Research Projects
Tackling Frog Disease (Old ID 22979)
Lin Schwarzkopf
01 Jan 2016 - 30 Sep 2024
Chytridiomycois is one of the most dramatic and important emerging infectious diseases in wildlife. It is caused by a fungal pathogen (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis or Bd), which parasitizes the skin of amphibians. This highly contagious pathogen has been responsible for making frogs the most endangered vertebrates on earth. Remarkably, some populations that experienced drastic declines have recovered, and now appear to coexist with the fungus, but the nature of their recovery remains a mystery. There are a a range of possible complex and interacting reasons why frog populations may coexist with this disease, which could be evolutionary, behavioural, environmental, or ecological. We are examining possible reasons for coexistence, to find approaches to aid populations that persist but are not recovering.
Assessment of the ecological risk of emerging contaminants released from the Cleveland Bay Purification Plant (Old ID 25082)
Madoc Sheehan
16 Jul 2018 - 31 Dec 2025
Discharge from the Cleveland Bay Purification plant (CBPP) is via ocean pipeline into Cleveland Bay and falls within the jurisdiction of the Qld State Marine Park Authority (QSMPA). A planned CBPP membrane upgrade has initiated a QSMPA operational permit, issued in December 2017., requiring Townsville city council to develop an Effluent Quality Assessment Program. The assessment program is to be developed under the guidance of a Special Technical Advisory Group (STAG) and should include effluent sampling of new and emerging contaminants, as identified in the Tropical water quality hub's NESP report (2015). This includes but is not limited to heavy metals, various organics (hydrocarbons, pharmaceuticals, poly-aromatics and personal care products) and micro-plastics. The assessment program's objective is to identify and prioritise emerging contaminants based on estimation of the current and longer-term ecological risk to the receiving environment.
A new functional approach to coral reefs (Old ID 26230)
David Bellwood
01 Jan 2020 - 31 Dec 2024
Around the world coral reefs are changing fast, challenging traditional scientific, management, and governance approaches. This project will address this challenge by implementing a new function, approach exploiting a unique combination of evolution ary and ecological methodologies. Expected outcomes include a global overview of ecosystem function and an in-depth understanding of how ecosystems change. This is likely to result in specific, and practical, management objectives by identifying crucial ecosystem functions that support reefs and the people who rely on them.
Assessment of Community Livelihood needs to support Australia’s Marine Resources Initiative in the Asia-Pacific Region (Old ID 27267)
Amy Diedrich
09 Jun 2021 - 30 Sep 2022
The global community has committed to increasing the economic benefit that Small Island Developing States and less developed countries derive from marine resources by 2030 (UN 2015). This commitment was reflected in the Prime Minister’s statement at the November 2020 ASEAN-Australia Summit where he announced the Marine Resources Initiative (MRI), and pledged to support maritime states in Southeast Asian countries to “develop their marine resources sustainably and address challenges through enhanced training, technical advice and cooperation” (https://www.pm.gov.au/media/investing-our-southeast-asian-partnerships). This project will conduct an assessment of coastal community livelihood needs to inform DFAT’s policy on maritime resource development and support the MRI in selected southeast Asian countries. The project will focus onWestern Philippines and Northern Indonesia and will culminate in recommendations on interventions to support coastal communities to develop their maritime resources sustainably. More broadly, this will contribute to supporting regional maritime states to achieve more equitable and sustainable maritime resource development.
Cu isotope characterization of waters in the Mt Windsor Sub-Province, NE QLD (Old ID 27379)
Brandon Mahan
14 Sep 2021 - 15 May 2022
Minotaur Operations has received funding through the Geological Survey of Queensland (GSQ) for copper isotope characterisation of groundwater sampled from active bores in the immediate vicinity of its Windsor Project in NE Queensland. The Mount Windsor Subprovince terrane covers significant Volcanogenic Massive Sulphide (VMS) deposits and prospects, and VMS deposits in the district all contain New Economy Minerals including Cd, Cu, Au, In, Ag, and Zn. Building on existing JCU research findings, this collaborative project will characterize up to 50 water bores for major/trace elements and Cu isotopes, towards determining elemental/isotopic anomalies which may indicate mineralization and therefore aide Minotaur’s exploration program.
QoVAX SET Testing and Biobank Project – North Queensland (Old ID 27546)
Denise Doolan
01 Feb 2022 - 31 Jul 2022
The QoVAX SET (Queensland COVID-19 Vaccination Safety and Efficacy Trial) program is a population-based study of COVID-19 vaccine safety and effectiveness, providing a resource for studies to understand how the immune system responds to the COVID-19 vaccines, and what factors might affect vaccine response. Though this contract, JCU is supporting the North Queensland arm of this program - QoVAX Program participants recruited in Cairns.
LEX/NG
Hillary Smith
25 Feb 2024 - 01 Oct 2024
Coral reefs face dual threats of climate change and local anthropogenic stressors, with losses of live corals often resulting in proliferated macroalgae (seaweeds). My previous National Geographic-funded research showed that a low-tech, simple approach of “sea-weeding” (i.e. removing seaweeds by hand) is effective in rehabilitating degraded, macroalgae-dominated reefs. Specifically, my 5-year research program resulted in a >600% increase in coral cover post-seaweed removal since 2018. These promising outcomes offer a cost-effective strategy for reef management, particularly for economically constrained island nations. However, the success of sea-weeding may be species-specific. On the studied reefs, Sargassum was the dominant genus of seaweed. Hence further research is required across diverse algal taxa to gauge the broader applicability of sea-weeding to improve coral reef resilience.
Many South Pacific island nations are facing increased seaweed abundance as reefs continue to degrade. The loss of corals is catastrophic, as reefs form an integral part of Pacific culture, providing a significant proportion of dietary protein through reef-associated fish. Additionally, coral reefs provide shoreline protection for low-lying islands, and losses of reefs could contribute to oceanic inundation. The PALA and PAPA voyage locations are ideal candidates for implementing sea-weeding as a low-cost restoration and management technique. However, these reefs are relatively unexplored, with little recent quantitative documentation of reef community composition. Indeed, even where surveys exist, the taxonomic resolution of seaweed communities is lacking (i.e., all algae are grouped together as “algae” rather than genus- or species-level observations). Hence, the primary objective of this project is to explore the distribution and diversity of reef communities around the tropical South Pacific. The data collected will form a baseline understanding over a large geographic area of w
Development of job-fit instrument for blue collar workers
Kim Lim Tan
01 Jun 2023 - 31 Dec 2023
The goal of this project is to develop job fit criteria for blue-collar workers. Job fit criteria are the specific skills, abilities, and personality traits required for a particular job. For blue-collar workers, these criteria may include physical strength, manual dexterity, and the ability to work in a noisy or dirty environment. The project team will also conduct interviews and surveys with blue-collar workers, hiring managers, and industry experts to gather information on the skills and qualities that are most important for success in these types of jobs. This information will be used to develop a set of job fit criteria that can be used by employers to identify the best candidates for blue-collar positions. The final deliverables for this project will include a comprehensive report detailing the job fit criteria for blue-collar workers, as well as papers for academic journals.
Circular economy and feed management approaches for inclusive and sustainable development of marine aquaculture in Vietnam
Leo Nankervis
01 Jan 2024 - 31 Mar 2027
Marine aquaculture in Vietnam has traditionally used low value ‘trash’ fish as a feed source, due to its low cost, relative nutrient completeness and ready availability. Trash fish is generally considered a high risk input as it can be a vector for disease entry into farms, and is often associated with a high degree of uneaten feed entering the environment, resulting in eutrophication. Formulated feeds result in better feed conversion and nutrient utilisation than trash fish, with lower nutrient output into the environment per unit fish produced. This project investigates feed management for optimised feed conversion, growth and lower environmental impact for marine fish aquaculture.
Seagrass surveys in the Southern Gulf 2023-2024
Catherine Collier
01 Oct 2023 - 15 Mar 2025
This project is a collaboration of specialists including the Yanyuwa and Marra Traditional Owners and li-Anthawirriyarra Sea Rangers, scientists from James Cook University and Charles Darwin University, and Northern Territory Parks and Wildlife. The team will survey the subtidal marine benthic habitats within Yanyuwa and Marra sea country. Using data from the survey and other available information, rangers and scientists will work together to determine priority management areas and identify areas and opportunities for broader community engagement in the management of sea country.