I am investigating associations between habitat-forming marine species and mobile fauna, and how they are impacted through the introduction of exotic species. Sessile marine fauna (such as corals, ascidians and bryozoans) support very diverse assemblages of mobile invertebrates that are an important trophic link to consumers such as fish. Exotic species commonly form habitat in regions affected by human impacts, and may have major consequences for marine systems and result in profound economic damage from lost biodiversity. Central to predicting and managing their impacts is knowledge of the specificity of associations between habitat-forming species and the assemblages they support.

 

I will manipulate the composition of habitat-forming species in the field in the Sydney region to investigate the impacts of exotic species on their associated fauna, and more generally, the relationships between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning.