co-sponsored by the Australian Academy of Science. other applied research activities (p. 30). It will be led by Terry Hughes Over 130 delegates from the private sector, state Professor Bob Pressey, who has been recruited to the Director

5 Management Structure

Centre Advisory Board

Scientific Management Committee Centre Director Business Team

Program 1 Program 2 Program 3 Program 4 Program 5 Evolutionary and Understanding and Marine Reserves and Genetic, Molecular Resilience of Linked Environmental Change Managing Coral Reef Connectivity and Physiological Social-ecological Biodiversity Processes Systems

6 Governance

A key goal of the Centre is to establish experience and knowledge of government to Scientific Management Committee Members are: governance structures that engage the role, as the former Australian Statistician. Æ Professor Yossi Loya (Chair) stakeholders in planning and management The Board met formally twice in 2007, in March Committee Professor of Marine Biology processes and that provide easy access and September. High-level operational management of the The Raynor Chair for Environmental to emerging technologies, knowledge and Centre and planning for its scientifi c research Conservation Research information. The Centre is governed by a Centre Æ Dennis Trewin (Chair) program is the responsibility of the Scientifi c Tel Aviv University Advisory Board and a Scientifi c Management Former Australian Statistician Management Committee (SMC). The SMC Israel Committee. We are privileged to have access is chaired by an eminent Israeli researcher, Æ Dr David Wachenfeld to the expertise and experience of university, Æ Professor Norman Palmer Professor Yossi Loya. Other members are Director, Science Technology and industry and scientifi c leaders and we extend Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research and the leaders of each of the Centre’s research Information Group our thanks to them for their advice and Innovation) programs and Director of Science, Technology Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority contribution to the Centre. James Cook University and Information Group from Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, the Centre’s Æ Professor Malcolm McCulloch Major research and operational decisions are Æ Professor David Siddle principal industry partner. During 2007 the Leader, Research Program 1 made by the Centre Director in consultation Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research) Committee met formally four times in February, Australian National University with the Chief Operations Offi cer and Program University of Queensland May, August and October. Priorities for 2007 Leaders. The operational framework for included progressing the targets for the Æ Professor Sean Connolly the Centre is provided by the ARC Funding Æ Professor Mandy Thomas /Professor Centre’s research programs, continuing to Leader, Research Program 2 Agreement, collaborators’ Centre Agreement, Will Steffan recruit high-quality research fellows, building James Cook University ARC funding rules and Centre application. Pro Vice-Chancellor on our communications strategy and reviewing Australian National University processes for engaging effectively with the Æ Professor Garry Russ Centre’s graduate students. In 2007, the SMC Centre Advisory Board Leader, Research Program 3 Æ Dr Ian Poiner realigned resources to expand the research James Cook University Vision and strategic advice for the Centre is Chief Executive Offi cer programs of the Centre by adding a new provided by the Centre Advisory Board. The Australian Institute of Marine Science Program on Conservation Planning (see pxx) Æ Professor Ove Hoegh-Guldberg Board facilitates and advises on improved which will become operational from 2008. Leader, Research Program 4 linkages between the Centre and the private Æ Honorable Virginia Chadwick University of Queensland sector, government and the wider community. Chair In 2007, Dennis Trewin was appointed as Chair Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority of the Board. Dennis brings enormous Æ Professor Terry Hughes Leader, Research Program 5 Æ Professor Terry Hughes Centre Director Centre Director James Cook University

7 Membership

Research Æ Assoc Professor Sean Connolly Æ Professor Geoffrey Jones Æ Professor Malcolm McCulloch Æ Dr Morgan Pratchett Program 2 Leader and Australian Chief Investigator Deputy Director and Program 1 Australian Research Fellow Æ Professor Terry Hughes Professorial Fellow (2008-2012) James Cook University Leader (2007-2011) Centre Director and Federation Fellow James Cook University Australian National University James Cook University (2002-2007, 2007-2012) Æ Dr Stacy Jupiter James Cook University Æ Dr Sophie Dove Research Fellow Æ Dr Susan McIntyre-Tamwoy Æ Professor Bob Pressey Chief Investigator Australian National University / AIMS Research Fellow Research Fellow Æ Dr Glenn Almany University of Queensland James Cook University James Cook University Research Fellow Æ Professor Ronald Karlson James Cook University Æ Dr Simon Dunn Partner Investigator Æ Dr Mark Meekan Æ Dr Guillermo Diaz-Pulido Research Fellow University of Delaware Partner Investigator Research Fellow Æ Dr Kenneth Anthony University of Queensland Australian Institute of Marine University of Queensland Æ Professor Michael Kingsford Chief Investigator Science University of Queensland Æ Dr Toby Elmhirst Chief Investigator Æ Dr Mauricio Rodriguez-Lanetty Research Fellow James Cook University Æ Dr Pippa Moore Research Fellow Æ Dr Andrew Baird James Cook University Research Fellow University of Queensland Æ Dr Bill Leggat Research Fellow University of Queensland James Cook University Æ Dr Kathryn Ferguson Chief Investigator Æ Professor Garry Russ Australian Postdoctoral Fellow James Cook University Æ Professor David Miller Program 3 Leader Æ Dr Line Bay (2007-2009) Chief Investigator James Cook University Æ Dr Janice Lough Smart State Fellow (2008-2010) James Cook University James Cook University James Cook University / AIMS Partner Investigator Æ Professor Robert Steneck Æ Dr Simon Foale Australian Institute of Marine Æ Dr Philip Munday Partner Investigator Æ Professor David Bellwood Research Fellow Science Australian Research Fellow University of Maine Chief Investigator James Cook University (2003-2007) Æ Dr Laurence McCook Æ Dr Madeleine Van Oppen James Cook University Queen Elizabeth II Fellow (2008-2012) Æ Professor Carl Folke Partner Investigator Partner Investigator Æ James Cook University Dr Kathleen Broderick Partner Investigator Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Australian Institute of Marine Research Fellow Stockholm University Authority Æ Professor John Pandolfi Science James Cook University / CSIRO Chief Investigator Æ Dr Mark McCormick Æ Professor Bette Willis Æ Professor Ove Hoegh-Guldberg University of Queensland Æ Chief Investigator Chief Investigator Dr Joshua Cinner Deputy Director and Program 4 James Cook University Æ Dr Serge Planes James Cook University Australian Postdoctoral Fellow Leader Partner Investigator (2008-2010) University of Queensland James Cook University University of Perpignan

8 Æ Dr Shaun Wilson Æ Andrew Christian Æ Nela Rosic Research Fellow Australian National University University of Queensland James Cook University Æ Jennifer Donelson Æ Maya Srinivasan Æ Professor David Yellowlees James Cook University James Cook University Chief Investigator Æ Claire Farnsworth Æ Lubna Ukani James Cook University James Cook University James Cook University Visiting Scholars Æ Andrew Hoey Æ Sharon Wismer Æ Dr Stefan Gelcich James Cook University James Cook University Universidad Catolica de Chile Æ Emily Howells Business Team Æ Dr Akira Nishikawa, James Cook University Æ Jennifer Lappin Japan Society for Promotion of Science Æ Mizue Hisano Chief Operations Offi cer Æ Dr Jon Norberg James Cook University Æ David Yellowlees Stockholm University Æ Les Kinsley Assistant Director Æ Dr Per Olsen Australian National University Æ Olga Bazaka Stockholm University Æ Selma Klanten Finance Manager and Graduate Æ Dr Lucie Penin James Cook University Coordinator Université de Perpignan Æ Kathryn Markey Æ Lianne de Gunzbourg Æ Dr Willem Renema James Cook University Project Offi cer Natinaal Natuurhistorisch Museum Æ James Moore Æ Louise Taylor Naturalis James Cook University Offi ce Manager and KPI Offi cer Technical Staff Æ Graham Mortimer Australian National University Graduate Students Æ Lewis Anderson (see page 24) James Cook University Æ Cathie Page James Cook University Æ Mary Boyle James Cook University

9 Research Program

Leaders

Professor Malcolm McCulloch Associate Professor Sean Connolly Professor Garry Russ Professor Malcolm McCulloch is one of the Centre’s two Associate Professor Sean Connolly is Leader of Program Professor Garry Russ is Leader of Program 3: Marine Reserves Deputy Directors and Leader of Program 1: Evolutionary 2: Understanding and Managing Coral Reef Biodiversity. and Reef Connectivity. Garry studies the biology of reef fi sh and Environmental Change. He is the Professor and head of Sean combines mathematical and statistical modelling of commercial and recreational fi shing signifi cance (mostly Earth Environment, Research School of Earth Sciences, at with fi eldwork and laboratory experiments to study the serranids, lutjanids and lethrinids). A major area of applied The Australian National University, Canberra, and has held dynamics of biological turnover at all scales, including research involves population and community dynamics of this position since 1996. His research interests focus on the population dynamics, species interactions and biodiversity, reef fi sh of commercial/recreational signifi cance on coral modern part of the geologic record using isotopic and trace and macroevolution. He received his doctorate in 1999 from reefs opened and closed to fi shing. In Southeast Asia and element geochemical methods to determine how climate Stanford University in California, USA for research on the Australia, he is undertaking long-term (23 year) monitoring of and anthropogenic processes have infl uenced both past and ecology of rocky shores. In 1999-2000, he was a postdoctoral reef fi sh populations inside and outside marine reserves. Russ present environments with particular emphasis on coral research fellow at the University of Arizona, USA, where received his PhD from the University of Melbourne in 1981. reefs. Malcolm has received a number of awards, including he examined global dynamics of marine biodiversity in the He was a Queens Fellow at the Australian Institute of Marine Fellowships of the Australian Academy of Science (2004), fossil record. In 2000, he was recruited to JCU to develop Science from 1982-1986. He subsequently held a lectureship Fellowship of the Geological Society of Australia (2007) and lead a research program in ecological modelling at the University of Sydney (1986-87). Garry moved to JCU and the American Geophysical Union (2002) and in 2007 applied to coral reefs. Sean has 28 publications in leading in 1988 where he is currently a Professor in Marine Biology. was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Curtin University. international journals, including 5 in Science or Nature, and Garry has published over 55 papers international journals. In His 208 scientifi c papers have been published in leading he has supervised 8 PhD, 4 Masters, and 7 Honours students 1999, he received a prestigious PEW Fellowship in Marine international journals including 22 in Science or Nature. since 2001. He has recently been awarded an Australian Conservation jointly with his long-time colleague Professorial Fellowship by the Australian Research Council, Dr. Angel Alcala. taking on this new leadership role within the ARC Centre.

10 Professor Ove Hoegh-Guldberg Professor Terry Hughes Professor Ove Hoegh-Guldberg is the other Deputy Director Professor Terry Hughes is the Director of the ARC Centre of and Leader of Program 4: Genetic, molecular and physiological Excellence and Leader of Program 5: Resilience of linked social- processes. He is the Director of the Centre for Marine Studies ecological systems. He is a member of the newly established at University of Queensland, and Director of the Stanford- ARC Advisory Council and is on the Advisory Panel for the Australia Program at UQ. His research interests span a broad Australia-India Strategic Research Fund. He received his range of topics including marine biology, evolution, physiology, doctorate in 1984 from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, biochemistry and molecular biology of plant-animal symbioses, Maryland, USA. From 1984-1990, he was a Postdoctoral and co-evolution, coral bleaching and climate change. Ove is Chair Research Fellow at the University of California, Santa Barbara. of the GEF/World Bank Working Group on Coral Bleaching and In 1990, Terry moved to JCU to develop and lead a program in Related Ecological disturbances, one of six expert groups within coral reef ecology. He was awarded a Personal Chair in 2000, the IOC and World Bank Coastal Program’s Global Coral Reef and was elected a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science Targeted Research and Capacity Building Project. In the area in 2001 in recognition of “a career which has signifi cantly of marine symbioses, he leads a large research group including advanced the world’s store of scientifi c knowledge”. As Centre 9 post doctoral fellows, 13 postgraduate and 3 Honours Director, Terry provides academic leadership and is responsible students as Senior Investigator with the Marine Animal and for the strategic development of the Centre. He has published Plant Symbioses Laboratory at UQ. Ove has published over 90 over 80 infl uential scientifi c papers on the biology and papers, including 9 in Science or Nature. management of coral reefs, including 21 in Science or Nature.

11 Research

Program 1 – Evolutionary and environmental change

Researchers grew along the Western Australian coastline, CO2, but they also show unexpectedly large Program 1 and 4 researchers are also examining Æ Malcolm McCulloch (Program Leader) ~125,000 years ago. During this period, global fl uctuations, indicating the dynamic nature of long-term changes in water quality in the Æ Sean Connolly temperatures were several degrees warmer seawater chemistry. These changes point to Mackay-Whitsunday region of the central Great Æ Ove Hoegh-Guldberg and sea levels were up to 4 to 5 metres higher a more complex trajectory of future climate Barrier Reef. The project is supported by the Æ Terry Hughes (Research Fellow) due to more extensive melting of land-based change. Mackay City Council, the Mackay-Whitsunday Æ Stacy Jupiter (Research Fellow) icesheets. This occurred as a result of increased Natural Resource Management Group and Æ Michael Kingsford solar radiation being received in the northern Program 1 and 2 researchers, John Pandolfi Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority. Æ Janice Lough hemisphere, an outcome of relatively subtle and Sean Connolly, have focussed this year on Æ Pippa Moore (Research Fellow) changes in the Earth’s orbital parameters. the application of neutral theory to coral reef In October 2007, Program 1 extended its Æ John Pandolfi Warmer temperatures also resulted in prolifi c communities, using fossil data from Pleistocene network overseas by convening a workshop on Æ Willem Renema (Visiting Research Fellow) growth and expansion of coral reefs to higher coral communities in Barbados. Program 1 and “Coral Reef Indicators of Land-Based Pollution” Æ Robert Steneck latitudes, especially along the relatively arid 5 reseachers are also examining long-term in Mombasa, Kenya. Twenty-two scientists and margins of the Western Australian coastline. changes in the paleoecology and ecology of reef managers from eight countries (Australia, Knowledge of the past improves our ability Results from our studies show that, in the the Great Barrier Reef and Moreton Bay, to Comoros, Italy, Kenya, Netherlands, Tanzania, to predict future infl uences of natural absence of mankind’s footprint, and given establish base-line conditions, for comparison UK, and the USA) presented talks. Given the environmental variability, human impacts, suffi cient time, coral reefs can adapt to the with modern communities. Fieldwork in 2007 setting in East Africa, special attention was and climate change on coral reefs. Centre effects of global warming. Furthermore, the by John Pandolfi and his students has included focused on the challenges that developing researchers use fossil and historical records higher sea-levels associated with warmer coring fi eldtrips to the Palm Island Group nations have in protecting reef resources. to develop novel methods to identify potential conditions of the Last Interglacial period provide (near Townsville) and Moreton Bay (close to causes of global change in biodiversity and a benchmark for understanding future rises Brisbane) to obtain major data set on past ecosystem function. Together with ecological in sea level. The response of corals on the community structure change in nearshore GBR studies, this broad array of work provides a Great Barrier Reef to climate change is being coral reefs and sub-tropical marginal habitats unique perspective on community change that evaluated using the novel geochemical method of SE Queensland. Pandolfi and colleagues ranges from centuries to millennia. of boron isotopic variations which directly have also established a group, Network for refl ects changes in seawater chemistry. Using Ecological Baselines into Environmental Law, Researchers from the UQ and ANU nodes, cores from long-lived corals, research being interested in using the history of ecosystem led by Professor John Pandolfi and Professor undertaken by Malcolm McCulloch, Janice health to set enforceable benchmarks for Malcolm McCulloch utilize regional patterns Lough and colleagues is showing substantial ecosystem rehabilitation. Partners include of biodiversity in coral reefs to explore the environmental shifts from pre-industrial times the National Environmental Law Association, infl uence of past and future climate change. to today. These shifts generally correlate with the Environmental Defenders Offi ce, and the In the Last Interglacial period, coral reefs the steady increase in the levels of greenhouse Australian Conservation Foundation.

12 Corals reveal impact of land usage 31 May 2007

Using the corals on the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) as a history book, researchers have linked land use along the coast to in the late 19th century,” said Dr Marion. “After World War II, decades of declining water quality and poor coral health. Their when fertilisers were used to increase sugar cane production, work is pioneering the development of new tools for better the coral records reveal substantial accumulations of fertiliser- management of the quality of Australia’s coastal waters by the derived nutrients in near-shore GBR waters. This is a global communities that depend on them. issue because development is taking place in coastal areas all over Australia and around the world. This is the fi rst time corals The study by researchers from the ARC Centre of Excellence have been used to trace the history and origin of nutrients in the for Coral Reef Studies focuses on the hundred-year history of marine environment and link changes in water quality back to coastal development around the Queensland town of Mackay changes taking place on the land.” and its impact on nearby coral reefs which have been gradually disappearing. According to the study a history of land clearing, The study’s fi ndings will be presented at a public workshop agriculture and fl ooding is linked to nutrient rich waters fl owing meeting at the Mackay Botanical Gardens on Friday, June 1. out of the Pioneer River catchment. These excess nutrients are The meeting will feature leading researchers from CoECRS directly taken up by coastal corals, affecting their survival and as well as representatives from local, regional and federal ability to recover from adverse conditions. management agencies. “We found that the nitrogen isotopes from particles in water “We hope we have increased the available information for samples collected all along the catchment area were highly assisting in better management of coastal land as well as enriched, especially in the lower reaches of the river. This identifying signifi cant environmental risks for the Great Barrier refl ects nitrogen from fertilisers,” said Dr Guy Marion of The Reef,” said UQ’s Professor Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, a project leader. University of Queensland and CoECRS. “The changes indicate that this is something that we should all be paying serious attention to. We hope to create discussion Dr Stacy Jupiter, a research fellow at the Australian National between the stakeholders, the scientists and the public so University and CoECRS said inshore reefs were covered in these results can be used to better manage the area.” widespread stands of algae, a condition that may refl ect chronic nutrient excess. “The reef condition didn’t improve until 50 The meeting will highlight the “four-pronged” approach taken kilometres offshore,” Dr Jupiter said. in the investigation into the history of changes in the land and the decline in water quality. These comprise the history of Dr Jupiter said while the study is local, its fi ndings have development and clearing since pioneer settlement in the area; national and even global signifi cance. The study also uses coral the chemical composition of water from points along the river skeletons to reveal the history of nutrient and sediment runoff and out to sea; the chemical composition of coral skeletons into the river and coastal waters from human activities in the dating back before European settlement; and the varying health catchment dating back to European settlement of the Mackay of coral communities extending from the mouth of the river to area. Using coral skeletons more than a century old, the team far out to sea. was able to analyse chemicals and sediments taken up by the corals and link them geochemically to their place and time of “There is potential to use these tools to manage our coastal origin. environments and water quality right round Australia and even worldwide,” said Dr Jupiter. “The impact on our long-term “We observed a large increase in the delivery of land-based understanding of change in Australia’s coastal areas is highly sediments after the surrounding areas were cleared for farming signifi cant.”

13 Research

Program 2 – Understanding and Managing Coral Reef Biodiversity

Researchers of new staff, new research fi ndings and Southeast Asia, who are assessing a range activity. The study is already being widely used Æ Sean Connolly (Program Leader) syntheses of existing knowledge, as well as of geological and ecological information by reef managers to justify the establishment of Æ Andrew Baird (Research Fellow) direct communication of research fi ndings to around the central theme of the plate tectonic no-take areas as tools for managing biodiversity Æ David Bellwood end-users: Program 2 hosted a workshop on development of SE Asia and the effect of and ecological resilience. Æ Guillermo Diaz-Pulido (Research Fellow) the effects of global warming on coral reef this changing geological and oceanographic Æ Terry Hughes (Research Fellow) fi shes in February 2007, which culminated in framework on the development of coral reefs, Maria Dornelas was recruited at the end of Æ Geoffrey Jones a major review paper for Oceanography and sea-grass and mangrove biota. The prime focus 2007 as a Research Fellow for Program 2. Æ Ronald Karlson Marine Biology: an Annual Review (Pratchett of the work is to assemble and interpret faunal She joins the Centre from the Gatty Marine Æ Pippa Moore (Research Fellow) et al. in press). Philip Munday also wrote turnover and to investigate how the Indo-Pacifi c Laboratory, at the University of St Andrews, UK. Æ Philip Munday (Research Fellow) the fi rst comprehensive assessment of the longitudinal diversity gradient has responded Sean Connolly, Program 2 Leader, was awarded Æ John Pandolfi impacts of climate change on fi shes of the to these changes. This working group is the an ARC Australian Professorial Fellowship for Æ Lucie Penin (Visiting Research Fellow) Great Barrier Reef in a book (Climate Change basis of a session on ‘Biotic response to ancient 2008-2012, and Philip Munday received an Æ Morgan Pratchett (Research Fellow) and the Great Barrier Reef: A Vulnerability environmental change in Indo-Pacifi c coral ARC Queen Elizabeth II Fellowship for the same Æ Robert Steneck Assessment) published by the Great Barrier reefs’ for the 11th International Coral Reef period. Both of the new ARC Fellowships are Æ Shaun Wilson (Research Fellow) Reef Marine Park Authority. New collaborative Symposium (Florida, 2008) co-funded by the School of Marine and Tropical links with one of the world’s leading overseas Biology at JCU. Program 2 aims to understand the research teams on global climate change and A team of eight researchers from Program 2 mechanisms and processes that maintain coral reef fi shes (based at the University of and 5, led by Terry Hughes, undertook a large- coral reef biodiversity, using a combination of Newcastle, UK) were strengthened with the scale fi sh-exclusion experiment to explore mathematical modelling and fi eld studies. This appointment of a co-funded research fellow, the role of herbivorous fi shes in bolstering multi-disciplinary approach informs knowledge- Shaun Wilson. In addition, Australian Research the resilience of corals to global warming. based management of biodiversity resulting in Fellow, Morgan Pratchett, will use a prestigious The experiment tracked the recovery of corals environmental, social and economic benefi t to Churchill Fellowship to spend two months at the following severe bleaching, in areas of reef tropical maritime nations. University of Newcastle in 2008. where fi sh were experimentally excluded, and on adjacent areas within a no-fi shing zone. In a The effects of climate change on coral reef A joint initiative involving both Program 1 and paper published in February 2007 (see opposite), biodiversity has emerged as a major new 2 on ‘Indo-Pacifi c biodiversity through time,’ the team concluded that maintaining intact research thrust within Program 2. Activities led by John Pandolfi and David Bellwood, fi sh populations will be vital to successfully in this area included the establishment of is continuing. The project involves leading managing the resilience of tropical coral reefs new research collaborations, recruitment researchers from Australia, Europe and from the impacts of climate change and human

14 Fish: Healthcare Workers of the Reef 9 February 2007

Fish will play a vital role in helping Australia’s Great Barrier “For reefs to withstand the rigours of climate Reef cope with the ravages of climate change. That’s t change, they need he conclusion of a major scientifi c paper published today in the to be resilient – able to bounce back after a severe shock suc as a bleaching episode, an outbr h international journal Current Biology eak of disease or a hurricane, y. A dramatic experiment run Australian Research Fellow M ” by an international team of researchers from the ARC Centr organ Pratchett said. “That means e maintaining the richness and diversity of their as of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies has shown that a healthy semblages of fi s h population is essential for coral recovery after a severe coral, fi sh and other animals.” bleaching event, storm or disease outbreak. A sixth of all the world’s coral reefs were hit during a recent “The combined effects of overfi shing, pollution and climat major heating event (1998-99), pointing to the potential sca e of climate impacts. In many areas already affecte le change are seriously damaging coral reefs around the world d by human and causing their replacement by weedy growth,” team leader activity such as pollution and overfi shing, they have not yet Professor Terry Hughes said. “We followe recovered. d the recovery of corals that had been severely damage d by bleaching. The corals “As the world continues to warm, it’s only a matter of time before were on a reef where fi sh populations were unusually int the next major bleaching eve act nt occurs. Once corals are replace due to the no-take policy of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park by weed – known as a phase shift – it is extraordinarily diffi cult,d Authority (GBRMPA). We also fenced the fi sh out of some areas, if not impossible, to bring them back again,” Prof Hughes said and compared coral recovery with and witho . ut lots of fi sh. The result was dramatic. The coral cover vi “This experiment shows that one way to prevent a phase shi rtually doubled where the from taking place is to have an intact populatio ft fi s h had access, while the fenced-off areas became overgrown n of herbivores with slimy weed and the corals failed to recover ready to pounce on any weeds that may .” sprout before the corals can regenerate,” Prof Bellwood said. “Herbivorous fi sh ar The team concluded that having intact fi sh populations will be e rarely caught by professional fi shermen in Australia – though vital to successfully managing the resilie they are still hunted by nce of tropical coral spear fi shers - but around the worldth eey reefs from the impacts of climate change and human activity. are under remorseless pressure. Over time this co uld llead to The importance of this result is accentuated by the the permanent loss of huge swathes of coral fi ndings reef with serious of the latest report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate consequences for communities which depen Change (IPCC). d on them.” Fellow author and Research and Monitoring Manager with “We can’ t prevent future bleaching except through internationa GBRMPA, Dr Laurence McCook, said the research provided action on greenhouse gas emissions,” said co-a l uthor Professor valuable informationn foor the protection of the Great Barrier Reef. Ove Hoegh-Guldberg. “In the meantime, it’s important to do “This study shhows that no-take areas such as those applied whatever we can to minimize the damage and assist reefs on the Great Barrier Reef in the Green Zones made important through these diffi cult times.” coontribbutions to the Reef’s resilience. Maintaining resilience is “The larger herbivorous fi shes – such as parrot fi sh and s a vital aspect of reef management.” A priority for GBRMPA is urrgeon fi sh – are particu to build the Reef’s resilience through initiatives such as no take larly important in keeping recovering corals free from weedy overgrowth,” Professor D zoning and reducing water pollution.” avve BBellwood said. “This research indicates it is importa nt to avoid overfi shing of these herbivores at all costs.”

15 Research

Program 3 – Marine Reserves and Reef Connectivity

Researchers grant, entitled “Evaluating the effectiveness Cook University to capture, tag and release Targetted Research and Capacity Building Æ Garry Russ (Program Leader) of Marine Protected Areas: Quantifying larval reef fi sh within Marine National Park (green) for Management Project, led by Peter Sale. Æ Glenn Almany (Research Fellow) export from coral reef sanctuaries in Papua New zones of the Keppel Island group. The total Twenty-eight of the world’s leaders in the Æ Andrew Baird (Research Fellow) Guinea and the Great Barrier Reef”, to Simon fi shing effort contributed to the project was fi eld of coral reef connectivity, from 7 different Æ David Bellwood Thorrold (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute), 196 vessel-days or 503 fi sher-days. All captured countries, participated. A major focus was Æ Sean Connolly Glenn Almany, Geoff Jones, Garry Russ and Rick coral trout (Plectropomus spp.), stripey snapper the impact that rapid climate change will Æ Terry Hughes (Research Fellow) Hamilton (The Nature Conservancy). This grant (Lutjanus carponotatus) and long-fi nned rockcod have on connectivity in coral reef ecosystems. Æ Geoffrey Jones is specifi cally to support fi eld trials of novel (Epinephelus quoyanus) were injected with a These changes have important implications Æ Michael Kingsford larval tagging techniques. Additional co-funding small dose of enriched stable isotope barium for the management of coral reef ecosystems, Æ Laurence McCook for work on the Great Barrier Reef has also been chloride (BaCl2) solution and fi n-clipped for a especially for the design and placement of Æ Mark McCormick received from the Reef and Rainforest Research DNA sample. The barium injection provides marine protected areas. The major outputs of Æ Mark Meekan Centre (supported by the Commonwealth a unique trans-generational marker which is this working group are being prepared as an Æ Philip Munday (Research Fellow) Environmental Research Fund). passed from female fi sh to their offspring. invited set of 6 papers for a “Theme Section” in Æ John Pandolfi Recruit (juvenile) fi sh will be collected from Coral Reefs. Æ Serge Planes In Australia, extensive larval marking reefs in the Keppel Island group between March Æ Morgan Pratchett (Research Fellow) experiments (using Barium isotopes) and and June 2008 and screened to determine Research Fellow Glenn Almany spent 2007 on Æ Bette Willis DNA sampling were carried out in late 2007 larval dispersal patterns. This ambitious fi eld secondment with the Brisbane headquarters on commercially and recreationally important experiment has major signifi cance to a key of The Nature Conservancy, collaborating on Networks of marine reserves (no-take zones) species of reef fi shes in the Keppel Islands. stakeholder, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park numerous projects now underway in PNG, are used to manage biodiversity and fi sheries. These experiments employed enriched isotope Authority. Similar larval tagging experiments Indonesia and the Solomon Islands. Consequently, zoning for multiple levels of larval markers to quantify self-recruitment and associated with marine reserve connectivity are usage and protection is fast becoming the dispersal among adjacent subpopulations. The underway or planned for PNG, Belize and the principal mode of management of maritime research was specifi cally designed to assess Philippines. resources. An improved understanding of the magnitude of larval export from green marine connectivity and barriers to dispersal is zones on the Great Barrier Reef. Over 6000 In October 2007, Program 3 and 2 launched a central to this endeavour. Program 3 has made fi shes (of various species) from three different new working group entitled “Connectivity and remarkable breakthroughs, published in Science green zones in the Keppel islands were caught, population resilience – sustaining coral reefs and Nature, in developing new technologies tagged (tags courtesy of Suntag) and released. during the coming century”, in Townsville. The that can tag and track the movement of Recreational fi shers from the Keppel Bay and working group is a partnership between the larvae. In 2007, the David and Lucille Packard Gladstone Sportfi shing Clubs worked alongside ARC Centre of Excellence and the connectivity Foundation awarded a substantial 3-year researchers from the ARC Centre and James projects of the World Bank GEF Coral Reef

16 Baby fish “smell their way home” 22 January 2007

Marine scientists working on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef The team exposed tiny fi sh larvae in a tank have uncovered evidence that baby fi sh, only millimetres lon to pure streams of manage to fi nd their way to their home coral reef across milesg, water from four different reefs. To their amazement, within of open sea by using their sense of smell. Remarkable in itself, minutes a surprisingly high percentage of baby fi sh had the discovery by a team including Professor Mike Kingsford o congregated in the water fl ow from their home reef. f the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies and James “It was a lot more than you’d expect to happen by pure chance Cook University and colleagues from Woods Hole, USA, als – and it applied, in differing degrees, across several species of o shines a new light on how the breathtaking diversity of fi sh on fi sh,” Mike says. coral reefs has arisen. This has major implications for how reefs are managed. The fi sh could also be responding to other stimuli, including distant noise off a reef and the behaviour of other “The babies of many coral fi sh species are swept fi sh, but the off their home team concluded that smell was probably the reef by ocean currents within days of hatchi dominant factor ng. Ordinarily you’d leading the babies home. “Every reef gives off its own unique expect them to be thoroughly mixed up and this would mean chemical signature, a rich mixture of the proteins and amino the population of one reef would be pretty much the same, acids emitted by corals, all the plankton and mucus from its life. genetically, as another,” he says. “But that is not the case We think baby fi sh c . an pick this up and distinguish it from other There are major genetic differences between fi sh of the same reefs. We think some fi shes then choose currents that smell li ke species on reefs only a few kilometres or even hundreds of ‘home’ and swim up them. The ones that cannot do this perish. metres apart.” The ones that get home preserve the unique ‘ethnic’ make-up of their tribe – and so continue the proce This diversity between populations of the same fi sh species ss of evolving into what drives evolution is separate new species.” on the Reef and underpins the spectacular richness of its sea life, Prof. Kingsford says. “This genetic How the fi sh learn the unique smell of home is a mystery still. separation between reefs may be what gives rise to so many The researchers theorise that it is imprinted on them eith different species in coral reef system when they are an egg inside their mothers, a f er s.” errtilised egg swept around on the bottom, or new-hatch The researchers were intrigued how tiny damsel and cardinal edd fry loose in the stream or brooded in their parents’ mo fi s h , born on one reef, managed to fi nd their way back home to uths.

preserve such remarkable population differences, braving str “An egg, even a fry, hasn’t a fu ong llly developed sense of smell, but currents and ferocious predators in their 20 days at sea – all it may have a way of absorbbing the local molecules and the when only a centimetre or so in size. n recognizing their signaature as “home” when it grows up a bit and is ready to settle,” Mike says. “This evidence that individual “We tested several ideas, but the most attractive seemed to be that they could smell the unique trace of their home reef – coral reefs play such a key role in the emergence of new species is a fresh reason to take even greater care in how we look after rather like salmon can smell the home river. We know these la stage fi sh larvae, generally between about 9 and 14m tee them.” m long, already have developed noses – but the question was whether The research has been published in the Proceedings of the US they could use them to recognise what the home reef smelt like, National Academy of Sciences on January 16, 2007 when they left it only a day or so after . hatching.”

17 Research

Program 4 – Genetic, molecular and physiological processes

Researchers The Centre is building new strengths in Guillermo Diaz-Pulido, Mauricio Rodriguez- reducing the impacts of rapid climate change Æ Ove Hoegh-Guldberg (Program Leader) genomics and microarray technologies, Lanetty and others). The role of temperature on coral reefs. A CD of the presentations was Æ Ken Anthony and in 2007 Centre researchers continued as a driver in coral disease dynamics is also produced. In April 2007, Bette Willis led a Æ Line Bay (Research Fellow) to develop novel EST libraries for both the a major focus. (This work, by Bette Willis and capacity-building workshop for East African Æ Guillermo Diaz-Pulido (Research Fellow) coral host and their algal symbionts. These colleagues, was cited in Federal Parliament coral reef managers, sponsored by the World Æ Sophie Dove sequences constitute the gene complement in a debate on renewal of the Great Barrier Bank GEF Program, with further support Æ Simon Dunn (Research Fellow) used to construct microarrays which have the Reef Marine Park Act). Progress has also been from the ARC Centre, and a consortium of Æ Bill Leggat potential to revolutionise our understanding made with major technological advances in the government agencies and NGOs. Æ David Miller of the molecular and physiological processes development of RNAi in corals (Simon Dunn). Æ Madeleine van Oppen in corals. David Miller and his colleagues Æ Mauricio Rodriguez-Lanetty in the ARC Special Research Centre for the Collaborators in Programs 2 and 4 (Andrew (Research Fellow) Molecular Genetics of Development have Baird, Madeleine van Oppen, Sean Connolly, Æ Bette Willis established a number of EST libraries for the Bill Leggat) have completed a global map of the Æ David Yellowlees coral Acropora millepora. These libraries are biodiversity of zooxanthellae, the one-celled currently being used to examine the impact of algae that inhabit corals and provide them with Program 4 draws on researchers across multiple thermal stress on corals using experimental most of their energy needs. Because different nodes to understand coral reef organisms at temperature manipulations that are consistent types of zooxanthellae differ in their tolerance a molecular and physiological level, and to with a range of climate change projections. Ove for high temperatures and other environmental examine potential mechanisms of coral reefs for Hoegh-Guldberg, Bill Leggat, Sophie Dove and stresses, knowing their global distributions is adaptation and acclimatization to environmental David Yellowlees have also established an EST critical to assessing corals’ capacity to adapt to change. Specifi c areas of study include library for Symbiodinium clade C3, which they global warming. biochemical analysis of coral-zooxanthellae are using to investigate a range of previously interactions, coral bleaching, physiology, sub- unknown physiological processes in corals and In January 2007, Program 4 and the National lethal stress indicators, energetic modeling, other invertebrate-dinofl agellate associations. Science Foundation (NSF) co-sponsored a coral diseases and genomics. The Centre’s joint workshop. This collaborative undertaking standing in this area of research was recognized Numerous projects in Program 4 are brought together over 60 researchers on by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate investigating symbiont acquisition, and the Heron Island Research Station to improve Change (IPCC), with two Centre members potential for corals to select among potentially understanding of the cellular and molecular (Hoegh-Guldberg, Hughes) contributing to the competing strains of zooxanthellae (Madeleine biology of symbiosis, and how this new infl uential 2007 IPCC assessment report. van Oppen, Line Bay, Gomez-Cabrerra, knowledge could potentially provide tools for

18 Key found to moonlight romance 19 October 2007

An international team of Australian and Israeli researchers developed in primitive life forms in the Preca has discovered what could be the aphrodi mbrian, more than siac for the biggest moonlight sex event on Earth. An ancient light-sensitive 500 million years ago, as a way of sensing light,” he explains. “The fact they are linked with the gene has been isolated by re system that repairs damage searchers from the ARC Centre from ultraviolet (UV) radiation suggests they may evolve of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies that appears to act as d in eyeless creatures w a trigger for the annual mass spawning of corals across hich needed to avoid high daytime UV by living deep in the water, but still needed a third of a million square kilometres of Australia’s Great to sense the blue Barrier Reef, shortly after a full m light shed by the moon to synchronise their body clocks and oon. The genes, known as breeding cycles.” a cryptochromes, occur in corals, insects, fi sh and mammals - including humans - and are primitive light-sensing pigme “They are, in a sense, the functional forerunners of eye nt s,” mechanisms which predate the evolution of eyes Professor Hoegh- . Guldberg said. In humans, cryptochromes In a new paper published in the international journal still operate as part of the circadian system that tunes us to Science the rhythms of our planet, though thei today, the team, headed by Marie Curie Scholar Dr Oren Levy, r light-sensing function of the University of Queensland appears lost to us, he went on to explain. reports its discovery that the Cry2 gene, stimulated by the faint blue light of the full “They play important roles in regulating the body-clocks o moon, f appears to play a central role in triggering the m many species, from corals to fruit fl ies, to zebra fi sh and mice ass coral . spawning event, one of nature’s wonders. The proteins they produce are similar to those in huma ns and other mammals, though they appear to function Professor Ove Hoegh-Guldberg more like those , who leads the laboratory in in the fruit fl y,” says Professor David Miller which the genes were discovered, said “This is the key to of JCU. one of the central mysteries of coral reefs. We have always The coral cryptochrome genes were initially identifi ed by Dr wondered how corals without eyes can detect moonlight and Levy and Dr Bill Leggat working with Professor Hoegh-Guldber get the precise hour of the right couple of (UQ) on Heron Island g days each year to . Prof. Miller and Dr David Hayward, of th spawn.” Australian National University, were able to add inf e ormmation on the coral crypt What allows corals to spawn simultaneously along the ochromes from a large library of coral genes that they have been compiling (so far th immense length of the Great Barrier Reef - and also in other ey have catalogued parts of the world - has been a scientifi c mystery till now, about 10,000 out of an estimated 20-225,000 genes in coral),

though researchers knew that tide, water temperature and leading circadian clock bioloogists from Bar-Ilan and Tel-Aviv and weather conditions played a part, says Dr Levy Universities in Israel played important roles in interpreting the . However the remarkable synchronisation of spawning o data. ccurring all along the Reef immediately following a full moon suggested that “Manyy of tthese genes developed in deep time, in the earliest moonlight was a key factor. phases of organised life on the planet,” Dr Leggat says. “They Exposing corals to different colours and intensities of li were preserved for hundreds of millions of years before being ghht and sampling live corals on reefs around the time inherited by corals when they developed about 240 million of the full moon, Dr Levy found the Cry2 gene at its years ago, and are still found today in modern animals and most active in Acropora corals during full moon night humans. They are an indicator that corals and humans are in s.. “WWe think these genes fact distant relatives, sharing a common ancestor way back.”

19 Research

Program 5: Resilience of linked social-ecological systems

Researchers Simon Foale has been engaged since 2007 ecosystem-based management, using the Joshua Cinner leads a new team that is Æ Terry Hughes (Program Leader) in ongoing consultancy work for the AusAid recent governance changes of the Great Barrier conducting extensive fi eld work in Kenya, Æ Andrew Baird (Research Fellow) Community Sector Program (CSP), training Reef Marine Park as a case study. The study Tanzania, Madagascar, Mauritius and the Æ David Bellwood Solomon Islanders in systems and approaches focuses on interplay between individual actors, Seychelles on social and economic aspects Æ Kathleen Broderick (Research Fellow) for minimizing environmental impacts organizations, and institutions, particularly the of coral reef management. In 2007, this work Æ Joshua Cinner (Research Fellow) associated with the delivery of infrastructure Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority. This included the training of eight scientists and Æ Toby Elmhirst (Research Fellow) (hospitals, clinics, schools), water supplies, and agency was instrumental in the transformation four NGO and government employees in Æ Kathryn Ferguson (Research Fellow) with new sustainable fi sheries and mariculture of the Reef’s governance regime and provided socio-economic data collection and analysis, Æ Simon Foale (Research Fellow) initiatives. He has also been engaged, since leadership throughout the recent re-zoning in Mombasa. Outcomes from the research Æ Carl Folke 2006, in an ongoing large-scale social and process. The strategies identifi ed in this included the adoption of policies to regulate the Æ Laurence McCook economic survey project in the Solomon Islands, study involved internal reorganisation and use of destructive fi shing gear by the Tanzania Æ Susan McIntyre-Tamwoy (Research Fellow) again with Ausaid, the outputs of which are management innovation, leading to an ability Fisheries Department. Æ Jon Norberg (Visiting Research Fellow) pivotal to the formulation of Australia’s aid to coordinate the scientifi c community, to Æ Per Olsen (Visiting Research Fellow) policies on governance and capacity building in increase public awareness of environmental Toby Elmhirst, a mathematician, was recruited Æ John Pandolfi a politically volatile region. issues and problems, to involve a broader from Canada in 2007 as a Centre Research Æ Bob Pressey (Research Fellow) set of stakeholders, and to manoeuvre the Fellow in Program 5. His research focuses on Æ Garry Russ In 2007 the Centre signed a Memorandum of political system for support at critical times. chaos theory, thresholds, and how networks Æ Robert Steneck Understanding with the Stockholm Resilience The transformation process was triggered by of protected areas infl uence the resilience of Centre to cooperate and collaborate in areas increased pressure on the Great Barrier Reef coupled social-ecological systems. The work This new program seeks to provide new of mutual interest in research. As part of this (from terrestrial run-off, over-harvesting, and bridges Programs 2, 3, and 5, and is co-funded solutions to managing resilience and coping initiative, two Visiting Fellows, Jon Norberg global warming) that triggered a new sense of with the Resilience Alliance, and the Applied with change, uncertainty, risk and surprise and Per Olsen, have undertaken new research urgency to address these challenges. It shifted Environmental Decision Analysis Centre at the in complex social-ecological systems. The projects at JCU, while Terry Hughes and Joshua the focus of governance from protection of University of Queensland. objective is to improve the governance and Cinner visited Stockholm in 2007. A range of selected individual reefs to stewardship of the management of natural systems and enhance other joint activities have been established, larger-scale seascape. The study emphasizes their capacity to sustain human and natural including working groups jointly funded by both the signifi cance of stewardship that can capital. Innovative multi-disciplinary research organizations. change patterns of interactions among key combines expertise on coral reef biology, actor and allow for new forms of management management, governance, economics and A novel study by Per Olson, Carl Folke and and governance to emerge in response to social sciences. Terry Hughes has analysed the strategies environmental change. and actions that enable transitions towards

20 Investigating the trochus “El Dorado” 12 February 2007

Scientifi c and indigenous knowledge must join to gether to water that better manage disappearing marine reso wandered up to shallower parts of the reef. urces in developing countries, such as shark, trochus, and sea cucumber stocks on “A large part of this problem is that fi shers are unaware of the the islands to Australia’s north. That’s the view of Dr Simo connection between the adult n fi sh populations and the rate Foale, a research fellow with the ARC Centre of Excellence of supply of larvae that replenish those populations for Coral Reef Studies, who studies coral reef . When fi sheries in the people are unaware of the reproductive cycle of Solomon Islands as they undergo rapid fi sh, where and dramatic change. spawned eggs and sperm combine in the sea to produce microscopic larvae that disperse and “Cultures change as the societies become more modern… later settle to become the people become more detached from old beliefs and juveniles, they tend to attribute the control of fi sh population s traditions erode,” says Foale. “Once large amounts of to other factors, including supernatural forces,” he says. money enter a region, it undergoes an abrupt pow er While these beliefs remain and the pressure to harvest shift and the traditions are marginalised,” he says. continues, Foale argues that these gaps in knowledge influence the Nggela people to bel “Traditionally, Melanesian culture ieve they are not s believe in nature spirits… responsible for declines in th it is seamlessly part of natur e numbers of trochus. e and part of their culture…They would manage their r eefs by prohibiting fi shing forperiods of “Fishers in many parts of the Pacifi c commonly fail to time. Anyone who broke these rules would come under a curse. make the connection between their fi shing activity and the

decline or collapse of fi sh and marine stocks,” he say “But traditional management tends to fall apart s. when the external pres Foale argues that sharing cultural and scien sure increases. When global tifi c knowledge is markets expand, demand rises and marine products essential to improving coral reef and fi sh stock managemen command high pri t ces, the traditional rules are no longer in developing countries, which usually have little or no access suffi cient to prevent overfi shing,” says Foale. to information through libraries, scientists and the internet. In studies of the Solomon Islands Tr ochus fi sheries (a “The scientifi c community can contribute much to mollusc whose pearly shell has been a valuable source of sustainable marine management in developin g countries, cash for almost two centuries for Pacifi c Islanders) Foale but it is critical that when they deliver it they understand found that gaps in the locals’ knowledge of the species the cultural, economic and politicall coontext, and the beliefs were making their harvesting practices unsustainable . of the local people,” says Foale “Sharing knowledge is a two way process. There is a huge amount of knowledge in “The Nggela people have a tradition of harvesting trochus during a certain time in the lunar cycle whe the heads of a both fi sherpeople and scientists. Combining n they are easier to fi nd. However, while they the two seets of knowledge, wherever possible, will identifi ed these times makee foor better management of marine resources.” as good for harvesting, they seemed oblivious to the fact that the trochus are breeding at that time too. “Th ey assumed the trochus they harvested were replaced by individuals from an ‘‘El Dorado’’ of trochus livin g in deeper

21 Graduate Training

The Centre’s goal is to build human capacity and expertise in coral 140 Postgraduate completions reef science, by supporting and training outstanding students. 130 The Centre provides a unique opportunity for Australian and 120 Honours students non-Australian graduate students to receive research training 110 (at the Honours, Masters and PhD level) in coral reef science, 100 Multi-institutional with opportunities for multi-disciplinary and multi-institutional 90 supervisory arrangements supervision. Over a quarter of our ARC Centre budget is earmarked 80 to support the research costs of these student projects. The Centre 70 Postgraduates enrolled actively involves students through a Student Committee which manages an annual allocation of $40,000 for student mentoring 60 activities, student awards and internodal visits. Five $1000 prizes 50 for the ARC Centre’s Best Student Papers for 2007 were awarded Number of students 40 to George Roff (UQ), David Feary (JCU), Jacob Johansen 30 (JCU), Cathie Page (JCU) and Marian Wong (JCU). 20 10 The ARC Centre of Excellence is the world’s largest provider 0 of graduate training in coral reef science. In 2007, 108 PhD, 2005 2006 2007 21 Masters, and 23 Honours students were supported and Centre training trends in the ARC centre of Excellence 2005 to 2007 supervised by Centre personnel. Forty-six of our graduate students have multi-institutional supervisory arrangements, a Plans for 2008 include the expansion of the Centre’s website to students’ research and publication skills as well as preparing 60% increase since the Centre’s establishment in 2005 (see develop a “student highlights section” to further promote their them for careers in either research or management agencies. graph, right). At JCU, 18 of the Centre’s students are also research projects and outputs. Student research is also promoted Students were also offered opportunities to discuss and learn members of AIMS@JCU, with supervisory arrangements through the Centre’s quarterly newsletters published on our from each other as well as from experts in coral reef research involving both institutions. website at www.coralcoe.org.au/pub-newsletters.html. and management. Discussions were led by Malcolm McCulloch (ANU), John Pandolfi (UQ), David Wachenfeld (GBRMPA), Andrew Multi-nodal (video-conferenced) research seminars and The Centre’s 2007 annual National Student Mentoring Day was Baird and Morgan Pratchett (JCU). At the end of the year, grant discussion groups were introduced in 2006 with 31 being held held in October, following the Australian Coral Reef Society development assistance was provided by Terry Hughes to assist this year. Graduate students are heavily involved in seminars as symposium in Fremantle, Western Australia. The event was early career researchers at JCU, UQ and ANU in preparing well as the quarterly review/planning meetings for each of the attended by 49 postgraduate students from ten universities, postdoctoral fellowship applications. As a result, six fellowship Centre’s Programs. Students and their projects are highlighted providing access to the ARC Centre of Excellence for all proposals have been submitted in the 2009 ARC round. Media individually on the ARC Centre’s website at Australian students. The program’s focus was on developing the exposure is also provided to our students. Following training www.coralcoe.org.au/people-students.html.

22 by Julian Cribb, students were actively involved in many of the In 2008, the Centre is investing over $60,000 in student Centre’s 26 media releases in 2007. participation in the International Coral Reef Society symposium in Florida, where over 20 Centre of Excellence students will be In March 2007, the Centre appointed a new student co-ordinator, presenting their research next July. Olga Bazaka, who liaises closely with the Centre’s students and the Student Committee. Sixteen students were funded and We thank our 2007 student committee: Rose Berdin (ANU), actively participated in the ARC Centre’s National Forum of Coral Paulina Cetina-Heredia (JCU/AIMS), Rachael Middlebrook (UQ), Reef Futures, convened at the Australian Academy of Science, in Ruth Reef (UQ) and Marcelo Visentini Kitahara (JCU) for their Canberra on October 17-19th, 2007. important contribution to the Centre.

The ARC Centre’s international network of students. In 2007, 82 of the ARC Centre’s graduate students came to Australia from 33 countries.

23 Graduate Training

2007 Student members of the ARC Centre of Excellence

Student University Country of Origin Thesis Title CoE Supervisor/s Rene Abesamis JCU Philippines Demographic connectivity of reef fi sh populations in the Philippines. (PhD) Prof G Russ, Prof G Jones Flexibility in coral-dinofl agellate symbiosis: implications for adaptation to climate Prof B Willis, Dr M van Oppen, David Abrego JCU, AIMS Mexico change. (PhD) A.Prof S Connolly Tracy Ainsworth UQ Australia Disease and stress in reef building corals. (PhD) Prof O Hoegh-Guldberg Shelley Anthony JCU, Reef HQ USA Tissue sloughing and coral disease in a large-scale reef mesocosm. (PhD) Prof B Willis Ray Bannister JCU Australia Sponge energetics: implications for aquaculture practices. (PhD awarded) Dr K Anthony Christopher Bartlett JCU USA Marine conservation in Vanuatu. (PhD) Dr J Cinner Palaeoecological dynamics of coral communities along a disturbance gradient, Brian Beck UQ USA Prof J Pandolfi , A.Prof S Connolly Solomon Islands. (PhD) Roger Beeden JCU, UQ New Zealand How healthy is the Great Barrier Reef in a warming world? (PhD) Prof J Pandolfi , Prof B Willis Maria Beger UQ, JCU Germany Models and framework that enhance systematic planning for coral reefs. (PhD) Prof J Pandolfi , Prof G Jones Molecular aspects of the GFP-like proteins in the scleractinean coral Acropora Victor Beltran Ramirez JCU Mexico Prof D Miller, Dr W Leggat millepora(PhD awarded) Prof J Pandolfi , Dr S Dove, Dorothea Bender UQ Germany Effects of macroalgae on the regeneration of coral tissue. (MSc) Prof O Hoegh-Guldberg Late quaternary palaeoclimate history of the Northern Indo-Pacifi c warm pool from Rose Berdin ANU Phillipines Prof M McCulloch raised coral reefs in the Philippines. (PhD) Duan Biggs JCU South Africa Climate change, disturbance and the resilience of tourism-driven systems. (PhD) Prof T Hughes, Dr J Cinner Dispersal of coral larvae: a modelling perspective on its determinants and Bernardo Blanco-Martin JCU Spain Prof T Hughes implications. (PhD awarded) Teressa Bobeszko JCU Australia The Role of Carbonic Anhydrase in the Coral-Dinofl agellate symbiosis (PhD) Dr W Leggat, Prof D Yellowlees Symbiodinium photosynthetic genes and the effect of varying environmental Lynda Boldt JCU Australia Dr S Dove, Dr W Leggat conditions on photosynthetic processes. (PhD) Roberta Bonaldo JCU Brazil The ecosystem role of parrot fi shes. (PhD) Prof D Bellwood, A/Prof S Connolly Prof O Hoegh-Guldberg, Pim Bongaerts UQ, ANU Netherlands Ecological signifi cance of deep, light-dependent coral communities. (PhD) Dr M Rodrigues-Lanetty

24 Student University Country of Origin Thesis Title CoE Supervisor/s Mary Bonin JCU USA Causes and consequences of habitat specialization in coral reef fi sh communities. (PhD) Prof G Jones, Dr G Almany Emmanuelle (Manue) Botte JCU France Molecular response of fi sh to stress. (PhD) Dr M McCormick JCU, Fisheries Systematic conservation assessments for marine protected areas in New South Daniel Breen Australia Prof G Jones NSW Wales, Australia. (PhD) Monsoon extremes, environmental shifts and catastrophic volcanic eruptions: Sophie Bretherton ANU Australia Prof M McCulloch quantifying impacts on the early human history of southern Australasia. (PhD) Samantha Burgess ANU Australia Geochemistry of high latitude environments using coral climate proxy. (PhD awarded) Prof M McCulloch Neal Cantin JCU, AIMS Canada Effects of the herbicide diuron on coral reproduction and larval competency. (PhD) Prof B Willis Mike Cappo JCU, AIMS Australia Spatial patterns of demersal vertebrate assemblages in inter-reef waters. (PhD) Prof M Kingsford Modelling physical and biological processes driving larval transport and supply in Paulina Cetina-Heredia JCU, AIMS Mexico A.Prof S Connolly reef systems. (PhD) Rowan Chick JCU Australia Reseeding for the enhancement of abalone stocks in NSW. (PhD) Prof M Kingsford Tara Clark UQ, AIMS Australia Dating and mapping historical changes in Great Barrier Reef coral communities. (PhD) Prof J Pandolfi Tim Cooper JCU, UQ, AIMS Australia Coral bioindicators of environmental conditions on coastal coral reefs. (PhD) Prof M Kingsford, Dr K Anthony Determinants of home range and territorial behaviour in coral reef fi shes: roles of Melissa Cowlishaw JCU Australia Prof G Jones, Dr M McCormick body size, habitat structure and population density. (PhD) Peter Cowman JCU Ireland Evolutionary History of the Labridae. (GDRM) Prof D Bellwood The synergistic effect of rising ocean temperature and acidifi cation on coral reef Alicia Crawley UQ Australia Dr S Dove ecosystems. (PhD) Infl uence of sedimentation and turbidity on the pelagic and benthic ecology of coral Natalie Crawley JCU England Prof G Jones, Dr P Munday reef fi shes. (PhD) Prof T Hughes, Dr A Baird, Vivian Cumbo JCU, AIMS Australia Thermal tolerance in corals: the role of the symbiont. (PhD) Dr M van Oppen Belinda Curley JCU Australia The ecology of temperate and subtropical reef fi shes. (PhD) Prof M Kingsford Kathy Danaher JCU Australia Oceanography and the condition of plankton. (PhD) Prof M Kingsford Characterisation of White Patch Syndrome, a putative disease affecting corals in Joanne Davy UQ UK Prof O Hoegh-Guldberg the genus Porites on the Great Barrier Reef. (PhD awarded) Palaeo-pH records of the Southern Ocean: insights from the boron isotope Andrea de Leon ANU Australia Prof M McCulloch composition of biogenic silica. (PhD) Jeffry Deckenback UQ, Monash, JCU USA Maturation, turn-over, oligomerization, and transport of pocilloporins. (PhD) Dr S Dove, Dr W Leggat Ayax Diaz-Ruiz UQ Mexico The use of coral associated fauna as indicators of coral health. (PhD) Prof O Hoegh-Guldberg, Prof J Pandolfi Danielle Dixson JCU USA Settlement cues in coral reef fi shes and response to habitat change. (MSc) Prof G Jones, Dr M Pratchett

25 Graduate Student TrainingUniversity Country of Origin Thesis Title CoE Supervisor/s Maxi J Eckes UQ Germany How do coral reef fi sh protect themselves from solar ultraviolet radiation? (PhD) Dr S Dove Martin Elin JCU Sweden Effects of exploiting a nonlinear dynamic food web model. (MAppSc awarded) A.Prof S Connolly Community-level ecological responses of coral reef biota to mass coral bleaching Udo Engelhardt UQ Australia Prof O Hoegh-Guldberg events. (PhD) Richard Evans JCU Australia Effects of marine reserves: ecology and reproductive connectivity. (PhD) Prof G Russ, Prof G Jones Michael Fabinyi ANU, JCU Australia Complexities of Illegal fi shing in the Calamianes (Philippines). (PhD) Dr S Foale David Feary JCU New Zealand The infl uence of coral degradation on tropical fi sh community structure. (PhD awarded) Prof G Jones, Dr McCormick, Dr Almany Ecophysiology of the marginal, high latitude corals (Coelenterata: Scleractinia) of Ida Fellegara UQ Italy Prof O Hoegh-Guldberg Moreton Bay, Queensland. (PhD awarded) Inter-municipal alliance for livelihood and resource conservation in marine Pepito (Sonny) Fernandez ANU, JCU Australia Dr S Foale protected areas in northeastern Panay, Philippines. (PhD) Matthew Fraser JCU Australia Dynamics of egg predation at tropical fi sh spawning sites. (PhD) Dr M McCormick Ashley Frisch JCU Australia Population biology of painted crayfi sh on the Great Barrier Reef. (PhD) Dr M McCormick Monica Gagliano JCU Italy The role of selective mortality in the early life history of coral reef fi shes. (PhD awarded) Prof M Kingsford Habitat specialisation, co-occurrence and resting site fi delity in cardinal fi sh on Naomi Gardiner JCU Australia Prof G Jones coral reefs. (PhD) Chris Goatley JCU UK Ecomorphology of reef fi sh assemblages. (MAppSc) Prof D Bellwood Alonso Gonzalez-Cabello JCU Mexico Cryptobenthic reef fi sh ecology in the Great Barrier Reef, Australia. (PhD) Prof D Bellwood Luis Gonzalez-Reynoso JCU, Griffi th Mexico Mechanisms of stress inhibition of reproduction in a reef fi sh. (PhD) Dr M McCormick Jessica Haapkyla JCU, AIMS Finland Assessing the impact of disease on coral populations. (PhD) Prof B Willis Andrew Halford JCU, AIMS Australia Disturbance, habitat structure and coral reef fi sh communities. (PhD) Prof G Jones David Harris UQ Australia Ecology of high latitude populations of Pomacentrus coelestis. (PhD) Prof O Hoegh-Guldberg Microbial ecology of coral disease: the use of molecular techniques in Meegan Henderson UQ Australia Prof O Hoegh-Guldberg understanding bacterial community shifts. (PhD) Jean-Paul Hobbs JCU Australia Isolation, endemism and the structure of coral reef fi sh communities on islands. (PhD) Prof G Jones, Dr P Munday Jennifer Hodge JCU USA Larval dispersal in coral reef fi shes. (MSc) Prof G Jones Andrew Hoey JCU Australia Algal-fi sh interactions on coral reefs. (PhD) Prof D Bellwood, Prof G Russ Tom Holmes JCU Australia Selectivity of predation on newly settled tropical reef fi sh. (PhD) Dr M McCormick Mia Hoogenboom JCU, UQ Australia Physiological models of performance for scleractinian corals. (PhD) A.Prof S Connolly, Dr K Anthony The molecular basis of fertilisation in coral Acropora and its role in speciation. (PhD Akira Igushi JCU Japan Prof D Miller awarded)

26 Student University Country of Origin Thesis Title CoE Supervisor/s Jacob Johansen JCU Denmark Energetics of habitat choice in planktivorous coral reef fi shes. (PhD) Prof G Jones, Prof D Bellwood The role of colony morphology in optimising light climates of corals interactions Paulina Kaniewska UQ Sweden Prof O Hoegh-Guldberg, Dr K Anthony between scleractinian coral morphology. (PhD awarded) Ailsa Kerswell JCU Australia Biogeography of seaweeds. (PhD awarded) Prof T Hughes, Dr A Baird JCU, Smithsonian Taxonomic and phylogenetic trends among azooxanthellate corals, using Marcelo Visentini Kitahara Brazil Prof D Miller Institute morphological and molecular aspects. (PhD) Brent Knack JCU Australia Cell adhesion factors in Cnidarians. (PhD) Prof D Miller, Dr W Leggat Valeriya Komyakova JCU Russia Recruitment-site specialization in coral reef fi shes. (MSc) Prof G Jones, Dr P Munday Prof O Hoegh-Guldberg, Narinratana Kongjandtre UQ Thailand The taxonomy and systematics of the coral genus Favia from Thai waters. (PhD) Dr M Rodriguez-Lanetty Charlotte Kvennefors UQ, JCU Sweden Immune molecules in corals. (PhD) Dr W Leggat, Prof O Hoegh-Guldberg Comparative growth and survival for corals infected with clade C1, C2 and D Nicholas Larsen JCU, AIMS USA Prof B Willis, Dr M van Oppen Symbiodinium. (MAppSc awarded) The effects of micro-scale variation on the photosynthetic productivity of the Angela Lawton UQ USA Prof O Hoegh-Guldberg symbiotic algae of reef building corals. (PhD) Local government decision making about climate change in the Great Barrier Reef Anne Leitch JCU, CSIRO Australia Prof T Hughes region. (PhD) Tove Lemberget JCU Norway Importance of body condition and growth to larval survival of a Caribbean lizardfi sh. (PhD) Dr M McCormick The dynamics of bacterial populations associated with corals and the role of Raechel Littman JCU, AIMS USA Prof B Willis bacterial pathogens in coral bleaching. (PhD) Matt Lybolt UQ USA Causes of change in coastal ecosystems: past, present and future. (PhD) Prof J Pandolfi Thomas Mannering JCU UK Do marine reserves augment recruitment in nearby fi shed areas? (MSc) Prof G Jones Nitrogen isotopic composition of coral skeletal organic matter: a tool for Prof O Hoegh-Guldberg, Prof M Guy Marion UQ, ANU USA provenance analysis. (PhD awarded) McCulloch, Prof J Pandolfi Ewen McPhee JCU Australia Coastal confusion: the maritime cultural heritage of the Great Barrier Reef Dr S McIntyre-Tamwoy Luiz-Felipe Mendes-de Studies on secondary production of zooplankton in tropical seas and aquaculture. JCU, AIMS Brazil Prof M Kingsford Gusmao (PhD) Ecological and evolutionary factors infl uencing the genetic structure of coral reef Vanessa Messmer JCU, U.Perpignan France Prof G Jones, Prof S Planes fi shes. (PhD) Dr S Dove, Prof O Hoegh-Guldberg, Rachael Middlebrook UQ, JCU Australia How do thermal threshold vary between and within coral taxa? (PhD) Dr K Anthony, Dr W Leggat Ann Mooney UQ USA Impacts of ocean acidifi cation on scleractinian coral skeletal integrity. (MSc awarded) Dr K Anthony

27 Graduate Student TrainingUniversity Country of Origin Thesis Title CoE Supervisor/s Bryan Murphy JCU USA Experimental evaluation of mutualistic interactions on coral reefs. (MSc) Prof G Jones Modern and historical (Holocene) foraminifera assemblages of Moreton Bay, Roshni Narayan UQ Canada Queensland, Australia: a record of faunal changes, anthropogenic impacts and Prof J Pandolfi possible implications for coral communities. (PhD) Stephan Neale JCU Australia Impacts of water quality on recruitment of corals. (GDRM) Prof B Willis Juan Carlos Ortiz UQ Venezuela Eco-physical dynamics of the Heron Island coral reef. (PhD) Prof O Hoegh-Guldberg Cathie Page JCU Australia Ecology and biology of coral diseases on the Great Barrier Reef. (PhD) Prof B Willis, Prof T Hughes Genetic diversity, bleaching sensitivity and colour polymorphism of a common reef- Prof B Willis, Dr M van Oppen, Allison Paley JCU, AIMS USA building coral. (MSc) Dr L Bay JCU, The basic biological mechanisms of scleractinian immune defences involved in Caroline Palmer England Prof B Willis U.Newcastle (UK) wound healing and disease mitigation. (PhD) Srisikul Primovaragorn JCU Thailand Spatial patterns in coral communities and recruitment in the Gulf of Thailand. (PhD) Prof T Hughes, Dr A Baird Eneour Puill-Stephan JCU, AIMS France Self-nonself recognition and chimerism in Acropora millepora. (PhD) Prof B Willis, Dr M van Oppen Late Quaternary climate in the Indo-Pacifi c Warm Pool reconstructed from the Dingchuang Qu ANU China Prof M McCulloch raised coral reefs of Sumba, Indonesia. (PhD) Charmaine Read JCU Aus Origins of Indo-Pacifi c fi sh biodiversity. (PhD) Prof D Bellwood The effect of temperature on the accumulation and repair of UV damage in Prof O Hoegh-Guldberg, Dr S Dove S, Ruth Reef UQ, JCU Israel zooxanthellae and corals. (PhD) Dr W Leggat Alejanro Reyes JCU Columbia Cellular mechanisms of coral calcifi cation. (PhD awarded) Prof D Miller Modern evolutionary and palaeoecology of foraminifera from the Great Barrier Claire Reymond UQ Australia Prof J Pandolfi Reef: establishing a baseline. (PhD) Zoe Richards JCU, AIMS Australia Characteristics of rare and common corals: implications for conservation. (PhD) Prof D Miller, Dr M van Oppen, Prof B Willis Alma Ridep-Morris JCU Palau Dynamics of a black band disease outbreak in Palau. (MAppSc) Prof B Willis Maria Rodrigues JCU Mozambique Effects of herbivory on coexistence of coral and algae. (PhD) Prof T Hughes, Dr A Baird George Roff UQ United Kingdom Historical ecology of coral communities from the inshore Great Barrier Reef. (PhD) Prof J Pandolfi , Prof O Hoegh-Guldberg Trans-generational marking of clownfi sh larvae via maternal transmission of stable Alexandra-Sophie Roy JCU Canada Prof G Jones isotopes. (MSc) Christopher Ryen JCU USA Growth related sex change in coral reef fi shes. (MSc awarded) Dr M McCormick, Dr P Munday Distribution of trace elements within foraminiferal tests as the proxy for Aleksay Sadekov ANU Russia Prof M McCulloch paleoclimatology and foraminiferal biology. (PhD) Eugenia Nijgh de UQ Netherlands Diversity and ecology of Symbiodinium in pocilloporid corals. (PhD awarded) Dr S Dove, Prof O Hoegh-Guldberg Sampayo

28 Student University Country of Origin Thesis Title CoE Supervisor/s Yui Sato JCU, AIMS Japan Dynamics of a black band disease outbreak. (MSc) Prof B Willis Jessica Scannell JCU USA Infl uence of habitat degradation on mortality in fi shes. (MSc) Dr M McCormick Francois Seneca JCU, AIMS Monaco The molecular stress response in a model scleractinian coral: Acropora millepora.(PhD) Prof D Miller, Dr M van Oppen Segi Shio ANU, JCU Australia Choice of fi shing strategies in southeast Cebu, the Philippines. (PhD) Dr S Foale Cnidarian Sox genes and the evolution of function in the Sox gene family. (PhD Chuya Shinzato JCU Japan Prof D Miller awarded) Michael Short JCU Australia The recovery of coral reefs following ship grounding disturbances. (MSc) Prof B Willis Luke Smith JCU Australia Coral bleaching in Western Australia. (PhD) Prof T Hughes Meir Sussman JCU, AIMS Israel A molecular approach to the study of coral diseases. (PhD) Prof B Willis Sothern Ocean nutrients and climate change: insights from isotopic and elemental Jill Sutton ANU Canada Prof M McCulloch signatures of diatoms and sponges. (PhD) JCU, U. Pierre et Loic Thibaut France Resilience in coral reef and model ecosystems. (PhD) A.Prof S Connolly Marie Curie Lucija Tomljenovic JCU Croatia TTC4-like genes, mediators of development and cell proliferation. (PhD awarded) Prof D Miller Lubna Ukani JCU, AIMS India Characterisation of DNA methylation systems in Acropora and other lower animals. (PhD) Prof D Miller Characterisation of genes, proteins, and the regulatory pathways involved Annamieke Van Den Dr S Dove, Dr W Leggat, UQ, JCU Australia in nitrogen uptake and the assimilation in Acropera aspera and its symbiont Heuvel Prof D Yellowlees Symbiodinium sp. Ana Villacorta-Rath JCU, AIMS Peru Selective mortality and productivity of sprats. (MSc) Dr M McCormick, Dr M Meekin The socio-biology of life history transitions and lifetime fecundity in a tropical Stefan Walker JCU, AIMS Australia Dr M McCormick, Dr P Munday haremic reef fi sh. (PhD) The immune system of Acropora millepora: identifi cation and characterisation of Yvonne Weiss JCU Germany Prof D Miller candidate genes. (PhD) An evaluation of the effects of no-take marine reserves on fi sh communities of the David Williamson JCU Australia Prof G Russ, Prof G Jones Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. (PhD) Simulation frameworks for investigating spatially-explicit modelling of competition Giles Winstanley JCU UK A.Prof S Connolly and coexistence in coral assemblages. (MAppSc) JCU, Centre for The evolution of animal societies: monogamy, group-living and confl ict in a coral- Marian Wong UK Dr P Munday, Prof G Jones Science, Spain dwelling fi sh. (PhD) Genome-wide screen and analysis of Acropora millepora immune related genes by Huibin Zou JCU China Prof D Miller EST microarrays. (PhD)

29 Applied Science for the management of coral reefs

The coral reefs of Australia, particularly the Great Barrier Below are just a few examples of how the Centre’s research Barrier Reef in a book (Climate Change and the Reef, Ningaloo Reef, and Lord Howe Island World Heritage impacts on reef management and the development of policy Great Barrier Reef: A Vulnerability Assessment) Area are Australian national icons, of great economic, for sustainable resources: published by two key domestic end-users of coral social, cultural and aesthetic value to this country. Income „ Garry Russ’s pioneering work in the Philippines (with his reef research, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park from tourism and fi shing on the Great Barrier Reef colleague Angel Alcala) has produced some of the best Authority and the Australian Greenhouse Offi ce. alone contributes over $6 billion annually to the nation’s evidence available that no-take reserves, protected and „ In PNG, work by Joshua Cinner is being used by the economy. Consequently, the applied and basic science managed by local communities, can play a key role in Secretariat for the Pacifi c Community, (an international which underpins management of coral reefs is a national biodiversity conservation and fi sheries management. resource management organization), as the basis priority, and the core activity of the ARC Centre. ARC These studies have led directly to the extraordinary for introducing sustainable harvesting practices. The Centre of Excellence researchers are major contributors expansion of this approach nationally in the Philippines. knowledge transfer from this research has led to to intergovernmental organizations such as the IUCN, Russ’s impact on establishing the National Integrated engagement with conservation groups and communities, the World Bank, UNESCO, and the Intergovernmental Protected Area System (NIPAS) and the Philippines a new conservation project, and has resulted in Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), involved in key global Fisheries Code has been enormous, and was recognized signifi cant economic benefi t to the local community. declarations, World Heritage designations, and endangered by the award to him of a prestigious Pew Fellowship. or threatened species status decisions. In 2007, the ARC Currently more than 400 no-take areas are being „ Knowledge transfer from the ARC Centre of Excellence Centre of Excellence engaged with over 60 industry, established each year across the world to industry and governments included new technologies government and NGO organizations worldwide. that can better predict coral bleaching, enhanced „ In September 2007, the ARC Centre co-hosted the understandings of reef responses to climate change, and Townsville Forum on Sustainable Development of Pacifi c Globally, the welfare of greater than 200 million people is improvement in the effi ciency of conservation planning. Coastal Resources. The AusAid-funded forum was a closely linked to the goods and services provided by coral reef The Centre also provided training to conservation and collaboration between the Centre, Pacifi c Island nations biodiversity. Uniquely among tropical and sub-tropical nations, resource management projects, and to governments and the French and Australian governments (represented Australia has extensive coral reefs, a small population of and NGOs around the world. For example, in 2007 Terry locally by the Reef and Rainforest Research Centre, the relatively wealthy and well-educated citizens, and well- Hughes, working with Queensland Parks and Wildlife administrating body for the Marine and Tropical Science developed infrastructure. Coral reef research, research Service (QPWS), has developed a series of workshops Research Fund). The objectives of the Forum were to training and management is one area where Australia has the on the “Key Principles and Research Findings in Marine improve international networking, scientifi c co-operation, capability, indeed the obligation, to claim world-leadership. Resources Management” which is presented to marine and capacity-building in Pacifi c nations. How to manage corals reefs proactively, in anticipation of park rangers and managers. Ove Hoegh-Guldberg leads future uncertainty is a key unifying theme in all of the Centre’s „ In 2007, Centre members contributed to 8 a Rio-Tinto employee program to raise awareness of the research programs. chapters for the fi rst comprehensive assessment importance of the Great Barrier Reef. Research Fellows, of the impacts of climate change on the Great Morgan Pratchett and Andrew Baird, recently gave a

30 series of briefi ngs to the Western Australia oil and gas Mackay City Council, the Mackay-Whitsunday Natural shifts, and how they can be controlled and managed. This industry, on a range of issues, including the use of coral Resource Management Group and GBRMPA, but also information is of critical importance to reef managers and spawning predictions for management of port dredging. notably the wider Mackay community. The ARC Centre policy makers worldwide. A key fi nding is that phase- In July 2007, Bette Willis provided a background briefi ng continues to provide advice to the Mackay City Council, shifts following coral bleaching (due to global warming) paper on coral disease on the Great Barrier Reef at which has a very active program in improving water can be prevented by protecting stocks of herbivorous the request of the Environmental Protection Agency quality via improvements in storm-water outlets and fi shes, and by controlling nutrients. These studies have in Brisbane, for the Queensland State Minister for the fl ood mitigation. In June 2007, a workshop to present prompted the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority Environment. Research Fellow Simon Foale and his the fi ndings was followed by a brief with the Mackay and other management agencies worldwide to build colleagues have developed The Environmental Education City Council to inform better planning and adoption of the resilience of reefs through initiatives such as no- Plan for the Lihir (EEPL) Project, which includes a set management strategies to facilitate improved land care take zoning and policies and interventions for reducing of four booklets, a Teacher’s Guide and a DVD with practices and measures to ensure the general health of water pollution. Terry Hughes was recently asked by US animations explaining some of the often complex direct downstream ecosystems. Congressional advisors to provide a defi nition of “coral and indirect environmental impacts of mining at Lihir, „ David Bellwood and Morgan Pratchett provide advice reef resilience” that has been incorporated into the Coral PNG. This work was done in collaboration with the to the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, Reef Conservation Amendments Act, which was passed PNG Education Department’s Curriculum Development the Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries by the Congress on October 22nd, 2007. Division, and was co-funded by Lihir Gold Ltd. The (DPI&F) and Aquarium Industries, Australia. In April Secretary of the PNG Education Department, and heads 2007, they briefed these agencies on the impact of the Curriculum Development Division, all expressed and management of Australia’s ornamental fi sh strong support for this program. Our 2006 report trade. Overseas, the collection of reef fi shes for the documents many more such examples. aquarium trade is largely unregulated, especially „ The ARC Centre’s impact is also exemplifi ed by ongoing in developing countries such as the Philippines and research addressing long-term changes in water quality Indonesia, which has led to the overexploitation of on the Great Barrier Reef. One project, involving Ove many species of reef fi shes. The goal of this and subsequent meetings with industry representatives, Hoegh-Guldberg and Malcolm McCulloch, PhD student is to develop a scientifi c basis for management Guy Marion, and Stacy Jupiter, has demonstrated the practices in this unusual multi species fi shery. strong connectivity between coral reefs and the adjacent Pioneer River catchment and estuaries bordering the „ Research by Terry Hughes, David Bellwood, John Mackay-Whitsunday region of the central Great Barrier Pandolfi , Bob Steneck and others has provided new Reef. The project is receiving considerable support by the insights into the processes involved in undesirable phase-

31 National and International

Linkages

In 2007, the ARC Centre produced 101 publications with 100 International visits cross-institutional co-authorship (39 more than 2005), 90 involving researchers from 162 institutions in 36 countries. 80 Invitations to advisory committes The ARC Centre hosted 72 international visitors from 22 70 countries, and Centre personnel traveled to 24 countries. 60 International visitors The ARC Centre participated in or hosted 17 international 50 working groups during 2007. Centre personnel are members Cross-institutional 40 publications of editorial boards for nine international journals. Linkages 30 Since its establishment in 2005 there has been a steady 20 growth in the engagement of the Centre’s researchers with 10 their international colleagues (see graph). This is exemplifi ed 0 by co-authored publications, visits to overseas institutions 2005 2006 2007 and visitors to all three nodes of the Centre. The Centre’s The Centre’s international linkages in 2005 to 2007. All four metrics have shown strong growth. The dotted lines are targets, which were profi le is increasingly attracting overseas postgraduate substantially increased for 2007. students who come from 33 different countries around the world. Centre personnel are also actively involved in many international activities (including consultancies and end-user Internationally, the Centre has participated in a range of established Stockholm Resilience Centre to cooperate and engagement, see p.30). The Centre’s international standing was major projects during the past year, including collaborations collaborate in areas of mutual interest in research. This new recognized by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change with newly established Stockholm Resilience Centre, The international centre advances trans-disciplinary research for (IPCC), with two Centre members (Hoegh-Guldberg, Hughes) World Bank Coral Reef Targeted Research Program, and The governance of social-ecological systems with a special emphasis contributing to the infl uential 2007 IPCC assessment report. Townsville Forum on Sustainable Development of Pacifi c on resilience - the ability to deal with change and continue to Coastal Resources which are described briefl y below. In addition develop. The centre is a joint initiative between Stockholm Nationally, the Centre Chief Investigators contribute to fi ve ARC strong linkages and collaboration have been maintained with University, the Stockholm Environment Institute and the Beijer Networks, refl ecting their broad range of expertise. The Centre is The Resilience Alliance and The Beijer International Institute International Institute of Ecological Economics at The Royal represented at the Australian Academy of Science by two Fellows, for Ecological Economics as detailed in our 2006 report. Swedish Academy of Sciences. As part of the agreement Jon Terry Hughes and Malcolm McCulloch. The three main University Norberg and Per Olsen have spent sabbaticals at JCU in 2006 nodes are linked to research and industry partners throughout The Stockholm Resilience Centre and 2007, while Josh Cinner will visit Stockholm on a 6 week Australia. Co-funding agreements sponsored 7 shared postdoctoral www.stockholmresilience.org exchange (co-funded by the Australian Academy of Science) in fellows with AIMS, CSIRO, University of Newcastle (UK), In 2007 the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies early 2008. A range of other joint activities have been established, the Dutch Government and The Resilience Alliance in 2007. signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the newly including working groups jointly funded by both organizations.

32 Global Coral Reef Targeted Townsville Forum on Research (CRTR) Program Sustainable Development of www.gefcoral.org Pacific Coastal Resources The CRTR Program is a partnership between the Global In September 2007 the ARC Centre co-hosted the Townsville Environment Facility, The World Bank, The University Forum on Sustainable Development of Pacifi c Coastal of Queensland (project executing agency), the National Resources. The AusAid-funded forum was a collaboration Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and between the Centre, Pacifi c Island nations and the French approximately 40 research institutes & other third parties and Australian Governments, with the key objective to around the world. The ARC Centre of Excellence is a major improve networking, scientifi c co-operation, and capacity- contributor of research expertise to this global partnership. building in Pacifi c nations. It was attended by senior This program aims to fi ll critically important information gaps government offi cials and experts from 13 Pacifi c Island in the fundamental understanding of coral reef ecosystems, countries: Cook Islands; Federated States of Micronesia; and conducts a range of research and extension activities Fiji; Kiribati; Palau; PNG; Samoa; Solomon Islands; Tokelau; around the world including in Zanzibar, the Philippines and Tonga; Tuvalu; Vanuatu; and New Caledonia and French Mexico, and Australia. Five International Working Groups, Polynesia. The Forum was a platform to discuss research, each with approximately a dozen leading researchers, management and governance of coral reefs and other form the scientifi c basis for the program. In 2007, the coastal ecosystems in the Pacifi c, to improve networking, Centre is represented on four groups which dove-tail well enhance scientifi c co-operation, build capacity and explore with our Programs 3 and 4: (a) Diseases Working Group: solutions to common problems. The Forum examined Pacifi c Bette Willis (Co-chair), (b) Connectivity Working Group: capacity and identifi ed both key issues and best practice Geoff Jones, Serge Planes and Bob Steneck, (c) Bleaching solutions under the four key themes; Marine Protected Area Working Group: Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, (Chair), (d) Modelling management; integrated coastal management; economic Working Group: Roger Bradbury (Chair). Contributions from development options; and governance to develop actions. Centre members in 2007 included two major workshops. In April, Bette Willis led a capacity-building workshop for East African coral reef managers. While in October, a workshop entitled “Connectivity and population resilience - sustaining coral reefs during the coming century” was held in Townsville. This was a partnership between the ARC Centre’s Program 3 and the Connectivity Working Group of the GEF Project (see Program 3 report) .

Malcolm McCulloch briefi ng the Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd. 33 National and International

Linkages

Visiting researchers Æ Dr. Min Liu, University of Hong Kong, China Æ Professor Oded Yarden Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel Æ Dr C MacDonald, Stanford University, USA Æ Dr Jens Zinke, UV Amsterdam, The Netherlands Æ Professor C. Menchie Ablan, De La Salle University Manila Æ Professor Claudio Mazzoli, University di Padova, Italy Philippines Æ Professor Gifford Miller, University of Colorado, USA A delegation of Indonesian government offi cials responsible for Æ Dr Kevin Ariggo, Stanford University, USA Æ Dr Paolo Montagna, ICRAM, Italy the implementation of the national Coral Reef Rehabilitation and Æ Dr Juan Pablo Bernal Uruchurtu, Unioversidad Nacional Æ Prof Peter Mumby, University of Exeter, UK Management Program (Coremap) also visited the Centre this year, Autonoma de Mexico Æ Dr H Bjorn Nielsen, Danish Technical University Denmark for discussions on scientifi c advances in coral reef sciences and Æ Dr Michael Berumen, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, USA Æ Dr Jon Norberg, Stockholm University, Sweden their implications for management of coral reefs in Indonesia: Æ Ms Meredith Blake, Pacifi c Islands Museum Association & Æ Dr Magnus Nystrom, Stockholm University, Sweden ICOMOS Pasifi ka, Vanuatu Æ Dr Beth O’Leary, New Mexico State University, USA Æ Mr Abdul Hamid, Æ Professor Louis Botsford, University of California, Æ Professor Heinrich Reichert, University of Basel, Switzerland Æ Mr Jamaluddin Jompa Davis, USA Æ Dr Clair Paris, Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Æ Mr Yusdi Lamatenggo Æ Professor Mark Butler, Old Dominion University, USA Science, USA Æ Mr Risnawati Mangidi Æ Dr John Bythell, University of Newcastle, UK Æ A/ Professor Camille Parmesan, University of Texas, USA Æ Mr Markus Mansnembra Æ Dr Ken Caldeira, Stanford University, USA Æ Dr Adina Payten, Stanford University, USA Æ Mr Yudha Miasto Æ Professor Mary Alice Coffroth, University of Buffalo, USA Æ Dr Lucie Penin, University of Perpignan, France Æ Ms, Afl iana Salean Æ A/ Professor Troy Day, Queens University, Canada Æ Dr, Serge Planes, University of Perpignan, USA Æ Mr Natsir Sulaiman Æ Professor Aart de Zeuw, Beijer Institute, Sweden Æ Professor Don Potts, University of California, Æ Mr Dedy Syahputra Æ Professor Robert Dunbar, Stanford University, USA Santa Cruz, USA Æ Mr Syahrun Æ Dr. Michael Eitel, University of Hannover, Germany Æ Ms Faustina Rehuher, ICOMOS Pasifi ka, Palau Æ Mr Syarir Wahab Æ Dr Stefan Gelcich, Universidad Catolica de Chile, Chile Æ Dr. Willem Renema, Leiden Museum, The Netherlands Æ Mr, Rudi Wahyudin Æ Professor Benjamin J Greenstein, Cornell College USA Æ Dr Brendon Roark, Stanford University, USA Æ Professor Dan Heath, University of Windsor, Canada Æ Professor Peter Sale, United Nations University, Canada Æ Dr Fanny Holulbreque, Stanford University, USA Æ Dr Christophe Sande, ICOMOS Pasifi ka, New Caledonia Æ Student visitors Dr John Hurd, ICOMOS Scientifi c Council, U.K Æ Dr Sergio Silenzi, ICRAM, Italy Æ Æ Susanne Arnold, University of Maine, USA Professor Ross Hynes, University of PNG, Æ Professor Robert Steneck, University of Maine, USA Æ Jonathan Belmaker, Ben Gurion University, Israel Papua New Guinea Æ Professor Michel Thibiet, French Embassy Canberra France Æ Æ Cecile Fauvelot, University of Perpignan, France Dr Tsuyoshi Iizuka, University of Tokyo, Japan Æ Dr Frank Thomalla, Stockholm Resilience Centre, Sweden Æ Æ Alex Greer, Stanford University, USA Dr Hanne Jarmer, Danish Technical University Denmark Æ Dr Simon Thorrold, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, USA Æ Æ Derek Hogan, Student University of Windsor, Canada Dr. Jaap Kaandorp, University of Amsterdam, Netherlands Æ Mr Richard Tuheiava, ICOMOS Pasifi ka French Polynesia Æ Professor Yossi Loya, Tel Aviv University, Israel Æ Dr Gangjian Wei, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry PR China

34 How we keep the QANTAS: The Australian Way January 2007

Climate change is affecting the Great Barrier century. In 1998 and 2002, the reef suffered its two has called for worldwide networking of tropical Reef, but researchers, government authorities worst coral bleaching episodes during record hot marine parks and protected areas to limit the risk Reef great and tourism operators are cooperating to summers. The 2002 event triggered declines of 50 of large-scale extinctions due to global change. protect Australia’s greatest natural asset. to 90 per cent of coral cover on some inshore reefs. Professor Hughes says, “Most Marine Protected A trip to the Great Barrier Reef is not undertaken Scientists expect more of the same. “It’s too Areas around the world are too small and isolated lightly. It is usually a two-hour boat trip each way, late to stop global warming,” Hughes says. to preserve the links between populations on the expense in direct proportion to the number of “The world is committed to future climate different reefs. This increases the risk that a rare passengers. Weather doesn’t always cooperate change. It’s not a distant thing, it’s happening group of animals could become extinct unless and viewing quality often depends on the tides. But now. Bleaching is defi nitely happening.” they colonise a more favourable reef.” While these hurdles have helped preserve the condition Hughes says that trying to change care of our The Australian Research Council (ARC) Centre of the reef – by keeping humans at bay. Along with reefs is like “turning around a supertanker”, he of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies is based global warming, people pose its greatest threat. is ultimately optimistic: “There’s a lot of gloom at Townsville’s James Cook University (JCU). It and doom about reefs. They are changing. I don’t “To kill a coral reef is simple,” says Professor encompasses researchers and support from JCU, think they’ll be dead in 30 years, but they’ll be Terry Hughes, director of the ARC Centre of the University of Queensland, the Australian different. The danger with the message is that Excellence for Coral Reef Studies. “Pollute it National University, the Australian Institute of people will throw up their hands and do nothing.” and take away fi sh that eat the seaweed. You’re Marine Science and the Great Barrier Reef Marine fertilising it and removing the lawnmowers.” Park Authority (GBRMPA). Researchers come from One step in the right direction was the rezoning Nutrient run-off from nearby catchments and the more than 120 countries – and they are coming of the reef in 2004 by GBRMPA to make more loss of fi sh and marine mammals that graze on up with some rather interesting discoveries. than 30 per cent a “no-take” area – compared to the 4.6 per cent that was protected previously. seagrass are decreasing the ability of coral to One research team set up an experiment and withstand threats like global warming. Warmer found that uncontrolled fi shing of weed-eaters And the tourism industry has been deputised to water causes coral to eject the organisms that such as parrotfi sh and surgeonfi sh hurts the help preserve its cash cow. Operators monitor give the coral its pigment – coral bleaching. Not reef, leading to the coral quickly becoming their patch and provide information essential to every piece of bleached coral will die, but if it’s not smothered by weed. “Remove them and you as the management of the reef – such as areas of resilient, it probably will. One third of the world’s good as remove the reef itself,” says Centre of coral bleaching, population and movements of reefs have degraded in the past 30 years – that Excellence researcher Professor David Bellwood. marine fauna, reproductive behaviour and changes means they’re of little use for tourism and fi sheries. in behaviour – to the Marine Park Authority. Another team debunked the current neutral theory The Great Barrier Reef is in better shape than any of reef biodiversity (that coral species randomly People have to see and understand the reef to of the world’s other reefs, partly because much colonise reefs). It discovered that location know what is worth preserving. “We have an of it is far from population centres. Neither does and environment are critical in determining obligation to present the reef to visitors and Australia systematically harvest its herbivores. But what sorts of corals settle and fl ourish. without the industry we could never have taken its list of grievances is considerable. Commercial that on,” says Daniel Geschwind, chief executive harvest of sharks and rays has increased fourfold The study’s lead author, Dr Maria Dornelas, of the Queensland Tourism Industry Council. “The since 1993; in 40 years the numbers of nesting says protected areas need to be close enough average person doesn’t have their own private turtles have plummeted 50 to 80 per cent; coastal for marine life, including coral spawn, to fl ow yacht to see [the reef] whenever they want.” Queensland’s dugong population has dwindled freely between them. This gives the corals the to three per cent of the 1960s fi gure; nutrient and best chance of preserving their biodiversity as Hughes agrees. “The tourism industry sediment discharge has quadrupled over the last the environment changes. The research team takes the responsibility very seriously. Written by Lisa Southgate. Reproduced with thanks: QANTAS The Australian Way January 2007.

35 Media Coverage

The ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies promoting the research presented at its Canberra Forum, Australasian Science, Australia Coral Reefs under Stress. seeks to communicate its research to diverse audiences. and the Forum’s Consensus declaration on coral reef futures. 02/04/07 ARC Centre of Excellence. The award of an ARC Centre of Excellence has enabled The research, and the international call for action to sustain The Australian, Push to protect reef in the heat, 9/5/07 us to develop a robust media strategy, which has both coral reefs, was reported on Australia’s television networks B. Willis. improved and increased our public outreach enormously. and press outlets (ABC, Channel 7, Channel 9, Sky News, Australian Life Scientist. Chow down, batfi sh. 1/2/07 The Centre’s media adviser Julian Cribb works closely Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and The Australian) as well D Bellwood. with Centre researchers to craft fortnightly press releases as internationally through UPI. In sum, media from the Forum and promulgate them to a huge audience. These releases, generated almost 100 media stories. Australian R&D Review, Reef Motor. 1/10/07 D Yellowlees. accompanied by images and promoted on the Centre’s BBC World Service Radio Science Program, UK, Coral Fish website, generated 892 media stories in 2007. About a Internationally, enormous media coverage was generated by Larvae. 1/5/07 G Almany. quarter of the Centre’s website’s hits are generated by the an international debate sponsored by the BBVA Foundation Biophotonics International, USA, Close observation reveals fortnightly press releases that highlight these research in Madrid, in which Terry Hughes reported on addressing unexpected player in coral reef recovery. 1/2/07 fi ndings In 2007, hits on the Centre’s website grew to the global threats to coral reefs. Hughes joined leading D.Bellwood. almost 2 million for the year, a 3-fold increase from 2006. international experts to present their latest research into the Canwest News Service, Canada, Full moon may spark scale, causes and consequences of global loss of coastal Australia’s reef madness. 20/10/07 O.Hoegh-Guldberg. In its second year of operation, the ARC Centre’s website was habitats. Eighty media stories in newspaper, television, radio expanded to include an educational resources page designed and on the web were generated, principally across Europe China Fisheries newsletter. How fi sh punish queue jumpers. predominantly for school-age children. One of the Centre’s and South America, in response to the event. 27/6/07. G Jones, M Wong. key aims is capacity building, so we have added this year an Dailyindia.com. Greenhouse gas threatens coral reefs. alumni page to the website to promote the careers of those The 892 media stories included 420 on the web, 66 television 17/10/07 M McCulloch. members of the Centre who have moved on to progress their reports, 165 on radio, 186 in newspapers, and 30 magazine Discovery Channel, International. Sharks at Risk as Traditions careers elsewhere. Both pages have proved popular with articles (see the Qantas article, p.35). Highlights of the Decline. 25/5/07 S Foale. users of our website. Plans are underway to further upgrade Centre’s 892 media hits in 2007 include: Divingmalaysia.com, Malaysia. Fish starve themselves to the web site during 2008 to promote our students, to enhance avoid confl ict. 7/4/07 P Munday, M Wong. access to the research services we provide, and to improve 2SM, Sydney radio, Brisbane’s marine playground under navigability to over 400 research publications since 2005. threat. 16/3/07 T Hughes. El Mundo, Spain. Terce debate sobre Biologica de la Consevacion. 11/10/07 T Hughes. AAP Newswire, Global warming could kill off reef fi sh. The award of the ARC Centre has provided us with the 12/6/07 M McCormick, M Meekin. Fisheries Newsletter, South Pacifi c. Baby Fish “Smell Their capacity to harness the media by creating our own news Way Home. 25/1/07 M Kingsford. ABC 2 (News) Perth, Climate change taking it’s toll on WA stories, to build public awareness of their investment via the coastline. 8/10/07 M McCulloch, K Anthony. Dethlev Cordts Germany television, Climate change and coral ARC in coral reef science. For example, in 2007 the Centre reefs. 4/4/07. G Diaz-Pulido, O Hoegh-Guldberg.

36 Good Weekend, Sydney Morning Herald, Australia, The Tropical The Coral Reef Alliance, international web, Climate Change and Time Bomb. 13/10/07. A Baird, D Bellwood, S Connolly, coral bleaching funded. 17/7/07 L Bay. T Hughes, J Lough, J Pandolfi , M van Oppen. The DNA Files, US Radio Documentary, Coral and climate change. Illustrated Science, Denmark. Coral Suicide. 2/4/07 T Ainsworth. 24/3/07 T Hughes. Impossible Pictures – Film, UK, Coral reefs under stress. 5/3/07 The Science Show, Radio National, Australia. Conference of O Hoegh-Guldberg. marine scientists. 27/10/07. Centre of Excellence. National Geographic, Moonlight Triggers Mass Coral “Romance”. The Weekend Australian, Tracking Down the Serial Killers on 22/10/07 W Leggat. Coral Reef. 24/3/07 K Anthony. New Scientist, UK, Indonesian earthquake lifted coral to its Western Cape Bulletin, Sharks threatened by overfi shing. 18/1/07 death. 12/4/07 A Baird. S Connolly, W Robbins M Hisano. New York Times, USA, Scientists Discover Details of Coral WIN News, television, Climate Change threatening survival of Reproduction. 19/10/07 O Hoegh-Guldberg. young fi sh. 12/6/07 M McCormick. Qantas: The Australian Way. How we keep the reef great. Sciencedaily.com, Coral reefs on brink of disaster 22/10/07 1/1/07. D Bellwood, T Hughes. Consensus declaration on Coral Reef Futures Forum. Quality Marine News, USA, Corals reveal impact of land use. Washingtonpost.com, USA, Panel: Warming will end some 31/5/07 S Jupiter, G Marion, O Hoegh-Guldberg, species. 31/3/07 T Hughes. M McCulloch. Radio National, Australia, Growing acid levels in the worlds oceans. 18/10/07 M McCulloch O Hoegh Guldberg. Science Magazine, USA. A World Without Corals? 4/5/07 O Hoegh-Guldberg, T Hughes, J Pandolfi . 7:30 Report, Australia, Business leaders launch reef fund. 22/2/07 O Hoegh Guldberg. The Age, Australia, Oh coral, I am but a fool. 19/10/07 D Miller. The Canberra Times, Australia, ‘Swindle’ has experts fi red up. 12/7/07 M McCulloch.

37 National Benefit

Case-Study

Case Study 1: The missing link in coral reef management: where do the larvae go?

Increasingly the ARC Centre is being recognized for its world reef fi shes on the Great Barrier Reef, to measure dispersal of no-take zones on the GBR provided key assistance to GBRMPA leadership in research necessary for the sustainable management commercially important fi sh between no-take (Green) zones of the to defend its policy of expanding the no-take zones in the GBR of coral reefs. Program 3 of the Centre focuses on (a) assessing GBR Marine Park and fi shed areas. This ambitious fi eld program Marine Park from 4.5% to 33%. His fi ndings provide the best the importance of marine reserves for fi sheries management, was achieved through the collaboration of 15 researchers from demonstration that the GBR no-take zones produce “more fi sh (b) determining the optimal design of reserve networks for JCU and 20 volunteer recreational fi shers. Related work by and bigger fi sh”. Larger fi shes are disproportionately more fecund, management of ecological resilience, and (c) identifying the levels colleague Jeff Leis at the Australian Museum focuses on larval exporting larvae across the boundary of green zones. In a public of larval dispersal and connectivity within and between coral reef behaviour and hydrodynamics. Program 3 Leader, Garry Russ ceremony in Canberra, GBRMPA awarded Russ a Certifi cate of systems and marine reserve networks. These research themes and colleagues have undertaken the fi rst fi eld assessments Appreciation in 2007 for the relevance and impact of his work on are entirely consistent with National Research Priority #1 – An of the new Green Zones (no-take areas, where fi shing is the management of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. Environmentally Sustainable Australia. prohibited) on inshore coral reefs of the Great Barrier Reef to compare the abundance of targeted species inside and outside Selected 2007 publications: Most of the team’s fi eld work has been undertaken in Australia, of the new zones. Initial data from the Whitsunday Islands Almany, GR, Berumen, ML, Thorrold, SR, Planes, S and Jones, GP PNG and the Philippines. A key breakthrough by the team, indicated a relatively fast and positive response of targeted reef (2007). Local Replenishment of coral reef fi sh populations in published in Science and Nature, has been the development fi sh populations to the shift in management. These research a marine reserve. Science 316(5825): 742-744. of new tagging technologies for tracking the dispersal of larval projects on the Great Barrier Reef are co-funded by the Reef and Burgess, SC, Kingsford, MJ and Black, KP (2007). Infl uence of fi shes (Almany et al. 2007) (See opposite). Larval rearing and Rainforest Research Centre. tidal eddies and wind on the distribution of presettlement novel marking experiments (using Barium isotopes) have now fi shes around One Tree Island, Great Barrier Reef. Marine been completed successfully on a large commercially important In related work, Australian Research Professor Connolly and Ecology Progress Series 341: 233-242. grouper. Jones, Almany and colleagues received a major funding co-authors have combined direct underwater counts of sharks Fauvelot, C, Lemaire, C, Planes, S and Bonhomme, F (2007). boost in 2007 with the receipt of a US$460K David and Lucille with mathematical models to project their future population Inferring gene fl ow in coral reef fi shes from different Packard Foundation Grant to support fi eld trials of novel larval trends, based on information about reef sharks’ current survival, molecular markers: which loci to trust? Heredity 99(3): tagging techniques. This work is a collaborative undertaking growth and reproduction (Robbins et al. 2006). Their research 331-339. with Principal Investigator, Simon Thorrold of the Woods Hole show a dramatic fall in shark numbers due to over-harvesting. Oceanographic Institute. Related work by Mike Kingsford, also These new fi ndings have been used by Queensland DPI&F, who Gerlach, G, Atema, J, Kingsford, MJ, Black, KP and Miller-Sims, with colleagues from Woods Hole, demonstrated that larval released proposed fi shing changes in 2007 that list these species V (2007). Smelling home can prevent dispersal of reef fi sh fi shes are behaviourally sophisticated, capable of cuing into as “vulnerable”, bans their targeting by fi shers, and reduces the larvae. Proc. National Acad. Sci. 104(3): 858-863. environmental signals that allow them to distinguish and return incidental by-catch that can be retained. Jones, GP, Srinivasan, M and Almany, GR (2007). Population to their natal reef (Gerlach et al. 2007). Connectivity and Conservation of Marine Biodiversity. These results are of major signifi cance to a key stakeholder and Oceanography 20(3): 42-53. In 2007, Geoff Jones and Glenn Almany have been conducting collaborator of the ARC Centre, the Great Barrier Reef Marine novel fi sh larval tagging experiments and DNA sampling of Park Authority (GBRMPA). For example, Russ’s studies of inshore

38 Nemo comes home with a tag 4 May 2007

An international team of coral reef scientists has achieved a “If we can understand how fi sh larvae disper world breakthrough in tracking fi sh that could revolutionise se, it will enable the sustainable management of coral reefs and help restore better design of marine protected areas and this will help in the rebuilding of threate threatened fi sheries. ned fi sh populations,” Dr Almany explains. In the process, they have established that Nem o – the lovable In trials at Kimbe Bay, PNG, researchers tagged orange, black and white clownfi sh of movie fame – really over 300 does come home, with around 60 per cent completing the female clownfi sh and vagabond butterfl yfi sh with a barium astonishing journey back to th isotope. Females pass the isotope to their offspring and it eir tiny home reef after being lodges in their ear-bones (oto swept into the open ocean as babie liths). “The isotope is stable, s. non-radioactive and quite harmless to the fi sh in these minute Working on pristine coral reefs in a marine protected amounts – or to humans if it were to be used to ta area in g a table Papua New Guinea, an international team - led by Dr Geof fi sh,” Dr Almany explains. “It’s simply a w f ay of tellin Jones and Dr Glenn Almany of the ARC C g one entre of Excellence group of fi sh of the same species from another.” for Coral Reef Studies, working wi th Michael Berumen of the University of Arkansas The team returned to confi rm the tags had worked and study , Simon Thorrold of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute and Serge Planes of the Un how many of the offspring had returned to the home reef iversity of or had dispersed to other reefs. They found around 60% o Perpignan.- has pioneered a new way to study f fi sh populations the juvenile fi sh returned to the home reef – a tiny dot i by ‘tagging’ adult fi sh with a minute trac n e of a harmless the ocean only 300m across – after being carried isotope, which they then pass on t out to sea o their offspring. as babies. “Just as importantly, 40% of the juveniles came The team’s fi ndings were announced in the international from other reefs that are at least 10 kilometres away, which journal Science today, and contain three scientifi c world-fi rsts: indicates signifi cant exchange between populations separated by open sea,” he adds. ”Th - the fi rst field-based use of a new metho is shows how marine protected d of tagging fi sh areas can contribute to maintaining fi sh populations o larvae utside no-fi shing zones.” - the fi rst larval tagging stu dy of a free-water (pelagic) The team will next conduct trials with c spawning fi sh species orral trout off Great Keppel Island on the Great Barrier Reeff. Similar studies are - the fi rst larval tagging study of a bottom (benthic) spawn planned for coral trout in P er NGG and in the Caribbean with a and a pelagic spawner in the same location and c omparison of threatened species, the Nassau groper. In both cases the their dispersal patterns. team hopes the new insights from larval tagging will improve management and the fi sh populations’ chances of recovery. The tag is enabling the researchers to understand the extent to which young fi sh return to their ‘home’ area or go off to “In a situation where you are trying to protect fi sh caught for interbreed with more distant populations. This helps to bui the table, tagging would help you to select the right reefs to ldd a picture of the extent to which protect, in order to maintain the overall population – and the fi sh populations areco onnected or isolated from one another – currently a vital misssing link in fi sh catch into the future,” Dr Almany explains. the sustainable management of fi sh stocks.

39 National Benefit

Case-Study

Case Study 2: Conservation planning for a sustainable future Conservation reserves, including many World Heritage Areas, are growing portfolio of research services provided to a wide range of Program 6 research is consistent with National Research Priority at the core of strategies to protect biodiversity, ecosystem services, end-users. #1 – An Environmentally Sustainable Australia. In particular, cultural heritage and recreation resources. No-take reserves are three Priority Goals all embrace this major research initiative: A2 often established to conserve species, ecological communities, Program 6 also integrates the work of many other Centre members (Transforming existing industries), A5 (Sustainable use of Australia’s habitats, ecosystems and bioregions. To date, some of the largest who provide the underlying science that is incorporated into biodiversity), and A7 (Responding to climate change and variability). and most successful applications of no-take marine reserves have conservation planning of reefs. For example: been on coral reefs, mostly notably is Australia’s Great Barrier Reef „ Geoff Jones and Partner Investigator Serge Planes from Selected 2007 publications: Marine Park, with a no-take area of over 100,000 km2. Developing the University of Perpignan have begun a new project to Cinner, J (2007). Designing marine reserves to refl ect local socioe- a new program, Program 6, within the Centre that specifi cally provide critical information on the size and spacing of marine conomic conditions: lessons from long-enduring customary addresses conservation planning is a natural progression for us, protected areas, and develop an understanding of how reef management systems. Coral Reefs 26(4): 1035-1045. which came to fruition at the end of 2007. This timely research focus fi sh populations are likely to respond to increasing scales of Cinner, JE and Aswani, S (2007). Integrating customary is led by Bob Pressey, who is recognised internationally as a leading coral reef degradation. This work is co-funded by the Coral management into marine conservation. Biological proponent and innovator in the fi eld of systematic conservation Reef Initiative of the South Pacifi c (CRISP) program and the Conservation 140(3-4): 201-216. planning. He invented and quantitatively defi ned seminal concepts ARC Centre. Hughes, TP, Gunderson, LH, Folke, C, Baird, AH, Bellwood, (e.g. effi ciency, irreplaceability, vulnerability, scheduling) that „ In Papua New Guinea, Phil Munday serves on the board of D, Berkes, F, Crona, B, Helfgott, A, Leslie, H, Norberg, underpin systematic planning methods. Pressey and colleagues the Mahonia Na Dari Research and Conservation Centre in J, Nystrom, M, Olsson, P, Osterblom, H, Scheffer, M, have created and continue to advance an infl uential framework for Kimbe Bay, New Britain Province (www.mahonia.org), Schuttenberg, H, Steneck, RS, Tengo, M, Troell, M, Walker, conservation that has been implemented in many parts of the world, in recognition of his expertise in marine park planning. The B, Wilson, J and Worm, B (2007). Adaptive Management of including Australia, Brazil, Mexico and South Africa (see opposite). mission of this NGO is to “understand and conserve the the Great Barrier Reef and the Grand Canyon World Heritage natural environment of Kimbe Bay and Papua New Guinea Areas. Ambio 36(7): 586-592. Pressey’s award-winning C-Plan software recognizes the importance for the benefi t of present and future generations”. of people as part of the natural landscape and includes stakeholders Pressey, R.L., Cabeza, M., Watts, M.E. Cowling, R.M. and Wilson, in the process of balancing resource use and protection. It has been „ Also in PNG, Josh Cinner’s social science research is being K.A. (2007). Conservation planning in a changing world. used as a major planning tool by 350 registered users around the used by the Wildlife Conservation Society as a basis for Trends in Ecology and Evolution 22(11): 583-592. world. In 2007, Pressey and his students worked with Federation the development of a multi-site network of conservation Wilson, KA, Underwood, EC, Morrison, SA, Klausmeyer, KR, Fellow Professor Hugh Possingham, Director of The Ecology Centre, protected areas, based on the customary management Murdoch, WW, Reyers, B, Wardell-Johnson, G, Marquet, PA, University of Queensland, in addressing Australia’s environmental practices. New conservation projects undertaken by the Rundel, PW, McBride, MF, Pressey, RL, Bode, M, Hoekstra, planning, decision making and policy approaches. They have WCS in PNG are based around customary management, JM, Andelman, S, Looker, M, Rondinini, C, Kareiva, P, Shaw, developed a range of new tools and techniques to help environment developing new and improved conservation techniques that MR and Possingham, HP (2007). Conserving Biodiversity managers overcome management and policy challenges. Upgrades more appropriately refl ect the local culture. Effi ciently: What to Do, Where, and When. PLoS Biology C-Plan are available from the ARC Centre’s website, as part of a 5(9): e223.

40 Keeping on top of wildlife threats 14 August 2007

One of Australia’s greatest conservation challen ges in Working in threatened environments worldwi protecting the Great Barrier Reef and other natural assets i de from southern s staying one jump ahead of both the Africa to the Amazon fl oodplain, Pressey says that local peo movement of protected ple species and the emergence of are enormously important to the successful protection of their new and unforeseen threats. Working out ways to give local communities as well environment. as conservation managers the power to do this i s the work “My job is to give them tools to understand the ch of Professor Bob Pressey of the ARC Centre of Excellence anges that are taking place, both in the protected species or ecosystems for Coral Reef Studies. Pressey s pecialises in systematic themselves and in the threats and pressures they face – conser vation planning – the development of strategies that and to look into the future to see where these might lead. keep endangered species and habitats going in the long “For example, the Green (no-fi shing) Zones of the GBR wi ll term. His research has been cited by over 3000 scien benefi t Fisheries. But what we do on land is also i tifi c mmensely publications worldwide. important to their long-term health and survival. You can still harm the Reef in other ways besides “We’ve long known you can’t just put a fence round wildlife overfi shing.” and expect it to survive. It moves The important thing, he argu in response to many factors, es, is to give local communities especially changing climat e. And new threats emerge,” he choices about how they plan their future – and ways to says. “We have to find ways of protecting our nati visualise the results they might achieve from various course ve species s that allow both for movements by the species and changes in of action. “If you can see how a certain development or the nature of the pressures and threats they face.” activity might affect native species decades into th e future you might decide to explore other options th Pressey has summarised cur at are just as rent scientifi c thinking about these challenges in a review paper titled “Conservatio economically fruitful, but which save more wildlife,” he n planning in a ch suggests. “Or if you fi nd that one area is absolutely vital to the anging world”, soon to be published in the prestigious journal Trends in Ecology and Ev survival of a particular species, you may ask: where else can olution. we locate our industries or developments?” The Great Barrier Reef is a case in point. As climate Pressey’s research aims to build practical plann change advances, scientists expect that its corals will inng ttools that enable local communities to anticip become increasingly stressed and start to migrate towards atte both movement environments that suit them better, meaning that protected in native species and take a precauttionnary approach to the

areas may have to shift also. While we are gaining a emergence of new risks. Behind these tools there is th good e understanding of the range of threats the Reef fac sophisticated and compplex science of understanding and es today – modelling changees in natural and human systems, and rising water temperature, runoff and sediment from the land, predicting how they affect one another. man-made toxins, overfi shing and development pressures – new ones, such as the gradual acidifying of the world’s oceans Hee is presently designing new software that can be used due to CO2, are emergi bby ng. “It means you can’t afford to stand local communities, agencies, and non-govern still if you want to h ment and your children the natural wondders you organisations to guide decisions about conservation love and value,” Pressey says. investments, on the land and in the sea.

41 Publications

The ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies produced Centre researchers received widespread national and Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 149 publications in 2007, almost 50% above the Centre’s initial international recognition in 2007 for the quality of their 274(1613): 1093-1099. Evaluated 24 May 2007. 2005 output. According to ISI Web of Science, if the ARC Centre research, including 29 invitations to provide international Almany, GR, Berumen, ML, Thorrold, SR, Planes, S and Jones, GP of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies was a country, it would keynote addresses (in Australia, France, Germany, (2007). Local Replenishment of Coral Reef Fish Populations have ranked second in the world behind the USA in 2007 for the Ireland, Japan, the Netherlands, the Philippines, in a Marine Reserve. Science 316(5825): 742-744. Evaluated number of journal publications and citations in coral reef science. Indonesia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, the UK, and 18 May 2007. Twenty-nine 2007 articles were published in journals with Impact the USA), and 34 invitations to write major reviews. Hughes, TP, Rodrigues, MJ, Bellwood, DR, Ceccarelli, D, Hoegh- Factors greater than four, including eight papers in Science, Guldberg, O, McCook, L, Moltschaniwskyj, N, Pratchett, MS, Nature, PNAS and Current Biology. The average Impact Factor for League table achievements in publications for 2007 include: Steneck, RS and Willis, B (2007). Phase shifts, herbivory, all 127 journal articles in 2007 was 5.3. ISI Essential Science Indicators identifi ed six Research Fronts and the resilience of coral reefs to climate change. Current in 2007 that highlight the leading research and exceptionally Biology 17(4): 360-365. Evaluated 16 April 2007. 10 high level of citation by the Centre’s personnel. A research front 9 is a group of highly cited papers, referred to as core papers, Bellwood, DR, Hughes TP, Hoey AS.(2006) Sleeping functional 8 in a specialized topic defi ned by a cluster analysis. The Fronts group drives coral-reef recovery. Current Biology 7 were Adaptive governance of social-ecological systems, Unifi ed 16(24):2434-9. Evaluated 15 January 2007. 6 neutral theory, Climate change and species distributions, Coral 5 Reef Ecosystems, Coral symbiosis and bleaching, and Coral reef Journal Articles 4 resilience. Sixteen core papers in these Research Fronts were [1] Abram, NJ, Gagan, MK, Liu, Z, Hantoro, WS, McCulloch, MT and 3 authored by A. Baird, D. Bellwood, S. Connolly, M. Dornelas, O. Suwargadi, BW (2007). Seasonal characteristics of the Indian Ocean 2 Hoegh-Guldberg, A. Hoey, T. Hughes, J. Pandolfi , B. Pressey, and dipole during the Holocene epoch. Nature 445(7125): 299-302. 1 by Partner Investigators C. Folke, J. Lough, and R. Steneck. [2] Adjeroud, M, Pratchett, M, Kospartov, M, Lejeusne, C and Penin, L

Number of citations in thousands 0 (2007). Small-scale variability in the size structure of scleractinian The Faculty of 1000 Biology highlighted fi ve of our 2005 2006 2007 corals around Moorea, French Polynesia: patterns across depths and publications for review in 2007: locations. Hydrobiologia 589(1): 117-126. Citations to members of the ARC Centre of Excellence each year Berumen, ML and Pratchett, MS (2006). Recovery without [3] Ainsworth, T, Kvennefors, E, Blackall, L, Fine, M and Hoegh-Guldberg, for 2005-2007. The Centre personnel received 8313 citations resilience: persistent disturbance and long-term shifts in O (2007). Disease and cell death in white syndrome of Acroporid corals in 2007, a 128% increase from 2005. Twenty-two researchers the structure of fi sh and coral communities at Tiahura Reef, on the Great Barrier Reef. Marine Biology 151(1): 19-29. were cited >100 times each in 2007, and nine of these had Moorea. Coral Reefs 25(4): 647-653. Evaluated 25 May 2007. [4] Ainsworth, TD, Kramasky-Winter, E, Loya, Y, Hoegh-Guldberg, O and >300 citations in the 12-month reporting period. Three Program Wong, MYL, Buston, PM, Munday, PL and Jones, GP (2007). Fine, M (2007). Coral disease diagnostics: What’s between a plague Leaders in the Centre are recognized in 2007 by ISI as Highly The threat of punishment enforces peaceful cooperation and and a band? Applied Environmental Microbiology 73(3): 981-992. Cited Researchers, in the top half of one percent for citations in stabilizes queues in a coral-reef fi sh. [5] Almany, G, Peacock, L, Syms, C, McCormick, M and Jones, G (2007). their fi eld.

42 Predators target rare prey in coral reef fi sh [13] Ball, EE, de Jong, DM, Schierwater, B, Shinzato, C, (2007). Thermal stress and coral cover as drivers of reduces reproductive output of reef-building corals. assemblages. Oecologia 152(4): 751-761. Hayward, DC and Miller, DJ (2007). Implications coral disease outbreaks. PLoS Biology 5(6): e124. Marine Ecology Progress Series 344: 81-93. [6] Almany, GR, Berumen, ML, Thorrold, SR, Planes, S of cnidarian gene expression patterns for the [20] Burgess, SC, Kingsford, MJ and Black, KP [25] Carricart-Ganivet, JP, Lough, JM and Barnes, DJ and Jones, GP (2007). Local replenishment of coral origins of bilaterality: Is the glass half full or half (2007). Infl uence of tidal eddies and wind on the (2007). Growth and luminescence characteristics reef fi sh populations in a marine reserve. Science empty? Integrative and Comparative Biology 47(5): distribution of presettlement fi shes around One in skeletons of massive Porites from a depth 316(5825): 742-744. 701-711. Tree Island, Great Barrier Reef. Marine Ecology gradient in the central Great Barrier Reef. Journal [7] Anctil, M, Hayward, DC, Miller, DJ and Ball, EE [14] Battad, JM, Wilmann, PG, Olsen, S, Byres, E, Progress Series 341: 233-242. of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology (2007). Sequence and expression of four coral Smith, SC, Dove, SG, Turcic, KN, Devenish, [21] Caldeira, K, Archer, D, Barry, JP, Bellerby, RGJ, 351(1-2): 27-36. G protein-coupled receptors distinct from all RJ, Rossjohn, J and Prescott, M (2007). A Brewer, PG, Cao, L, Dickson, AG, Doney, SC, [26] Carwardine, J, Rochester, WA, Richardson, KS, classifi able members of the rhodopsin family. Gene Structural Basis for the pH-dependent Increase in Elderfi eld, H, Fabry, VJ, Feely, RA, Gattuso, J-P, Williams, KJ, Pressey, RL and Possingham, HP 392(1-2): 14-21. Fluorescence Effi ciency of Chromoproteins. Journal Haugan, PM, Hoegh-Guldberg, O, Jain, AK, (2007). Conservation planning with irreplaceability: of Molecular Biology 368(4): 998-1010. Kleypas, JA, Langdon, C, Orr, JC, Ridgwell, A, [8] Anthony, K and Kerswell, A (2007). Coral mortality does the method matter? Biodiversity and Sabine, CL, Seibel, BA, Shirayama, Y, Turley, C, following extreme low tides and high solar [15] Bay, LK, Crozier, YC and Crozier, RH (2007). Isolation Conservation 16(1): 245-258. Watson, AJ and Zeebe, RE (2007). Comment radiation. Marine Biology 151(5): 1623-1631. and characterization of eight microsatellite loci [27] Castro, ALF, Stewart, BS, Wilson, SG, Hueter, RE, on ‘‘Modern-age buildup of CO2 and its effects in the mangrove mud-nesting ant, Polyrhachis Meekan, MG, Motta, PJ, Bowen, BW and Karl, [9] Anthony, KRN, Connolly, SR and Hoegh-Guldberg, on seawater acidity and salinity’’ by Hugo sokolova. Molecular Ecology Notes 7(6): SA (2007). Population genetic structure of Earth’s O (2007). Bleaching, energetics, and coral mortality A. Loa´iciga. Geophysical Research Letters 1239-1241. largest fi sh, the whale shark (Rhincodon typus). risk: Effects of temperature, light, and sediment 34(L18608): 3. regime. Limnology and Oceanography 52(2): [16] Boyett, H, Bourne, D and Willis, B (2007). Elevated Molecular Ecology 16(24): 5183-5192. [22] Calvo, E, Marshall, JF, Pelejero, C, McCulloch, MT, 716-726. temperature and light enhance progression and [28] Chidlow, JA, Simpfendorfer, CA and Russ, GR Gagan, MK and Lough, JM (2007). Interdecadal spread of black band disease on staghorn corals (2007). Variable growth band deposition leads [10] Arvedlund, M, Munday, PL and Takemura, A climate variability in the Coral Sea since 1708 of the Great Barrier Reef. Marine Biology 151(5): to age and growth uncertainty in the western (2007). The morphology and ultrastructure A.D. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, 1711-1720. wobbegong shark, Orectolobus hutchinsi. Marine of the peripheral olfactory organ in newly Palaeoecology 248(1-2): 190-201. metamorphosed coral-dwelling gobies, [17] Bradshaw, CJA, Mollet, HF and Meekan, MG and Freshwater Research 58(9): 856-865. [23] Campbell, SJ, Pratchett, MS, Anggoro, AW, Paragobiodon xanthosomus Bleeker (Gobiidae, (2007). Inferring population trends for the world’s [29] Cinner, J (2007). Designing marine reserves to Ardiwijaya, RL, Fadli, N, Herdiana, Y, Kartawijaya, largest fi sh from mark-recapture estimates of Teleostei). Tissue and Cell 39(5): 335-342. T, Mahyiddin, D, Mukminin, A, Pardede, ST, Rudi, refl ect local socioeconomic conditions: lessons survival. Journal of Animal Ecology 76(3): 480-489. [11] Baird, AH, Cumbo, VR, Leggat, W and Rodriguez- E, Siregar, AM and Baird, AH (2007). Disturbance from long-enduring customary management Lanetty, M (2007). Fidelity and fl exibility in coral [18] Broderick, K (2007). Getting a handle on social- to coral reefs in Aceh, northern Sumatra: Impacts systems. Coral Reefs 26(4): 1035-1045. symbioses. Marine Ecology Progress Series 347: ecological systems in catchments: The nature of the Sumatra-Andaman tsunami and pre-tsunami [30] Cinner, JE (2007). The role of taboos in conserving 307-309. and importance of environmental perception. degradation. Atoll Research Bulletin 544: 55-78. coastal resources in Madagascar. SPC Traditional [12] Baird, AH and Kerr, AM (2007). The dangerous myth Australian Geographer 38(3): 297 - 308. [24] Cantin, NE, Negri, AP and Willis, BL (2007). Marine Resource Management and Knowledge of tsunami greenbelts. Science 314(5798): E-Letter. [19] Bruno, JF, Selig, ER, Casey, KS, Page, CA, Willis, Photoinhibition from chronic herbicide exposure Information Bulletin 22: 15-23. BL, Harvell, CD, Sweatman, H and Melendy, AM [31] Cinner, JE and Aswani, S (2007). Integrating

43 Publications

customary management into marine conservation. (2007). Age accuracy and resolution of Quaternary and Solomon-Lane, TK (2007). Regulation of shallow-water reef-building corals off Kish and Biological Conservation 140(3-4): 201-216. corals used as proxies for sea level. Earth and protogynous sex change by competition between Larak Islands (Persian Gulf, Iran). Marine Biology [32] Cinner, JE, Sutton, SG and Bond, TG (2007). Planetary Science Letters 253(1-2): 37-49. corticosteroids and androgens: An experimental 153(1): 25-34. Socioeconomic thresholds that affect use [40] Fauvelot, C, Lemaire, C, Planes, S and Bonhomme, test using sandperch, Parapercis cylindrica. [56] Gilbert, A, Andrefouet, S, Planes, S, Planes, S, of customary fi sheries management tools. F (2007). Inferring gene fl ow in coral reef fi shes Hormones and Behavior 52(4): 540-545. Friedman, K and Remoissenet, G (2007). First Conservation Biology 21(6): 1603-1611. from different molecular markers: which loci to [49] Fukatsu, T, Onodera, K, Ohta, Y, Oba, Y, Nakamura, observation of the giant clam Tridacna squamosa [33] Cornell, HV, Karlson, RH and Hughes, TP (2007). trust? Heredity 99(3): 331-339. H, Shintani, T, Yoshioka, Y, Okamoto, T, Lohuis, in French Polynesia: a species range extension. Scale-dependant variation in coral community [41] Feary, D, Almany, G, McCormick, M and Jones, M, Miller, DJ, Kawachi, M and Ojika, M (2007). Coral Reefs 26(2): 229-229. similarity across sites, islands, and island groups. G (2007). Habitat choice, recruitment and the Zooxanthellamide D, a Polyhydroxy Polyene Amide [57] Harvell, D, Jordán-Dahlgren, E, Merkel, S, Ecology 88(7): 1707-1715. response of coral reef fi shes to coral degradation. from a marine dinofl agellate, and chemotaxonomic Rosenberg, E, Raymundo, L, Smith, G, Weil, E and perspective of the Symbiodinium polyols. Journal [34] D’iorio, M, Jupiter, SD, Cochran, SA and Potts, DC Oecologia 155: 727-737. Willis, B (2007). Coral disease, environmental of Natural Products 70(3): 407-411. (2007). Optimizing remote sensing and gis tools [42] Feary, DA, Almany, GR, Jones, GP and McCormick, drivers and the balance between coral and for mapping and managing the distribution of an MI (2007). Coral degradation and the structure of [50] Gagliano, M, McCormick, M and Meekan, M microbial associates. Oceanography 20(1): 58-81. invasive mangrove (Rhizophora mangle) on South tropical reef fi sh communities. Marine Ecology (2007). Temperature-induced shifts in selective [58] Hearty, PJ, Hollin, JT, Neumann, AC, O’Leary, Molokai, Hawaii. Marine Geodesy 30(1): 125 - 144. Progress Series 333: 243-248. pressure at a critical developmental transition. MJ and McCulloch, M (2007). Global sea-level Oecologia 152(2): 219-225. [35] Dambacher, JM, Brewer, DT, Dennis, DM, [43] Fleitmann, D, Dunbar, RB, McCulloch, M, fl uctuations during the Last Interglaciation. Macintyre, M and Foale, S (2007). Qualitative Mudelsee, M, Vuille, M, McClanahan, TR, Cole, [51] Gagliano, M and McCormick, MI (2007). Quaternary Science Reviews 26(17-18): 2090-2112. modelling of gold mine impacts on lihir island’s JE and Eggins, S (2007). East African soil erosion Compensating in the wild: is fl exible growth the key [59] Hemmrich, G, Miller, DJ and Bosch, TCG (2007). socioeconomic system and reef-edge fi sh recorded in a 300 year old coral colony from Kenya. to early juvenile survival? Oikos 116(1): 111-120. The evolution of immunity: a low-life perspective. community. Environmental Science and Technology Geophysical Research Letters 34(L04401). [52] Gagliano, M and McCormick, MI (2007). Maternal Trends in Immunology 28(10): 449-454. 41(2): 555-562. [44] Folke, C (2007). Social-ecological systems and condition infl uences phenotypic selection on [60] Hendy, EJ, Gagan, MK, Lough, JM, McCulloch, [36] Depczynski, M, Fulton, C, Marnane, M and adaptive governance of the commons. Ecological offspring. Journal of Animal Ecology 76(1): M and deMenocal, PB (2007). Impact of skeletal Bellwood, D (2007). Life history patterns shape Research 22(1): 14-15. 174-182. dissolution and secondary aragonite on trace energy allocation among fi shes on coral reefs. [45] Forêt, S, Kassahn, KS, Grasso, L, Hayward, D, [53] Gagliano, M, McCormick, MI and Meekan, MG element and isotopic climate proxies in Porites Oecologia 153(1): 111-120. Iguchi, A, Ball, E and Miller, D (2007). Genomic and (2007). Survival against the odds: ontogenetic corals. Paleoceanography 22(PA4101): 1-10. [37] Deutsch, L, Graslund, S, Folke, C, Troell, M, Huitric, microarray approaches to coral reef conservation changes in selective pressure mediate growth- [61] Hernaman, V and Munday, P (2007). Evolution M, Kautsky, N and Lebel, L (2007). Feeding biology. Coral Reefs 26(3): 475-486. mortality trade-offs in a marine fi sh. Proceedings of mating systems in coral reef gobies and aquaculture growth through globalization: [46] Fox, RJ and Bellwood, DR (2007). Quantifying of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences constraints on mating system plasticity. Coral Exploitation of marine ecosystems for fi shmeal. herbivory across a coral reef depth gradient. 274(1618): 1575-1582. Reefs 26(3): 585-595. Global Environmental Change-Human and Policy Marine Ecology Progress Series 339: 49-59. [54] Gerlach, G, Atema, J, Kingsford, MJ, Black, KP and [62] Hoegh-Guldberg, O, Muller-Parker, G, Cook, C, Dimensions 17(2): 238-249. [47] Frisch, A, McCormick, M and Pankhurst, N (2007). Miller-Sims, V (2007). Smelling home can prevent Gates, R, Gladfelter, E, Trench, R and Weis, V [38] Diaz-Pulido, G, Villamil, L and Almanza, V (2007). Reproductive periodicity and steroid hormone dispersal of reef fi sh larvae. Proceedings of the (2007). Len Muscatine (1932–2007) and his Herbivory effects on the morphology of the brown profi les in the sex-changing coral-reef fi sh, National Academy of Sciences 104(3): 858-863. contributions to the understanding of algal- alga Padina boergesenii (Phaeophyta). Phycologia Plectropomus leopardus. Coral Reefs 26(1): [55] Ghavam Mostafavi, P, Fatemi, S, Shahhosseiny, invertebrate endosymbiosis. Coral Reefs 26(4): 46(2): 131-136. 189-197. M, Hoegh-Guldberg, O and Loh, W (2007). 731-739. [39] Edinger, EN, Burr, GS, Pandolfi , JM and Ortiz, JC [48] Frisch, AJ, Walker, SPW, McCormick, MI Predominance of clade D Symbiodinium in

44 [63] Hoegh-Guldberg, O, Mumby, PJ, Hooten, AJ, a ß1 type integrin in coral fertilization. Marine [79] Leggat, W, Ainsworth, T, Bythell, J, Dove, S, Research 58(12): 1120-1129. Steneck, RS, Greenfi eld, P, Gomez, E, Harvell, CD, Biotechnology 9(6): 760-765. Gates, R, Hoegh-Guldberg, O, Iglesias-Prieto, R [86] Lough, J (2007). Northeastern Australian tropical Sale, PF, Edwards, AJ, Caldeira, K, Knowlton, [70] Jacobi, S, ReVelle, C, Pressey, R and Williams, and Yellowlees, D (2007). The hologenome theory river fl ow and rainfall reconstructions from N, Eakin, CM, Iglesias-Prieto, R, Muthiga, N, J (2007). Novel operations research methods disregards the coral holobiont. Nature Reviews coral luminescence. Quaternary International Bradbury, RH, Dubi, A and Hatziolos, ME (2007). for effi ciently determining irreplaceable sites Microbiology 5. 167-168(Supplement 1): 250. Coral reefs under rapid climate change and ocean for conservation. Environmental Modeling and [80] Leggat, W, Hoegh-Guldberg, O, Dove, S and [87] Lough, JM (2007). Tropical river fl ow and rainfall acidifi cation. Science 318(5857): 1737-1742. Assessment 12(2): 91-103. Yellowlees, D (2007). Analysis of an EST Library reconstructions from coral luminescence: Great [64] Hoey, J, McCormick, M and Hoey, A (2007). Infl uence [71] Job, S and Bellwood, D (2007). Ultraviolet from the dinofl agellate (Symbiodinium sp.) Barrier Reef, Australia. Paleoceanography of depth on sex-specifi c energy allocation patterns in photosensitivity and feeding in larval and juvenile symbiont of reef-building corals. Journal of 22(June): 2218-2234. a tropical reef fi sh. Coral Reefs 26(3): 603-613. coral reef fi shes. Marine Biology 151(2): 495-503. Phycology 43(5): 1010-1021. [88] Macintyre, M and Foale, S (2007). Land and marine [65] Hughes, TP, Bellwood, DR, Folke, CS, McCook, LJ [72] Johansen, J, Fulton, C and Bellwood, D (2007). [81] Lesser, MP, Bythell, JC, Gates, RD, Johnstone, RW tenure, ownership and new forms of entitlement and Pandolfi , JM (2007). No-take areas, herbivory Avoiding the fl ow: refuges expand the swimming and Hoegh-Guldberg, O (2007). Are infectious on lihir: changing notions of property in the context and coral reef resilience. Trends in Ecology & potential of coral reef fi shes. Coral Reefs 26(3): diseases really killing corals? Alternative of a goldmining project. Human Organization 66(1): Evolution 22(1): 1-3. 577-583. interpretations of the experimental and ecological 49-59. [66] Hughes, TP, Gunderson, LH, Folke, C, Baird, [73] Johansen, JL, Fulton, CJ and Bellwood, DR (2007). data. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and [89] Mantyka, C and Bellwood, D (2007). Direct AH, Bellwood, D, Berkes, F, Crona, B, Helfgott, Estimating the sustained swimming ability of coral Ecology 346(1-2): 36-44. evaluation of macroalgal removal by herbivorous A, Leslie, H, Norberg, J, Nystrom, M, Olsson, reef fi shes. Marine and Freshwater Research 58(3): [82] Lesser, MP, Falcon, LI, Rodriguez-Roman, A, coral reef fi shes. Coral Reefs 26(2): 435-442. P, Osterblom, H, Scheffer, M, Schuttenberg, 233-239. Enriquez, S, Hoegh-Guldberg, O and Iglesias- [90] Markey, KL, Baird, AH, Humphrey, C and Negri, AP H, Steneck, RS, Tengo, M, Troell, M, Walker, [74] Jones, GP, Srinivasan, M and Almany, GR (2007). Prieto, R (2007). Nitrogen fi xation by symbiotic (2007). Insecticides and a fungicide affect multiple B, Wilson, J and Worm, B (2007). Adaptive Population connectivity and conservation of marine cyanobacteria provides a source of nitrogen for the coral life stages. Marine Ecology Progress Series management of the Great Barrier Reef and the biodiversity. Oceanography 20(3): 42-53. scleractinian coral Montastraea cavernosa. Marine 330: 127-137. Grand Canyon World Heritage Areas. Ambio 36(7): [75] Jupiter, SD, Potts, DC, Phinn, SR and Duke, NC Ecology Progress Series 346: 143-152. [91] McCormick, M and Larson, J (2007). Field 586-592. (2007). Natural and anthropogenic changes [83] Levy, O, Appelbaum, L, Leggat, W, Gothlif, Y, verifi cation of the use of chemical alarm cues in a [67] Hughes, TP, Rodrigues, MJ, Bellwood, DR, to mangrove distributions in the Pioneer River Hayward, DC, Miller, DJ and Hoegh-Guldberg, O coral reef fi sh. Coral Reefs 26(3): 571-576. Ceccarelli, D, Hoegh-Guldberg, O, McCook, L, Estuary (QLD, Australia). Wetlands Ecology and (2007). Light-responsive cryptochromes from a [92] McCormick, M and Manassa, R (2007). Predation Moltschaniwskyj, N, Pratchett, MS, Steneck, RS Management 15(1): 51-62. simple multicellular animal, the coral Acropora risk assessment by olfactory and visual cues in a and Willis, B (2007). Phase shifts, herbivory, and [76] Karlson, RH, Cornell, HV and Hughes, TP (2007). millepora. Science 318(5849): 467-470. coral reef fi sh. Coral Reefs 27(1): 105-113. the resilience of coral reefs to climate change. Aggregation infl uences coral species richness at [84] Lewis, SE, Shields, GA, Kamber, BS and Lough, [93] McCormick, MI and Meekan, MG (2007). Social Current Biology 17(4): 360-365. multiple spatial scales. Ecology 88(1): 170-177. JM (2007). A multi-trace element coral record of facilitation of selective mortality. Ecology 88(6): [68] Idjadi, JA and Karlson, RH (2007). Spatial [77] Kerr, AM and Baird, AH (2007). Natural barriers to land-use changes in the Burdekin River catchment, 1562-1570. arrangement of competitors infl uences coexistence NE Australia. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, natural disasters. Bioscience 57(2): 102. [94] Mieog, J, van Oppen, M, Cantin, N, Stam, W and of reef-building corals. Ecology 88(10): 2449-2454. [78] Lecchini, D, Planes, S and Galzin, R (2007). Palaeoecology 246(2-4): 471-487. Olsen, J (2007). Real-time PCR reveals a high [69] Iguchi, A, Márquez, L, Knack, B, Shinzato, C, van The infl uence of habitat characteristics and [85] Limbourn, AJ, Jones, GP, Munday, PL and incidence of Symbiodinium clade D at low levels Oppen, MJH, Willis, B, Hardie, K, Catmull, J and conspecifi cs on attraction and survival of coral Srinivasan, M (2007). Niche shifts and local in four scleractinian corals across the Great Barrier Miller, D (2007). Apparent involvement of reef fi sh juveniles. Journal of Experimental Marine competition between two coral reef fi shes at their Reef: implications for symbiont shuffl ing. Coral Biology and Ecology 341(1): 85-90. geographic boundary. Marine and Freshwater Reefs 26(3): 449-457.

45 Publications

[95] Miller, D, Hemmrich, G, Ball, E, Hayward, D, [102] Pandolfi , JM (2007). A new, extinct pleistocene related symbiotic dinofl agellates. Molecular [119] van Oppen, MJH (2007). Perspective: Hidden Khalturin, K, Funayama, N, Agata, K and Bosch, T reef coral from the Montastraea Annularis species Ecology 16(17): 3721-3733. diversity in coral endosymbionts unveiled. (2007). The innate immune repertoire in Cnidaria complex. Journal of Paleontology 81(3): 472-482. [111] Sampey, A, McKinnon, AD, Meekan, MG and Molecular Ecology 16(6): 1125-1126. - ancestral complexity and stochastic gene loss. [103] Pandolfi , JM and Jackson, JBC (2007). The role of McCormick, MI (2007). Glimpse into guts: overview [120] van Oppen, MJH, Underwood, JN, Muirhead, AN Genome Biology 8(4): R59. algae. American Scientist 95(1). of the feeding of larvae of tropical shorefi shes. and Peplow, L (2007). Ten microsatellite loci for the [96] Montagna, P, McCulloch, M, Mazzoli, C, Silenzi, [104] Penin, L, Adjeroud, M, Pratchett, MS and Hughes, Marine Ecology Progress Series 339: 243-257. reef-building coral Acropora millepora (Cnidaria, S and Odorico, R (2007). The non-tropical coral TP (2007). Spatial distribution of juvenile and [112] Schuttenberg, H and Hoegh-Guldberg, O (2007). Scleractinia) from the Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Cladocora caespitosa as the new climate archive adult corals around Moorea (French Polynesia): A world with corals: What will it take? Science Molecular Ecology Notes 7(3): 436-438. for the Mediterranean: high-resolution (~weekly) implications for population regulation. Bulletin of 318(5847): 42b-. [121] Vigliola, L, Doherty, PJ, Meekan, MG, Drown, DM, trace element systematics. Quaternary Science Marine Science 80(2): 379-389. [113] Sleeman, JC, Meekan, MG, Wilson, SG, Jenner, Jones, ME and Barber, PH (2007). Genetic identity Reviews 26(3-4): 441-462. [105] Poloczanska, ES, Babcock, R, Butler, A, Hobday, CKS, Jenner, MN, Boggs, GS, Steinberg, CC and determines risk of post-settlement mortality of a [97] Moore, P, Hawkins, SJ and Thompson, RC (2007). AJ, Hoegh-Guldberg, O, Matear, R, Okey, TA, Kunz, Bradshaw, CJA (2007). Biophysical correlates marine fi sh. Ecology 88(5): 1263-1277. Role of biological habitat amelioration in altering the TJ and Richardson, AJ (2007). Impacts of climate of relative abundances of marine megafauna at [122] Walker, SPW, Ryen, CA and McCormick, MI relative responses of congeneric species to climate change on Australian marine Life. Oceanography Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia. Marine and (2007). Rapid larval growth predisposes sex change change. Marine Ecology Progress Series 334: 11-19. and Marine Biology: an Annual Review 45: Freshwater Research 58(7): 608-623. and sexual size dimorphism in a protogynous [98] Moore, P, Thompson, RC and Hawkins, SJ (2007). 407-478. 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Intensifi ed mid-Holocene Asian Acanthaster planci (Echinodermata: Asteroidea) Declining reliance on marine resources in remote Andelman, S, Looker, M, Rondinini, C, Kareiva, P, monsoon recorded in corals from Kikai Island, under controlled conditions of food availability. South Pacifi c societies: ecological versus socio- Shaw, MR and Possingham, HP (2007). Conserving subtropical northwestern Pacifi c. Quaternary Pacifi c Science 61(1): 113-120. economic drivers. Coral Reefs 26(4): 997-1008. biodiversity effi ciently: what to do, where, and Research 67(2): 204-214. [108] Pressey, RL, Cabeza, M, Watts, ME, Cowling, RM [116] Ulstrup, K, van Oppen, MJH, Kühl, M and Ralph, when. PLoS Biology 5(9): e223. [100] Munkres, KP, Bay, LK, Jerry, DR, McCormick, and Wilson, KA (2007). Conservation planning in P (2007). Inter-polyp genetic and physiological [124] Wilson, SG, Stewart, BS, Polovina, JJ, Meekan, MI and Herwerden, LV (2007). Development and a changing world. 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46 [126] Yaakub, S, Bellwood, D and van Herwerden, L change on coral reefs. p 59-68. In Impacts of [11] Munday, PL, Jones, GP, Sheaves, M, Williams, AJ Reports (2007). A rare hybridization event in two common Climate Change on Australian Marine Life. A. J. and Goby, G (2007). Vulnerability of fi shes of the [1] Broderick, K (2007). Burdekin water quality Caribbean wrasses (genus Halichoeres ; family Hobday, T. A. Okey, E. S. Poloczanska, T. J. Kunz Great Barrier Reef to climate change. p 357-392. adaptive management framework 2007 - Summary Labridae). Coral Reefs 26(3): 597-602. and A. J. Richardson (Eds.). CSIRO Marine and In Climate Change and the Great Barrier Reef: of stakeholder perceptions. pp 13. for Burdekin [127] Yarden, O, Ainsworth, TD, Roff, G, Leggat, W, Atmospheric Research A Vulnerability Assessment. J. Johnson and P. Dry Tropics Natural Resource Management, Fine, M and Hoegh-Guldberg, O (2007). Increased [6] Hoegh-Guldberg, O, Anthony, K, Berkelmans, Marshall (Eds.). GBRMPA, Townsville. Townsville. prevalence of ubiquitous ascomycetes in an R, Dove, S, Fabricus, K, Lough, J, Marshall, P, [12] Pandolfi , JM (2007). Ecological Succession. p 1-8. Acropoid coral (Acropora formosa) exhibiting van Oppen, MJH, Negri, A and Willis, B (2007). [2] Broderick, K (2007). Burdekin water quality In General Ecology Elsevier. symptoms of brown band syndrome and skeletal Vulnerability of reef-building corals on the Great adaptive management framework 2007 - Workshop report. pp 13. for Burdekin Dry Tropics eroding band disease. Applied Environmental Barrier Reef to climate change. p 271-308. In [13] Pandolfi , JM and Greenstein, BJ (2007). Using the Natural Resource Management, Townsville. Microbiology 73(8): 2755-2757. Climate Change and the Great Barrier Reef: A past to understand the future: palaeoecology of Vulnerability Assessment. J. Johnson and P. coral reefs. p 717-744. In Climate Change and the [3] Foale, S (2007). Social and economic context of Books and Book Chapters Marshall (Eds.). GBRMPA, Townsville. Great Barrier Reef: A Vulnerability Assessment. marine resource depletion in Gagil and Maap, Yap State, FSM. pp 49. for Pacifi c Regional [7] Kingsford, MJ and Welch, DJ (2007). Vulnerability J. Johnson and P. Marshall (Eds.). GBRMPA, [1] Diaz-Pulido, G, McCook, LJ, Larkum, AW, Lotze, Environment Program, Apia, Samoa. HK, Raven, JA, Schaffelke, B, Smith, JE and of pelagic systems of the Great Barrier Reef to Townsville. [4] Hilbert, D, Hughs, L, Johnson, J, Lough, J, Low, T, Steneck, RS (2007). Vulnerability of macroalgae climate change. p 555-592. In Climate Change and [14] White, A, Gomez, ED, Alcala, AC and Russ, GR Pearson, R, Sutherst, R and Whittaker, S (2007). of the Great Barrier Reef to climate change. p the Great Barrier Reef: A Vulnerability Assessment. (2007). Evolution and Lessons from Fisheries and Biodiversity conservation research in a changing 153-192. In Climate Change and the Great Barrier J. Johnson and P. Marshall (Eds.). GBRMPA, Coastal Management in the Philippines p88-108. climate. pp 74. for Department of the Environment Reef: A Vulnerability Assessment. J. Johnson and Townsville. In Fisheries management: Progress towards and Water Resources, Canberra. P. Marshall (Eds.). GBRMPA, Townsville. [8] Lough, JM (2007). Climate and climate change sustainability. T. R. McClanahan and J. Castilla [5] McIntyre-Tamwoy, S (2007). Heritage [2] Edgar, G, Russ, G and Babcock, RA (2007). Marine on the Great Barrier Reef. p 15-50. In Climate (Eds.). Blackwell Publishing, Oxford UK. interpretation plan Sandon Point North. pp 38. for Protected Areas. p 401-463. In Marine Ecology. B. Change and the Great Barrier Reef: A Vulnerability Stockland Residential, Cairns. Gillanders and S. Connell (Eds.). Oxford University Assessment. J. Johnson and P. Marshall (Eds.). Press, Oxford, UK. GBRMPA, Townsville. Conference Proceedings [6] McIntyre-Tamwoy, S (2007). Injinoo community case study for the ecotrust project. Prepared with [3] Fabricius, KE, Hoegh-Guldberg, O, Johnson, J, [9] McCook, LJ, Marshall, P, Folke, C, Hughes, [1] Foale, SJ. (2007). Acknowledging the importance Injinoo Apudhama Lands Trust, traditional owner McCook, L and Lough, J (2007). Vulnerability of TP, Nystrom, M, Obura, D and Salm, R (2007). and potential of governments in managing marine representatives. pp 35. for Australian Conservation coral reefs of the Great Barrier Reef to climate Ecological resilience, climate change, and the resources in Melanesia. p 80. Proceedings of Foundation, Cairns. change. p 515-554. In Climate Change and the Great Barrier Reef: An introduction. p 75-96. People and the Sea IV: ‘Who Owns the Coast? Great Barrier Reef: A Vulnerability Assessment. In Climate Change and the Great Barrier Reef: Amsterdam: Centre for Maritime Research J. Johnson and P. Marshall (Eds.). GBRMPA, A Vulnerability Assessment. J. Johnson and P. Conference. Townsville. Marshall (Eds.). GBRMPA, Townsville. [4] Foale, S, MacKenzie, M, Macintyre, M and [10] McCormick, M (2007). A little stress goes [2] McCulloch, MT. (2007). Coral reefs and global Browne, B (2007). Direct environmental impacts a long way: parental stress and population change: the roles of increasing ocean acidity, of mining at Lihir. pp 100. M Squared Design, replenishment. p 56. In Marine Ecology. S. Connell ocean temperatures, sea-levels and direct human Canberra. and B. Gillanders (Eds.). Oxford University Press, impacts. p A645. Proceedings of Goldschmidt [5] Hoegh-Guldberg, O (2007). Impacts of climate Melbourne. 2007. Cologne, Germany: Cambridge Publications.

47 Recognition of Excellence by Centre Members

Members of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef The Centre’s PhD students have also been very successful Andrew Hoey was awarded an Ian Potter Foundation Doctoral Studies received wide scale recognition of their contributions in 2007, with a number receiving recognition nationally and Fellowship to conduct fi eldwork on Lizard Island to coral reef science in 2007. For example: internationally for their research. These awards include: Kate Bromfi eld was runner up in the prestigious American Paleontology Society award. The Centre’s Director, Terry Hughes, received three major Maria Rodrigues was one of three Australians to win the honours in 2007. He was awarded his second Federation “L’Oreal-UNESCO Young women in science 2008 fellowship”. Luiz-Felipe Mendes-de Gusmao won a prize to attend the Fellowship in May (for 2007-2012). Later in the year, his This provides US$25,000 for 2 years to cover her fi eld 4th International Zooplankton Production Symposium in contribution to environmental research was recognised with expenses for her postdoctoral research in East Africa Hiroshima, Japan, on May 28 - June 1, 2007. the award of the Australian Museum Sherman Eureka Prize (Mozambique, Kenya and Tanzania). (www.amonline.net.au/eureka). Finally, in December, he www.loreal.com/_en/_ww/index.aspx?direct1=00008 The two major prizes to postgraduate students by the was awarded the prestigious quadrennial Darwin Medal of &direct2=00008/00001 Australian Coral Reef Society were awarded to Richard the International Coral Reef Society, which will be presented Evans (the Terry Walker Prize) and Vivian Cumbo (the at the 2008 ICRS meeting in Fort Lauderdale (US). Maria Dornelas won the 2007 IMAR-Luiz Saldanha prize for Danielle Simmons Prize). Richard Evans also won her paper “Coral reef diversity refutes the neutral theory of the GBRMPA Science for Management award. Dr Morgan Pratchett was awarded a Churchill Fellowship biodiversity”, Nature 440, 80-82 (2 March 2006). IMAR, the by the Churchill Trust (www.churchilltrust.com.au). This network of Portuguese research institutes that undertake provides fi nancial support to enable him to travel to the marine research, awards this prize every year to the most University of Newcastle to build his collaboration with the signifi cant publication on marine sciences by a young group led by Professor Nick Polunin. Portuguese author.

A number of Centre members were successful in the 2007 Rene Abesamis won the 2007 Zonal CHED Republica ARC Fellowship awards: Sean Connolly (APF), Phil Munday Award for Natural Sciences. The award was presented in (QEII), Tracy Ainsworth and Josh Cinner (APD). In addition Cebu City for her paper with Garry Russ on marine reserves Line Bay was awarded a highly competitive Queensland in the Philippines. www.visayandailystar.com/2007/ Smart State Fellowship. November/13/negor5.htm

48 Garry Russ (right) receiving Certifi cate of Appreciation for his contribution to management of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park from John Tanzer, Executive Director, Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority

49 Performance Measures

Research findings Research training and professional education Measure Outcome 2006 Target 2007 Outcome 2007 Measure Outcome 2006 Target 2007 Outcome 2007

Number of publications 132 135 149 Number of postgraduates enrolled 110 24 129

Publications in journals Number of postgraduate 33 34 29 13 14 22 with an impact factor > 4 completions

Number of citations 5353 5500 8313 Number of Honours students 22 12 23

Invitations to provide plenary addresses 29 30 29 Number of professional workshops 10 10 23 at international conferences

Participation in professional Invitations to provide review articles 33 35 26 22 20 24 workshops

Number and level of graduate Number and nature of commentaries 737 750 892 student courses and workshops in 12 20 12 about the centre’s achievements the priority area(s)

Awards, Prizes or Recognition 14 15 18

50 International, national and regional links and networks Measure Outcome 2006 Target 2007 Outcome 2007

Number of international visitors 52 55 72

Number of national and international Working Groups 15 Centre investigators 12 18 Centre investigators participated in 17 international participated in 17 working and 7 national working groups. groups.

Number of visits to overseas laboratories and research facilities 46 50 53

Invitations to membership of national and international boards and advisory committees 41 40 56

Number of cross-institutional publications. 88 85 101

Number of multi-institutional supervisory arrangements of graduate students. 42 40 46

Number & nature of contractual arrangements. increase the level of internationally funded students 16 20 over 5 yrs 28 increase level of consultancies and contract research 12 5 16

Number of government, industry and business briefi ngs 30 25 36

Number of Centre trained/ing personnel in knowledge / technology transfer and commercialization 6 5 9

Public Awareness programs Website hits 0.61m 1.00m 1.96m Public awareness presentations 12 12 31

51 Performance Measures

Organisational support National Benefit Measure Outcome 2006 Target 2007 Outcome 2007 Measure Outcome 2006 Target 2007 Outcome 2007

Annual cash contributions from Measures of expansion 62% increase in 100% increase on 46% increase in $1.2m $1.25m $1.46m Collaborating Organisations of Australia’s capability Publications benchmark year by Publications in the priority area(s) 81% increase in year 5. Annual in-kind contributions from $2.8m $2.9m $3.1m Citations Collaborating Organisations

Number of new Organisations 30 briefi ngs 30 briefi ngs to 36 briefi ngs recruited to or involved in the 10 5 25 government, business Centre and industry groups

Level and quality of infrastructure 17 Cross-nodal 17 cross-institutional 20 Cross-nodal $0.93m $0.97m $1.02m provided to the Centre publications co-authored publications publications Annual cash contributions from $0.17m $0.18m $1.1m other new organisations 88 Cross-institutional 90 cross-institutional 101 Cross-institutional publications publications publications

Case studies of 26 Media Releases 2 to be highlighted in 26 Media Releases economic, social, the annual report and See p.36 cultural or environmental distributed to media benefi ts agencies

52 Governance Measure Outcome 2006 Target 2007 Outcome 2007

Breadth and experience of the Senior representation from all nodes. Representation See p.7 members of the Advisory Board of eminent international researchers. Members with commercial and business links.

Frequency and effectiveness of 4 Scientifi c Management Committee meetings held. 2 Centre Advisory Board meetings p.a.. See p.7 Advisory Board meetings Inaugural Centre Advisory Board meeting held in May 2006. 4 Scientifi c Management Committee meetings pa..

Quality of the Centre strategic Strategic Plan endorsed by the Centre Advisory Board and Strategic Plan reviewed and endorsed by the Centre The Centre’s progress against the plan will be plan will be reviewed annually. Ongoing performance against Advisory Board. Ongoing performance against plan formally reported to the Advisory Board and be plan is reviewed quarterly by the Scientifi c Management reviewed at Scientifi c Management Committee renewed in light of outcomes. Committee. meetings.

Effectiveness of arrangements to All nodes and research programs represented at Scientifi c Meetings of the Scientifi c Management Committee All nodes and research programs represented at manage Centre nodes Management Committee meetings. where each node and program is represented Scientifi c Management Committee meetings

Nodal leader discussions are continuous, monthly nodal leader phone or video conferences Monthly nodal and program leader meetings held occurring at least weekly.

Each Node leader visited the other nodes at least once Annual rotational visits to the nodes In 2007 management meetings held at each of the during 2006. 3 nodes

In 2006, research planning meetings were held for; the Centre, Programs 1- 5, research fellows, & graduate Annual research retreats for all Centre participants In 2007 research planning meetings held for Centre and students each research program

Each node was represented at all planning meetings

Annual research Program planning meetings with Cross-nodal attendance at all research planning cross-nodal attendance meetings

The adequacy of the Centre’s Key Centre outperformed benchmark institutions International benchmarking to research in top The Centre outperformed benchmarked institutions Performance Measures international marine research centres.

53 Financial Statement

ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies Statement of Operating Income and Expenditure for year ended 31 December 2007

Income 2006 $ 2007 $ Expenditure 2006 $ 2007 $

ARC Centre Grant 3,722,158 $2,547,520 Salaries 1,893,885 2,576,541

ARC Fellowships 420,562 326,975 Equipment 206,878 542,122

ARC Networks Program 30,000 30,000 Travel 587,903 925,936

Host Institutions support 1,205,000 1,389,642 Research Maintenance & consumables 567,313 687,958

Local Government 25,000 Scholarships and prizes 36,642 39,544

State Government 20,000 10,000 Public Outreach and Administration 127,444 127,698

Commonwealth Government other grants 193,000 433,000 Total Expenditure $3,420,065 $4,899,799

International income & other contracts 59,083 249,329 Surplus (Defi cit) $2,254,738 $86,667

Total Income $5,674,803 $4,986,466 Balance brought forward from prior years 2,508,061

Total carry forward $2,594,728

54 Financial Status

The operating cash and in-kind operating budget for the Centre of Excellence for 2005-2010 currently totals $47.2m, a 49% increase from 2005 projections. The chart below indicates the budgeted level of income from the various funding sources.

ARC Centre of Excellence Cash & inkind funding outlook 2005-2012 – Total $47.2m

Industry / Other $4.7m, 10%

ANU $1.5m, 3%

UQ $3.0m, 6% ARC $13.0m, 27%

JCU $13.6m, 29%

ARC Fellowships $4.6m, 10%

ARC Linkage $0.8m, 2% State Commonwealth Government Government / Other $3.7m, 8% $2.5m, 5%

55 Acknowledgements

The ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies would like to thank the following groups and people for their ongoing support:

Æ The Australian Research Council Æ University of Perpignan Æ James Cook University Æ Douglas Shire Council Æ The Australian National University Æ Great Barrier Reef Research Foundation Æ The University of Queensland Æ Resilience Alliance Æ School of Marine and Tropical Biology, JCU Æ Mackay City Council Æ School of Pharmacy and Molecular Sciences, JCU Æ Mackay-Whitsunday NRM Group Æ School of Arts and Social Sciences JCU Æ Packard Foundation Æ Centre for Marine Studies, UQ Æ Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association Æ The Ecology Centre, UQ Æ The Nature Conservancy Æ Research School for Earth Sciences, ANU Æ United Nations University Æ Reef and Rainforest Research Centre- project managers for MTSRF Æ World Bank GEF Coral Reef Targeted Research Program Æ Queensland Government- Smart State Æ ICOMOS Æ Australian Institute of Marine Science Æ Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority Æ Stockholm Resilience Centre Æ Stockholm University Æ University of Delaware Æ University of Maine

56

Annual Report

ARC Centre for Coral Reef Studies James Cook University Townsville Queensland 4811 AUSTRALIA

Phone: 61 7 4781 4000 Fax: 61 7 4781 6722 Email: [email protected] Website: www.coralcoe.org.au