Rachel Fogelman

Position: Masters (MPhil) graduate (completed 2006)

Education:

  • 1998-2002 Bachelor of Science in Aquatic Biology,
    University of California, Santa Barbara, CA (UCSB)
  • 2001-2002 1 year Education Abroad Program to Flinders University of South Australia, Adelaide towards Bachelor of Science in Aquatic Biology
  • 2003-2005 Research Masters Degree (MPhil) in School of Life Sciences, University of Queensland
  • 2007-current Ph.D at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), USA

Research Interests: Marine parasitology and mammology

Awards & Grants:

  • Dean's Honours for outstanding academic achievement at UCSB
  • Honorary award recognition and biography published by the 25 th Annual Edition of The National Dean's List, 2001-2002 for outstanding academic achievement at UCSB
  • 2004 Australian Geographic Society Grant
  • 2004 UQ Graduate Student Research Travel award (to conduct fish otolith research with Bob Warner at UCSB)
  • 2004 Lerner-Gray Fund for Marine Research, American Museum of Natural History
  • 2004 UQ School of Life Sciences Graduate Student Conference Support (to
    attend the 7th Indo-Pacific Fish Conference in Taipei, Taiwan)
  • 2005 ACRS Conference Travel Support (to attend the Australian Coral Reef
    Society 81st Annual Conference on Heron Island, Australia)
  • 2006 Marc Dresden Student Travel Grant- The American Society of
    Parasitologists (to attend the International Congress of Parasitology XI
    Conference and the ASP annual meeting in Glasgow, Scotland)

Research Project: Rachel completed her Bachelor of Science degree at the University of California before coming to Australia to do her Masters Degree. She is examining the association between a cardinal fish and its parasitic isopod. The supervisors for her Masters degree are Dr Lexa Grutter, Dr Anne Goldizen and Dr Armand Kuris.

  • Masters Project: The role of the ecto-parasite Anilocra apogonae (Isopoda: Cymothoidae) in the reproductive and competitive behaviour of the five-lined cardinal fish, Cheilodipterus quinquelineatus
    The main aims of my study are as follows: to determine the consequences of A. apogonae infection on host growth, energetics and tissue damage, identify whether the presence of A. apogonae results in parasitic castration of its host, and if so, what type of castration, as well as test the parasite’s effects on host filial cannibalistic behaviour and finally, determine how A. apogonae affects the ability of its host to compete for food and shelter. I will provide the first detailed investigation of a potential parasitic castrator system on a coral reef marine fish. This will be the first study to look at the potential castration of fish by a parasite and to look at the effect of an isopod parasite on host filial cannibalism

Publications:

  • Fogelman, R., Grutter, A.S. (2008) Effects of the juvenile parasitic isopod Anilocra apogonae on the growth and survival of young cardinal fish (Apogonidae). Coral Reefs, 27(3): 685-693.

Contact Details: Fogelman@umail.ucsb.edu

Cheilodipterus quinquelineatus with isopods attached Rachel catching fish Transporting fish from the boat

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