Summary

Samantha is an ecologist dedicated to unravelling the intricacies of marine ecosystems. Presently, her research encompasses seagrass and algal ecology. She has led investigations mapping benthic habitats within the Coral Sea Marine Park's deepwater lagoons, providing critical insights for habitat preservation and marine management. Simultaneously, her postdoctoral pursuits concentrate on pioneering environmental DNA (eDNA) techniques to detect Yellow Crazy Ants and their eDNA degradation, offering promising pathways for biosecurity enhancement.

Samantha’s journey began with the Seagrass Ecology Team at TropWATER since 2012, contributing to coastal seagrass monitoring for industrial sectors. In 2021, she successfully completed her PhD, studying the complex dispersal mechanisms of tropical seagrass, notably emphasizing the influential roles of dugongs and green sea turtles. This research has provided insight for conservation strategies, through emphasizing the crucial interplay between species interactions and ecosystem health.

Overall, Samantha's research is marked by a dedicated commitment to bridging academic exploration and practical applicability. Her work provides a synergy between theoretical insight and real-world impact, contributing to the preservation of marine environments and advancing the boundaries of ecological understanding.

Recent Media

September 2023: S5E4 Reef and Rivers Wet Tropics Waterways podcast - Dr Samantha Tol, Dugongs, Turtles and Seagrass
April 2023: BBC Documentary 'Changing Planets - Series 2: Episode 2'
August 2021: ABC article 'Scientists discover seagrass grows better after its seeds have been eaten by dugongs, turtles'
May 2018: Conversation article ''Dugong and sea turtle poo sheds new light on the Great Barrier Reef’s seagrass meadows'

Interests

Research

Coastal Ecology
Seagrass
Plant-Herbivore Interactions
Marine Ecology
Environmental DNA (eDNA)
Marine Botany

Experience

2020 to present - Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, James Cook Univesrity (Cairns, Australia)
2012 to present - Researcher, Centre for Tropical Water and Aqautic Ecosystem Research (Cairns, Australia)
2014 to 2020 - PhD, James Cook University (Cairns, Australia)

Research Disciplines

Socio-Economic Objectives

Honours

Awards

2022 - Peter Ashton Prize for the outstanding paper in BIOTROPICA by a student
2016 - SeaWorld Research and Rescue Foundation Berst Presentation in the area of Science and Conservation of Marine Vertebrates, Australian Marine Science Assocation Conference

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

Tol S, Carter A, York P, Jarvis J, Grech A, Congdon B and Coles R (2023) Vegetative fragment production as a means of propagule dispersal for tropical seagrass meadows. Marine Environmental Research, 191.
Schlaefer J, Carter A, Choukroun S, Coles R, Critchell K, Lambrechts J, Rasheed M, Tol S and Grech A (2022) Marine plant dispersal and connectivity measures differ in their sensitivity to biophysical model parameters. Environmental Modelling & Software, 149.
Tol S, Jarvis J, York P, Congdon B and Coles R (2021) Mutualistic relationships in marine angiosperms: enhanced germination of seeds by mega-herbivores. Biotropica, 53 (6). pp. 1535-1545
Tol S, Harrison M, Groom R, Gilbert J, Blair D, Coles R and Congdon B (2021) Using DNA to distinguish between faeces of Dugong dugon and Chelonia mydas: non-invasive sampling for IUCN-listed marine megafauna. Conservation Genetics Resources, 13. pp. 115-117
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
Tol S, Jarvis J, York P, Grech A, Congdon B and Coles R (2017) Long distance biotic dispersal of tropical seagrass seeds by marine mega-herbivores. Scientific Reports, 7. pp. 1-8
Tol S, Coles R and Congdon B (2016) Dugong dugon feeding in tropical Australian seagrass meadows: implications for conservation planning. PeerJ, 4.

Other research outputs

McCormack C, Chartrand K, Thomas R, Tol S, Szabo M and Rasheed M (2015) Deepwater seagrass dynamics: light requirements, seasonal change and mechanisms of recruitment for deepwater seagrasses: interim report. TropWATER, James Cook University, Cairns, QLD, Australia [Report]
Davies J, Tol S and Rasheed M (2015) Port of Townsville annual monitoring and baseline survey: October 2014. Technical reports, 15/01. TropWATER, James Cook University, Cairns, QLD, Australia [Report]
Bryant C, Davies J, Jarvis J, Tol S and Rasheed M (2014) Seagrasses in Port Curtis & Rodds Bay 2013: annual long term monitoring, biannual western basin surveys & updated baseline survey. Technical reports, 14/23. TropWATER, James Cook University, Cairns [Report]
Rasheed M, McKenna S and Tol S (2013) Seagrass habitat of Cairns Harbour and Trinity Inlet: annual monitoring and updated baseline survey. Technical Reports, 13/17. TropWATER, James Cook University, Cairns, QLD, Australia [Report]
McKenna S, Rasheed M, Sankey T and Tol S (2013) Benthic macro-invertebrates of Cairns Harbour and Trinity Inlet: survey: 2012/13. Technical Reports, 13/39. TropWATER, James Cook University, Cairns, QLD, Australia [Report]

More: ResearchOnline@JCU stores 14+ research outputs authored by Dr Samantha Tol from 2013 onwards.

Current Funding

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

Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment - Marine Parks

Reef lagoon benthic habitat mapping in the Coral Sea Marine Park

Indicative Funding: $498,093 over 3 years
Summary: This project will undertake reef lagoon benthic habitat mapping within the Coral Sea Marine Park. Sites to be surveyed are the western lagoon of Holmes Reef, all of Herald Cays, the lagoon between the Diamond Islets in Tregrosse Reef, and the eastern corner of the lagoon in Lihou Reef. This project will produce the first extensive reef lagoon benthic maps of the selected regions in the Coral Sea Marine Park and will be the first seagrass survey in the Coral Sea.
Investigators: Samantha Tol, Paul York, Michael Rasheed, Robert Coles, Alana Grech and Andrew Hoey (TropWater and Research Division)
Keywords: Reef lagoon; Coral Sea Marine Park; Macroalgae; Benthic Habitat Mapping; Seagrass; Coral

Data

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

Tol, S. (2016) Biotic tropical seagrass seed dispersal by dugong and green sea turtles in the Great Barrier Reef. James Cook University

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.