Seaweeds as habitat for animals (Masters 2017)
Seaweeds are important habitat-forming species which facilitate associated fauna. These positive species interactions can be as important as competition and predation in driving local biodiversity and community structure. My project is primarily focused on Caulerpa which are green seaweeds found throughout tropical to temperate Australia. My research aims to identify and quantify the abundance and richness of animals living on Caulerpa species with different morphologies to identify the role of structural complexity in driving facilitation. Understanding the mechanisms behind seaweed facilitation could have large implications for biodiversity and marine conservation.
Supervisors: Yannick Mulders, Mads Thomsen (University of Canterbury), Thomas Wernberg and Jane Prince.
Qualifications
2015: B.Sc. (Zoology), Yangzhou University, China
Achievement
2012: The principal second-class scholarship at Yangzhou University, China
Wernberg Lab 