Dr Alex Carter is a senior researcher at the Centre for Tropical Water & Aquatic Ecosystem Research (TropWATER). Her research focuses on the ecology, conservation and assessment of coastal environments; in particular, large-scale ecosystem processes in northern Australia involving seagrass, coral, fish communities, turtle and dugong. Prior to commencing at James Cook University, she was employed as a scientist at Queensland Fisheries. She completed her PhD on spatial variation in reproductive biology for common coral trout (Plectropomus leopardus), and the role of marine reserves as a potential fisheries management tool for this species on the Great Barrier Reef. 

Alex leads a variety of projects and collaborations with diverse stakeholders and funding agencies, including all levels of government, other universities, industry, Traditional Owners, rangers, citizen scientists, and community groups. Current projects include:

1. Large-scale marine habitat mapping across northern Australia, including the Great Barrier Reef, Torres Strait and Gulf of Carpentaria.

2. Quantifying habitat use by species with significant cultural, ecological, conservation and economic importance (e.g. turtles, dugong, fish, sea cucumbers);

3. Developing and implementing environmental condition report cards. These include seagrass report cards for the Gladstone Healthy Harbour Partnership, Torres Strait, regional NRM groups, and Queensland ports, and development of condition indicators for reef fish on the Great Barrier Reef.

4. Working with Rangers and Traditional Owners to expand seagrass and fish research and monitoring in northern Australia by incorporating Traditional Ecological Knowledge.

5. Coral restoration including the use of coral nurseries, reef stars, and larval seeding.

Alex is interested in receiving inquiries from prospective Honours, Masters by Research and PhD candidates who are interested in tropical marine biology. Scholarship funding is available through James Cook University Postgraduate Research Scholarships. 

Interests

Research

• Spatial modelling, mapping, and statistical approaches to deal with messy biological data
• Habitat condition assessments and environmental report cards
• Incorporating Traditional Ecological Knowledge into scientific research and collaborations with Traditional Owners to deliver marine research
• Fisheries management and no-take marine reserves
• Fish reproductive biology
• Coral reef restoration

Research Disciplines

• Environmental management (4104)

Socio-Economic Objectives

• Marine systems and management (1805)
• Coastal and estuarine systems and management (1802)

Awards

• 2016 - UPNG/JCU Twinning Project - ECR Group Work Team Prize
• 2009 - PADI Project Aware Grant
• 2009 - GBRMPA Science for Management Award
• 2008 - GBRMPA Science for Management Award

Memberships

• World Seagrass Association
• International Coral Reef Society
• Australian Marine Science Association

These are the most recent publications associated with this author. To see a detailed profile of all publications stored at JCU, visit ResearchOnline@JCU. Hover over Altmetrics badges to see social impact.

Journal Articles

• Schlaefer J, Carter A, Choukroun S, Coles R, Critchell K, Lambrechts J, Rasheed M, Tol S and Grech A (2022) Marine plant dispersal and connectivity measures differ in their sensitivity to biophysical model parameters. Environmental Modelling & Software, 149.
• Carter A, Collier C, Lawrence E, Rasheed M, Robson B and Coles R (2021) A spatial analysis of seagrass habitat and community diversity in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area. Scientific Reports, 11.
• Carter A, McKenna S, Rasheed M, Collier C, McKenzie L, Pitcher R and Coles R (2021) Synthesizing 35?years of seagrass spatial data from the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area, Queensland, Australia. Limnology and Oceanography Letters, 6 (4). pp. 216-226
• Collier C, Langlois L, McMahon K, Udy J, Rasheed M, Lawrence E, Carter A, Fraser M and McKenzie L (2021) What lies beneath: predicting seagrass below-ground biomass from above-ground biomass, environmental conditions and seagrass community composition. Ecological Indicators, 121.
• Lambert V, Bainbridge Z, Collier C, Lewis S, Adams M, Carter A, Saunders M, Brodie J, Turner R, Rasheed M and O'Brien K (2021) Connecting targets for catchment sediment loads to ecological outcomes for seagrass using multiple lines of evidence. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 169.
• Collier C, Carter A, Rasheed M, McKenzie L, Udy J, Coles R, Brodie J, Waycott M, O’Brien K, Saunders M, Adams M, Martin K, Honchin C, Petus C and Lawrence E (2020) An evidence-based approach for setting desired state in a complex Great Barrier Reef seagrass ecosystem: a case study from Cleveland Bay. Environmental and Sustainability Indicators, 7.
• Carter A, Davies C, Emslie M, Mapstone B, Russ G, Tobin A and Williams A (2017) Reproductive benefits of no-take marine reserves vary with region for an exploited coral reef fish. Scientific Reports, 7. pp. 1-12
• York P, Smith T, Coles R, McKenna S, Connolly R, Irving A, Jackson E, McMahon K, Runcie J, Sherman C, Sullivan B, Trevathan-Tackett S, Brodersen K, Carter A, Ewers C, Lavery P, Roelfsema C, Sinclair E, Strydom S, Tanner J, van Dijk K, Warry F, Waycott M and Whitehead S (2017) Identifying knowledge gaps in seagrass research and management: an Australian perspective . Marine Environmental Research, 127. pp. 163-172

Conference Papers

• Lambert V, Adams M, Collier C, Carter A, Saunders M, Brodie J, Bainbridge Z, Rasheed M, Turner R and O'Brien K (2019) Towards ecologically relevant targets: impact of flow and sediment discharge on seagrass communities in the Great Barrier Reef. Proceedings of the 22nd International Congress on Modelling and Simulation. In: 23rd International Congress on Modelling and Simulation, 1-6 December 2019, Canberra, ACT, Australia
• Carter A, Davies J, Jarvis J, McCormack C and Rasheed M (2017) Development of a condition report card for variable and diverse seagrass meadows in ports. Proceedings of the Australasian Coasts & Ports 2017 Conference. In: Australasian Coasts & Ports 2017 Conference: working with nature, 21-23 June 2017, Cairns, QLD, Australia
• Carter A, Coles R, McKenna S and Rasheed M (2017) Spatial management tools for coastal seagrasses in Queensland, Australia. Proceedings of the Australasian Coasts & Ports 2017 Conference. 21-23 June 2017, Cairns, QLD, Australia
• Rasheed M, McKenna S, Coles R and Carter A (2017) Protection of Great Barrier Reef seagrasses through innovative port industry and science research partnerships. Proceedings of the Australasian Coasts & Ports 2017 Conference. In: Australasian Coasts & Ports 2017 Conference: working with nature, 21-23 June 2017, Cairns, QLD, Australia

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ResearchOnline@JCU stores 92+ research outputs authored by Dr Alexandra Carter from 2007 onwards.

Current and recent Research Funding to JCU is shown by funding source and project.

Advisory Accreditation: I can be on your Advisory Panel as a Secondary Advisor.

These Higher Degree Research projects are either current or by students who have completed their studies within the past 5 years at JCU. Linked titles show theses available within ResearchOnline@JCU.

Current

• Factors driving Chelonia mydas (green sea turtle) interactions with seagrass meadows within coastal foraging habitats (Masters , Secondary Advisor)

The map shows research collaborations by institution from the past 7 years.
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