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  • Mrs Leah Beltran

    Mrs Leah Beltran

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Leah Beltran

Overview of thesis

Mangroves are uniquely adapted flowering plants that occupy mostly tropical coastal and estuarine regions at the fringe where the land meets the sea. Due to their distinctive adaptations to the harsh environment, mangrove forests are some of the world’s most significant marine habitats and contribute to several ecological processes including shelter and food provision for fauna, protection of shorelines prevention of erosion and fertility of adjacent coastal waters. Because of the significance of these habitats, greater understanding of faunal relationships within these areas is required to adequately inform conservation planning and effort.

The aim of this study is to explore the relationship between invertebrates and fish feeding habits in a mangrove forest. The study will seek to quantify invertebrate assemblages in mangroves in the Dampier Archipelago and examine the trophic input of mangroves and other primary producers to the diets of invertebrates in the region The study will then investigate the extent to which invertebrates contribute to diets of fish within these habitat and determine whether fish are potentially opportunistic or selective feeders. The exploration of these relationships will help contextualise the movement of carbon in and out of a mangrove ecosystem.

Project link: Fringing mangroves as a habitat for macroinvertebrate infauna and contributor to carbon in coastal food webs

Qualifications

  • Bachelor of Science (Environmental and Marine Science)

Other Qualifications

  • Cert IV Photography and Photoimaging

Research

Research Interests

  • Invertebrates
  • Trophic relationships
  • Marine ecosystems

Supervisors

Professor Glenn Hyndes

Contact

Mrs Leah Beltran
Masters Student
Centre for Marine Ecosystems Research 
School of Science
Email: l.beltran@ecu.edu.au

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