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Understanding modern threats to global biodiversity: species invasions and disappearing ice

Habitat destruction and biological invasions have been declared the two greatest threats to global biodiversity. Key examples of these for marine communities are

the decline in polar ice-covered habitats, and
the transport of species by modern shipping activities.

My thesis aimed to improve mechanistic understanding of these processes and to predict likely ecological consequences.

In Antarctica, I conducted underwater surveys and experiments to examine the association between benthic communities and sea-ice cover. By understanding the links between sea-ice and the benthos, we can forecast how communities are likely to be affected by global warming.

In Sydney, I developed and tested theories of invasibility in the field. These focused on the roles of diversity, disturbance, and propagule pressure in determining invasion resistance. All of these factors, and their interactions with each other, were found to be important.