I am a seagrass and coastal ecosystems ecologist. My research facilitates the protection, conservation, biological diversity, rehabilitation, management and sustainable development of seagrass resources. I am particularly interested in the status and condition of seagrass resources across a range of scales (from local to global), understanding the role of disturbance, determining thresholds of concern and investigating resilience of seagrass ecosystems. I am also interested in the relationship between seagrass and associated fauna, the impacts of declining water quality and climate change.

Experience

• 1998 to 2012 - Principal Scientist, QLD DAFF (Cairns)
• 1992 to 1998 - Biologist, QLD DPI&F (Cairns)
• 1990 to 1992 - Technical Officer, QLD DPI&F (Cairns)
• 1986 to 1989 - Research Assistant, James Cook University (Townsville)

Research Disciplines

• Environmental Science and Management (0502)
• Plant Biology (0607)

Socio-Economic Objectives

• Ecosystem Assessment and Management (9605)
• Flora, Fauna and Biodiversity (9608)
• Physical and Chemical Conditions of Water (9611)

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

• Duffy J, Benedetti-Cecchi L, Trinanes J, Muller-Karger F, Ambo-Rappe R, Boström C, Buschmann A, Byrnes J, Coles R, Creed J, Cullen-Unsworth L, Diaz-Pulido G, Duarte C, Edgar G, Fortes M, Goni G, Hu C, Huang X, Hurd C, Johnson C, Konar B, Krause-Jensen D, Krumhansl K, Macreadie P, Marsh H, McKenzie L, Mieszkowska N, Miloslavich P, Montes E, Nakaoka M, Norderhaug K, Norlund L, Orth R, Prathep A, Putman N, Samper-Villarreal J, Serrao E, Short F, Pinto I, Steinberg P, Stuart-Smith R, Unsworth R, van Keulen M, van Tussenbroek B, Wang M, Waycott M, Weatherdon L, Wernberg T and Yaakub S (2019) Toward a coordinated global observing system for seagrasses and marine macroalgae. Frontiers in Marine Science, 6, Article: 317, pp. 1-26, DOI:10.3389/fmars.2019.00317.
• Unsworth R, McKenzie L, Collier C, Cullen-Unsworth L, Duarte C, Eklöf J, Jarvis J, Jones B and Nordlund L (2019) Global challenges for seagrass conservation. Ambio, 48, pp. 801-815, DOI:10.1007/s13280-018-1115-y.
• Grech A, Hanert E, McKenzie L, Rasheed M, Thomas C, Tol S, Wang M, Waycott M, Wolter J and Coles R (2018) Predicting the cumulative effect of multiple disturbances on seagrass connectivity. Global Change Biology, 24 (7), pp. 3093-3104, DOI:10.1111/gcb.14127.
• Jones B, Unsworth R, McKenzie L, Yoshida R and Cullen-Unsworth L (2018) Crowdsourcing conservation: the role of citizen science in securing a future for seagrass. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 134, pp. 210-215, DOI:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2017.11.005.
• O'Brien K, Waycott M, Maxwell P, Kendrick G, Udy J, Ferguson A, Kilminster K, Scanes P, McKenzie L, McMahon K, Adams M, Samper-Villarreal J, Collier C, Lyons M, Mumby P, Radke L, Christianen M and Dennison W (2018) Seagrass ecosystem trajectory depends on the relative timescales of resistance, recovery and disturbance. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 134, pp. 166-176, DOI:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2017.09.006.
• Phinn S, Kovacs E, Roelfsema C, Canto R, Collier C and McKenzie L (2018) Assessing the potential for satellite image monitoring of seagrass thermal dynamics: for inter-and shallow sub-tidal seagrasses in the inshore Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area, Australia. International Journal of Digital Earth, 11 (8), pp. 803-824, DOI:10.1080/17538947.2017.1359343.
• Unsworth R, McKenzie L, Nordlund L and Cullen-Unsworth L (2018) A changing climate for seagrass conservation? Current Biology, 28 (21), pp. 1229-1232, DOI:10.1016/j.cub.2018.09.027.
• Collier C, Adams M, Langlois L, Waycott M, O'Brien K, Maxwell P and McKenzie L (2016) Thresholds for morphological response to light reduction for four tropical seagrass species. Ecological Indicators, 67, pp. 358-366, DOI:10.1016/j.ecolind.2016.02.050.
• Grech A, Wolter J, Coles R, McKenzie L, Rasheed M, Thomas C, Waycott M and Hanert E (2016) Spatial patterns of seagrass dispersaland settlement. Diversity and Distributions, 22 (11), pp. 1150-1162, DOI:10.1111/ddi.12479.
• McKenzie L, Yaakub S, Tan R, Seymour J and Yoshida R (2016) Seagrass habitats of Singapore: environmental drivers and key processes. Raffles Bulletin of Zoology, Supplement 34 (1), pp. 60-77.
• Petus C, Devlin M, Thompson A, McKenzie L, Da Silva E, Collier C, Tracey D and Martin K (2016) Estimating the exposure of coral reefs and seagrass meadows to land-sourced contaminants in river flood plumes of the Great Barrier Reef: validating a simple satellite risk framework with environmental data. Remote Sensing, 8 (3), Article: 210, DOI:10.3390/rs8030210.
• Coles R, Rasheed M, McKenzie L, Grech A, York P, Sheaves M, McKenna S and Bryant C (2015) The Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area seagrasses: managing this iconic Australian ecosystem resource for the future. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science , 153, pp. A1-A12, DOI:10.1016/j.ecss.2014.07.020.

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ResearchOnline@JCU stores 43+ research outputs authored by Mr Len McKenzie from 2007 onwards.

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

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