Andrew Hoey

My research focuses on broad-scale ecological processes and the functional importance of different taxa to the resilience of coral reef ecosystems, in particular the functional role of herbivorous fishes and the dangers of seaweed expansion on coral reefs. I have worked at over 30 locations spanning the world’s tropical oceans and this experience has provided him with considerable insight into the differences among these systems in terms of diversity, reef community structure, human use patterns and, perhaps more importantly, the underlying processes. My current research focuses on understanding the functional importance of different herbivorous fishes in preventing and/or reversing seaweed expansion on coral reefs, the differential responses of herbivorous fishes to changes in the benthic community structure on coral reefs, the recruitment dynamics and replenishment of reef fish populations, and the effects of increasing water temperature on the physiology and function of reef fish.