Dr Bayden D. Russell

Wherever humans exist, they have impacts on the environment. This is a reality of life. We use resources and create waste. My research is concerned with not only what these impacts are but also what we can do about them to ensure the future of marine ecosystems. My current projects fall into three broad categories:

1. Combined human impacts

Everyone has heard of climate change - how could you not have? Most people have an opinion on the causes and impacts of climate change, but few have thought about the reality. I am particularly interested in how changing climatic conditions, such as increasing CO₂, temperature and ocean acidification, will combine with local pollution to damage marine ecosystems. From kelp forests to coral reefs, I like to figure out the mechanisms at play.

2. "Ecological realism"

OK, so "ecological realism" is overstating the case just a little, but it illustrates my case. The problem with research into climate change is that we are having a very hard time identifying what the "real" effects will be. Laboratory experiments are limited because while they can control conditions with a high degree of precision, they lack multiple interactions that occur in nature. Conversely, the increasing use of volcanic CO₂ seeps as "natural experiments" is exciting in that they include these ecosystem interactions, but they are limited because the pH and temperature gradients are steeper than we will see in a climate change scenario.

So, what do we do? I'm currently combining both to take advantage of their respective strengths while trying to account for their weaknesses. Stay posted as the first results start to come through!

Volcanic seep site in Papua New Guinea - you can see the bubbles in the foreground.	A healthy reef away from the seeps.
The present......	The future?

3. Amelioration of human impacts

Identifying how we humans disrupt ecosystems is just the first step. The ultimate goal of this research is to figure out what we can do. The exciting thing is that it seems we can improve the situation. Recent experiments by me and Laura Falkenberg show that it may be possible to limit the impact of climate near our coastal cities by reducing the amount of local pollution, such as wastewater discharge. Alternatively, increasing metabolism of invertebrates may mean that they consume the "weedy species" driving ecosytem change, as Owen Burnell is finding out.

Importantly though, this research highlighted that timing matters - we have to start now because it will be too late once climate change has manifested. Thankfully, our local managers are listening to this message. Here in South Australia the government is undergoing massive wastewater treatment plant upgrades in addition to piping wastewater inland and recycling it for use in industry!

Prospective students

I have a dynamic lab with a number of students, but am always happy to discuss potential projects with anyone who is interested in doing their Honours or Ph.D. If you are interested by anything in what I've said, come and chat to me!

Selected recent publications:

• Wernberg T, Russell BD, Thomsen MS, Gurgel CFD, Bradshaw CJA, Poloczanska ES, Connell SD (2011) Seaweeds in mass retreat from ocean warming. Current Biology, 21: 1828-1832.
• Russell BD, Harley CDG, Wernberg T, Mieszkowska N, Wddicombe S, Hall-Spencer JM, Connell SD (2011) Predicting ecosystem shifts requires new approaches that integrate the effects of climate change across entire systems. Biology Letters, published online 7/09/2011. doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2011.0779
• Irving AD, Connell SD, Russell BD (2011) Restoring coastal plants to improve global carbon storage: reaping what we sow. PLoS One 6: e18311
• Russell BD, Connell SD (2010) Honing the geoengineering strategy. Science 327:144-145
  
• Connell SD, Russell BD (2010) The direct effects of increasing CO₂ and temperature on non-calcifying organisms: increasing the potential for phase shifts in kelp forests. Proceedings of the Royal Society B 277: 1409-1415.
• Russell BD, Connell SD (2009) Eutrophication science: moving into the future. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 24: 527-528
• Russell BD, Thompson J, Falkenberg LJ, Connell SD (2009) Synergistic effects of climate change and local stressors: CO₂ and nutrient driven change in subtidal rocky habitats. Global Change Biology 15: 2153-2162
• Gorman D, Russell BD, Connell SD (2009) Land-to-sea connectivity: linking human-derived terrestrial subsidies to subtidal habitat-change on open rocky coasts. Ecological Applications 15: 1114-1126
• Connell SD, Russell BD, Turner DJ, Shepherd SA, Kildea T, Miller D, Airoldi L, Cheshire A. (2008) Recovering a lost baseline: missing kelp forests from a metropolitan coast. Marine Ecology Progress Series 360: 63-72.
• Russell BD,  Connell SD (2007) Response of grazers to sudden nutrient pulses in oligotrophic v. eutrophic conditions. Marine Ecology Progress Series 349: 73-80.
• Russell BD, Connell SD (2005) A novel interaction between nutrients and grazers alters relative dominance of marine habitats. Marine Ecology Progress Series 289: 5-11

My complete publication list is also available for download.

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