14 June 2017

A new study has ingeniously reconstructed a 103-year record of the Queensland east coast Spanish Mackerel spawning fishery, and revealed that catch rates have declined by 70 per cent over the past 80 years. The ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies and University of Queensland study documented the decline by combining data from historical newspapers with fisher memories.

Lead author and UQ PhD graduate Dr Sarah Buckley of the Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority in Ireland said the decline has had substantial consequences. “For the past 20 years the Cairns fishery has been commercially extinct and the Townsville spawning aggregations have remained completely offshore,” she said.

Co-author Professor John Pandolfi of UQ’s School of Biological Sciences and the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies at UQ said the conservation of spawning aggregations of fish was one of a suite of management tools that could contribute to healthy fish populations. “Managers need to consider increased protection of Spanish Mackerel during this critical time if it is hoped that catch rates can be increased,” Professor Pandolfi said.

Spanish Mackerel are large and important recreational and commercial fish found in Queensland and northern New South Wales waters. Annually they form huge aggregations for breeding purposes at discrete locations for a confined period of time in the Great Barrier Reef. Although this fishery commenced over 100 years ago, official commercial catch and effort were not recorded by the government until the 1980s, leaving large gaps in our understanding of long-term changes in the fish spawning aggregations, some of which disappeared undetected. The scientists interviewed commercial fishers about their memories of changes to catch, gear and technology and locations fished, to reconstruct a valuable and comprehensive record.

Co-author Dr Ruth Thurstan of Deakin University said Spanish Mackerel fishers were able to recall fishing from as early as the 1940s, providing a wealth of knowledge that could be used to plug these historical data gaps. Preventing decline and loss of fish spawning aggregations is a priority for the Great Barrier Marine Park Authority. These data are currently being used by the Queensland government to inform stock assessment, demonstrating the valuable knowledge that is held by long-term fishers and in our local archives.

3 April 2017

Climate-driven change in the distribution of animal and plant species poses emerging challenges for humans, an international study has shown. University of Queensland marine biologist Professor John Pandolfi said species were changing their distributions globally in response to climate change. “New challenges for humans range from health risks to economic threats, and from conflict over fisheries resources to impacts on the supply of coffee and other crops,” said Professor Pandolfi, of UQ’s School of Biological Sciences.

The study involved a large international team of scientists, led by Associate Professor Gretta Pecl from the University of Tasmania’s Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies. The team’s report said species are already responding to climate change, and human communities and economies from the tropics to the poles are affected.

Conservation ecologist Dr Justine Shaw (pictured) of UQ’s School of Biological Sciences and the ARC Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions said species “in Antarctica, the Arctic, the tropics, everywhere” were moving in response to climate change. “This study shows just how valuable long-term monitoring is,” she said. “It allows us to detect these changes, particularly in rapidly warming areas like Antarctica and the Arctic.”

Associate Professor Pecl said human survival depended on other life on earth so the redistribution of the planet’s living organisms was a substantial challenge for people worldwide. “As their local environment changes, many plants and animals are responding by moving to higher altitudes, greater depths in the oceans, or towards the poles,” she said. “Previous studies have shown that land-based species are moving polewards by an average of 17km per decade, and marine species by 72km per decade. “Our study demonstrates how these changes are affecting worldwide ecosystems and human health and culture in the process. “While some species favour a warmer climate and are becoming more abundant, many others that humans exploit or interact with face depletion or extinction.”

Dr Pecl said that as humans relied on natural ecosystems for food, industry, health and culture, they were affected by changes in species distribution in many different ways. “These include resources, such as fish, forests and crops, which are at risk as their environments change. “The principal coffee-growing regions are expected to shift, and valuable timber species such as Norway spruce are expected to make way for less valuable, warm climate species. In industry, tourism and recreational fishing are jeopardised as corals die, jellyfish infest waters used for recreation, and urchins destroy fish habitats in kelp forests. Human conflict could escalate, as tensions emerge and species move between economic zones, as with Iceland’s ‘mackerel wars’, or due to disputes over competing land uses. Health threats such as malaria are becoming more prevalent as rising temperatures allow the poleward spread of mosquitos into regions where people have not had prior exposure.”

Original article published on UQ News. Publication in Science.

16 March 2017

Scientists measure coral mortality following bleaching on the northern Great Barrier Reef. Photo: Tane Sinclair-Taylor.

University of Queensland researchers are part of a team that will conduct Great Barrier Reef aerial and underwater surveys this month as coral bleaching occurs for the second year in a row. The work coincides with a report in the journal Nature today, which says the reef’s resilience is waning rapidly.

UQ School of Biological Sciences researcher Professor John Pandolfi said scientists from UQ and other institutions would compare the extent of coral bleaching damage that had occurred this summer with that of last summer. Professor Pandolfi is one of 46 researchers who contributed to the Nature report.

He said coral bleaching events should not be seen as individual disturbances to reefs, but as recurring events that threatened the viability of coral reefs globally. “We have known for some time that ‘refuge’ areas nearby help reef coral rebound after a bleaching event, but last year’s bleaching has shown that unfortunately this ability breaks down as bleaching becomes more severe,” Professor Pandolfi said.

The newly published research was led by ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies Director Professor Terry Hughes, at James Cook University. Professor Hughes said the research team hoped temperatures would drop quickly in the next two to three weeks, and this year’s bleaching would not be as severe as in 2016. “The severity of the 2016 bleaching was off the chart,” he said. “It was the third major bleaching to affect the Great Barrier Reef, following earlier heatwaves in 1998 and 2002. Now we’re gearing up to study a potential number-four.”

The research found that in 2016 catastrophic levels of bleaching occurred in the northern third of the reef, a region about 800km long. Professor Pandolfi said coral bleaching occurred when abnormal environmental conditions such as high sea temperatures caused corals to expel tiny photosynthetic zooxanthellae algae. “The loss of these colourful algae causes the corals to turn white,” he said. “Bleached corals can recover if the temperature drops and zooxanthellae are able to recolonise them. Otherwise the coral may die.”

Original article published on UQ News.

27 October 2016

Professor John Pandolfi and members of the Marine Palaeoecology Lab attended the Subtropical Bleaching Workshop hosted by the National Marine Science Centre in Coffs Harbour, NSW. Collaborators at the workshop included members from Southern Cross University, University of Sydney, the local Coffs Harbour community group SURG (Solitary Islands Underwater Research Group), and the Department of Primary Industries.

The aim of the workshop was to bring together survey data of the 2015-2016 bleaching event across the subtropical region and prepare an outline for further work on a manuscript. The paper will document the pattern of bleaching across the subtropics, from Moreton Bay, QLD to Black Rock, NSW, as well as investigate mechanisms driving spatial variability in patterns of bleaching.

The bleaching surveys in the subtropics showed that some coral genera, namely Pocillopora, encrusting Porites and Turbinaria, were more severely affected than other taxa, such as Acropora. The surveys completed are the most widespread bleaching recorded in this region since quantitative surveys commenced in 2002.

Professor Terry Hughes and Dr Andrew Baird from James Cook University also attended the workshop and presented findings of the bleaching across the Great Barrier Reef, as well as some of the post-bleaching survey data. The preliminary findings showing that the North Great Barrier Reef has suffered the greatest loss, with an average of 67% of shallow-water corals dead.

The Marine Palaeoecology Lab thanks Dr Hamish Malcolm, and others at the National Marine Science Centre, for organising the workshop and the warm hospitality shown.

1-3 November 2016

The recent Moreton Bay Quandamooka Catchment Forum held at the University of Queensland 20 years after the first forum, highlighted the depth and breadth of research that is taking place across many aspects of Moreton Bay. The forum was attended by around 150 people including traditional owners, representatives of the Quandamooka people, scientists, researchers, non-government organisations, government representatives, students, and members of the public. Day 1 and 2 saw presenters cover a range of interesting topics including indigenous knowledge and culture,
habitats and biodiversity, water quality, tourism, fisheries, citizen science, communities, and the Moreton Bay Marine Park. Day 3 provided a synthesis of these topics and presentations, and this was followed by a public Q & A event in the evening.

Our lab colleague, Kerrie Fraser, presented on behalf of a number of co-authors, on the history and current status of indigenous and commercial fishing and fisheries in the Bay. This presentation covered the range of species harvested by indigenous fishers including crustaceans, shellfish and mullet, the cottage industry for dugong oil that was present in Moreton Bay from 1847 – 1920, early turtle, whale, and oyster fisheries, and the commercial fishery and their harvest from Fish Board and logbook records collected over time. The Moreton Bay commercial fishery currently contributes ~ $24 million per annum to the economy, making it the most important commercial fishery in the state by volume and value per unit. Future challenges to fisheries of all kinds were discussed including fisheries management and regulatory change, individual and cumulative impacts from climate change, coastal development, etc, and what the increasing demand for seafood might mean to these fisheries.

The outcomes of this forum will result in a book that will be published in 2017 and there are plans to hold another forum in 5 years time.

11 November 2016

Media Release from ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies and co-author Professor John Pandolfi

Climate change is affecting most life on Earth, despite an average global temperature increase of just 1^oC, say leading international scientists in a study published today in Science.

The scientific team, including researchers from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies (Coral CoE), The University of Queensland and the Queensland Museum in Australia, identified key ecological processes necessary to support healthy terrestrial, marine and freshwater ecosystems. The study found that 82% of these processes, affecting genes to entire ecosystems, have been impacted by global warming.

The effects of these changes extend beyond natural ecosystems and increasingly impact the health and wellbeing of human societies.

“Temperature extremes are causing evolutionary adaption in many species, changing them genetically and physically,” says Professor John Pandolfi of the Coral CoE and University of Queensland. “These responses include changes in tolerances to high temperatures, shifts in sex-ratios, reduced body size and migration of species.”

“In marine systems, physiological responses to both climate warming and changing ocean conditions are widespread,” he adds.

“People depend on healthy ecosystems for a range of goods and services, including food and clean water. Understanding the extent to which ecosystems have been impacted allows us to plan and adapt to rapid change.”

“Some people didn’t expect this level of change for decades,” says senior author Associate Professor James Watson, from the University of Queensland. “The impacts of climate change are being felt everywhere, with no ecosystem on Earth being spared. It is no longer sensible to consider climate change as a concern only for the future.”

”Emissions targets must be actively achieved and time is running out for a synchronised global response to climate change that safeguards biodiversity and ecosystem services,” he adds.

“The study shows that genes, organisms, populations, species and processes are being impacted across all of Earth’s major ecosystems,” says Dr Tom Bridge from the Coral CoE and Queensland Museum.

“These multi-level biological impacts of climate change will affect humans. Increasing disease outbreaks, inconsistent crop yields and reduced fisheries productivity all threaten our food security.”

These biological impacts, together with the renewed challenges to meet global emissions targets, highlighted by the recent UNEP Emissions Gap Report, show just how much work needs to be done to safeguard biodiversity in an era of global warming,” adds Prof Pandolfi.

Paper

The broad footprint of climate change from genes to biomes to people by Brett R. Scheffers, Tom C. L. Bridge, John M. Pandolfi, James, E.M. Watson et al. is published in Science. DOI: 10.1126/science.aaf7671 PDF

26 October 2016

Congratulations to The Marine Palaeoecology Lab’s very own Dr Eugenia Sampayo (Postdoctoral Research Fellow) who was recently honoured with a Women in Research Citation Award.

The awards are based on an analysis of published work over the last decade, and recognise the highly cited contributions of early- to mid-career female researchers. This award also puts front and centre the important issue of gender equality in research.

Eugenia’s research focuses on the ecology, evolution and functional significance of the single celled dinoflagellates (Symbiodinium) that live inside the tissues of reef building corals. The symbiotic relationship between corals and Symbiodinium lies at the basis of the success of tropical reef systems and the symbionts are pivotal to coral health. Her main research interest is the response of coral symbioses to climate change and her early work showed that the specific species of coral symbionts living inside the coral determine how sensitive corals are to thermal stress, leading to coral bleaching and post-bleaching mortality. Her recent work investigates the connections between tropical and high latitude coral communities to find out how the symbionts set limits to coral distribution ranges. This work is important because there is a potential for migration of tropical coral species to occur towards higher latitude subtropical areas in response to increasing ocean temperatures.

See UQ news for more details.

21 July 2016

Marine Palaeoecology lab members presented research recently at the Centre of Marine Science TalkFest at the University of Queensland. Presentations came from Dr Eugenia Sampayo and Dr K-le Gomez-Cabrera, while Carrie Sims presented a poster during the lunch break.

To attend the next TalkFest or read up on research being conducted at the Centre of Marine Science please click on the following link: www.marine.uq.edu.au/

26-30 June 2016

Marine Palaeolecology Lab PhD student, Chelsea Korpanty, recently attended the Australian Earth Sciences Convention (AESC) in Adelaide to present preliminary research entitled: An ecological assessment of a Late Miocene coral assemblage near Rowley Shoals, Roebuck Basin, Western Australia. This research stems from an International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) expedition that Chelsea participated in 2015 aboard the JOIDES Resolution along the Northwest Shelf of Australia (Expedition 356: Indonesian Throughflow). Her presentation at AESC was given in a topical session specific to the results of recent and upcoming IODP expeditions in the Australian-New Zealand region. Of the seventeen oral presentations in this session, most were given by Australian- and New Zealand-based IODP researchers, two by PhD students, and several by international IODP researchers from Europe and the United States. The session overall was very engaging and informative, generating many questions and facilitating discussions between presenters and the audience. About 550 delegates attended the AESC, which is the biennial convention of the Geological Society of Australia.

Click on the following links for more information on Expedition 356: Indonesian Throughflow or the Geological Society of Australia

June 2016

Members, current and past, of the Marine Palaeoecology Lab were a formidable presence at the ISRS 13th International Coral Reef Symposium in Honolulu, Hawaii this June giving talks or presenting posters on their current and continuing research. They joined over 2500 coral reef scientists, policy makers and managers from around 97 different nations presenting the latest research findings, case histories and management activities, and to discuss the application of scientific knowledge to achieving coral reef sustainability.

The Symposium’s main theme was Bridging Science to Policy and the lab’s Professor John Pandolfi delved into the issue of improving scientific input into coral reef management and policy. With his main points being the need to: 1) prioritise research questions, ensuring that we are asking the right questions, and not ignore important ones; 2) get the message right by incorporating nuance into public and policy debates; 3) expand temporal perspectives to avoid misguided policies subject to shifted ecological baselines; 4) embrace and report uncertainty; 5) provide insight on potential biases; and 6) acknowledge the simultaneous effects of multiple stressors and the geographical variation in response to stressors.

The lab’s own Kerrie Fraser (PhD candidate) also works in marine policy and presented her findings for putting marine policy into practice for the Great Barrier Reef. Specifically, analysing how the management of Australian marine protected areas (MPAs) is undertaken when applying a vast range of policy, agreements and legislation, and how the policy implementation process is actually achieved.

While such a large gathering can become confounding at times, it also provides an opportunity to meet up with old faces, develop new collaborations and immerse yourself in the global research being carried out on coral reefs. We all walk away knowing that coral reefs today are subjected to numerous local and global impacts, but with increased efforts and cross-collaborations, as well as data sharing and impartial representation of our work we can hope to have a greater influence on the conservation of these valuable systems that drive us to do what we do each and every day.

For further information on the Symposium and to review the abstracts of other lab members please see the ICRS Website.