Bette Willis is a Professor in the School of Marine and Tropical Biology and Chief Investigator in the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies. Her research focusses on questions relating to the biology and ecology of scleractinian corals, particularly on questions relating to the health of reef corals in an era of climate change and increasing anthropogenic impacts. She has published more than 125 peer-reviewed publications, including 5 in Nature, Science and Nature Climate Change, 7 book chapters, and 5 major reviews (e.g. Annual Reviews of Marine Biology, Annual Reviews of Ecology, Evolution and Systematics).  She has supervised 100 postgraduate students, including PhD (39), MSc (35) and Honours (16) students.

Her current research strives to understand inter-kingdom symbiotic partnerships that underpin coral health and factors driving outbreaks of coral disease, both on the Great Barrier Reef and globally.  She is involved in various international working groups and networks aimed at furthering understanding of the ecology of infectious diseases in corals and in raising the profile of coral health issues throughout the Indo-Pacific. By exploring the dynamics of coral-microbial associations and how flexibility in symbiotic partnerships affects tolerance to environmental stressors, Willis and her research group are exploring the potential of corals to acclimatise and adapt to a changing world.

 

Teaching

• MB3210: Life History and Evolution of Reef Corals (Level 3; TSV)
• MB5400: Life History and Evolution of Reef Corals (Level 5; TSV)

Interests

Research

• Ecology of infectious diseases in reef corals
• Environmental and anthropogenic drivers of coral disease outbreaks
• Microbial symbioses underpinning coral health
• Acclimatisation and adaption of coral symbioses to environmental change
• Reproductive biology and evolutionary ecology of corals

Experience

• 2007 to present - Professor, Personal Chair in Marine Biology, James Cook University
• 2002 to 2006 - Associate Professor, James Cook University
• 1993 to 2001 - Senior Lecturer, James Cook University

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

• Hughes T, Kerry J, Álvarez-Noriega M, Alvarez-Romero J, Anderson K, Baird A, Babcock R, Beger M, Bellwood D, Berkelmans R, Bridge T, Butler I, Byrne M, Cantin N, Comeau S, Connolly S, Cumming G, Dalton S, Diaz-Pulido G, Eakin C, Figueira W, Gilmour J, Harrison H, Heron S, Hoey A, Hobbs J, Hoogenboom M, Kennedy E, Kuo C, Lough J, Lowe R, Liu G, McCulloch M, Malcolm H, McWilliam M, Pandolfi J, Pears R, Pratchett M, Schoepf V, Simpson T, Skirving W, Sommer B, Torda G, Wachenfeld D, Willis B and Wilson S (2017) Global warming and recurrent mass bleaching of corals. Nature, 543 (7645). pp. 373-377
• Pollock F, Wada N, Torda G, Willis B and Bourne D (2017) White syndrome-affected corals have a distinct microbiome at disease lesion fronts. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 83 (2). pp. 1-15
• Brady A, Willis B, Harder L and Vize P (2016) Lunar phase modulates circadian gene expression cycles in the broadcast spawning coral Acropora millepora. Biological Bulletin, 230 (2). pp. 130-142
• Buerger P, Wood-Charlson E, Weynberg K, Willis B and van Oppen M (2016) CRISPR-Cas defense system and potential prophages in cyanobacteria associated with the coral black band disease. Frontiers In Microbiology, 7. pp. 1-14
• Howells E, Willis B, Bay L and van Oppen M (2016) Microsatellite allele sizes alone are insufficient to delineate species boundaries in Symbiodinium. Molecular Ecology, 25 (12). pp. 2719-2723
• Humanes A, Noonan S, Willis B, Fabricius K and Negri A (2016) Cumulative effects of nutrient enrichment and elevated temperature compromise the early life history stages of the Coral Acropora tenuis. PLoS ONE, 11. pp. 1-23
• Jin Y, Lundgren P, Lutz A, Raina J, Howells E, Paley A, Willis B and Van Oppen M (2016) Genetic markers for antioxidant capacity in a reef-building coral. Science Advances, 2. pp. 1-7
• Kelly L, Heintz T, Lamb J, Ainsworth T and Willis B (2016) Ecology and pathology of novel plaque-like growth anomalies affecting a reef-building coral on the Great Barrier Reef. Frontiers in Marine Science, 3. pp. 1-12
• Lamb J, Wenger A, Devlin M, Ceccarelli D, Williamson D and Willis B (2016) Reserves as tools for alleviating impacts of marine disease. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 371 (1689). pp. 1-11
• Lema K, Clode P, Kilburn M, Thornton R, Willis B and Bourne D (2016) Imaging the uptake of nitrogen-fixing bacteria into larvae of the coral Acropora millepora. ISME Journal, 10 (7). pp. 1804-1808
• Maynard J, van Hooidonk R, Harvell C, Eakin C, Liu G, Willis B, Williams G, Groner M, Dobson A, Heron S, Glenn R, Reardon K and Shields J (2016) Improving marine disease surveillance through sea temperature monitoring, outlooks and projections. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 371 (1689). pp. 1-11
• O'Brien P, Morrow K, Willis B and Bourne D (2016) Implications of ocean acidification for marine microorganisms from the free-living to the host-associated. Frontiers in Marine Science, 3. pp. 1-14

More

ResearchOnline@JCU stores 152+ research outputs authored by Prof Bette Willis from 1984 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 Primary or 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

• Coevolution of Marine Invertebrates and their Microbial Communities (PhD , Advsor Mentor)
• Quantifying the Linkages Between Water Quality and the Thermal Tolerance of Corals on the GBR (PhD , Advsor Mentor)
• Characterising the Socio-ecological Benefits of Coral Restoration to Develop Best Practice Guidelines Supporting Reef Resilience (PhD , Secondary Advisor)
• Microbial Indicators for Water Quality and Environmental Stress Assessment of Coral Reef Ecosystems. (PhD , Secondary Advisor)
• Improving coral thermal resilience through experimental evolution in Symbiodinium (PhD , Secondary Advisor)

Completed

• Transcriptomics of coral-algal interactions: novel insights into the establishment of symbiosis (2016, PhD , Secondary Advisor)
• Nature or nurture? Testing the correlation between stress tolerance and genotype in the coral Acropora millepora on the Great Barrier Reef (2016, PhD , Primary Advisor)
• The energetics of scleractinian coral larvae and implications for dispersal (2012, PhD , Primary Advisor)
• Colour polymorphism and its role in stress tolerance in the coral Acropora millepora on the Great Barrier Reef (2015, PhD , Primary Advisor)
• Understanding the drivers of white syndrome coral diseases on Indo-Pacific reefs (2015, PhD , Primary Advisor)
• Corals under stress: a study of the coral innate immune system (2015, PhD , Primary Advisor)
• A Dynamic Understanding of Coral Reef Health Informs Resilience-based Management of the Great Barrier Reef (2015, PhD , Associate Advisor)
• Diversity, stability, and uptake of diazotrophic bacterial communities associated with corals of the Great Barrier Reef (2014, PhD , Primary Advisor)
• Influence of marine-based industries on coral health and disease (2014, PhD , Primary Advisor)
• Genetic assessment of population structure and the origin of recruits in brooding corals: understanding population connectivity on the Great Barrier Reef on various timescales (2013, PhD , Secondary Advisor)
• Production and fate of dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) in reef-building corals and its integral role in coral health (2013, PhD , Primary Advisor)
• Evolutionary and ecological connectivity at hierarchical scales from sperm to species in the reef-building coral genus Seriatopora (2013, PhD , Primary Advisor)
• Dynamics and drivers of coral disease on Indo-Pacific reefs (2012, PhD , Primary Advisor)
• Ecology and microbiology of black band disease: new insights into the etiology of an old coral disease (2012, PhD , Primary Advisor)
• Coral symbionts in warming seas: population dynamics, adaptation and acclimatisation of Symbiodinium (2012, PhD , Primary Advisor)
• Effects of water quality on the health and condition of inshore corals (2016, PhD , Secondary Advisor)
• Combined effects of water quality and temperature on the early life history stages of the broadcast spawning coral Acropora tenuis (2016, PhD , Secondary Advisor)
• Viruses: Contributors to and Mitigators of Black Band Disease in Corals (2017, PhD , Primary Advisor)
• Genetic and Environmental Basis for Symbiodinium Specificity in the Coral-Dinoflagellate Symbiosis;; (2017, PhD , Primary Advisor)
• Vectors and Environmental Drivers of Coral Disease Dynamics on The Great Barrier Reef;; (2017, PhD , Secondary Advisor)
• Effect of ocean acidification on reef-building corals: understanding variability and projecting population-level impact (2015, PhD , Secondary Advisor)

The map shows research collaborations by institution from the past 7 years.
Note: Map points are indicative of the countries or states that institutions are associated with.