Research Scientist: Coral Reef Ecology

• 2002: BSc (Hons 1), James Cook University
• 2007: PhD, James Cook University

My current research activities revolve around science for the conservation and management of Ningaloo Reef in WA. Assessments of vertebrate and invertebrate group vulnerability and defining habitat correlates that mediate patterns of abundance and distribution within key functional groups are examples of these research activities. Alongside this, I continue my involvement in further understanding ecosystem function with an emphasis on how climate change may affect reef communities. This is very much aimed at the development of direct physiological indicators (ageing, development & reproduction processes) of climate change.

Gagliano M, Depczynski M (in press) A wolf in sheep clothing: dishonest signalling in a coral reef fish. PLoS ONE

Depczynski M, Gilmour J, Ridgway T et al (2012) Bleaching, coral mortality and subsequent survivorship on a West Australian fringing reef. Coral Reefs

Moore J, Bellchambers L, Depczynski M et al (2012) Unprecedented mass bleaching and loss of coral across 12o of latitude in Western Australia. PLoS ONE 7: e51807

Johansson C, Bellwood D, Depczynski M (2012) The importance of live coral for small sized herbivorous reef fishes in physically challenging environments. Mar Freshw Res 63: 672-679

Bellwood D, Baird A, Depczynski M et al (2012) Coral recovery may not herald the return of fishes on damaged coral reefs. Oecologia 170: 567-573

Herwig J, Depczynski M, Roberts J (2012) Using age-based life history data to investigate the life cycle and vulnerability of Octopus cyanea. PLoS ONE

Gagliano M, Lema A, Depczynski M et al (2011) Use it and lose it: lipofuscin accumulation in the brain of a coral reef fish. J Fish Bio 78: 659-666

Wilson S, Depczynski M, Fisher R et al (2010) Habitat associations of juvenile fish at Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia: The importance of coral and algae. PLoS ONE

Johansson C, Bellwood D, Depczynski M (2010) Urchins, macroalgae and coral reef decline: a functional evaluation of an intact reef system, Ningaloo Reef, western Australia. MEPS 414: 65-74

Gagliano M, McCormick M, Moore A, Depczynski M (2010) The basics of acidification: baseline variability of pH on Australian coral reefs. Mar Biol 157: 1849-1856

Wilson S et al. (2010) Crucial knowledge gaps in current understanding of climate change impacts on coral reef fishes. J Exp Biol 213: 894-900

Gagliano M, Depczynski M, Simpson S et al (2008) Dispersal without errors: Symmetrical ears tune into the right frequency for survival. Proc R Soc Lond B 175: 527-534

Depczynski M, Fulton C, Marnane M et al (2007) Life history patterns shape energy allocation among fishes on coral reefs. Oecologia 153: 111-120

Depczynski M, Bellwood D (2006) Extremes, plasticity and invariance in vertebrate life history traits: insights from coral reef fishes. Ecology 87: 3119-3127

Bellwood D, Hoey A, Ackerman A, Depczynski M (2006) Coral bleaching, reef fish community phase shifts and the resilience of coral reefs. Glob Change Biol 12: 1587-1594

Depczynski M, Bellwood D (2005) Shortest recorded vertebrate lifespan found in a coral reef fish. Curr Biol 15 (8): R288-R289