Griffith University

PhD, BSc(Hons)

Senior Lecturer, Griffith School of Environment
Research Member, Australian Rivers Institute

Research Expertise

• Ecology of pelagic ecosystems, in particular, the role of gelatinous zooplankton in the trophodynamics and nutrient cycling of coastal waters
• Ecology of marine invertebrates
• Use of marine protected areas to conserve marine invertebrates

Publications

Journal Articles

• Sheppard N, Pitt KA, Schlacher TA. (2009) Sublethal effects of off-road vehicles (ORVs) on surf clams on sandy beaches.  Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 380:113-118.
• West EJ, Pitt KA, Welsh DT, Koop K, Rissik D. (2009) Top-down and bottom-up influences of jellyfish on primary production and planktonic assemblages.  Limnology and Oceanography 54(6): 2058-2071.
• Mortillaro JM, Pitt KA, Lee SY, Meziane T (2009).  Light intensity influences the production and translocation of fatty acids by zooxanthellae in the jellyfish Cassiopea sp. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 378: 22-30.
• Pitt KA, Connolly RM, Maxwell P (2009). Redistribution of sewage nitrogen in estuarine food webs following sewage treatment upgrades.  Marine Pollution Bulletin 58:573-580.
• Pitt KA, Connolly RM, Meziane T (2009). Stable isotope and fatty acid tracers in energy and nutrient studies of jellyfish: a review.  Hydrobiologia 616:119-132.
• Pitt KA, Welsh DT, Condon RH (2009).  Influence of jellyfish blooms on nutrient cycling and plankton production.  Hydrobiologia 616:133-149.
• West EJ, Welsh DT, Pitt KA (2009).  Influence of decomposing jellyfish on the sediment oxygen demand and nutrient dynamics: A mesocosm simulation.  Hydrobiologia 616:151-160.
• Pitt KA, Clement A-L, Connolly RM, Botha, D (2008)  Stable carbon isotopes emphasise the importance of large and emergent zooplankton to the diet of jellyfish.  Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 76:827-833.
• Moreau S, Peron C, Pitt KA, Connolly RM, Lee SY, Meziane T (2008).  Opportunistic predation by small fish on epibiota of jetty pilings in urban waterways.  Journal of Fish Biology 72:205-217.
• Carr EF, Pitt KA (2008) Behavioural responses of zooplankton to the presence of predatory jellyfish. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 354:101-110.
• Pitt KA, Kingsford MJ, Rissik D, Koop K (2007). Jellyfish modify the response of planktonic assemblages to nutrient pulses.  Marine Ecology Progress Series 351:1-13. Feature article
• Lincoln Smith M, Pitt KA, Bell J, Mapstone B (2006). Use of impact assessment techniques to assess the effectiveness of a marine protected area for restoring populations of valuable commercial invertebrates. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences. 63(6):1251-1266.
• Pitt KA, Koop K, Rissik D. (2005) Contrasting contributions to inorganic nutrient recycling by the co-occurring jellyfishes, Catostylus mosaicus and Phyllorhiza punctata (Scyphozoa, Rhizostomeae). Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology. 315:71-86.
• Peach MB and Pitt KA. (2005) Morphology of nematocysts of medusae of Catostylus mosaicus and Phyllorhiza punctata (Rhizostomeae, Scyphozoa, Cnidaria) and implications for capture of prey. Invertebrate Biology 124(2):98-108.
• Pitt KA, Koop K, Rissik, D, Kingsford, MJ (2004). The ecology of scyphozoan jellyfish in Lake Illawarra. Wetlands (Australia) 21(2):115-123.
• Pitt KA and Kingsford MJ (2003). Temporal variation in the virgin biomass of the edible jellyfish, Catostylus mosaicus (Scyphozoa, Rhizostomeae). Fisheries Research 63:303-313.
• Pitt KA and Kingsford MJ (2003). Temporal and spatial variation in recruitment and growth of medusae of the scyphozoan jellyfish, Catostylus mosaicus, (C. Scyphozoa, O. Rhizostomeae). Marine and Freshwater Research 54:1-9.
• Pitt KA and Kingsford MJ (2000). Geographic separation of stocks of the edible jellyfish, Catostylus mosaicus (Rhizostomeae) in New South Wales, Australia. Marine Ecology Progress Series 196:143-155.
• Pitt KA and Kingsford MJ (2000). Reproductive biology of the edible jellyfish Catostylus mosaicus (Rhizostomeae). Marine Biology 137(5/6):791-799.
• Kingsford MJ, Pitt KA, and Gillanders BM (2000). Management of jellyfish fisheries, with special reference to the order Rhizostomeae. Oceanography and Marine Biology: An Annual Review 38:85-156.
• Pitt KA (2000). Life history and settlement preferences of the edible jellyfish, Catostylus mosaicus (Rhizostomeae). Marine Biology 136(2):269-279.
• Rouse G and Pitt KA (2000). Ultrastructure of the sperm of Catostylus mosaicus and Phyllorhiza punctata (Scyphozoa, Cnidaria): Implications for sperm terminology and the inference of reproductive mechanisms. Invertebrate Reproduction and Development 38(1):23-34.

Edited volume

• Jellyfish Blooms: Causes, Consequences and Recent Advances (2009).  Pitt KA and Purcell JE K (eds). Hydrobiologia Volume 616.

Book chapters

• Suthers IM, Dawson M, Pitt KA, Miskiewicz AG.  (2009) Coastal and marine zooplankton: diversity and biology.  In: Plankton: A guide to their ecology and monitoring for water quality.  Suthers IM & Rissik D. (eds).  CSIRO Publishing, Australia.
• Pitt KA, Kingsford MJ. (1999) Jellyfish.  In: Under Southern Seas.  Andrew N (ed). UNSW Press