Gillian Clague
Position: Honours Student (commenced July 2008)
Education:
Research Interests: cleaning behavior, cleaning interactions, coral reef ecology, parasitology
Honours Project: "Long-term effects of cleaner removal on the ectoparasites, abundance and growth of the lemon damselfish Pomacentrus moluccensis and selected host fish"
Past studies on the effects of cleaner fish on the parasite population have yielded conflicting results. I am examining the effects of cleaner removal on the number and type of ectoparasite found on three host fish, the abundance and diversity of fish, and the abundance of the ectoparasite population emerging from the patch reefs. I will be comparing removal and control patch reefs at Lizard Island. Fish counts will be conducted to identify the three host species, and also to quantify the abundance of hosts. Emergence traps will be used to collect samples of the ectoparasites seeking hosts to infect. As a result of these efforts, we will have compared the host fish abundance and the number, size and type of parasites infecting the host fish for both treatments. We also aim to gather observations and evidence suggesting whether or not facultative cleaners step in when the cleaners are removed. A long-term study may indicate trends that were not apparent within shorter time periods.
Contact details: gillian.clague@gmail.com
Education:
- 2009 Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Marine Biology, School of Integrative Biology, University of Queensland.
- 2003-2007 Bachelor of Arts, Major in Biology. Willamette University, Salem Oregon
Research Interests: cleaning behavior, cleaning interactions, coral reef ecology, parasitology
Honours Project: "Long-term effects of cleaner removal on the ectoparasites, abundance and growth of the lemon damselfish Pomacentrus moluccensis and selected host fish"
Past studies on the effects of cleaner fish on the parasite population have yielded conflicting results. I am examining the effects of cleaner removal on the number and type of ectoparasite found on three host fish, the abundance and diversity of fish, and the abundance of the ectoparasite population emerging from the patch reefs. I will be comparing removal and control patch reefs at Lizard Island. Fish counts will be conducted to identify the three host species, and also to quantify the abundance of hosts. Emergence traps will be used to collect samples of the ectoparasites seeking hosts to infect. As a result of these efforts, we will have compared the host fish abundance and the number, size and type of parasites infecting the host fish for both treatments. We also aim to gather observations and evidence suggesting whether or not facultative cleaners step in when the cleaners are removed. A long-term study may indicate trends that were not apparent within shorter time periods.
Contact details: gillian.clague@gmail.com