Functional Roles of Reef Sharks on the Great Barrier Reef
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ResearchOnline@JCU This file is part of the following work: Bierwagen, Stacy L. (2019) Functional roles of reef sharks on the Great Barrier Reef. PhD Thesis, James Cook University. Access to this file is available from: https://doi.org/10.25903/bznt%2D7512 © 2019 Stacy L. Bierwagen. The author has certified to JCU that they have made a reasonable effort to gain permission and acknowledge the owners of any third party copyright material included in this document. If you believe that this is not the case, please email [email protected] Front Pages Title Page Functional roles of reef sharks on the Great Barrier Reef Thesis submitted by Stacy L. Bierwagen B.Sc. Barry University M.Sc. University of Hawaii – Hilo For the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Centre of Sustainable Tropical Fisheries and Aquaculture College of Science and Engineering James Cook University November 2019 Acknowledgements I owe thanks to many people for allowing me to undertake the research as well as support and guide me throughout my thesis. Firstly, I would like to acknowledge and thank my advisors; Michelle Heupel, Andrew Chin, and Colin Simpfendorfer. Your calibre of knowledge and work ethic never ceases to astound me. Thank you for giving me the autonomy to undertake the project as well as pushing me to refine and complete tasks in a dynamic environment. I could not have done this without your patience and support as well as your willingness to forgive in every instance I underestimated how long something would take. I am inspired by each of you and you have all driven me to think critically, improve my writing, and explain what I mean to the best of my capabilities. To Mike Emslie and Heidi Pethybridge, your added knowledge and expertise has allowed me to gain new skills and take my thesis to the next level. Thank you. Next, I would like to thank the administrative and support staff at JCU and all that were involved in approving field trips, risk assessments, and travel. This thesis would not have been possible without the Graduate Research School and the Centre for Sustainable Tropical Fisheries and Aquaculture through the College of Science and Engineering. For my time in the field I am in debt to the crew of the RV James Kirby and RV Cape Ferguson that made my time at sea both enjoyable and worthwhile. I am grateful to all of those at the AIMS engineering workshop and the AIMS data centre for constructing gear, going out on field trips, and providing valuable environmental data. Thanks to the AIMS long-term monitors that helped to train me and provide valuable data for this project (Karin, Michelle, Blue, Kate, Al). Thanks to the analytical team at CSIRO who graciously allowed me to have some lab space and assistance. I want to express my gratitude to the late Paul Allen for providing funding from his foundation in support of Global FinPrint, and the FinPrint team whose support I relied on for my research. I am incredibly grateful to all of those that have volunteered to go on my trips; Mick, Michael, Jordan, Alexia, Brooke, Stefano, Kristy, Michaela, Tracy, Rebecca, Mario, Elodie, & Gemma. You guys are amazing. I would like to single out and particularly thank Jasmina. You continued to come back to my trips and saved me more than a few times. I am so happy to know ii you and your friendship has meant so much to me. Leanne and Steve, thank you so much for your extra support for these trips and putting up with me all this time I truly could not have done it without your guidance and friendship. For all my other dear friends within and outside of the lab, thank you for all of the wonderful times and memories - Ana, Sush, Rishab, Jordan, Mel, Leontine, Brooke, Samm, Vinay, Leah – you are the best. To my Australian family, the Hahns, you have made me feel at home since I met you. It means more than I can say. To my siblings, Kristin, Brad, Kelsey, and Matt – for your moral support without knowing but for brief moments in time what it is I do, thank you. Thank you so much for being there. And to Shaun, there is not one person who has kept me going during this time more than you. I am forever grateful. Finally, Mom and Dad, I can’t put into words what you have done for me throughout life to get me here. Your personal and emotional sacrifice goes beyond anything I can imagine, and I can only strive to achieve what you have in life and in relationships. iii Statement of contribution of others Supervision Dr. Michelle Heupel – Integrated Marine Observing System, University of Tasmania, Hobart Tasmania Prof. Colin Simpfendorfer – Centre for Sustainable Tropical Fisheries and Aquaculture and College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, Australia Dr. Andrew Chin - Centre for Sustainable Tropical Fisheries and Aquaculture and College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, Australia Ancillary Support Dr. Michael Emslie – Austrailian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, Australia Dr. Heidi Pethybridge – CSIRO, Oceans and Atmosphere, Hobart, Tasmania Financial Support Project Funding Australian Institute of Marine Science Carrying Capacity Project – Awarded to Dr. Michelle Heupel Global Fin Print – Awarded to Dr. Michelle Heupel Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority - Science for Management Research Award iv Project Funding (continued) AIMS @ JCU Pilot Research Award James Cook University Graduate Research School Research Grant & 3MT Visualize Your Research Competition – Winner (project funding) Ph.D. stipend James Cook University / Australian Government JCUPRS Scholarship Travel Funding AIMS @ JCU Science Communication Award Australian Society for Fish Biology – John Glover Award Save Our Seas Foundation – International Conference on Fish Telemetry Travel Award v Data Collection Townsville Reefs: RV James Kirby and crew, RV Cape Ferguson and crew, Leanne Currey, Steve Moore, Jasmina U’Usitalo, Samm Sherman, Andrew Chin, Michael Grant, Michael Natt, Jordan Matley, Alexia Graba Landry, Brooke D’Alberto, Stefano Freddi, Ana Barbosa Martins, Kristy Potgeiter, Michaela Farnam, Tracy Mackeracher, Shaun Hahn, Rebecca Forster, Mario Espinoza, Elodie Ledee, & Gemma Molinaro Statistical, analytical, and editorial support Michelle Heupel, Colin Simpfendorfer, Andrew Chin, Heidi Pethybridge, Michael Emslie, Mike Cappo, Vinay Udyawer, Murray Logan, Rhonnda Jones, Mario Espinoza, Jordan Matley, and journal editors/reviewers for submitted chapters Administrative, technical, and IT support Jane Webb, Phillip Osmond, Andrew Norton, Debbie Berry, Rebecca Steele, Wayne Mallet Cover image Global FinPrint Copyright and collaboration To the best of my knowledge and belief, the thesis contains no material previously published by any other person except where due acknowledgement has been made. Permission from external copyright holders and collaborators has been obtained when necessary. Ethics and approvals All research activities were conducted within the confines of Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (G15/37987.1) and Queensland Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries permits (187250). The research presented and reported in this thesis was conducted in compliance with the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Australian Code of Practice for the Care and Use of Animals for Scientific Purposes, Seventh Edition, 2004 and the Queensland Animal Care and Protection Act, 2001.The proposed research study received animal ethics approval from the JCU Animal Ethics Committee Approval Number A1933 vi Publications arising from this thesis Bierwagen SL, Heupel MR, Chin A, Simpfendorfer CA (2018) Trophodynamics as a Tool for Understanding Coral Reef Ecosystems. Frontiers in Marine Science 5 doi 10.3389/fmars.2018.00024 (Chapter 2) Bierwagen SL, Emslie MJ, Heupel MR, Chin A, Simpfendorfer CA (2018) Reef-scale variability in fish and coral assemblages on the central Great Barrier Reef. Marine Biology 165: 144 (Chapter 3) Bierwagen SL, Pethybridge H, Heupel MR, Chin A, Simpfendorfer CA (2019) Trophic niches determined from fatty acid profiles of sympatric coral reef mesopredators. Marine Ecology Progress Series 632:159 https://doi.org/10.3354/meps13150 (Chapter 4) **For all manuscripts, MR Heupel, CA Simpfendorfer, A Chin, and SL Bierwagen co-developed the research questions and study design. All co-authors contributed to sample collection and processing, data analysis, and manuscript revisions. SL Bierwagen wrote the first drafts and was responsible for coordinating journal submission and revisions. vii Ancillary Works During Candidature Bierwagen SL, Price DK, Pack AA, Meyer CG (2017) Bluespine unicornfish (Naso unicornis) are both natural control agents and mobile vectors for invasive algae in a Hawaiian Marine Reserve. Marine Biology 164: 25 Chin, A. and Bierwagen, SL (2018). The ecological roles of sharks and rays in marine environments. Report to the World Wide Fund for Nature, 42 pages Martins, APB, Heupel, MR, Bierwagen, SL, Chin, A, Simpfendorfer, CA (2019) Activity patterns and habitat use of juvenile Pastinachus ater in a coral reef flat environment. PLOS One 0228280 viii Conference and meeting presentations during candidature Bierwagen SL, Pethybridge H, Heupel MR, Chin A, Simpfendorfer CA (2018). Dietary interactions determined from fatty acid profiles of coral reef mesopredators. Sharks International, Joao Pessoa, Brazil Bierwagen SL, Pethybridge H, Heupel MR, Chin A, Simpfendorfer CA (2018). Dietary interactions determined from fatty acid profiles of coral reef mesopredators. AIMS@JCU Conference,