Jennifer has broad interests in the ecology and early life history of marine fishes, as well as the potential for animals to cope with future climate change. Her research to date has focused on the ecological impacts of climate change to marine fishes and the potential for species to acclimate to the predicted environmental changes. To tackle these questions she use temperature controlled aquarium systems to maintain fish under elevated temperatures for years and generations to test the longer term impacts of warming ocean on marine fish. Jenni utilizes state of the art aquariums systems at both Sydney Institute of Marine Science and James Cook University to test the impacts of elevated sea water temperature.

Jenni's research concentrates on understanding the importance and prevalence of developmental plasticity, when fish experience warmer conditions in the first months of life, as well as the potential for acclimation across generations, when parents and grandparents are kept under elevated temperature conditions for their entire life. Her continuing research will expand our knowledge of how marine fishes throughout Eastern Australia (temperate to tropical) may cope with climate change through both developmental and transgenerational acclimation.

 

Interests

Research

• · Impacts of climate change on marine fishes · The ability of marine fish to acclimate and adapt to climate change · Developmental plasticity · Parental effects · Thermal ecology and evolution

Research Disciplines

• Ecology (0602)
• Ecological Applications (0501)

Socio-Economic Objectives

• Climate and Climate Change (9603)

Awards

• 2017 - Australian Society of Fish Biology Early Career Excellence Award
• 2016 - Australian Institute of Policy and Science Young Tally Poppy of Queensland Science Award
• 2013 - Virginia Chadwick Award for Excellence in Scientific Publishing
• 2012 - Winston Churchill Fellowship: Dr Dorothea Sanders and Irene Lee
• 2011 - Virginia Chadwick Award for Excellence in Scientific Publishing
• 2013 to 2016 - Chancellor's Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of Technology Sydney
• 2008 to 2011 - CSIRO Marine Climate Impact and Adaptation Flagship Student Fellowship

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

• Bonebrake T, Brown C, Bell J, Blanchard J, Chauvenet A, Champion C, Chen I, Clark T, Colwell R, Danielsen F, Dell A, Donelson J, Evengård B, Ferrier S, Frusher S, Garcia R, Griffis R, Hobday A, Jarzyna M, Lee E, Lenoir J, Linnetved H, Martin V, McCormack P, McDonald J, McDonald-Madden E, Mitchell N, Mustonen T, Pandolfi J, Pettorelli N, Possingham H, Pulsifer P, Reynolds M, Scheffers B, Sorte C, Strugnell J, Tuanmu M, Twiname S, Vergés A, Villanueva C, Wapstra E, Wernberg T and Pecl G (2018) Managing consequences of climate-driven species redistribution requires integration of ecology, conservation and social science. Biological Reviews, 93 (1). pp. 284-305
• Donelson J, Salinas S, Munday P and Shama L (2018) Transgenerational plasticity and climate change experiments: where do we go from here? Global Change Biology, 24 (1). pp. 13-34
• Matis P, Donelson J, Bush S, Fox R and Booth D (2018) Temperature influences habitat preference of coral reef fishes: will generalists become more specialised in a warming ocean? Global Change Biology, 24 (7). pp. 3158-3169
• McMahon S, Donelson J and Munday P (2018) Food ration does not influence the effect of elevated CO2 on antipredator behaviour of a reef fish. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 586. pp. 155-165
• Rodgers G, Donelson J, McCormick M and Munday P (2018) In hot water: sustained ocean warming reduces survival of a low-latitude coral reef fish. Marine Biology, 165.
• Ryu T, Veilleux H, Donelson J, Munday P and Ravasi T (2018) The epigenetic landscape of transgenerational acclimation to ocean warming. Nature Climate Change, 8. pp. 504-509
• Smith S, Fox R, Booth D and Donelson J (2018) "Stick with your own kind, or hang with the locals?' Implications of shoaling strategy for tropical reef fish on a range-expansion frontline. Global Change Biology, 24 (4). pp. 1663-1672
• Veilleux H, Donelson J and Munday P (2018) Reproductive gene expression in a coral reef fish exposed to increasing temperature across generations. Conservation Physiology, 6 (1).
• Motson K and Donelson J (2017) Limited capacity for developmental thermal acclimation in three tropical wrasses. Coral Reefs, 36 (2). pp. 609-621
• Pratchett M, Cameron D, Donelson J, Evans L, Frisch A, Hobday A, Hoey A, Marshall N, Messmer V, Munday P, Pears R, Pecl G, Reynolds A, Scott M, Tobin A, Tobin R, Welch D and Williamson D (2017) Effects of climate change on coral grouper (Plectropomus spp.) and possible adaptation options. Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries, 27. pp. 297-316
• Rodgers G, Donelson J and Munday P (2017) Thermosensitive period of sex determination in the coral-reef damselfish Acanthochromis polyacanthus and the implications of projected ocean warming. Coral Reefs, 36 (1). pp. 131-138
• Torda G, Donelson J, Aranda M, Barshis D, Bay L, Berumen M, Bourne D, Cantin N, Foret S, Matz M, Miller D, Moya A, Putnam H, Ravasi T, van Oppen M, Vega Thurber R, Vidal-Dupiol J, Voolstra C, Watson S, Whitelaw E, Willis B and Munday P (2017) Rapid adaptive responses to climate change in corals. Nature Climate Change, 7. pp. 627-636

More

ResearchOnline@JCU stores 35+ research outputs authored by Dr Jennifer Donelson from 2008 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

• Warming up to climate change: the evolutionary potential of transgenerational acclimation of coral reef fishes to elevated sea temperature (PhD , Secondary Advisor)
• Effects of Rising Water Temperature and Food Availability on Predatory Reef Fish (PhD , Primary Advisor)

Completed

• Influence of elevated temperature on juvenile damselfish performance and their scope for adjustment through developmental plasticity (2017, PhD , Secondary Advisor)
• Climate change in a stable thermal environment: effects on the performance and life history of coral reef fish (2016, PhD , Secondary Advisor)

These are the most recent metadata records associated with this researcher. To see a detailed description of all dataset records, visit the JCU Research Data Catalogue.

• Rodgers, G. (2018) In hot water: sustained ocean warming reduces survival of a low-latitude coral reef fish. James Cook University
• Donelson, J. (2017) Data from: Transgenerational plasticity of reproduction depends on rate of warming across generations. James Cook University
• Veilleux, H. (2017) Acanthochromis polyacanthus transcriptome. James Cook University
• McMahon, S. (2017) Risky business: how elevated CO₂ and energetic resources affect anti-predator behaviour in a reef fish. James Cook University
• Motson, K. (2016) Limited capacity for developmental thermal acclimation in three tropical wrasses. James Cook University
• Rodgers, G. (2016) Thermosensitive period of sex determination in the coral reef damselfish Acanthochromis polyacanthus and the implications of projected ocean warming. James Cook University
• Munday, P. (2012) Ocean acidification and the early life history development of a tropical marine fish. James Cook University

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.