Radhini Kanagaratnam

During the completion of my Masters of Conservation Science, I was lucky enough to complete a 6- month research project under the supervision of Prof. Peter Mumby and Dr. Alyssa Marshell. The realm of herbivorous fish and their effect on macroalgal phase shifts, and ultimately the health of coral reefs, has been a topic of interest for many scientists. Surgeonfishes commonly dominate herbivorous fish assemblages. Thus, it was important to identify if common species could prevent macroalgal phase shifts and therefore highlight the need to preserve such herbivorous fish in coral reefs. Our research focused on analysing data from a cage experiment in Palau, Micronesia to identify the effect of macroalgal growth overtime for three different surgeonfish species. We found that specific species (C. striatus and Z. scopas) had lower levels of green, fleshy alga (Caulerpa). However, surgeonfish species alone are unable to prevent phase shifts on shallow reefs. The research adds to pool of literature supporting the maintenance of high levels of diversity in herbivorous fish species on coral reefs. We are now in the process of sending the manuscript of the project to be reviewed by Coral Reefs Journal.

Since completing my project within the MSEL lab and my masters, I have taken a different road to research. I found a passion in educating others about our marine environments. I know work for a non-profit organisation- Tangalooma EcoMarines, providing marine environmental education programs to primary and secondary schools. We help empower younger generations to become conservationists within their schools and local communities.

The skills I have gained from the Masters of Conservation Science Program and from completing a research project with the MSEL lab have been incredibly useful in environmental education. I have been able to ensure there is effective science communication and accurate information about marine ecosystems within our education programs, as well as using the contacts I have made to safeguard partnerships from other non-profit organisations with my current workplace. I hope to one day return to the field of research to further investigate how to preserve coral reef ecosystems.