Contact Details
Coral Reef Ecosystems Lab
Level 7, Gehrmann Laboratories (#60)
St.Lucia, QLD 4072
Australia
a.ganase@uq.edu.au

[one_half][/one_half]Francisco is from Chile, where he obtained his degree of Marine Biologist at the University of Valparaiso after the completion of a thesis focused on cytogenetics of rocky shore mussels. Immediately after this, he obtained a position for 4 years at the coastal station for marine research (ECIM) from the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, where he was involved in research that was focused on ecology, photobiology, thermal tolerance, climate change impact and fisheries of marine invertebrates, working along with interdisciplinary groups at the international laboratory of climate change (LINCGlobal) and the Mediterranean institute of advance studies (IMEDEA) in Mallorca, Spain. Ended this period, Francisco moved to Australia to join the Coral Reef Ecosystems Laboratory (CRE Lab) at the University of Queensland where he is currently undertaking his PhD under the supervision of A/Professor Sophie Dove, A/Professor Gene Tyson and Dr. Maria Byrne from the University of Sydney. His PhD project assesses the effects of different ocean warming and ocean acidification scenarios on the performance of sea cucumbers in different processes such as calcium carboate dissolution, recycling of nutrients and the interaction between these invertebrates and different communities present in the sediments they process.[one_half] [/one_half]

PUBLICATIONS:

Manzur, T., Vidal, F., Pantoja, J. F., Fernández, M., Navarrete, S. A. (2014), Behavioural and physiological responses of limpet prey to a seastar predator and their transmission to basal trophic levels. Journal of Animal Ecology, 83: 923–933. doi: 10.1111/1365-2656.12199

Llabrés, M., Agustí, S., Fernández, M., Canepa, A., Maurin, F., Vidal, F., Duarte, C. M. (2013), Impact of elevated UVB radiation on marine biota: a meta-analysis. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 22: 131–144. doi: 10.1111/j.1466-8238.2012.00784.x

Accepted:

Vidal-Ramirez, F., Dove, S. Diurnal effects of Holothuria atra on seawater carbonate chemistry in a sedimentary environment.

Under Review:

In preparation:

Conference Proceedings:

Upcoming:

Past conferences:

ECSA55 Unbounded boundaries and shifting baselines: Estuaries and coastal seas in a rapidly changing world, 6-9 September, ExCeL London Exhibition and Convention Centre, London, UK. Title: Effects of Holothuria atra on seawater carbonate chemistry and production under future warming and acidification scenarios. Authors:  Francisco Vidal-Ramirez, Olga Pantos, Gene W. Tyson & Sophie Dove. Talk

88th Annual ACRS (Australian Coral Reef Society) conference, 27-29 August 2014, Mercure Hotel, Brisbane, Australia. Title: Role of Holothuria atra in sediment turnover and production under future winter warming and acidification scenarios. Authors: Francisco Vidal-Ramirez & Sophie Dove. Talk.

LIV Annual Meeting of the Biology Society of Chile, 6-10 of November 2011, Hotel Patagonico, Puerto Varas, Chile.  Title: Effect of implementation of management areas on the abundance of Fissurella spp in open access areas. Authors: Anna Steel, Miriam Fernandez, Francisco Vidal, Ana Parma, Nancy Barahona, Jorge Guerra. Poster.

IV Binational meeting of Ecology (AsAE and SOCECOL), 8-13 of August 2010, Faculty of Natural and Exact Sciences at Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina, Title: Severe effects of hypoxia on behavior, metabolic rate and mortality of larvae of Taliepus dentatus (Milne-Edwards). Authors: Francisco Vidal, Miriam Fernández, Ricardo Calderón, Jessica Barría, Alexandre Fellous. Talk.

2010 Ocean Science Meeting, 22-26 of February 2010, Oregon Convention Center, Portland, Oregon, United States. Title: Influence of UV radiation on variability of grazing and growth rates of plankton communities from the Humboldt Current area. Authors: Alexandra Coello, Francisco Vidal, Sebastien Lasternas, Felipe Maurín, Miriam Fernández & Susana Agustí. Poster.

VII Latin American Congress of Malacology – CLAMA 2008, 3-7 of November, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Chile. Title: Study and quantitative analysis of the karyotype of Perumytilus purpuratus Lamarck, 1819. Authors: Francisco Vidal & Rosa Guerra. Poster.

Grants:

2015. School of Biological Sciences Travel Award Prize, The University of Queensland ($1600 AUD)

2012-2016. Becas Chile, CONICYT ($183000 USD)

2009. LINCGlobal and Mediterranean Institute for Advanced Studies (IMEDEA) for processing and analysis of Humboldt Oceanographic Campaign samples ($5700 USD)

2009. LINCGlobal and Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile for 2009 Humboldt Oceanographic Campaign ($2000 USD)

Dr. Veronica Radice is a marine biologist who is fascinated by the mysteries of the ocean, from tropical shallow reefs to the deep-sea and mesophotic reefs in between! Her research investigates coral physiology in relation to environmental conditions. She uses field-based experiments, biogeochemical techniques, and genetic tools to study corals in shallow versus deep reef environments, with a focus on lower-light mesophotic coral ecosystems. Veronica is interested in understanding the impacts of ocean warming on coral recovery following thermal stress events that cause coral bleaching.

Veronica received her Bachelor’s degree in Biology from Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore, USA) and then worked in a deep-sea ecology lab (Prof Erik Cordes) at Temple University (Philadelphia, USA) where she was a research assistant and lab manager for two years.

As a member of the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, Veronica completed her PhD and was a postdoctoral research fellow in the Coral Reef Ecosystems Lab at the University of Queensland (Brisbane, Australia) studying tropical coral reefs of the Indo-Pacific. Her PhD was focused on understanding how the trophic ecology of shallow and deep corals may be influenced by oceanographic processes such as upwelling, which brings important deep-water nutrients to shallow waters. Such nutrient fluxes may be important to the coral holobiont, which can utilize both dissolved and particulate food sources. Her research examined how environmental differences such as depth and reef exposure influences coral holobiont metabolism.

As an XL Catlin Seaview Survey Ocean Scholar, Veronica had the opportunity to survey coral reefs across the Coral Triangle (Pacific Ocean) and in several locations in the central Indian Ocean. Veronica conducted research in the Maldives, an archipelago in the middle of the Indian Ocean. What makes the Maldives particularly unique is the atolls’ location upon an oceanic ridge and the seasonally-reversing monsoons. This combination of bathymetry and climate makes the Maldives a great place to study the influence of oceanographic processes on coral reefs.

Twitter:  @Dr_Radice

Email:  v.radice [at] uq [dot] edu [dot] au

Personal profiles:

Research Gate – Veronica Radice

Google Scholar – Veronica Radice

Coral reefs are the result of a constant battle between constructive and destructive forces. When it comes to biologically-driven destruction, erosion by excavating sponges is one of the most important yet understudied mechanisms. Global warming and acidification are predicted to enhance the impact of these sponges on reefs, tipping the balance to the disadvantage of corals and other calcifying organisms. Using Cliona orientalis as her model species, Michelle’s current work aims to decipher the metabolic dynamics of bioerosion and to evaluate the resilience of excavating sponges to future environmental conditions. Michelle joined the Coral Reef Ecosystems lab as a PhD student in 2014 after she finished her Master’s at the University of Amsterdam working on Caribbean reef sponges and majoring in science communication. She completed her first degree at the University of Crete in her homeland Greece.

Installing equipment on the reef crest of Heron Island

The bioeroding sponge Cliona orientalis growing on Heron Island reef

Contact details

m.achlatis@uq.edu.au
Coral Reef Ecosystems Lab
School of Biological Sciences  |  University of Queensland
Level 7 Gehrmann Laboratories (60)
St. Lucia, QLD 4072  |  Australia

Publications

Alexander B. E., Achlatis M., Osinga R., van der Geest H.G., Cleutjens J. P. M., Schutte B. , de Goeij J.M. (2015). Cell kinetics during regeneration in the sponge Halisarca caerulea: how local is the response to tissue damage? PeerJ 3:e820 https://dx.doi.org/10.7717/peerj.820

Achlatis M., van der Zande R.M., Schönberg C.H.L., Fang J.K.H., Hoegh-Guldberg O., Dove S. (2017). Sponge bioerosion on changing reefs: ocean warming poses physiological constraints to the success of a photosymbiotic excavating sponge. Sci Rep 7: 10705.​ doi:10.1038/s41598-017-10947-1
​http://rdcu.be/vCOw​

Ramsby, B. D., Hill, M. S., Thornhill, D. J., Steenhuizen, S. F., Achlatis, M., Lewis, A. M. and LaJeunesse, T. C. (2017). Sibling species of mutualistic Symbiodinium clade G from bioeroding sponges in the western Pacific and western Atlantic oceans. J. Phycol.. doi:10.1111/jpy.12576
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jpy.12576/full​

Achlatis M., Pernice M., Green K., Guagliardo P., Kilburn M.R., Hoegh-Guldberg O., Dove S. (2018). Single-cell measurement of ammonium and bicarbonate uptake within a photosymbiotic bioeroding sponge. ISME J DOI 10.1038/s41396-017-0044-2

Fang J.K.H., Schönberg C.H.L., Mello-Athayde M.A., Achlatis M., Hoegh-Guldberg O., Dove S. (2018). Bleaching and mortality of a photosymbiotic bioeroding sponge under future carbon dioxide emission scenarios. Oecologia 10.1007/s00442-018-4105-7

Overview

Pim is a post-doctoral research fellow in the CRE lab and lead scientist for the “Deep Reef” component of the Catlin Seaview Survey (www.catlinseaviewsurvey.com). The Deep Reef survey looks into the effects of climate change on one of the least known ecosystems on the planet – the deep-water reefs or mesophotic coral ecosystems (between 30-100m). The project aims to provide a comprehensive study of the biodiversity and connectivity of mesophotic reefs across the globe, with a major focus on the Great Barrier Reef, the Coral Sea and the Southern Caribbean.

Publications

1. Bongaerts P, Carmichael M, Hay KB, Tonk L, Frade PR, Hoegh-Guldberg O (2015) Symbiont zonation plays a crucial role in the vertical distribution of coral species. Royal Society Open Science – in press
2. Pantos O, Bongaerts P, Dove S, Hoegh-Guldberg O (2015) Microbial associations in the scleractinian coral Seriatopora hystrix across depths, locations and host/symbiont genotypes. ISME Journal – in press
3. Bongaerts P, Frade PR, Englebert N, Hay KB, Vermeij MJH, Hoegh-Guldberg O (2015) Deep down on a Caribbean reef: lower mesophotic depths harbor a specialized coral-endosymbiont community. Nature Scientific Reports 5:7652
4. Muir P, Wallace C, Bridge TCL, Bongaerts P (2015) Diverse Staghorn Coral Fauna on the Mesophotic Reefs of North-East Australia. PLoS One – in press
5. González-Rivero M, Bongaerts P, Beijbom O, Pizarro O, Friedman A, Rodriguez-Ramirez A, Upcroft B, Laffoley D, Kline DI, Vevers R, Hoegh-Guldberg O (2014) The Catlin Seaview Survey – kilometre-scale seascape assessment, and monitoring of coral reef ecosystems. Aquatic Conservation – in press
6. Englebert N* & Bongaerts P*, Muir P, Hay KB, Hoegh-Guldberg O (2014) Deepest zooxanthellate corals of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Marine Biodiversity – in press
7. Bongaerts P, Frade PR, Ogier JJ, Hay KB, van Bleijswijk J, Englebert N, Vermeij MJH, Bak RPM, Visser PM, Hoegh-Guldberg O (2013) Sharing the slope: depth partitioning of agariciid corals and associated Symbiodinium across shallow and mesophotic habitats (2-60 m) on a Caribbean reef. BMC Evolutionary Biology 13:205
8. Bongaerts P, Muir PR, Bridge TCL, Englebert N, Hoegh-Guldberg O (2013) Cyclone damage at mesophotic depths on Myrmidon Reef (GBR). Coral Reefs 32:935
9. Bridge TCL, Hughes TP, Guinotte JM, Bongaerts P (2013) Call to protect all coral reefs. Nature Climate Change 3:528-530
10. Tonk L* & Bongaerts P*, Sampayo EM, Hoegh-Guldberg (2013) SymbioGBR: a web-based database of Symbiodinium associated with cnidarian hosts on the Great Barrier Reef. BMC Ecology 13:7
11. Foster R, Bridge T, Bongaerts P (2012) The first record of Hippocampus denise from Australia. Aqua – International Journal of Ichthyology 18:55-57
12. Bongaerts P, Hoeksema B, Hay K, Hoegh-Guldberg O (2012) Mushroom corals overcome live burial through pulsed inflation. Coral Reefs 2:399
13. Bongaerts P, Riginos C, Hay K, van Oppen MJH, Hoegh-Guldberg O, Dove S (2011) Adaptive divergence in a scleractinian coral: physiological adaptation of Seriatopora hystrix to shallow and deep reef habitats. BMC Evolutionary Biology 11:303 (cover article)
14. Bridge TCL, Fabricius KE, Bongaerts P, Wallace CC, Muir P, Done TJ, Webster JM (2011) Diversity of Scleractinia and Octocorallia in the mesophotic zone of the Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Coral Reefs 31:179-189
15. Bongaerts P, Sampayo EM, Bridge TLC, Ridgway T, Vermeulen F, Englebert N, Webster JM, Hoegh-Guldberg O (2011) Symbiodinium diversity of mesophotic coral communities on the GBR: a first assessment. Marine Ecology Progress Series 439:117-126
16. Bongaerts P* & Bridge T*, Kline DI, Muir PR, Wallace CC, Beaman RJ, Hoegh-Guldberg O (2011) Mesophotic coral ecosystems on the walls of Coral Sea atolls. Coral Reefs 30:335
17. Van Oppen MJH, Bongaerts P, Underwood JN, Peplow LM, Cooper TF (2011) The role of deep reefs in shallow reef recovery: an assessment of vertical connectivity in a brooding coral from west and east Australia. Molecular Ecology 20:1647-1660
18. Bongaerts P, Riginos C, Ridgway T, Sampayo EM, van Oppen MJH, Englebert N, Vermeulen F, Hoegh-Guldberg O (2010) Genetic Divergence across Habitats in the Widespread Coral Seriatopora hystrix and its Associated Symbiodinium. PLoS One 5(5):e10871
19. Bongaerts P, Ridgway T, Sampayo EM, Hoegh-Guldberg O (2010) Assessing the ‘deep reef refugia’ hypothesis: focus on Caribbean reefs. Coral Reefs 29:309–327
20. Frade PR, Bongaerts P, Winkelhagen AJS, Tonk L, Bak RPM (2008) In situ photobiology of corals over large depth ranges: a multivariante analysis on the roles of environment, host and algal symbiont. Limnology and Oceanography 53:1-14
21. Sampayo EM, Ridgway T, Bongaerts P, Hoegh-Guldberg O (2008) Bleaching susceptibility and mortality of corals are determined by fine-scale differences in symbiont type. PNAS 105:10444-10449