Griffith University

PhD (Sydney), BSc(Hons) JCU

Lecturer, Griffith School of Environment, Australia Rivers Institute

Contact details for Dr Kylie Pitt

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

Current Teaching Areas

• 3704EAS Marine Invertebrates
• 3803EAS Marine Biology
• 1601EAS Biological Systems
• 1602EAS Botany and Zoology 

Selected Publications

• Pitt KA, Clement A-L, Connolly RM, Botha, D (in press).  Predation by jellyfish on large and emergent zooplankton: Implications for benthic-pelagic coupling.  Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science.
• Moreau S, Peron C, Pitt KA, Connolly RM, Lee SY, Meziane T (in press).  Opportunistic predation by small fish on epibiota of jetty pilings in urban waterways.  Journal of Fish Biology
  
• 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.
• 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 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.

Current Supervised PhD Projects:

• Christopher Beattie - Patterns of movement by mud crabs in marine reserves.
• Joanna Browne - Gelatinous zooplankton and their symbionts in Eastern Australia.
• Ariella Chelsky Budarf - Ecological and biogeochemical consequences of decomposing jellyfish blooms.
• Paul Maxwell - Modelling the influence of Marine Protected Areas on ecosystem resilience.
• Andrew Olds - Ecological connectivity and MPA function in western pacific back-reef systems