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Behavioural adaptations

Community and movement ecology of marine predators

1
Testing ecological and behavioural theory to look at the role of processes like competition and intraguild predation in structuring predator distributions.
2
Understanding drivers of habitat selection and movements in predators.
3
Linking individual animal movements to population level processes. 
4
Testing how fish transfer nutrients across habitats.

Chemical tracers

Multi-sensor data-loggers

Telemetry

Video

Behavioural and physiological adaptations in marine predators

1
Investigating the physiology of digestion in sharks to understand prey breakdown and assimilation.
2
Studying how predators tailor swim speed and diving behaviour to optimize metabolic processes in the marine ecosystem.

Stable isotope analysis

Stomach content analysis

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Biologgers

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Animal-borne cameras

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Physiology

Fisheries, fin trade, and applied conservation

1
Using anal fins to understand the species and size composition of the Belizean shark fishery.
2
Identifying the species composition of the Hong Kong shark fin trade.
3
Developing real-time genetic tests to assist customs officials in cracking down on illegal wildlife trade.
4
Training and funding Belizean fishers to assist with scientific data collection in order to reduce fishing pressure in areas where shark populations have recently declined.
5
Communicating results from our Global FinPrint project, the world's largest shark and ray survey on coral reefs, to local stakeholders in order to improve management of threatened species.

DNA analysis

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Baited remote underwater videos

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Fin
Pop structure

Population status and structure

1
Assessing elasmobranch species diversity and abundance around the world.
2
Studying the genetic connectivity of sharks and rays across multiple regions.
3
Identifying and describing new species.

DNA analysis

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Environmental DNA

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Baited remote underwater videos

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Mesophotic reef ecology

1
Diving deep to investigate community dynamics below 100 ft.

Copyright Luiz Rocha

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Mesophotic

Rebreathers

Parthenogenesis and reproduction

1
Investigating the ability of female elasmobranchs to reproduce asexually in the wild.
Looking for evidence of natal and regional philopatry in sharks and rays.

DNA analysis

KFlow
Parth & Repro
2
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