Carolyn Wheeler
PhD Candidate
MSc, University of Massachusetts Boston; BSc, University of New England
James Cook University; The University of Massachusetts Boston
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)
PhD Candidate
MSc, University of Massachusetts Boston; BSc, University of New England
James Cook University; The University of Massachusetts Boston
Bio
Originally from New York state, Carolyn found her passion for fish biology during her undergraduate honors research at the University of New England. There she conducted physiological research on sturgeon and a variety of species of sharks and skates. Carolyn is currently a co-tutelle PhD student between the School for the Environment at the University of Massachusetts Boston and the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies at James Cook University jointly supervised by Drs. John Mandelman and Jodie Rummer. Carolyn spent the first half of her PhD working with the Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life at the New England Aquarium in Boston studying the effects of temperature on development and physiological performance of epaulette shark embryos and hatchlings. She was awarded a graduate fellowship through the American Australian Association to continue her research at JCU assessing the impacts of thermal stress on reproduction in adult epaulette sharks.
Publications
Wheeler CR, Rummer JL, Bailey B, Lockwood J, Vance S, Mandelman JW. 2021. Future thermal regimes for epaulette sharks (Hemiscyllium ocellatum): growth and metabolic performance cease to be optimal. Scientific Reports, 10: 79953 (doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-79953-0).
Wheeler CR, Gervais CR, Johnson MS, Vance S, Rui R, Mandelman JW, Rummer JL. 2020. Anthropogenic stressors influence reproduction and development in elasmobranch fishes. Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries, 30: 373-386 (doi: 10.1007/s11160-020-09604-0).
Prohaska BK, Tsang PCW, Driggers III WB, Hoffmayer ER, Wheeler CR, Sulikowski JA. 2018. Effects of delayed phlebotomy on plasma steroid hormone concentrations in two elasmobranch species. Journal of Applied Ichthyology, 00:1–6 (doi: 10.1111/jai.13700).
Wheeler CR, Novak AJ, Wippelhauser GS, Sulikowski JA. 2018. Validity of external morphology to determine sex of Atlantic Sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus). Journal of Applied Ichthyology, (doi:10.1111/jai.13775).
Novak AJ, Carlson AE, Wheeler CR, Wippelhauser GS, Sulikowski JA. 2017. Critical Foraging Habitat of Atlantic Sturgeon Based on Feeding Habits, Prey Distribution, and Movement Patterns in the Saco River Estuary, Maine. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society, (doi: 10.1080/00028487.2016.1264472).
Wheeler CR, Novak AJ, Wippelhauser GS, Sulikowski JA. 2016. Using circulating reproductive hormones for sex determination of Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus) in the Saco River estuary, Maine. Conservation Physiology, (doi: 10.1093/conphys/cow059).
Sulikowski JA, CR Wheeler, AJ Gallagher, BK Prohaska, JA Langan, N Hammerschlag. 2016. Variation in the reproductive ecology of a marine apex predator, the tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier), at a protected female aggregation site. Aquatic Biology, 24:175-184 (doi: 10.3354/ab00648).
Prohaska BK, Tsang PCW, Driggers III WB, Hoffmayer ER, Wheeler CR, Brown AC, Sulikowski JA. 2013. Assessing reproductive status in elasmobranch fishes using steroid hormones extracted from skeletal muscle tissue. Conservation Physiology, 1(1) (doi: 10.1093/conphys/cot028).
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