About
21
Publications
9,529
Reads
How we measure 'reads'
A 'read' is counted each time someone views a publication summary (such as the title, abstract, and list of authors), clicks on a figure, or views or downloads the full-text. Learn more
361
Citations
Citations since 2017
Introduction
Using tagging, photo ID, and molecular methods to investigate reef manta ray population structure, population trends and movements throughout Australia. Currently based on the Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia.
Additional affiliations
November 2012 - February 2015
Position
- Intern & Volunteer
Description
- Basic zooplankton identification, sample preparation, ZooScan operation, data analysis & manuscript preparation.
Education
March 2010 - October 2013
Publications
Publications (21)
Reef manta rays (Mobula alfredi) are capable of long-distance dispersal when habitat is continuous. In the Ningaloo Reef World Heritage Area located on Australia’s mid-west coast, M. alfredi is sighted year-round and is a focal species for ecotourism in the region. Despite value to local tourism and demographic vulnerability to exploitation, basic...
Little is known about the extent of genetic connectivity along continuous coastlines in manta rays, or whether site visitation is influenced by relatedness. Such information is pertinent to defining population boundaries and understanding localized dispersal patterns and behaviour. Here, we use 3057 genome-wide single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs...
The known distribution of manta rays in Australian waters is patchy, with records primarily centred around tourism hotspots. We collated 11,614 records of M. alfredi from photo‐ID databases (n= 10,715), aerial surveys (n= 378) and online reports (n= 521). The study confirms an uninterrupted coastal distribution from north of 26°S and 31°S on the we...
Increasing vessel traffic in the marine environment due to commercial and recreational activities has amplified the number of conflicts with marine animals. However, there are limited multi-year observations of the healing rate of marine animals following vessel strike. Here we document the healing rate of a reef manta ray Mobula alfredi, following...
Objective
Limited sample sizes are often a problem for species of conservation concern when using genetic tools to make population assessments. Lack of analytical power from small sample sizes can be compensated for by use of a large marker set. Here we report on development and characterization of 17 novel microsatellite markers for the reef manta...
Knowledge of the three-dimensional movement patterns of elasmobranchs is vital to understand their ecological roles and exposure to anthropogenic pressures. To date, comparative studies among species at global scales have mostly focused on horizontal movements. Our study addresses the knowledge gap of vertical movements by compiling the first globa...
Knowledge of the three-dimensional movement patterns of elasmobranchs is vital to understand their ecological roles and exposure to anthropogenic pressures. To date, comparative studies among species at global scales have mostly focused on horizontal movements. Our study addresses the knowledge gap of vertical movements by compiling the first globa...
Our understanding of the genetic connectivity of manta ray populations and the drivers that shape genetic structure is still limited. This information is crucial to identify the spatial boundaries of discrete populations and guide decisions on units to conserve. In this study, we use genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) to assess the...
Manta rays forage for zooplankton in tropical and subtropical marine environments, which are generally nutrient-poor. Feeding often occurs at predictable locations where these large, mobile cartilaginous fishes congregate to exploit ephemeral productivity hotspots. Investigating the zooplankton dynamics that lead to such feeding aggregations remain...
• Mutualism is a form of symbiosis whereby both parties benefit from the relationship. An example is cleaning symbiosis, which has been observed in terrestrial and marine environments. The most recognized form of marine cleaning symbiosis is that of cleaner fishes and their clients.
• Cleaner species set up cleaning stations on the reef, and other...
We present three case studies about how citizen scientists contribute to research in the Moreton Bay Marine Park: ‘Project Manta’, ‘Grey Nurse Shark Watch’ and ‘Dolphin Watchers’. We identify several challenges with marine megafauna citizen science programs and make recommendations to address these challenges and propose future directions to improv...
The reef manta ray, Mobula alfredi, occurs in tropical and warm temperate coastal waters, and around islands and reefs in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Published records that relate to the distribution of M. alfredi in the south-east Indian and south-west Pacific Oceans are largely restricted to locations where there is a focus on manta ray ecotou...
Research into the movement ecology of terrestrial and marine animals is growing globally, especially for threatened species. Understanding how far an animal can move and the extent of its range can inform conservation planning and management. On the east coast of Australia, reef manta rays Mobula alfredi are the subject of a photographic identifica...
Manta and devil rays are filter-feeding elasmobranchs that are found circumglobally in tropical and subtropical waters. Although relatively understudied for most of the Twentieth century, public awareness and scientific research on these species has increased dramatically in recent years. Much of this attention has been in response to targeted fish...
Reef manta rays (Manta alfredi) are a valuable ecotourism commodity in many areas of the world. Despite their value and threatened species listing, much remains unknown with regards to local population sizes and movements. Reef manta rays predictably aggregate at known sites seasonally, allowing for photographic mark-recapture, biopsy and tagging....
Large tropical and sub-tropical marine animals must meet their energetic requirements in a largely oligotrophic environment. Many planktivorous elasmobranchs, whose thermal ecologies prevent foraging in nutrient-rich polar waters, aggregate seasonally at predictable locations throughout tropical oceans where they are observed feeding. Here we inves...
Underlying dataset for 2014 reef manta ray feeding study at Lady Elliot Island.
(XLSX)
Manta rays (Manta alfredi) are among the largest fishes in the world and are present throughout subtropical and tropical oceans. They occupy large home ranges, migrate seasonally and aggregate at predictable locations. Aggregation sites are convenient areas for data collection, where the animals use critical habitat and can be easily approached by...
Large planktivores require high-density prey patches to make feeding energetically viable. This is a major challenge for species
living in tropical and subtropical seas, such as whale sharks Rhincodon typus. Here, we characterize zooplankton biomass, size structure and taxonomic composition from whale shark feeding events and
background samples at...
Zooplankton are the key trophic link between primary producers and fish in pelagic
ecosystems. Historically, there are few zooplankton time series in Australia, with no
datasets longer than two years prior to 2008. Here we compile 98,676 abundance records
of more than 1,000 zooplankton taxa from unpublished research cruises, student projects,
publi...
Projects
Projects (2)
The project aims to answer key questions about the biology, ecology and sustainability of the world’s manta ray species and determine the likely impact of climate variability and fisheries that operate to Australia’s north on manta-based ecotourism in the Indo-Pacific region. The study addresses a significant problem as active low-value fisheries jeopardise a high-value ecotourism industry. We will determine geographic distributions, local and largescale movements, population sizes, structure, and inter-connectivity in our region to assess the effect of fisheries on manta ray populations, and to provide the information and tools for management and conservation of these charismatic and valuable species.
