My research focus is on ecosystem functions, processes and relationships in coral reef communities. Reef systems feature complex interaction structures among associated organisms, often causing non-linear responses to change which are hard to trace with traditional ecological methods, alone. I use spatially explicit, individual based modelling to integrate current knowledge and simulate benthic coral reef communities under the influence of various sources of environmental change, such as ever increasing carbon dioxide concentrations and temperatures, as well as frequencies and intensities of extreme events (e.g. hurricanes). Model outcomes shall complement ongoing science on coral reef functioning, help to identify gaps, and aid to scrutinize potential management plans and actions in globally changing environments.

The simulation of small-scale processes allows the analysis of ecosystem responses to environmental change. Colonies of two massive (polygons) and two branching (stars) coral species compete for space with each other and algae (macroalgae as green spots; turf algae as grid). Higher level properties, such as population dynamics and community composition, emerge from local interactions of neighboring organisms, which are additionally influenced by environmental conditions.

Publications

Kubicek A, Reuter H (2016) Mechanics of multiple feedbacks in benthic coral reef communities. Ecological Modelling 329, 29–40

Kubicek A, Jopp F, Breckling B, Lange C, Reuter H (2015), Context-oriented model validation of individual-based models in ecology: A hierarchically structured approach to validate qualitative, compositional and quantitative characteristics. Ecological Complexity 22, 178-191

Kubicek A, Muhando C, Reuter H (2012) Simulations of long-term community dynamics in coral reefs how perturbations shape trajectories. PLoS Computational Biology. 8(11): e1002791. doi:10.1371/journal.pcbi.1002791

Kubicek A and Borell E (2011) Modelling resilience and phase shifts in coral reefs: application of different modeling approaches. In: Modelling Complex Ecological Dynamics. Jopp F, Reuter H, Breckling B (Eds.) Springer, New York, Berlin, Chapter 17.

Kubicek A, Bessho K, Nakaoka M, Wahl M and Lenz M (2011) Inducible defence and its modulation by environmental stress in the red alga Chondrus yendoi (Yamada and Mikami in Mikami, 1965) from Honshu Island, Japan. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 397(2): 208213.

Dorothea is originally from Germany, where she completed her MSc in Biology at the University of Bremen. Dorothea was a PhD student at the Coral Reef Ecosystems Lab at UQ and investigated the effects of elevated sea surface temperature and ocean acidification on coral reef algae (supervisors: Sophie Dove and Guillermo Diaz-Pulido). She included various growth forms and taxa in her experiments, looked at turf algal communities as well as macroalgal responses to the changed environmental conditions.

L. intricata at Heron Island reef flat (D. Bender-Champ, CC-BY-SA)

After working as a project manager on the development of a MOOC (massive open online course) at the Global Change Institute, she re-joined the Coral Reef Ecosystems Lab in 2014 as a postdoctoral research fellow. Dorothea’s current research focuses on coral reef metabolism, mainly in terms of productivity and calcification, and how it varies between distinct reef zones. She is also interested in how coral reef metabolism will be affected by future conditions.

This YouTube video of Seaview 360 features some of our work.

Publications:

Bender D, Champ CM, Kline D, Diaz-Pulido G, Dove S (2015) Effects of “Reduced” and “Business-As-Usual” CO2 Emission Scenarios on the Algal Territories of the Damselfish Pomacentrus wardi (Pomacentridae). Plos One, 10, e0131442. Link to full text or pdf

Diaz-Pulido G, Nash MC, Anthony KRN, Bender D, Opdyke BN, Reyes-Nivia C, Troitzsch U (2014) Greenhouse conditions induce mineralogical changes and dolomite accumulation in coralline algae on tropical reefs. Nature Communications, 5. Link to full text or pdf

Reef flat community at Heron Island reef (D. Bender-Champ, CC-BY-SA)

Bender D, Diaz-Pulido G, Dove S (2014) The impact of CO2 emission scenarios and nutrient enrichment on a common coral reef macroalga is modified by temporal effects. Journal of  Phycology, 50, 203-215. Link to full text or pdf

Bender D, Diaz-Pulido G, Dove S (2014) Warming and acidification promote cyanobacterial dominance in turf algal assemblages. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 517: 271-284. Link to full text or pdf

Bender D, Diaz-Pulido G, Dove S (2012) Effects of macroalgae on corals recovering from disturbance. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 429, 15-19. Link to full text or pdf

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Testing new equipment (G. Bernal Carillo, CC-BY-SA)

CTD at the inner reef flat site (D.Bender-Champ CC-BY-SA)