Overview
Background
Ecological dynamics of coral reef ecosystems over broad spatial and temporal scales.
Dr Pandolfi is a Professor in Palaeoecology and Marine Studies.
Research Interests include (for more information, see Research Interests):
1) Long-term ecology of coral reefs
2) Using Historical Ecology to guide reef management actions
3) The palaeoecological, evolutionary, and extinction dynamics of Indo-Pacific reef corals
4) Hybridization, extinction, and evolution in a Caribbean reef coral species complex
Availability
- Professor John Pandolfi is:
- Not available for supervision
- Media expert
Fields of research
Qualifications
- Bachelor of Science, University of Notre Dame Australia
- Masters (Research) of Science, University of Wisconsin
- Doctor of Philosophy, University of California-Davis
Research interests
-
Long-term ecology of coral reefs
The overarching goal of this research program is to integrate long-term ecological and environmental time series data over broad spatial scales to discover the major past and predicted future influences of natural variability, human impact, and climate change on coral reef resilience. This research program enables direct linkage among physical variables and biological responses, attempts to parse out the effects of human versus natural variability, provide natural baselines with which managers can use as goals for restoration, unveils processes that contribute to the resilience of coral reefs over long time frames and changing environmental conditions, and fosters new understanding of the role of climate change in coral reef ecology.
-
Using Historical Ecology to guide reef management actions
Recent findings from sites distributed throughout the tropical world point to the immense importance of understanding historical events when attempting to tease apart factors that have or may influence present coral reef biodiversity. For example, large-scale changes in climate that have occurred in the past 400,000 years (e.g. Younger Dryas event; 11.6 ka) have the potential to help us understand the current rapid changes in global climate. Data will be obtained using the Quaternary fossil record (past 2 MA), archaeological records (thousands to tens of thousands of years), historical records, government records of fishing practices and stocks, environmental proxies derived from living and fossil corals, and modern ecological surveys. Taken together, these databases provide a holistic view of changing environments and ecology on coral reefs against which the acquisition of present day data can be evaluated. Correlation of reef decline with specific human and environmental impacts over time provides an insight into the processes that are most important in local reef settings. When these processes are uncovered, specific steps can be taken to ameliorate or reverse the decline. Major projects will gather data from the Great Barrier Reef, from across a species diversity and sea surface temperature gradient from Indonesia in the west to Fiji in the eastern part of the Indo-Pacific ocean, and from a latitudinal gradient along the Western Australian coastline.
-
The palaeoecological, evolutionary, and extinction dynamics of Indo-Pacific reef corals
The Miocene epoch, 24 - 5 million years before present (mybp), was a time of great environmental and evolutionary change in coral reefs - whole oceans with their component reef biota were obliterated, extinction rates were high, and, near the end of the epoch, the modern Atlantic and Indo-Pacific coral faunas evolved separately. In the Indo-Pacific Ocean, major global climatic and tectonic events resulted in the breakdown of established reef ecosystems and an overall loss of species diversity. The subsequent recovery, during the Miocene to Pliocene transition (10 - 5 mybp), was characterized by increased rates of speciation and the overall ecological re-organization of coral reef communities. The major result of this community re-organization was a dramatic shift from reefs dominated by corals with a massive growth form to those dominated by coral species with a branching architecture. This post-Miocene ascendance of large scale Acropora assemblages opened up new ecospace for the evolution of the myriad of creatures that now comprise our modern coral reefs - not only the most complex and diverse communities in the sea, but also some of the most threatened. In this research programme we examine the ecological context of the great architectural shift in community structure in Indo-Pacific coral reefs that occurred during the Miocene to Pliocene. Studies will document changes in the patterns of coral species associations, and the rate at which those changes occurred, from a number of reef environments. The decline in coral species with a massive growth form and the rapid evolution of branching coral species and their rise to dominance within reef communities will be studied in relation to concurrent broad scale geological events (tectonic, climatic and oceanographic). This research will increase our understanding of how ecological factors influence the survival of coral reef ecosystems when they are subject to significant environmental fluctuations over prolonged intervals of time. Because the Pliocene coral fauna has very similar characteristics to living coral reefs, the study will help us to understand the nature and significance of shifts in community composition in modern reefs affected by human activities.
-
Hybridization, extinction, and evolution in a Caribbean reef coral species complex
Recent molecular analyses indicate that many reef coral species belong to hybridizing species complexes or ��syngameons.�� Such complexes consist of numerous genetically distinct species or lineages, which periodically split and/or fuse as they extend through time. During splitting and fusion, morphologic intermediates form and species overlap. Here we focus on processes associated with lineage fusion, and the recognition of such hybridization in the fossil record. Our approach involves comparing patterns of ecologic and morphologic overlap in genetically characterized modern species with fossil representatives of the same or closely related species. We also consider the long-term consequences of past hybridization on the structure of modern-day species boundaries. Our studies involve the species complex Montastraea annularis s.l., where we also conduct parallel studies on its long-term evolutionary history, palaeoecology, and rates of origination and extinction.
Works
Search Professor John Pandolfi’s works on UQ eSpace
2024
Journal Article
Temporal dynamics of Devonian reef communities: Insights into natural phase shifts and long-term resilience in the face of environmental variability
Godbold, Amanda, Clark, Nina, Cunningham, Emer T., Bottjer, David J. and Pandolfi, John M. (2024). Temporal dynamics of Devonian reef communities: Insights into natural phase shifts and long-term resilience in the face of environmental variability. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 648 112264, 112264. doi: 10.1016/j.palaeo.2024.112264
2024
Journal Article
Taxa‐dependent temporal trends in the abundance and size of sea urchins in subtropical eastern Australia
McLaren, Emily, Sommer, Brigitte, Pandolfi, John M., Beger, Maria and Byrne, Maria (2024). Taxa‐dependent temporal trends in the abundance and size of sea urchins in subtropical eastern Australia. Ecology and Evolution, 14 (5) e11412, e11412. doi: 10.1002/ece3.11412
2024
Journal Article
Nitrogen loading resulting from major floods and sediment resuspension to a large coastal embayment
Grinham, Alistair, Costantini, Tony, Deering, Nathaniel, Jackson, Cameron, Klein, Carissa, Lovelock, Catherine, Pandolfi, John, Eyal, Gal, Linde, Michael, Dunbabin, Matthew, Duncan, Brendon, Hutley, Nicholas, Byrne, Ilha, Wilson, Craig and Albert, Simon (2024). Nitrogen loading resulting from major floods and sediment resuspension to a large coastal embayment. Science of the Total Environment, 918 170646, 170646. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.170646
2024
Journal Article
Decadal demographic shifts and size-dependent disturbance responses of corals in a subtropical warming hotspot
Sommer, Brigitte, Hodge, Jessica M., Lachs, Liam, Cant, James, Pandolfi, John M. and Beger, Maria (2024). Decadal demographic shifts and size-dependent disturbance responses of corals in a subtropical warming hotspot. Scientific Reports, 14 (1) 6327, 1-13. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-56890-w
2024
Journal Article
Influence of global warming and industrialization on coral reefs: A 600-year record of elemental changes in the Eastern Red Sea
Cai, Chunzhi, Hammerman, Nicholas Matthew, Pandolfi, John M., Duarte, Carlos M. and Agusti, Susana (2024). Influence of global warming and industrialization on coral reefs: A 600-year record of elemental changes in the Eastern Red Sea. Science of The Total Environment, 914 169984, 1-11. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.169984
2024
Journal Article
Diving into archival data: The hidden decline of the giant grouper (Epinephelus lanceolatus) in Queensland, Australia
Chong-Montenegro, Carolina, Thurstan, Ruth H. and Pandolfi, John M. (2024). Diving into archival data: The hidden decline of the giant grouper (Epinephelus lanceolatus) in Queensland, Australia. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems, 34 (2) e4094. doi: 10.1002/aqc.4094
2024
Journal Article
Local compositional change and regional stability across 3000 years of coral reef development
Staples, Timothy L. and Pandolfi, John M. (2024). Local compositional change and regional stability across 3000 years of coral reef development. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 33 (2), 244-258. doi: 10.1111/geb.13787
2024
Journal Article
Exploring coral speciation: Multiple sympatric <i>Stylophora pistillata</i> taxa along a divergence continuum on the Great Barrier Reef
Meziere, Zoe, Popovic, Iva, Prata, Katharine, Ryan, Isobel, Pandolfi, John and Riginos, Cynthia (2024). Exploring coral speciation: Multiple sympatric Stylophora pistillata taxa along a divergence continuum on the Great Barrier Reef. Evolutionary Applications, 17 (1) ARTN e13644, e13644. doi: 10.1111/eva.13644
2024
Journal Article
Does high parasite load contribute to limitation of the poleward range of Acropora corals?
Sommer, Brigitte, Chang, Yuen Y., Beger, Maria and Pandolfi, John M. (2024). Does high parasite load contribute to limitation of the poleward range of Acropora corals?. Coral Reefs, 43 (4), 1139-1144. doi: 10.1007/s00338-024-02518-4
2023
Journal Article
High‐latitude marginal reefs support fewer but bigger corals than their tropical counterparts
Chong, Fiona, Sommer, Brigitte, Stant, Georgia, Verano, Nina, Cant, James, Lachs, Liam, Johnson, Magnus L., Parsons, Daniel R., Pandolfi, John M., Salguero‐Gómez, Roberto, Spencer, Matthew and Beger, Maria (2023). High‐latitude marginal reefs support fewer but bigger corals than their tropical counterparts. Ecography, 2023 (12) e06835, 1-14. doi: 10.1111/ecog.06835
2023
Journal Article
Coral assemblages at higher latitudes favor short‐term potential over long‐term performance
Cant, James, Reimer, James D., Sommer, Brigitte, Cook, Katie M., Kim, Sun W., Sims, Carrie A., Mezaki, Takuma, O'Flaherty, Cliodhna, Brooks, Maxime, Malcolm, Hamish A., Pandolfi, John M., Salguero‐Gómez, Roberto and Beger, Maria (2023). Coral assemblages at higher latitudes favor short‐term potential over long‐term performance. Ecology, 104 (9) e4138, 1-16. doi: 10.1002/ecy.4138
2023
Journal Article
Reconstructing past disturbance in coral communities using U-Th dating of dead coral skeletons
Clark, Tara R., Roff, George, Chapman, Tess, Markham-Summers, Hannah, Hammerman, Nicholas M., Liu, Faye, Feng, Yuexing, Pandolfi, John M. and Zhao, Jian-xin (2023). Reconstructing past disturbance in coral communities using U-Th dating of dead coral skeletons. Geology, 51 (10), 983-987. doi: 10.1130/g51419.1
2023
Journal Article
Regional and global climate risks for reef corals: Incorporating species‐specific vulnerability and exposure to climate hazards
Kim, Sun W., Sommer, Brigitte, Beger, Maria and Pandolfi, John M. (2023). Regional and global climate risks for reef corals: Incorporating species‐specific vulnerability and exposure to climate hazards. Global Change Biology, 29 (14), 4140-4151. doi: 10.1111/gcb.16739
2023
Journal Article
Modularity explains large-scale reef booms in Earth’s history
Raja, Nussaïbah B., Pandolfi, John M. and Kiessling, Wolfgang (2023). Modularity explains large-scale reef booms in Earth’s history. Facies, 69 (3) 15, 1-12. doi: 10.1007/s10347-023-00671-w
2023
Journal Article
Research priorities for the sustainability of coral-rich western Pacific seascapes
Cumming, Graeme S., Adamska, Maja, Barnes, Michele L., Barnett, Jon, Bellwood, David R., Cinner, Joshua E., Cohen, Philippa J., Donelson, Jennifer M., Fabricius, Katharina, Grafton, R. Quentin, Grech, Alana, Gurney, Georgina G., Hoegh-Guldberg, Ove, Hoey, Andrew S., Hoogenboom, Mia O., Lau, Jacqueline, Lovelock, Catherine E., Lowe, Ryan, Miller, David J., Morrison, Tiffany H., Mumby, Peter J., Nakata, Martin, Pandolfi, John M., Peterson, Garry D., Pratchett, Morgan S., Ravasi, Timothy, Riginos, Cynthia, Rummer, Jodie L., Schaffelke, Britta ... Wilson, Shaun K. (2023). Research priorities for the sustainability of coral-rich western Pacific seascapes. Regional Environmental Change, 23 (2) 66, 66. doi: 10.1007/s10113-023-02051-0
2023
Journal Article
Temperate functional niche availability not resident-invader competition shapes tropicalisation in reef fishes
Miller, Mark G. R., Reimer, James D., Sommer, Brigitte, Cook, Katie M., Pandolfi, John M., Obuchi, Masami and Beger, Maria (2023). Temperate functional niche availability not resident-invader competition shapes tropicalisation in reef fishes. Nature Communications, 14 (1) 2181, 1-12. doi: 10.1038/s41467-023-37550-5
2023
Journal Article
Latitudinal patterns of egg size and maternal investment trade‐offs in reef corals
Gutierrez‐Isaza, Nataly, Sampayo, Eugenia M., Lovelock, Catherine E., Dalton, Steven J., Sims, Carrie A., Ward, Selina and Pandolfi, John M. (2023). Latitudinal patterns of egg size and maternal investment trade‐offs in reef corals. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 32 (3), 421-434. doi: 10.1111/geb.13631
2023
Journal Article
Coral early life history dynamics: conspecific facilitation or limitation are dependent on distinct life stage interactions
Sims, C.A., Sampayo, E.M., Kim, S.W., Mayfield, M.M. and Pandolfi, J.M. (2023). Coral early life history dynamics: conspecific facilitation or limitation are dependent on distinct life stage interactions. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 720, 39-57. doi: 10.3354/meps14400
2022
Book Chapter
Hotspots of cenozoic tropical marine biodiversity
Yasuhara, Moriaki, Huang, Huai-Hsuan May, Reuter, Markus, Tian, Skye Yunshu, Cybulski, Jonathan D., O'Dea, Aaron, Mamo, Briony L., Cotton, Laura J., Martino, Emanuela Di, Feng, Ran, Tabor, Clay R., Reygondeau, Gabriel, Zhao, Qianshuo, Warne, Mark T., Aye, Kyawt K. T., Zhang, Jingwen, Chao, Anne, Wei, Chih-Lin, Condamine, Fabien L., Kocsis, Adam T., Kiessling, Wolfgang, Costello, Mark J., Tittensor, Derek R., Chaudhary, Chhaya, Rillo, Marina C., Yukidoi, Hide, Dong, Yun-Wei, Cronin, Thomas M., Saupe, Erin E. ... Hong, Yuanyuan (2022). Hotspots of cenozoic tropical marine biodiversity. Oceanography and marine biology: an annual review. (pp. 243-300) edited by S. J. Hawkins, A.L. Allcock, A.E. Bates, M. Byrne, A.J. Evans, L.B. Firth, A.J. Lemasson, C. Lucas, E.M. Marzinelli, P.J. Mumby, B.D. Russell, J. Sharples, I.P. Smith, S.E. Swearer and P.A. Todd. Boca Raton, FL, United States: CRC Press. doi: 10.1201/9781003288602-5
2022
Journal Article
Author Correction: Functional consequences of Palaeozoic reef collapse (Scientific Reports, (2022), 12, 1, (1386), 10.1038/s41598-022-05154-6)
Bridge, Tom C. L., Baird, Andrew H., Pandolfi, John M., McWilliam, Michael J. and Zapalski, Mikołaj K. (2022). Author Correction: Functional consequences of Palaeozoic reef collapse (Scientific Reports, (2022), 12, 1, (1386), 10.1038/s41598-022-05154-6). Scientific Reports, 12 (1) 4429, 4429. doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-08420-9
Funding
Current funding
Past funding
Supervision
Availability
- Professor John Pandolfi is:
- Not available for supervision
Supervision history
Current supervision
-
Doctor Philosophy
Drivers and consequences of novel marine ecological communities
Principal Advisor
-
Doctor Philosophy
Portfolio projection of biodiversity responses under climate change
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Anthony Richardson
-
Doctor Philosophy
Genetics of climate-change adaptation in Great Barrier Reef corals
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Cheong Xin Chan, Professor Cynthia Riginos
Completed supervision
-
2023
Doctor Philosophy
Historical ecology of recreational fisheries in Queensland, Australia (1866-1984): catch rates, spatial development, and species population trends
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Catherine Lovelock
-
2022
Doctor Philosophy
Decadal to millennial temporal dynamics of high-latitude coral communities
Principal Advisor
-
2022
Doctor Philosophy
Reconstructing ecological baselines of the Great Barrier Reef before and during European colonization using ancient environmental DNA
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Cynthia Riginos
-
2022
Doctor Philosophy
Latitudinal patterns of maternal investment, maternal provisioning, and performance of coral offspring
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Eugenia Nijgh de Sampayo Garrido, Professor Catherine Lovelock
-
2019
Doctor Philosophy
Marine protected areas: Evaluating policy efficacy and impact in conserving biodiversity.
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Ian Tibbetts
-
2019
Doctor Philosophy
Evolution and ecology of coral range dynamics under climate change
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Eugenia Nijgh de Sampayo Garrido, Professor Cynthia Riginos
-
2018
Doctor Philosophy
Ecological dynamics of Pleistocene corals
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Kevin Welsh
-
2017
Doctor Philosophy
Long term ecological dynamics of reef systems of the Wet Tropics Heritage Region, the Great Barrier Reef: A combined geochemical, geochronological and palaeoecological approach
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Jianxin Zhao
-
2016
Doctor Philosophy
Responses of reef-dwelling foraminifera to shifts in water quality and climate change
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Jianxin Zhao
-
2016
Doctor Philosophy
Historical change in the marine ecology and fisheries of Australia and Kenya
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Simone Blomberg
-
2015
Doctor Philosophy
The Eocene-Miocene evolution of coral reefs from the Central Indo-Pacific
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Kevin Welsh
-
2015
Doctor Philosophy
Ecological dynamics of scleractinian corals at their high-latitude range margins
Principal Advisor
-
2015
Doctor Philosophy
Flood response and palaeoecology of the high-latitude, terrigeno-clastic influenced coral reefs of Hervey Bay, Queensland, Australia
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Jianxin Zhao
-
2015
Doctor Philosophy
Long Term Dynamics of Coral Reefs in the Inshore Southern Great Barrier Reef
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Jianxin Zhao
-
2014
Doctor Philosophy
Biodiversity and historical ecology of marine gastropod assemblages from subtropical Moreton Bay, Queensland, Australia
Principal Advisor
-
2012
Doctor Philosophy
Dynamics of marginal coral reef ecosystems: historical responses to climatic and anthropogenic change
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Jianxin Zhao
-
2011
Doctor Philosophy
Ecology and palaeoecology of Indo-Pacific coral reefs (Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea)
Principal Advisor
-
2011
Doctor Philosophy
Historical ecology and experimental biology of foraminifera from the inshore Great Barrier Reef, Australia
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Hugh Possingham
-
2010
Doctor Philosophy
Evolutionary Dynamics of Indo - Pacific Reef Corals throughout the Neogene
Principal Advisor
-
2010
Doctor Philosophy
Historical ecology of coral communities from the inshore Great Barrier Reef
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, Professor Jianxin Zhao
-
2020
Doctor Philosophy
Adding complexity to coexistence: lessons from empirical communities
Associate Advisor
-
2017
Doctor Philosophy
Holocene sea level and climate variability on the Great Barrier Reef, Australia
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Kevin Welsh, Professor Jianxin Zhao
-
2013
Doctor Philosophy
Community-level ecological responses of coral reef biota to mass coral bleaching events.
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Ove Hoegh-Guldberg
-
2013
Doctor Philosophy
Past reef responses and disturbances in the southern Great Barrier Reef
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Jianxin Zhao
-
2012
Doctor Philosophy
Competition and coexistence in sessile marine invertebrate assemblages
Associate Advisor
-
2012
Doctor Philosophy
Improving measurements of protected area effectiveness
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Hugh Possingham, Professor Richard Fuller
-
2012
Doctor Philosophy
History of mortality in Great Barrier Reef coral communities since European settlement
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Jianxin Zhao
-
Doctor Philosophy
THE NITROGEN ISOTOPIC COMPOSITION OF ORGANIC MATRICES IN CORAL SKELETON: A PROXY FOR HISTROICAL NITROGEN PROVENANCE IN TROPICAL COASTAL OCEANS
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Ove Hoegh-Guldberg
Media
Enquiries
Contact Professor John Pandolfi directly for media enquiries about:
- Anthropogenic impact on ecosystems
- Cenozoic palaeobiology
- Climate change
- Coral reef - palaeoecology
- Ecology - historical
- Global change biology
- Global warming and marine biology
- Marine ecology
- Palaeoecology of coral reefs
- Tropical ecosystems
Need help?
For help with finding experts, story ideas and media enquiries, contact our Media team: