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ManagementPaola G Rachello-Dolmen
PhD Graduate
University of Queensland
From 2005 to 2022, the main node of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies was headquartered at James Cook University in Townsville, Queensland (Australia)
Paola is originally from Bogota (Colombia) but rose by Italian parents. She completed her BSc (Hons) in Biology at Pontificia Universidad Javeriana and her MSc in Biological Sciences at the University of Amsterdam. Then, she and her partner Alberto moved to Brisbane where she completed her PhD in Marine Science at The University of Queensland under the supervision of John M. Pandolfi, Winston F. Ponder and Vera Weisbecker. Her research looked at microgastropods (<5mm) found as fossils in sedimentary cores and in modern death assemblages collected in Moreton Bay, a heavily impacted marine region of subtropical Queensland, Australia. She established the temporal and spatial variability of species diversity and taxonomic composition prior to and following European settlement (~1840). An inventory of 53,260 specimens belonging to 219 species was recorded. Micromollusc abundances were linked to key environmental parameters (substrate, nitrogen, temperature, turbidity and depth), traits (shape, sculpture, distribution, and feeding type) and Holocene assemblages had persistent community composition from 7500 to 160 yrsBP. Community shifts are interpreted to be the result of declining water quality from human impacts. Currently, Paola is working as a Post-doctoral Research Associate for Dr. Ethan L. Grossman and Dr. Aaron O’Dea at Texas A&M University and Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. Her current research focused on the environmental drivers of Neogene biotic turnover in the Caribbean.
New DNA techniques are being used to understand how coral reacted to the end of the last ice age in order to better predict how they will cope with current changes to the climate. James Cook Univer
A new study on the effects of climate change in five tropical countries has found fisheries are in more trouble than agriculture, and poor people are in the most danger. Distinguished Profess
James Cook University researchers have found brightly coloured fish are becoming increasingly rare as coral declines, with the phenomenon likely to get worse in the future. Christopher Hemingson, a
Researchers working with stakeholders in the Great Barrier Reef region have come up with ideas on how groups responsible for looking after the reef can operate more effectively when the next bleaching
Abstract: As marine species adapt to climate change, their heat tolerance will likely be under strong selection. Individual variation in heat tolerance and its heritability underpin the potential fo
Abstract: The Reef Ecology Lab in KAUST’s Red Sea Research Center explores many aspects of movement ecology of marine organisms, ranging from adult migrations to intergenerational larval dispersal
Abstract: Macroalgal meadows are a prominent, yet often maligned component of the tropical seascape. Our work at Ningaloo reef in WA demonstrate that canopy forming macroalgae provide habitat for ad
Abstract: Sharks are generally perceived as strong and fearsome animals. With fossils dating back at least 420 million years, sharks are not only majestic top predators but they also outlived dinosa
Abstract: Connectivity plays a vital role in many ecosystems through its effects on fundamental ecological and evolutionary processes. Its consequences for populations and metapopulations have been
Abstract: Evolution of many eukaryotic organisms is affected by interactions with microbes. Microbial symbioses can ultimately reflect host’s diet, habitat range, and even body shape. However, how
Abstract: The past few years have seen unprecedented coral bleaching and mortality on the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) but the consequences of this on biodiversity are not yet known. This talk will expl
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