Wednesday June 12th 10:00 to 11:00 hrs (AEST)
Location: Building 19 (Kevin Stark Research Building) Room 106 (upstairs), JCU, Townsville
UQ videolink: RSVP Karin at k.zwiep@uq.edu.au
UWA videolink: RSVP Rose at rose.berdin@uwa.edu.au
Abstract: Factors influencing the origin and maintenance of biodiversity have long fascinated and been debated by scientists. Knowledge about biodiversity patterns is limited by the logistical challenges of sampling remote and/or inaccessible habitats (e.g. the deep-sea), and by the lack of taxonomic expertise for most taxa. Using black corals as a model for wide-ranging taxa, I will address the largest knowledge gaps related to their taxonomy and molecular relationships that limit our ability to understand their biodiversity patterns. This knowledge will provide new insight into the processes generating and maintaining biodiversity in the oceans, which will in turn provide more reliable information to underpin the conservation of marine biodiversity.
Jeremy Horowitz is an American PhD candidate supervised by Tom Bridge, Julian Caley, Bob Pressey, and Peter Cowman. Jeremy has been interested in black corals since he stumbled across a black coral field while living in the Philippines. Jeremy moved to Townsville in 2016 to begin his Masters in Marine Biology at JCU, while also working on black coral collections from the deep sea housed in the collections at the Museum of Tropical Queensland. Jeremy’s PhD project combined his interest in the black corals with his desire to better understand and conserve marine ecosytems.
