JCU > Research Portfolio > A/Prof Tom Bridge

About

I am a Senior Lecturer in the College of Science and Engineering and Senior Scientist and Curator of Corals at the Queensland Museum. My research is broadly focussed on the taxonomy, systematics, biogeography and evolution of marine biodiversity, particularly reef corals. My current research priorities include revising the taxonomy, systematics and biogeography of reef corals, particularly the taxonomically diverse and ecologically-dominant genus Acropora.

One of the most important parts of my role is my engagement with local communities and scientists in Australia and across the Indo-Pacific. I have helped build capacity by training HDR students at JCU as well as other Universities in Australia and overseas, and conducting coral taxonomy workshops to train local researchers in Australia and the Indo-Pacific to study and monitor their reefs.

Interests

Professional

Public outreach and science communication, particularly relating to coral reef biodiversity and conservation

Research

Taxonomy and systematics in Anthozoans
Ecology, biogeography and evolution of reef corals
History of natural history collections in the Indo-Pacific

Experience

2023 to present - Senior Lecturer, College of Science and Engineering (James Cook University, Townsville)
2019 to present - Reef 2050 Integrated Monitoring and Reporting Program (RIMREP) Advisory Panel - Coral Reef Expert working group, GBRMPA/AIMS (Townsville)
2016 to present - Senior Scientist and Curator - Corals, Queensland Museum (Museum of Tropical Queensland, Townsville)
2023 - 2024 Great Barrier Reef Outlook Report expert elicitation group, GBRMPA (Townsville)
2022 to 2023 - Senior Research Fellow, ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies (James Cook University, Townsville)
2018 to 2022 - Senior Research Fellow (ARC DECRA), ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies (James Cook University, Townsville)
2018 - 2019 Great Barrier Reef Outlook Report expert elicitation group, GBRMPA (Townsville)
2013 to 2018 - Postdoc Committee, ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies
2013 to 2016 - Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS) National Benthic Monitoring Program Steering Committee, IMOS
2013 to 2016 - JCU-AIMS Postdoctoral Research Fellow, ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies and Australian Institute of Marine Science (James Cook University, Townsville)
2012 to 2013 - Postdoctoral Research Fellow, ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies (James Cook University, Townsville)

Research Disciplines

Socio-Economic Objectives

Honours

Awards

2017 - Queensland Young Tall Poppy Science Award

Fellowships

2018 to 2022 - Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Researcher Award

Memberships

2007 - International Coral Reef Society
2007 - Australian Coral Reef Society life member

Other

2010 - I have served as a reviewer for numerous journals: Nature Climate Change, Coral Reefs, Conservation Biology, Ecography, Global Change Biology, Global Ecology & Biogeography, Molecular Phylogenetics & Evolution and Proceedings of the Royal Society B

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

Bridge T, Cowman P, Quattrini A, Bonito V, Sinniger F, Harii S, Head C, Hung J, Halafihi T, Rongo T and Baird A (in press) A tenuis relationship: traditional taxonomy obscures systematics and biogeography of the ‘Acropora tenuis’ (Scleractinia: Acroporidae) species complex. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society,
González-Murcia S, Ekins M, Bridge T, Battershill C and Jones G (2023) Substratum selection in coral reef sponges and their interactions with other benthic organisms. Coral Reefs, 42 (2). pp. 427-442
Gress Hernandez E, Bridge T, Fyfe J and Galbraith G (2023) Novel Interaction between a Rabbitfish and Black Corals. Oceans, 4. pp. 236-241
Horowitz J, Quattrini A, Brugler M, Miller D, Pahang K, Bridge T and Cowman P (2023) Bathymetric evolution of black corals through deep time. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Series B, Biological Sciences, 290 (2008).
Wright R, Beaman R, Daniell J, Bridge T, Pall J and Webster J (2023) Benthic communities of the lower mesophotic zone on One Tree shelf edge, southern Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Marine and Freshwater Research, 74 (13). pp. 1178-1192
Bridge T, Baird A, Pandolfi J, McWilliam M and Zapalski M (2022) Functional consequences of Palaeozoic reef collapse. Scientific Reports, 12 (1).
Galbraith G, Cresswell B, McCormick M, Bridge T and Jones G (2022) Contrasting hydrodynamic regimes of submerged pinnacle and emergent coral reefs. PLoS ONE, 17 (8).
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
McWilliam M, Madin J, Chase T, Hoogenboom M and Bridge T (2022) Intraspecific variation reshapes coral assemblages under elevated temperature and acidity. Ecology Letters, 25 (11). pp. 2513-2524
Galbraith G, Cresswell B, McCormick M, Bridge T and Jones G (2021) High diversity, abundance and distinct fish assemblages on submerged coral reef pinnacles compared to shallow emergent reefs. Coral Reefs, 40. pp. 335-354
Smallhorn-West P, Gordon S, Dempsey A, Purkis S, Malimali S, Halafihi T, Southgate P, Bridge T, Pressey R and Jones G (2021) Tongan socio-environmental spatial layers for marine ecosystem management. Pacific Conservation Biology, 27 (1). pp. 86-92

Book Chapters

Ball E, Hayward D, Bridge T and Miller D (2021) Acropora - The most-studied coral genus. In: Handbook of Marine Model Organisms in Experimental Biology: Established and Emerging. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, USA, pp. 173-193

More: ResearchOnline@JCU stores 84+ research outputs authored by A/Prof Tom Bridge from 2008 onwards.

Current Funding

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 (Research Division)
Keywords: Biodiversity; Taxonomy; Great Barrier Reef; Coral Reefs; Scleractinia; Conservation

Queensland Museum - Contract Research

Taxonomic and Functional Diversity of Reef Corals

Indicative Funding: $164,896 over 5 years
Summary: Coral reefs are among the most threatened ecosystems on earth, and are strongly affected by comparative small changes in the environment. However, some coral populations have been shown to survive in habitats analogous to those predicted for later this century. This project will quantify how species diversity and their associated ecological traits vary along environmental gradients to understand how functional diversity varies among habitats. This information will enable better predictions of the functional composition of future coral reef ecosystems, and whether plasticity in functional traits may mediate the functional declines of reef ecosystems.
Investigators: Tom Bridge (Research Division)
Keywords: Tropical Ecosystems and Environment; Industries and Economies in the Tropics; Peoples and Societies in the Tropics; Tropical Health, Medicine & Biosecurity

Australian Research Council - Discovery Early Career Researcher Award

Trait plasticity and the maintenance of functional diversity

Indicative Funding: $365,058 over 5 years
Summary: This project aims to determine if trait plasticity mediates functional degradation of coral reefs by using natural environmental gradients to identify mechanisms that enable corals to persist in marginal habitats. The project will use innovative 3D imaging to measure how intraspecific variability in traits influences functional redundancy, facilitating better predictions of the effects of environmental change on reef systems. Expected outcomes include improved understanding of the response of coral reef ecosystems to environmental change and a framework for predicting reefs at risk of functional degradation, providing benefits to both global biodiversity conservation and the provision of ecosystem services in reef dependent communities
Investigators: Tom Bridge (Research Division)
Keywords: Coral; Biodiversity; Functional Diversity; trait; Climate Change Adaptation; Ecology

Australian Museum Research Institute - Visiting Collections Fellowship, 2020-2021

Shining a spotlight on dark taxa: an Integrated approach to species identification of Australian Museum black corals (Cnidaria: Antipatharia)

Indicative Funding: $4,000 over 1 year
Summary: I will image and identify black corals housed in AMRI based on branching pattern, spine attributes; and, polyp attributes as defined by the literature. Spines will be examined via imaging with a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). Specimens that cannot be identified from morphological features will be subject to molecular phylogenetic analysis (UltraConserved Elements [UCEs] and exon sequencing). I will extract DNA from tissue, and send DNA to Arbor Biosciences, USA for targeted UCE and exon sequencing. Phyluce software will be used for post-sequencing analyses, and maximum likelihood inference will be conducted on each alignment to add AMRI species to my UCE black coral phylogenetic tree.
Investigators: Jeremy Horowitz and Tom Bridge in collaboration with Stephen Keable (Research Division and Australian Museum Research Institute)
Keywords: Antipatharia; Phylogenetics; Ultraconserved Elements; Museum collections

Department of the Environment and Energy - Director of National Parks - Tender

Coral Reef Health in the Coral Sea Marine Park

Indicative Funding: $968,346 over 2 years
Summary: A number of coral reefs occur in the Australian Marine Parks estate, particularly within the Coral Sea Marine Park (CSMP). In 2016 and 2017, coral reefs in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park and CSMP were impacted by a mass global coral bleaching event. Regular surveys of coral bleaching and associated reef health in the CSMP are needed to inform future marine park management over the next three years to either enable comparisons against historical baselines where bleaching has previously occurred, or set new baselines for areas that aren?t bleached but may be in the future.
Investigators: Morgan Pratchett, Andrew Hoey, Hugo Harrison, Andrew Baird, Tom Bridge, Daniela Ceccarelli and Jean-Paul Hobbs (Research Division and Curtin University)
Keywords: Coral Reefs; Monitoring; Coral Bleaching; Coral Sea Marine Park

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

Integrating physiological and environmental drivers of depth zonation patterns on coral reefs (PhD , Secondary Advisor)
Biogeographic Analysis to Guide Better Marine Management: A Case Study of the Great Barrier Reef (PhD , Secondary Advisor)
Morphological and molecular systematics of stoloniferous soft corals (PhD , Secondary Advisor)
Revisiting Coral Taxonomy: diversity and biogeography of Acropora across the Indian Ocean (PhD , Primary Advisor)
An integrated taxonomic approach to understanding the diversity and biogeography of corals on the Great Barrier Reef. (PhD , Primary Advisor)
Drivers of Biodiversity on Coral Reefs - the role of Antipatharians Supporting Species Richness and Abundance on Shallow and Mesophotic Reefs (PhD , Primary Advisor)

Completed

The taxonomy, biodiversity, and evolutionary history of black corals (order Antipatharia) (2022, PhD , Primary Advisor)
The ecology of fishes on submerged pinnacle coral reefs (2021, PhD , Secondary Advisor)
Assessing the impact of coral reef community management in the Kingdom of Tonga (2020, PhD , Secondary Advisor)
Depth as refuge: depth gradients in ecological pattern, process, and risk mitigation among coral reef fishes (2019, 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 Research Data Australia.

Ainsworth, T. (2017) Coral metagenome: bacterial associates of corals. 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.