Steve Whalan

Southern Cross University · Marine Ecology Research Centre (MERC)

Over recent decades, our philosophical and scientific understanding of cognition has changed dramatically. We went from conceiving humans as the sole truly cognitive species on the planet to endowing several organisms with cognitive capacities, from considering brains as the exclusive seat of cognition to extending cognitive faculties to the entire...

Accidental oil spills from shipping and during extraction can threaten marine biota, particularly coral reef species which are already under pressure from anthropogenic disturbances. Marine sponges are an important structural and functional component of coral reef ecosystems; however, despite their ecological importance, little is known about how s...

Coral reefs face many stressors associated with global climate change, including increasing sea surface temperature and ocean acidification. Excavating sponges, such as Cliona spp., are expected to break down reef substrata more quickly as seawater becomes more acidic. However, increased bioerosion requires that Cliona spp. maintain physiological p...

Bioeroding sponges break down calcium carbonate substratum, including coral skeleton, and their capacity for reef erosion is expected to increase in warmer and more acidic oceans. However, elevated temperature can disrupt the functionally important microbial symbionts of some sponge species, often with adverse consequences for host health. Here, we...

Effects of elevated seawater temperatures on deep-water benthos has been poorly studied, despite reports of increased seawater temperature (up to 4 °C over 24 hrs) coinciding with mass mortality events of the sponge Geodia barretti at Tisler Reef, Norway. While the mechanisms driving these mortality events are unclear, manipulative laboratory exper...

Determining the extent of repeatable differences in the behavior of animals and the factors that influence behavioral expression is important for understanding individual fitness and population processes, thereby aiding in species conservation. However, little is known about the causes of variation in the repeatability of behavioral differences amo...

Decreasing coral cover on the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) may provide opportunities for rapid growth and expansion of other taxa. The bioeroding sponges Cliona spp. are strong competitors for space and may take advantage of coral bleaching, damage, and mortality. Benthic surveys of the inshore GBR (2005–2014) revealed that the percent cover of the mos...

Reports of sponge disease are becoming increasingly frequent, although almost all instances involve shallow-water, tropical species. Here, we describe the first disease affecting the deep-water sponge, Geodia barretti. The disease is characterised by brown/black discolouration of the sponge tissue, extensive levels of tissue disintegration and incr...

Reproduction is a key biological process that underpins the persistence and maintenance of populations. However, information on the reproductive biology of Great Barrier Reef (GBR) sponges is depauperate. The present study established the reproductive biology of two co-occurring GBR sponges, namely Ianthella basta (Verongida) and Ircinia sp. (Dicty...

One of the key components in assessing marine sessile organism demography is determining recruitment patterns to benthic habitats. An analysis of serially deployed recruitment tiles across depth (6 and 12 m), seasons (summer and winter) and space (meters to kilometres) was used to quantify recruitment assemblage structure (abundance and percent cov...

One of the key components in assessing marine sessile organism demography is determining recruitment patterns to benthic habitats. An analysis of serially deployed recruitment tiles across depth (6 and 12 m), seasons (summer and winter) and space (meters to kilometres) was used to quantify recruitment assemblage structure (abundance and percent cov...

Abundance data. Raw abundance data for the year 2 sampling (May 2007 to May 2008). (XLSX)

Percent cover data. Raw percent cover data for the year 2 sampling (May 2007 to May 2008). (XLSX)

Map of the central Torres Strait, showing the two study Islands: Masig and Marsden (A). Diagram of the nested hierarchical study design (B). (TIF)

Sponge species data. Raw abundance and percent cover data for the sponge species identified in the year 2 sampling (May 2007 to May 2008). (XLSX)

Mean abundance (A) and percent cover (B) of each of the taxa from Masig and Marsden Is. over the two-year sampling period. Both seasons and depths depicted. (TIF)

Mean abundance (A) and percent cover (B) of each for sponges, positively identified to species level, over the two year sampling. Both seasons and depths depicted. (TIF)

Sponges are well known for hosting dense and diverse microbial communities, but how these associations vary with biogeography and environment is less clear. Here we compared the microbiome of an ecologically important sponge species, Carteriospongia foliascens, over a large geographic area and identified environmental factors likely responsible for...

Rank abundance plot Rank abundance plot of C. foliacens OTUs. The horizontal line represents where the 30 th OTU is placed, with the top 30 OTUs representing 68% of the accumulated proportion of abundance.

SIMPER table

Alpha diversity metrics Alpha diversity metrics (average ±S.E.) of C. foliacens samples from each location.

Co-occurrence networks Co-occurrence networks inferred from (A) 15 inshore samples and (B) 15 offshore samples. A significant co-occurrence event (edge) was placed if the SparCC correlation coefficient ≥|0.6| and p ≤ 0.03. Anti-correlations were removed for visualization. OTU classification denoted within the nodes.

Sample IDs EMP sample IDs and collection location of samples from this study, including reference to samples used in the inshore/offshore comparison.

OTU vector IDs List of OTUs contributing most to the discrimination, Spearman Rank correlation <0.8.

Dicathais orbita is a marine mollusc recognised for the production of anticancer compounds that are precursors to Tyrian purple. This study aimed to assess the diversity and identity of bacteria associated with the Tyrian purple producing hypobranchial gland, in comparison with foot tissue, using a high-throughput sequencing approach. Taxonomic and...

The muricid mollusc Dicathais orbita produces Tyrian purple, which is a brominated derivative of the blue dye indigo. This study aimed to establish whether distinct bacterial communities occur in the organs of D. orbita associated with Tyrian purple production and to identify indole-producing bacteria using 16S rRNA sequencing. Biochemical profiles...

For sessile marine invertebrates with complex life cycles, habitat choice is directed by the larval phase. Defining which habitat-linked cues are implicated in sessile invertebrate larval settlement has largely concentrated on chemical cues which are thought to signal optimal habitat. There has been less effort establishing physical settlement cues...

Understanding processes that contribute to population maintenance is critical to the management and conservation of species. Despite this, very little is currently known about the reproductive biology of Great Barrier Reef (GBR) sponge species. Here, we established reproductive parameters including mode of sexuality and development, seasonality, se...

Sponges (Phylum Porifera) are an evolutionary and ecologically significant group; however information on processes influencing sponge population distributions is surprisingly limited. Carteriospongia foliascens is a common Indo-Pacific sponge, which has been reported from the intertidal to the mesophotic. Interestingly, the distribution of C. folia...

Microbial biofilms play important roles in initiating settlement of marine invertebrate larvae. Given the importance of habitat selection by the motile larval phase, understanding settlement choices is critical if we are to successfully predict the population dynamics of sessile adults. Marine microbial biofilms show remarkable variability in commu...

Sponge taxonomy can be challenging as many groups exhibit extreme morphological plasticity induced by local environmental conditions. Foliose keratose sponges of the sub-family Phyllospongiinae (Dictyoceratida, Thorectidae: Strepsichordaia, Phyllospongia and Carteriospongia) are commonly found in intertidal and subtidal habitats of the Indo-Pacific...

Defining taxonomical units and elucidating spatial and temporal relationships amongst taxa are critical in the effective management and conservation of species. Sessile benthic invertebrates such as sponges are important in the ecological functioning of marine habitats and communities (e.g. coral reefs), however, they suffer from problematic taxono...

Fluorescence techniques are increasingly employed in marine science to address questions pertaining to genomics, proteomics, symbiosis and ecology. Apart from being able to produce “pretty pictures”, fluorescence microscopy can shed new light onto existing biological and ecological frameworks by providing a quick and effective method of viewing spe...

The antifouling efficacy of a series of 18 textured (0.2-1000 μm) and non-textured (0 μm) polydimethylsiloxane surfaces with the profiles of round- and square-wave linear grating was tested by recording the settlement of fouling organisms in the laboratory and in the field by monitoring the recruitment of a multi-species fouling community. In labor...

Polydimethylsiloxane surfaces textured with a square-wave linear grating profile (0, 20, 200, 300 and 600 μm), and embedded with a range of photocatalytic titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticle loadings (3.75, 7.5, 11.25 and 15 wt.%), were used to test the combined efficacy of these technologies as antifouling materials. Settlement of the fouling bry...

Sponges are abundant, diverse and functionally important components of aquatic bio-topes with crucial associations for many reef fish and invertebrates. Sponges have strict temperature optima, and mass mortality events have occurred after unusually high temperatures. To assess how sponges may adapt to thermal stress associated with a changing clima...