Coral reef fish visual plasticity in the Anthropocene (2025-2028)
Abstract
Global climate change alters the complexity of our oceans' visual scenes, colour, and light availability. This project aims to investigate how fishes adapt their vision to mitigate increases in reef degradation and light pollution to improve survival. This project expects to generate new knowledge on the mechanisms underlying brain restructuring and its impact on animal behaviours such as feeding and navigation. Desired outcomes include molecular, morphological, and cognitive datasets of sensory adaptation in coral reef fishes to inform climate-niche models ultimately. Project benefits include a better understanding of fish neurobiology and the projected climate change impacts on economically, ecologically, and culturally important species.
