Seaweeds and blue carbon ecology (Postdoc)
Temperate reef ecosystems around the world are under intense pressure from human-caused climate change. This poses a direct threat to the abundant biodiversity these ecosystems support, as well as to the numerous services they provide to millions of people. If kelp ecosystems are to survive climate change, we must find ways of preventing further declines. With that in mind, my PhD endeavors to i) explore novel approaches to increase their resilience to future stress and ii) improve our understanding of the mechanisms hindering their recovery once they have collapsed. Efforts to conserve kelp ecosystems will be futile if they lack the appreciation of the public. As such, I intend to step outside the traditional boundaries of ecological research and gain insights from social and economic science.
Qualifications
- 2021: PhD Marine Bology, University of Western Australia. Thesis: Turf algae as emergent drivers of ecological function in shallow reefs.
- 2016: MRes Marine Biology (Distinction), Plymouth University, United Kingdom. Thesis: Indirect effects of climate change on ecosystem properties as mediated by shifts in species dominance.
- 2015: BSc Biology (1st), University of Barcelona, Spain. Thesis: The effects of predation risk on sea urchin behaviour.
Selected peer reviewed papers
Full publication list: Google Scholar.
- Pessarrodona A, Assis J, Filbee-Dexter K, Burrows MT, Gattuso, J-P, Duarte CM, Krause-Jensen D, Moore PJ, Smale DA & Wernberg T (2022) Global seaweed productivity. Sciences Advances, accepted 3/7/22
- Pessarrodona A, Tebbett SB, Bosch NE, Bellwood DR, Wernberg T (2022) High herbivory despite high sediment loads on a fringing coral reef. Coral Reefs, accepted 7/12/21.
- Pessarrodona A, Verges A, Bosch N, Bell SY, Smith S, Sgarlatta P, Wernberg T (2022) Tropicalization unlocks novel trophic pathways and enhances secondary productivity in temperate reefs. Functional Ecology, 36: 659-673. [10.1111/1365-2435.13990].
- Pessarrodona A, Filbee-Dexter K, Alcoverro T, Boada J, Feehan C, Fredriksen S, Grace S, Nakamura Y, Narvaez C, Norderhaug KM, Wernberg T (2021) Homogenization and miniaturization of habitat structure in temperate marine forests. Global Change Biology. 27: 5262-5275. [doi.org/10.1111/gcb.15759].
- Pessarrodona A, Boada J, Pagès JF, Arthur R, Alcoverro T (2019) Consumptive and non‐consumptive effects of predators vary with the ontogeny of their prey. Ecology, 100 (5): e02649
- Pessarrodona A, Smale DA, Foggo A (2018) Can ecosystem functioning be maintained despite climate-driven shifts in species composition? Insights from novel marine forests. Journal of Ecology, 107: 91–104.
- Pessarrodona A, Moore P, Sayer MDJ, Smale D (2018). Carbon assimilation and transfer through a kelp forests in the NE Atlantic is diminished under a warmer ocean climate. Global Change Biology, 24 (9), 4386-4398. [Read].
Other publications
- Pessarrodona A, Filbee-Dexter K, Wernberg T (2022) Ever heard of ocean forests? They’re larger than the Amazon and more productive than we thought. The Conversation, 16/9/22.
- Pessarrodona A, Filbee-Dexter K, Krumhansl KA, Moore PJ, Wernberg T (2021) A global dataset of seaweed net primary productivity. Preprint, bioRxiv [doi.org/10.1101/2021.07.12.452112] [pdf]
Selected achievements, prizes, honours and awards
- 2022: Valedictorian, UWA graduation of 2022.
- 2022: Honourable mention on the Dean’s list for outstanding PhD theses conferred at UWA.
- 2022: Grant winner, Winifred V. Scott Estate Charitable Trust Fund for Conservation of Wildlife & Environment.
- 2020: Grant winner, The Holsworth Wildlife Research Endowment
- 2019: Grant winner, The Holsworth Wildlife Research Endowment
- 2018: Grant winner, Robson & Robertson Award.
- 2018: Grant winner, Convocation Postgraduate Research Travel Award
- 2018: Grant winner, The Holsworth Wildlife Research Endowment
- 2018: Grant winner, Conference travel Award, British Phycological Society
- 2018: Grant winner, The PADI Foundation.
Links
Wernberg Lab 