Dr Peter Cowman ~ Senior Lecturer
Marine & Aquaculture Sciences
- About
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- Experience
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- 2014 to 2016 - Postdoctoral Associate, Yale University (New Haven (USA))
- 2012 to 2014 - Postdoctoral Fellow, Australian National University (Canberra)
- Research Disciplines
- Socio-Economic Objectives
Dr Peter Cowman is an ARC DECRA Fellow at the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies. He is a previous recipient of the prestigious Donnelley Postdoctoral Environmental Fellowship (2014-2016) administered by the Yale Institute for Biospheric Studies (YIBS). Dr Cowman is a leading authority on the phylogenetic systematics and evolutionary origins of coral reef-associated fishes.
His research focuses on reconstructing the evolutionary history of diverse groups of fishes and corals that are associated with tropical reefs habitats and uses those phylogenetic hypotheses to explore macroevolutionary questions on topics ranging from the origins of trophic novelty, processes driving biodiversity patterns, and the ancestral biogeography of reef-associated lineages. In a parallel research theme, he explores the causative relationships between genomic change, processes of diversification and life history traits across the tree of life.
- Honours
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- Awards
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- 2009 - Virginia Chadwick Award for Excellence in Publication
- 2017 to 2020 - ARC Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA)
- Fellowships
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- 2017 to 2020 - ARC Discovery Early Career Researcher Award
- 2014 to 2016 - Donnelley Environmental Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Yale Institute for Biospheric Studies
- Publications
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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
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- Horowitz J, Opresko D, Molodtsova T, Beaman R, Cowman P and Bridge T (2022) Five new species of black coral (Anthozoa; Antipatharia) from the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea, Australia. Zootaxa, 5213 (1). pp. 1-35
- Ramírez-Portilla C, Baird A, Cowman P, Quattrini A, Harii S, Sinniger F and Flot J (2022) Solving the Coral Species Delimitation Conundrum. Systematic Biology, 71 (2). pp. 461-475
- Tea Y, Xu X, Dibattista J, Lloyd J, Cowman P and Ho S (2022) Phylogenomic Analysis of Concatenated Ultraconserved Elements Reveals the Recent Evolutionary Radiation of the Fairy Wrasses (Teleostei: Labridae: Cirrhilabrus). Systematic Biology, 71 (1). pp. 1-12
- Downie A, Leis J, Cowman P, McCormick M and Rummer J (2021) The influence of habitat association on swimming performance in marine teleost fish larvae. Fish and Fisheries, 22 (6). pp. 1187-1212
- Grinblat M, Cooke I, Shlesinger T, Ben-Zvi O, Loya Y, Miller D and Cowman P (2021) Biogeography, reproductive biology and phylogenetic divergence within the Fungiidae (mushroom corals). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 164.
- Hemingson C, Siqueira A, Cowman P and Bellwood D (2021) Drivers of eyespot evolution in coral reef fishes. Evolution, 75 (4). pp. 903-914
- Mcfadden C, Quattrini A, Brugler M, Cowman P, Dueñas L, Kitahara M, Paz-García D, Reimer J and Rodríguez E (2021) Phylogenomics, origin, and diversification of anthozoans (Phylum Cnidaria). Systematic Biology, 70 (4). pp. 635-647
- Siqueira A, Morais R, Bellwood D and Cowman P (2021) Planktivores as trophic drivers of global coral reef fish diversity patterns. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 118 (9).
- Cowman P, Quattrini A, Bridge T, Watkins-Colwell G, Fadli N, Grinblat M, Roberts T, McFadden C, Miller D and Baird A (2020) An enhanced target-enrichment bait set for Hexacorallia provides phylogenomic resolution of the staghorn corals (Acroporidae) and close relatives. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 153.
- Hemingson C, Cowman P and Bellwood D (2020) Body size determines eyespot size and presence in coral reef fishes. Ecology and Evolution, 10 (15). pp. 8144-8152
- Horowitz J, Brugler M, Bridge T and Cowman P (2020) Morphological and molecular description of a new genus and species of black coral (Cnidaria: Anthozoa: Hexacorallia: Antipatharia: Antipathidae: Blastopathes) from Papua New Guinea. Zootaxa, 4821 (3). pp. 553-569
- Quattrini A, Rodriguez E, Faircloth B, Cowman P, Brugler M, Farfan G, Hellberg M, Kitahara M, Morrison C, Paz-Garcia D, Reimer J and McFadden C (2020) Palaeoclimate ocean conditions shaped the evolution of corals and their skeletons through deep time. Nature Ecology & Evolution, 4. pp. 1531-1538
- Current Funding
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Current and recent Research Funding to JCU is shown by funding source and project.
Minderoo Foundation - Flourishing Oceans
Taxonomic assessment of corals in the Australian Indian Ocean Territory
- Indicative Funding
- $57,750 over 1 year
- Summary
- Document the species richness of the coral fauna of Christmas and Cocos (Keeling) islands (Australian Indian Ocean Territory), with a focus on identifying new species, species endemic to the region or vulnerable to threats due to low abundance or limited distributions.
- Investigators
- Tom Bridge, Peter Cowman and Andrew Baird (College of Science & Engineering)
- Keywords
- Coral; Taxonomy; endemicity; Indian Ocean; Biogeography; biodiversity
Minderoo Foundation - Flourishing Oceans
Biodiversity of the reef-building corals of Ningaloo Reef and the Indian Ocean
- Indicative Funding
- $95,187 over 2 years
- Summary
- Document the species richness of the coral fauna of Ningaloo with a focus on identifying species endemic to the region or vulnerable to threats due to low abundance or limited distributions.
- Investigators
- Andrew Baird, Tom Bridge and Peter Cowman (College of Science & Engineering and Education Division)
- Keywords
- Coral Reefs; Conservation; Species discovery; Biodiversity; Biogeography; Endemicity
Lizard Island Research Station - Critical research grants
Taxonomy of the reef-building corals of Lizard Island
- Indicative Funding
- $88,000 over 2 years
- Summary
- The short term aim of the project is to establish a curated collection of all scleractinian coral species from Lizard Island, including field and skeleton images plus tissue samples. This will allow for consistency in identification of corals among studies. The long term goal is a robust taxonomy for the corals of Lizard Island using an integrated approach that includes quantitative morphological analysis, molecular analysis and other lines of evidence, such as spawning times and breeding compatibilities.
- Investigators
- Andrew Baird, Tom Bridge and Peter Cowman (ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies)
- Keywords
- Biodiversity; Taxonomy; Great Barrier Reef; Coral Reefs; Scleractinia; Conservation
Australian Research Council - Discovery Early Career Researcher Award
Biodiversity, biogeography and molecular evolution on tropical reefs
- Indicative Funding
- $372,000 over 3 years
- Summary
- This project aims to uncover how biodiversity patterns are driven by evolutionary processes, biogeography and molecular change. Coral reefs support over 800,000 plant and animal species on <0.1% of the ocean. How was this biodiversity formed? This project aims to answer this question by generating genomic data for a group of reef building corals and reef associated fishes to reconstruct their evolutionary history. It plans to use new methods to compare models of speciation, extinction and range change among regions to determine how those processes contribute to the formation of biodiversity gradients and regional assemblage differences. The project intends to improve understanding of evolutionary dynamics to inform conservation priorities.
- Investigators
- Peter Cowman (ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies)
- Keywords
- Coral Reefs; Molecular Evolution; Biogeography; Acroporidae; diversification; Labridae
- Supervision
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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
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- Drivers of Biodiversity on Coral Reefs - the role of Antipatharians Supporting Species Richness and Abundance on Shallow and Mesophotic Reefs (PhD , Secondary Advisor)
- Integrating physiological and environmental drivers of depth zonation patterns on coral reefs (PhD , Secondary Advisor)
- An integrated taxonomic approach to understanding the diversity and biogeography of corals on the Great Barrier Reef. (PhD , Secondary Advisor)
- Phylogenomics and Whole Genome Assembly of Marine Angelfishes: The Evolutionary History of an Iconic Reef Fish Family (PhD , Primary Advisor)
- Morphological and molecular systematics of stoloniferous soft corals (PhD , Primary Advisor)
- Role of Hybridization in Evolutionary History of Scleractinian Corals (PhD , Secondary Advisor)
- Completed
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- The evolution, macroecology and biogeography of coral reef fishes: a trophic perspective (2021, PhD , Primary Advisor)
- How do coral reef fishes develop into athletes? (2021, PhD , Secondary Advisor)
- Biogeography, reproductive biology and early development in scleractinian corals (2022, PhD , Secondary Advisor)
- The taxonomy, biodiversity, and evolutionary history of black corals (order Antipatharia) (2022, PhD , Secondary Advisor)
- The colours of coral reef fishes (2021, PhD , Secondary Advisor)
- Data
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These are the most recent metadata records associated with this researcher. To see a detailed description of all dataset records, visit Research Data Australia.
- Hemingson, C. (2020) Data from: Body size determines eyespot size and presence in coral reef fishes. James Cook University
- Siqueira Correa, A. (2020) Data from 'Trophic innovations fuel reef fish diversification'. James Cook University
- Siqueira Correa, A. (2019) Data from 'Historical biogeography of herbivorous coral reef fishes: the formation of an Atlantic fauna'. James Cook University
- Hemingson, C. (2018) Data from: Colour pattern divergence in reef fish species is rapid and driven by both range overlap and range symmetry. James Cook University
- Collaboration
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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.- 5+ collaborations
- 4 collaborations
- 3 collaborations
- 2 collaborations
- 1 collaboration
- Indicates the Tropics (Torrid Zone)
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- Advisory Accreditation
- Primary Advisor
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My research areas
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