Post-doctoral Researcher
Gehrmann Building, Level 8, room 834
School of Biological Sciences – UQ
St Lucia, QLD 4072
Australia
T: +61 7 33652729
e.sampayo@uq.edu.au
CV
Education
Post-doctoral Research Fellow, The Pennsylvania State University, USA, 2010
Post-doctoral Research Fellow, The University of Queensland, Australia, 2008
PhD, “Diversity and Ecology of Symbiodinium in pocilloporid corals”, The University of Queensland, Australia, 2007
MSc, “Reproduction and speciation in the coral genus Madracis“, The University of Groningen, Netherlands, 2000
Current Research
Climate change is predicted to drive tropical reef corals towards high latitude communities. Past evidence indicates that these high latitude coral communities can act as refugia and sources of evolutionary novelty. At present information on high latitude coral reefs and their associated symbiont communities remains sparse. In my current research I aim to address some of the questions pertaining to the potential of reef corals to move into higher latitudes by studying subtropical and high-latitude coral communities along the eastern Australian coast. I will specifically assess the: a) level of overlap between tropical and high-latitude communities in terms of coral symbioses, b) presence of genetic breaks, c) influence of coral reproductive mode, symbiont strategy, and symbiont transmission on species ranges. I will further experimentally modulate symbiotic partnerships under various climate scenarios to get an insight into the potential for generational changes in coral-symbiont partnerships. This data provides a step forward to understand the potential of reef corals to move current species ranges, and ties in with ongoing research on ecological dynamics of fish, coral and echinoderm assemblages at high latitude reefs and established research priorities (www.susra.org) for conservation of subtropical reefs under the pressure of climate change.
Coral Reef Symbioses
Marine invertebrate symbioses with the dinoflagellate genus Symbiodinium are highly diverse, and include various marine taxa such as Scleractinians (reef building corals), Alcyonacea (soft corals), Actinaria (sea anemones), Zoanthidae (zoanthids), Corallomorpharia (corallomorphs), Hydrozoa (hydroids), giant clams, as well as certain foraminiferans, sponges, flatworms, nudibranchs, and ciliates.
Research interests
Symbiosis ecology, bio-geography and evolution.
Environmental tolerance ranges and specificity of larval and juvenile corals.
Adaptation in reef corals, and species range shifts.
Collaborators
Prof Todd LaJeunesse, Symbiosis Ecology and Evolution Laboratory, The Pennsylvania State University, USA
Dr Linda Tonk, Coral Reefs Ecosystems Laboratory, The University of Queensland
Dr Pim Bongaerts, Coral Reefs Ecosystems Laboratory, The University of Queensland
Dr Bert Hoeksema, Netherlands Centre for Biodiversity, Naturalis, Leiden, Netherlands
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