Bronwyn M. Gillanders

Research Interests

I work on the ecology of temperate coasts that includes sheltered habitats (seagrasses, salt-marshes, mangroves) and exposed habitats (kelp forests & inhabitants).

My research focuses on aquatic ecology, with a strong emphasis on fish and fisheries ecology. One of our major gaps in knowledge concerns identifying origins (e.g. nursery habitats) and potential movements of organisms and determining past environmental histories. I am particularly interested in the use of chemical signatures (e.g. trace elements and isotopes) in ear bones to track movements. This interest is also being used to solve issues of sustainability of the giant Australian cuttlefish and freshwater fishes of the Murray River.

Current research interests and projects:

1. Ecology of fishes on rocky reefs & in estuaries
2. Population dynamics & fisheries
3. Connectivity between estuarine & reef habitats, and among estuaries
4. Population replenishment & movements of fish using trace elements in ear bones
5. Biodiversity of fish & invertebrates at different spatial scales
6. Native fish stocking of rivers
7. Population structure in giant Australian cuttlefish
8. Discriminating farmed & wild kingfish in Spencer Gulf
9. Factors influencing otolith chemistry of fish
10. Chemical marking of otoliths

Selected Publications

• Elsdon, TS & BM Gillanders. 2003. Reconstructing migratory patterns of fish based on environmental influences on otolith chemistry. Reviews in Fish Biology & Fisheries 13: 219-235.
• Gillanders, BM, KW Able, JA Brown, DB Eggleston & PF Sheridan. 2003. Evidence for connectivity between juvenile & adult habitats for mobile marine fauna: an important component of nurseries. Marine Ecol. Prog. Series 247: 281-295.
• Gillanders, BM 2002. Connectivity between juvenile and adult populations: do adults remain near their nursery estuaries? Marine Ecol. Prog. Series 240: 215-223.
• Beck, MW, KL Heck, KW Able, DL Childers, DB Eggleston, BM Gillanders, B Halpern, CG Hays, K Hoshino, TJ Minello, RJ Orth, PF Sheridan and MW Weinstein. 2001. Towards better identification, conservation and management of estuarine and marine nurseries. BioScience 51: 633-641.

Contact Information:

Entry last updated: Friday, 2 May 2008