ProfessorWilliam Figueira
Professor of Marine Ecology
Faculty of Science
- Professor of Marine EcologyFaculty of Science
Research projects & supervision summary
Project Opportunities
Title: Optimising ecosystem services for fishes from restored oyster reefs
Summary of opportunity:
Oyster reefs have declined precipitously over the past 100 years. This project is looking at restoration options which provide the maximum ecosystem services in a cost effective manner. It has particular focus on the role of fishes in these services.
Opportunity synopsis:
The student involved in this project will be looking at how the structure and landscape setting of rock oyster reefs around NSW affects the fish assemblages as well as the growth, mortality and health of key associated species. The project will involve shore and boat based fieldwork as well as desk work to analyse video and lab work to age fish from otoliths and assess their condition from morphology and lipid content. There may also be opportunity to incorporate 3D mapping and modelling of oyster reefs.
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Project Opportunities
Title: Understanding drivers of tropical fish range expansions
Summary of opportunity:
Warming oceans from climate change is driving an increase in the occurrence of tropical fishes in temperate latitudes. While we are beginning to understand the factors that may limit their establishment success in novel temperate environments, we still known comparatively little about the mechanisms which affect the dynamics of their larval stage. The project will investigate these processes for tropical fishes arriving in the temperate waters of NSW in the summer months.
Opportunity synopsis:
This project will seek to understand the dynamics of the larval stage that results in the variable delivery of tropical larvae to temperate habitats. It will focus on understanding factors affecting the timing of arrival as well as the consequences of this on post settlement success. It will also attempt to look at the variable success of different species to determine what role interspecific differences in performance may play in determining which species are seen in NSW. The project will involve snorkel-based fieldwork and lab-based analysis of fish otoliths and body condition.
--------------------------------------------------Project Opportunities
Title: Assessing the range expansion of hard corals into temperate waters
Summary of opportunity:
The subtropical endemic coral Pocillopora alicia has recently been observed off the coast of Sydney. This project will seek to document the extent of coverage of this species and to understand the dynamics and impacts of its spread.
Opportunity synopsis:
This project is based around the novel occurrence of the hard coral Pocillopora alicia along the Sydney coast. There is scope for identifying specific research questions upon which to focus within this larger project but they would address some of the following: - How far south and in what abundance Pocillopora alicia occurs along the NSW coast? - Does the coral physical structure of demographics vary across its range, into this new area? - What is the effect of this coral on landscape-scale structure of these habitats and how does this affect fish assemblages. These questions would be addressed with a variety of techniques including standard visual and photo-quadrat surveys, 3D mapping of large areas and individual colonies and underwater visual census of fish assemblages.
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Title: Understanding the role of fish assemblages in coral restoration ecology
Summary of opportunity:
Global threats to coral reefs are driving a wave of coral restoration efforts. This project will focus on identifying the role of fish assemblages in facilitating or inhibiting coral restoration efforts.
Opportunity synopsis:
This project will take place as part of the EcoRRAP (Reef Restoration and Adaptation Program) on the Great Barrier Reef and will involve working with a diverse group of researchers from multiple institutions. The student will be expected to develop specific testable hypotheses about the effects of resident fish assemblages on coral restoration efforts. There will be a strong field component to the research and the project would involve conventional (underwater visual census, photo quadrat, behavioural observations) as well as novel (3D mapping, stereo video, image analysis) methodologies.
----------Current Research Projects----------
Range shifts of marine fishes and tropicalisation of temperate habitats
3D Reefs
Collaborator: Professor Maria Byrne
The shallow reefs of our seas are amongst the most productive ecosystems on the planet. Yet these areas are also typically the most heavily impacted by the ever expanding human footprint. Impacts such as coastal development and climate change induced coral bleaching are driving dramatic changes to the habitats that serve as the basis for these incredibly diverse systems. The 3D Reefs Project is a synergy of science and engagement which uses the latest innovations in imaging technology to shed much needed light on the problems faced by our shallow reef systems but also to offer solutions. It contains elements that contribute to many of Prof Figueira's research themes. The project uses the process of photogrammetry to build high resolution models of everything from individual coral colonies to hundreds of square meters of reef. The incredible detail offered by these models allows for the tracking of growth and erosion rates of coral reefs resulting from cyclone damage or coral bleaching. It is also possible to pull apart the various aspects of the structural complexity of these habitats to better understand their importance to different groups and types of organisms living on them. This allows for predictions of expected changes in fish assemblages as a result of coral bleaching or the replacement of coastal rocky reef by sea walls and jetties.
This same information can also inform the design of the structural elements for remediation efforts, for instance the 3D printing of specific coral models to replace complexity lost on bleached reefs over the short to medium term recovery period. The 3D models also serve as a powerful outreach and communication tool, serving up something that is out of sight and mind to the majority of people in a compelling and engaging way, allowing them to observe the beauty of these systems in a truly interactive manner. The Project is built heavily around off the shelf components, allowing broad applicability within not only the science community but opening doors to citizen science as well. The 3D Reefs Project aims to engage the public in the plight of these systems, grow our scientific understanding of them and develop practice short term solutions to mitigate the ongoing impacts.
Current and recently completed projects under this theme include:
- Variation in structure of corals across the GBR shelf and latitudes [collaboration with Morgan Pratchett at JCU]
- Growth of corals with differing responses to thermal stress [Coral Assist Program, James Guest, U. Newcastle; Renata Ferrari, AIMS]
- Importance of coral structure for social dynamics of damselfish [collaboration with Mia Kent and Ashley Ward, Usyd]
- Growth of corals at high latitude reefs [collaboration with Morgan Pratchett at JCU] Relationships between reef structure and diversity across the Coral Sea, GBR and subtropical reefs of the Solitary Islands [collaboration with: Morgan Pratchett, Andrew Hoey and Hugo Harrison, JCU; Hamish Malcolm and Steve Dalton, NSW Fisheries]
- Accuracy and Precision of 3D mapping systems
- Growth of range expanding corals in NSW waters [collaboration with David Suggart and team at UTS; Brigitte Sommer, USYD]
Effects of habitat restoration of fishes
Prof Figueira is involved in several projects which are looking at ways to optimise the restoration of lost habitats and what effects these efforts have on associated fish assemblages. These projects focus on lost intertidal and oyster reef habitats around NSW. The seawalls work is done in collaboration with the Living Seawalls project at the Sydney Institute of Marine Science. This project seeks to restore some measure of lost intertidal habitat by adding structural tile back onto seawall. A second project done in collaboration with colleagues at UNSW and Macquarie) is looking at the restoration of rock oyster reefs, which have dramatically declined over the past 100 years. Both of these project leverage on the 3D Reefs program which provides the tools for assessing structure.
RESEARCH PROJECTS & ACTIVITIES
- RESEARCH-BASED DEGREE SUPERVISIONAssessing sublethal responses of coral-dependent fish communities to major coral reef disturbances
- RESEARCH-BASED DEGREE SUPERVISIONBiological and physical factors that mediate the population establishment of the coral Pocillopora aliciae on temperate reefs in New South Wales
- RESEARCH-BASED DEGREE SUPERVISIONBiological Response to Ocean Macronutrient Fertilisation
- RESEARCH-BASED DEGREE SUPERVISIONCryptic diversity and their relationship to small-scale habitat complexity and degradation across tropical and polar systems.
- RESEARCH-BASED DEGREE SUPERVISIONDrivers and consequences of fish corallivory on coral reefs
- RESEARCH-BASED DEGREE SUPERVISIONHabitat structural complexity in the 21st century: measurement, fish responses and why it matters
- RESEARCH-BASED DEGREE SUPERVISIONIntegrating Traditional and Close Range Photogrammetric Bathymetric Reconstructions to Enhance Predictions of Fish Abundance and Distribution on the NSW Coast
- RESEARCH-BASED DEGREE SUPERVISIONInvestigating how mismatches in sensory abilities may be facilitating invasive species to enact exaggerated impacts to their introduced ecosystem.
- RESEARCH-BASED DEGREE SUPERVISIONInvestigating patterns, consequences and drivers of variable habitat quality for fish populations within urbanised seascapes.
- RESEARCH-BASED DEGREE SUPERVISIONKelp restoration via Sea Urchin Removal Primary and Secondary Production in Sydney Harbour NSW .
- RESEARCH-BASED DEGREE SUPERVISIONPatches to Seascapes: Advancing Seascape Understanding of Fish Communities in Seagrass Ecosystems and its Applications to Conservation and Restoration
- RESEARCH-BASED DEGREE SUPERVISIONPopulation dynamics of the invasive upside-down jellyfish Cassiopea in Lake Macquarie: identification, seasonality and distribution
- RESEARCH-BASED DEGREE SUPERVISIONResilience of juvenile crown of thorns starfish and the implications for population outbreaks
- RESEARCH-BASED DEGREE SUPERVISIONRevealing the drivers of marine host microbiome structure in tropical and temperate reefs across Australia
- RESEARCH-BASED DEGREE SUPERVISIONSentinels of reef decline: Coral-feeding fishes and the legacy of thermal disturbance
- RESEARCH-BASED DEGREE SUPERVISIONSpecies assemblage rules under stress: understanding the effects of marine heat waves on coral reef fish resilience
- RESEARCH-BASED DEGREE SUPERVISIONStructural and functional impacts of salinisation and nutrient enrichment on freshwater benthic biofilms across space and time
- RESEARCH-BASED DEGREE SUPERVISIONThe biology and ecology of sympatric sea urchins on the shallow rocky reefs of New South Wales
- RESEARCH-BASED DEGREE SUPERVISIONThe biology, ecology, and taxonomy of sea urchins in the subtropical biogeographic transition zone of southeast Australia
- RESEARCH-BASED DEGREE SUPERVISIONThe ecological and socio-economic winners and losers of sustainable reference points on coral reef fisheries