PhD Candidate
James Cook University
Cairns campus, QLD 4878
Abbi's PhD research
Herbivores as ecosystem engineers in tropical seagrass meadows: Grazing impacts on meadow structure and ecosystem service delivery.
Seagrass meadows are an important food source for many different herbivores, from turtles and dugongs, to fish and small invertebrates. As herbivores feed, they can alter the structure of seagrass meadows, which can impact the functioning of seagrass ecosystems and affect the valuable ecosystem services they provide, such as storing carbon and acting as a habitat for fisheries species. I will investigate how herbivores affect seagrass meadows around the Great Barrier Reef and understand their impact on the provision of ecosystem services, specifically focusing on how carbon storage in seagrass meadows can be modified by grazing activity. My research will inform management measures which seek to maintain ecosystem function and understand potential trade-offs in ecosystem service delivery.
Supervisory team: Dr. Michael Rasheed (James Cook University), Dr. Paul York (Jame Cook University), Prof Marcus Sheaves (James Cook University), A/ Porf Peter Macreadie (Deakin University)
Funding: ARC linkage grant, Gladstone Ports Cooperation
Keywords
Seagrass, Turtle, Dugong, Fish, Herbivore, Ecosystem Service
Abbi's education & research experience
PhD scholarship – James Cook University, AU
Research Assistant -University of Portsmouth, Central Queensland University
Holsworth Wildlife Research Endowment
National Environmental Science Programme Tropical Water Quality Hub Grant
MSc (i)- University of Southampton, UK
Contact
Email: abbi.scott@my.jcu.edu.au
Twitter: https://twitter.com/abbilscott
Research Gate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Abbi_Scott
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abbiscott/
GoogleScholar: https://scholar.google.com.au/citations?hl=en&user=IO1ffiEAAAAJ
Website: www.abbilscott.com
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