Marina Richardson
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Position: Masters of Conservation Biology Research student
Education:
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Research Interest: I have a passion for coral reefs ecology and marine conservation. I have a background living and working on the Great Barrier Reef to cull the coral eating crown of thorns starfish and collect data for GBRMPA and AIMS. I completed my MSc Conservation Science at the University of Queensland in 2016 and continuing research with Dr Alexandra Grutter and Dr Derek Sun on parasitic gnathiid isopod population drivers.
MSc Research Project: "Diurnal, spatial and temporal differences in the abundance of fish blood-sucking gnathiid isopods at Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef"
Gnathiid isopods (Crustacea: Isopoda: Gnathiidae) are the marine equivalent of terrestrial ticks. As juveniles, these blood-sucking ectoparasites emerge from the reef to feed on fish and are known to drive diurnal cleaner fish symbioses and consequently reef fish diversity and abundance. They are also known to negatively affect their hosts when feeding through tissue damage, the transmission of blood parasites and in extreme cases, mortality. My research compared gnathiid isopod abundances over time at Lizard Island to see if there were changes to their populations in response to anthropogenic and climate induced disturbances. The results of this study suggest that gnathiid isopod infection rates on fish can change between the day and night, at different geographical locations and over time.
Gnathiid isopods (Crustacea: Isopoda: Gnathiidae) are the marine equivalent of terrestrial ticks. As juveniles, these blood-sucking ectoparasites emerge from the reef to feed on fish and are known to drive diurnal cleaner fish symbioses and consequently reef fish diversity and abundance. They are also known to negatively affect their hosts when feeding through tissue damage, the transmission of blood parasites and in extreme cases, mortality. My research compared gnathiid isopod abundances over time at Lizard Island to see if there were changes to their populations in response to anthropogenic and climate induced disturbances. The results of this study suggest that gnathiid isopod infection rates on fish can change between the day and night, at different geographical locations and over time.
Supervisors: Dr Alexandra Grutter, Dr Derek Sun and Associate Prof Anne Goldizen.
