Justine Becker
Position: PhD graduate (completed 2006)
Education:
Research Interests: Cleaning behaviour, cooperation, fish parasites, coral reef ecology, cleaner shrimp market theory
Awards & Grants:
Research Project: Justine completed her Bachelor of Science (Honours) Degree at James Cook University in Townsville before beginning her PhD at UQ in 2001 where she is examined biological market theory in the association between cleaner shrimp and their clients. The supervisors for Justine's PhD were Dr Lexa Grutter and Assoc. Prof. Anne Goldizen.
Honours Project: "The biogeography of corals in the Pacific Ocean"
Justine's honours project involved an investigation of patterns in the distribution of tropical shallow water substrate (<200m in depth) and the implications these patterns have for coral biogeography.
PhD project: "The ecological significance of interactions between cleaner shrimp and fishes on coral reefs"
This project combined biological theory with empirical data to investigate the multi-species mutualism between shrimp and fish. There were three major aims:
Education:
- 1999 Bachelor of Science (Marine Biology/Zoology), James Cook University (JCU), Department of Marine Biology, Townsville, Qld.
- 2000 Bachelor of Science (Honours), James Cook University, (JCU), Department of Marine Biology, Townsville. "The Biogeography of Corals in the Pacific Ocean". Supervisor Dr. Terry Hughes
Research Interests: Cleaning behaviour, cooperation, fish parasites, coral reef ecology, cleaner shrimp market theory
Awards & Grants:
- University of Queensland Australian Postgraduate Award.
- 2002 Lizard Island Research Station Postdoctoral Fellowship
- UQ Graduate School Research Travel Award to conduct field work on cleaner shrimp in Kimbe Bay, PNG
- School of Life Sciences conference support to attend ISBE conference in Finland 2004 (declined)
- EPA student conference grant to attenc AMSA 2003
- ACRS travel grant to attend ACRS conference 2003
- ACRS student prize for presentation at ACRS conference 2003
Research Project: Justine completed her Bachelor of Science (Honours) Degree at James Cook University in Townsville before beginning her PhD at UQ in 2001 where she is examined biological market theory in the association between cleaner shrimp and their clients. The supervisors for Justine's PhD were Dr Lexa Grutter and Assoc. Prof. Anne Goldizen.
Honours Project: "The biogeography of corals in the Pacific Ocean"
Justine's honours project involved an investigation of patterns in the distribution of tropical shallow water substrate (<200m in depth) and the implications these patterns have for coral biogeography.
PhD project: "The ecological significance of interactions between cleaner shrimp and fishes on coral reefs"
This project combined biological theory with empirical data to investigate the multi-species mutualism between shrimp and fish. There were three major aims:
- To determine the participants (traders) in the cleaner shrimp/fish mutualism
- To determine the commodities (goods and services) on offer
- To determine whether interactions between cleaner shrimp and fish fit the assumptions of a biological market.
Justine looking for shrimp
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Cleaner shrimp experiment
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Justine at Lizard Island
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Publications:
Becker, J.H.A., Curtis, L.M., and Grutter, A.S. (2005) Cleaner shrimp use a rocking dance to advertise cleaning service to clients. Current Biology. 15(8): 760-764
Becker, J.H.A., Grutter, A.S. (2005). Client-fish ectoparasite loads and cleaner-shrimp hunger levels affect the cleaning behaviour of the cleaner-shrimp Urocaridella sp. c. Animal Behaviour 70(5): 991-996. Download pdf version
Becker, J., Grutter, A.S. (2004). "Cleaner Shrimp Do Clean". Coral Reefs. 23: 515-520
Khan, R. N., Becker, J. H. A. , Crowther, A. L., and Lawn, I. D. (2003). Sea anemone host selection by the symbiotic saddled cleaner shrimp Periclimenes holthuisi. Marine and Freshwater Research 5 4 , 653-656.
Contact Details: jusnrob@bigpond.com
Becker, J.H.A., Curtis, L.M., and Grutter, A.S. (2005) Cleaner shrimp use a rocking dance to advertise cleaning service to clients. Current Biology. 15(8): 760-764
Becker, J.H.A., Grutter, A.S. (2005). Client-fish ectoparasite loads and cleaner-shrimp hunger levels affect the cleaning behaviour of the cleaner-shrimp Urocaridella sp. c. Animal Behaviour 70(5): 991-996. Download pdf version
Becker, J., Grutter, A.S. (2004). "Cleaner Shrimp Do Clean". Coral Reefs. 23: 515-520
Khan, R. N., Becker, J. H. A. , Crowther, A. L., and Lawn, I. D. (2003). Sea anemone host selection by the symbiotic saddled cleaner shrimp Periclimenes holthuisi. Marine and Freshwater Research 5 4 , 653-656.
Contact Details: jusnrob@bigpond.com
Counting parasites
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Catching rock cod
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Observing shrimp behaviour
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