JCU > Research Portfolio > Dr Paul York

About

Paul is a marine and estuarine ecologist who has worked extensively in benthic communities and particularly seagrass ecosystems. His research includes the study of seagrass food webs, invasive species, seagrasses genetics, resilience, reproductive and population biology. He has also worked on soft sediment faunal communities and rocky shore ecology in both Australia and South America.

Interests

Research

Plant-Herbivore Interactions
Seagrass
Population biology
Molecular Ecology
Plant Physiology
Marine biogeography

Experience

2012 to 2013 - Post-doctoral Research Fellow, Centre for Integrative Ecology, Deakin University (Waurn Ponds, VIC, Australia)
2012 to 2013 - Post-doctoral Research Fellow, Department of Zoology, University of Melbourne (Parkville, VIC Australia)
2010 to 2013 - Research assistant, University of Technology Sydney (Broadway, NSW, Australia)
2010 to 2013 - : Casual academic, Australian Catholic University (North Sydney, NSW, Australia)
2009 - Marine Park Ranger, Batemans Marine Park NSW (Narooma, NSWAustralia)
2004 to 2007 - Research assistant, University of Technology Sydney (Broadway, NSW, Australia)

Research Disciplines

Socio-Economic Objectives

Honours

Awards

2016 to 2017 - James Cook University Early Career Researcher Rising Star Award
2016 - Ian Potter Foundation Travel Award

Fellowships

2014 to 2015 - The Isobel Bennett Marine Biology Fellowship at Lizard Island

Memberships

2014 to 2017 - IUCN Species Survival Commission - Seagrass Specialist Group
2014 to 2017 - World Seagrass Association
2013 to 2017 - Royal zoological Society of New South Wales
2005 to 2017 - Australian Marine Sciences Association

Publications

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

Jinks K, Rasheed M, Brown C, Olds A, Schlacher T, Sheaves M, York P and Connolly R (2020) Saltmarsh grass supports fishery food webs in subtropical Australian estuaries. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 238, Article: 106719, DOI:10.1016/j.ecss.2020.106719.
Ricart A, York P, Bryant C, Rasheed M, Ierodiaconou D and Macreadie P (2020) High variability of Blue Carbon storage in seagrass meadows at the estuary scale. Scientific Reports, 10, Article: 5865, DOI:10.1038/s41598-020-62639-y.
Jinks K, Brown C, Rasheed M, Scott A, Sheaves M, York P and Connolly R (2019) Habitat complexity influences the structure of food webs in Great Barrier Reef seagrass meadows. Ecosphere, 10 (11), Article: e02928, DOI:10.1002/ecs2.2928.
Hays G, Alcoverro T, Christianen M, Duarte C, Hamann M, Macreadie P, Marsh H, Rasheed M, Thums M, Unsworth R, York P and Esteban N (2018) New tools to identify the location of seagrass meadows: marine grazers as habitat indicators. Frontiers in Marine Science, 5, Article: 9, DOI:10.3389/fmars.2018.00009.
Schrameyer V, York P, Chartrand K, Ralph P, Kuhl M, Brodersen K and Rasheed M (2018) Contrasting impacts of light reduction on sediment biogeochemistry in deep- and shallow-water tropical seagrass assemblages (Green Island, Great Barrier Reef). Marine Environmental Research, 136, pp. 38-47, DOI:10.1016/j.marenvres.2018.02.008.
Scott A, York P, Duncan C, Macreadie P, Connolly R, Ellis M, Jarvis J, Jinks K, Marsh H and Rasheed M (2018) The role of herbivory in structuring tropical seagrass ecosystem service delivery. Frontiers in Plant Science, 9, Article: 127, DOI:10.3389/fpls.2018.00127.
Smith T, York P, Broitman B, Thiel M, Hays G, van Sebille E, Putman N, Macreadie P and Sherman C (2018) Rare long distance dispersal of a marine angiosperm across the Pacific Ocean. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 27 (4), pp. 487-496, DOI:10.1111/geb.12713.
Wu P, McMahon K, Rasheed M, Kendrick G, York P, Chartrand K, Caley M and Mengersen K (2018) Managing seagrass resilience under cumulative dredging affecting light: predicting risk using dynamic Bayesian networks. Journal of Applied Ecology, 55 (3), pp. 1339-1350, DOI:10.1111/1365-2664.13037.
York P, Macreadie P and Rasheed M (2018) Blue Carbon stocks of Great Barrier Reef deep-water seagrasses. Biology Letters, 14 (12), Article: 20180529, DOI:10.1098/rsbl.2018.0529.
Clarke D, York P, Rasheed M and Northfield T (2017) Does biodiversity–ecosystem function literature neglect tropical ecosystems? . Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 32 (5), pp. 320-323, DOI:10.1016/j.tree.2017.02.012.

Book Chapters

Sherman C, Smith T, York P, Jarvis J, Ruiz-Montoya L and Kendrick G (2018) Reproductive, dispersal and recruitment strategies in Australian seagrasses. In: Seagrasses of Australia: Structure, Ecology and Conservation. Springer, Cham, Switzerland, pp. 213-256
York P, Hyndes G, Bishop M and Barnes R (2018) Faunal assemblages of seagrass ecosystems. In: Seagrasses of Australia: Structure, Ecology and Conservation. Springer, Cham, Switzerland, pp. 541-588

More: ResearchOnline@JCU stores 52+ research outputs authored by Dr Paul York from 2006 onwards.

Current Funding

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

Advisian Pty Ltd - Advisian Pty Ltd

Hay Point Shiploader Upgrade: Benthic Habitat Assessments

Indicative Funding: $40,210 (administered by JCU)
Summary: Develop and implement a benthic habitat assessment program for Advisian to report on the benthic habitats in a specific area of the port to assist with berth upgrades.
Investigators: Skye McKenna, Michael Rasheed and Paul York (TropWATER)
Keywords: Seagrass; Coastal Habitats; Benthic Habitats; Ports; Dredging; Hay Point

QLD Department of Agriculture and Fisheries - Contract Research

The Value of Tidal Wetland Habitats in Sustaining Fisheries Production in Central Queensland

Indicative Funding: $50,000 over 2 years (administered by Griffith University)
Summary: This project uses stable isotopes as a chemical tracer to measure incorporation of organic matter from different plants into fish prey and ultimately into fish. It will determine the relative importance of seagrass, mangrove, saltmarsh and micro algae on the soft sediments to fish and particularly those of recreational and commercial importance in central Queensland.
Investigators: Michael Rasheed and Paul York (TropWATER)
Keywords: Fisheries; Food Webs; Fish; Stable Isotopes; Marine Habitats

Gladstone Ports Corporation Ltd - Research Grant

Ecological valuation tools to protect seagrasses from coastal development

Indicative Funding: $450,000 over 3 years
Summary: Industry cash contribution fro ARC Linkage Grant application LP160100492. Seagrasses provide ecosystem services (fisheries, nutrient cycling, primary productivity) worth trillions of dollars, but this capacity is threatened by coastal development. In Australia, port developments are considered a major threat to seagrass ecosystems, but resource managers lack accurate information about their potential impacts and mitigation lmeasures. Focussing on differences between shallow and deep seagrasses within the Great Barrier Reef, this project seeks to develop a world-first spatial valuation tool that will allow resource managers and policy makers to minimise impact of port development on seagrass ecosystems, thereby ensuring that Australia's seagrasses continue to provide ecosystem services essential to our well-being.
Investigators: Michael Rasheed and Paul York (TropWATER)
Keywords: Seagrass; Dugong; Trophic; turtle; Food Web; stable isotope

Gladstone Ports Corporation Ltd - Contract Research

Increase Understanding of Dugong Feeding Ecology and Habitat Usage on Intertidal Banks in Port Curtis, Including Rodds Bay

Indicative Funding: $110,332 over 3 years
Summary: Gladstone Ports Corporation Limited has contracted JCU TropWATER to use remote sensing techniques to monitor dugong feeding trails on intertidal seagrass meadows in Port Curtis and Rodds Bay to gain a better understanding of the behaviour and feeding ecology of these endangered species. The objectives are to: 1. Monitor seasonal changes in dugong feeding trail density, and location in key seagrass meadows. 2. Investigate the effects of time, site and meadow characteristics on the changes in dugong feeding behaviour. 3. Link dugong habitat use and feeding behaviour to established seagrass monitoring and dugong survey and tagging programs.
Investigators: Michael Rasheed, Paul York and Damien O'Grady in collaboration with Jessie Jarvis, Skye McKenna, Catherine Bryant and Jaclyn Davies (TropWATER)
Keywords: Dugong; Feeding Ecology; Seagrass; Remote Sensing

Supervision

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

Herbivores as ecosystem engineers in tropical seagrass meadows: Grazing impacts on meadow structure and ecosystem service delivery. (PhD , Secondary Advisor)
Relative Importance of Different Seagrass Re-Establishment Strategies in Tropical Queensland (PhD , Secondary Advisor)

Data

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.

Tol, S. (2016) Biotic tropical seagrass seed dispersal by dugong and green sea turtles in the Great Barrier Reef. James Cook University
York, P. (2013) Multiple stressors (light and temerature) on the temperate seagrass Zostera muelleri. None

Collaboration

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.