Jake Dytnerski
Ph.D. candidate
Research
Hong Kong has a seasonally dynamic marine environment. Summer sea surface temperatures can exceed 30°C whereas winter temperatures can drop below 15°C. This range in temperature allows for year-round coral communities, and abundant growth of macroalgae in the winter. For my PhD, I am researching the role of the long-spined sea urchin, Diadema setosum, in the ecosystem, here in Hong Kong. Much work has been done on Diadema antillarum in the Caribbean, and some work has been done on the D. setosum as a bioeroder of coral reefs in the tropics. However, little is known about which marcoalgae these urchins feed on; how they affect the seasonal patterns of macroalgae growth and distribution; if the urchins target living corals here in Hong Kong or just the turf algae that grows on the dead skeletons of the corals. Answering these questions will help understand the food sources of the urchins and how their energy stores vary with the seasonal change in food abundance. I am also interested in the connectivity of the populations of D. setosum across its range, as they can be found from the East coast of Africa to French Polynesia, from Honshu, Japan to NSW, Australia. I want to compare the physiological performance of the urchins from stable tropical environments and highly variable environments to determine if they show extensive physiological plasticity, or if populations have adapted to variable environments. This will allow me to predict how these important grazers will cope with future conditions across their range.
Education
2016: Bachelor of Science, Honours Marine Biology, University of British Columbia, Canada
2013: Arts and Science Diploma: Biology, Langara College, Canada
Awards
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2015: Dean of Science Scholarship – Biology research grant
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2013: Betty and Tony Pletcher Memorial Scholarship – For Achievement in Biology
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2012: Real Estate Foundation Biology Student Bursary – Bursary for Biology students
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Rhian Evans
Postdoctoral Fellow
Research
I am interested in trying to understand and predict how ecosystems may change into the future so that we can mitigate some of the negative effects of human activities. Throughout my work, a key focus has been linking changes in the underlying environment as a result of extreme events such as marine heatwaves with organism physiology, community composition and distribution across a diverse range of species and habitats. The physiology of organisms at the base of the food change such as plankton is closely coupled with a particular suite of environmental conditions, once these conditions change plankton communities respond quickly leading to impacts that can propagate up through the food web to fish and marine predators.
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I am also interested in how we can restore ecosystems to make them more resilient to human pressures. Part of my work in Hong Kong focuses on increasing the resilience of ecosystems via the restoration of nearshore habitats such as subtidal oyster reefs and sargassum forests, through work with local and international NGOs.
