B Science (Hons)

Contact details for Ms Elizabeth West e.west@griffith.edu.au

Thesis

The role of symbiotic and non-symbiotic jellyfish in the nutrient and trophodynamics of coastal ecosystems.

Description

My PhD examines the mechanisms by which jellyfish acquire and recycle nutrients and the impacts that this may have on the surrounding ecosystems. To do this, I have compared the excretion, uptake and retention of nutrients by symbiotic and non-symbiotic species of jellyfish. This involved the use of isotopic tracers and has allowed me to get a good understanding of the different physiologies. I have then examined the impacts of decomposing jellyfish corpses on the sediment oxygen demand and benthic nutrient fluxes. Finally, I have done a large-scale mesocosm experiment, in which I compared the impacts of symbiotic and non-symbiotic jellyfish on plankton community dynamics.

Supervisor

Dr Kylie Pitt
Dr Dave Welsh

Research expertise

• Invasive species management
• Ecology of coastal lakes and estuaries
• Biogeochemical cycling
• Jellyfish ecology and biology
• Physiology of symbiotic and non-symbiotic jellyfish

Teaching areas

• Guest lecture - Marine Invertebrates
  Coastal Environments
• Demonstrator - Botany and Zoology
  Marine Invertebrates
  Chemistry 1

Publications

• West, E.J., Welsh, D.T. and Pitt, K.A. (accepted). Influence of decomposing jellyfish on the sediment oxygen demand and nutrient dynamics. Hydrobiologia.
• West, E.J., Barnes, P.B., Wright, J.T., & Davis, A.R. (2007) Anchors aweigh: Fragment generation of invasive Caulerpa taxifolia by boat anchors and its resistance to desiccation. Aquatic Botany
• West, E.J. & West, R.J. (2007) Growth and survival of the invasive alga, Caulerpa taxifolia, in different salinities and temperatures: implications for coastal lake management. Hydrobiologia 577:87-94