Connor Robert Gervais, PhD
To view my CV: click here
- PhD, Macquarie University, Australia, 2019
- MSc, James Cook University, Australia, 2015
- BSc, University of California Santa Cruz, USA, 2013
My research is broadly interested in how marine organisms, specifically elasmobranchs, respond to anthropogenic climate change as well as other stressors (e.g. predator response, seasonal fluctuations, etc.). The relationships between environmental conditions, early development, habitat usage, and physiology can be extremely important in understanding how species, or different populations, may fare in the future.
As the climate changes, the condition of many essential habitats—nursery areas, oviposition sites, and/or gestation sites— are changing, and in turn may put pressure on crucial life stages (i.e., embryonic development and reproduction). The behaviors and/or physiological strategies that species utilize during these life stages, may give insight into the flexibility and/or vulnerability of these populations in a changing future.
Furthermore, the physiological and behavioral strategies that a species may utilize to respond to environmental change may not always be similar across populations. Through my PhD research, I've established that looking at a species as a whole can overshadow populations which may be more or less vulnerable. Therefore, understanding how distinct populations interact with their environment may help us identify populations susceptible to changing conditions and assist in implementing policies to protect them.
Although I have a strong focus on elasmobranch species, the general ideas are applicable to a wide variety of marine species. Water quality and biotic changes play important roles in the lives of all aquatic species and understanding how these species will react and persist in the future is ultimately essential to maintaining the health of these ecosystems.
To view my CV: click here
- PhD, Macquarie University, Australia, 2019
- MSc, James Cook University, Australia, 2015
- BSc, University of California Santa Cruz, USA, 2013
My research is broadly interested in how marine organisms, specifically elasmobranchs, respond to anthropogenic climate change as well as other stressors (e.g. predator response, seasonal fluctuations, etc.). The relationships between environmental conditions, early development, habitat usage, and physiology can be extremely important in understanding how species, or different populations, may fare in the future.
As the climate changes, the condition of many essential habitats—nursery areas, oviposition sites, and/or gestation sites— are changing, and in turn may put pressure on crucial life stages (i.e., embryonic development and reproduction). The behaviors and/or physiological strategies that species utilize during these life stages, may give insight into the flexibility and/or vulnerability of these populations in a changing future.
Furthermore, the physiological and behavioral strategies that a species may utilize to respond to environmental change may not always be similar across populations. Through my PhD research, I've established that looking at a species as a whole can overshadow populations which may be more or less vulnerable. Therefore, understanding how distinct populations interact with their environment may help us identify populations susceptible to changing conditions and assist in implementing policies to protect them.
Although I have a strong focus on elasmobranch species, the general ideas are applicable to a wide variety of marine species. Water quality and biotic changes play important roles in the lives of all aquatic species and understanding how these species will react and persist in the future is ultimately essential to maintaining the health of these ecosystems.