Web publications
Research activities Heron Island (UQ)
Description of my research activities conducted at Heron Island Research
Station.
NERP - Tropical Ecosystems hub report - 2013
National Environmental Research Program Tropical Ecosystems hub. Article/report about latest research "Trans-equatorial migration of shearwaters: wintering with tuna"
Magazines and printed media
Birds Queensland Newsletter - 2014
A brief regarding my presentation and research outputs as presented to the Birds Queensland meeting in November - in the end of year newsletter.
Article Presse - Province Sud, New Caledonia - 2014
Australian Birdlife Magazine - 2013
Vol. 1, No. 4 - December 2013 issue article: 'Meet the researcher'.
The quarterly magazine published by Birdlife Australia.
NCCARF (National Climate-change Adaptation Research Facitlity) Marine Adaptation Bulletin - 2010
Adaptation Research Network for Marine Biodiversity and Resources Research Support Grants for Honours and Masters students were initiated through its quest to facilitate and encourage student interest and engagement in, and highlight the importance of, marine climate change adaptation research. The grants of up to $7000 provided project support for students researching climate change adaptation of Australia’s marine biodiversity and resources. Outputs and outcomes must provide managers and policy makers with adaptation recommendations.
Research support grants abstract by successful first round applicant Fiona McDuie (School of Marine and Tropical Biology, James Cook University), providing a short overview of her proposed project:
Climate change has been shown to significantly affect seabird reproductive parameters at various locations throughout the world. Seabirds’ reliance on marine resources makes
them excellent predictors of the impacts that climate change has on oceanographic
processes and productivity. Wedge-tailed shearwaters are an ideal species for modelling
potential climate change impacts at upper trophic levels in the Great Barrier Reef and
a population breeding on Heron Island constitutes the largest seabird population of the Pacific Ocean. Behavioural and developmental divergences are exhibited by this population and it is not
known if these differences are facultative or colony-specific adaptations maintained by natural selection. Therefore I am investigating the behavioural and developmental ability of Heron Island
wedge-tailed shearwaters to cope with significant variations in background food availability known to be linked to climate driven variation in oceanography. This study will maximise our awareness
of the affect climate change scenarios might have on this and potentially even other seabird colonies. We can then understand and predict the level of threat to various seabird populations and
minimise those threats to areas or resources necessary to their survival. This study will lead directly to advising appropriate organisations on policy making decisions and management of this key
seabird population. It will ensure effective conservation strategies are utilised to ultimately ensure their survival.