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  • Dr Marlene Wesselmann

    Dr Marlene Wesselmann is a Strategic Research Fellow at ECU's School of Science

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Dr Marlene Wesselmann

DVCR Strategic Research Fellow

Staff Member Details
Email: m.wesselmann@ecu.edu.au

Marlene is a DVCR Strategic Research Fellow within the Centre for Marine Ecosystem Research working on seagrass ecology and global warming.

Background

Marlene’s research focuses on understanding the impact of global anthropogenic changes, particularly ocean warming and invasive species, on coastal marine ecosystems. Her research span from individuals to communities, analysing these impacts across various spatial and temporal scales. During her PhD at the University of the Balearic Islands and the Spanish research council (CSIC), Marlene explored the past, present and future response of marine invasive macrophytes to global warming in the Mediterranean Sea. Most of her work centers on marine ecosystems dominated by macrophytes, such as seagrass meadows and macroalgae forrest, and examines their role in mitigating global change and facilitating adaptation to climate change. Her research is driven by a dual purpose: advancing ecological knowledge and influencing management decisions. To achieve these, she employs an integrative methodological approach in physiology and ecology combining observational studies, surveys, manipulative field experiments, mesocosm experiments, molecular tools (environmental DNA and population genetics) and modelling.

Research Areas and Interests

  • Benthic ecology
  • Seagrass ecology
  • Effects of global change on marine ecosytems
  • Climate change and extreme climatic events
  • Invasive species
  • Ecosystem restoration and recovery
  • Ecological resilience
  • Pollution reduction

National and International Research Positions

  • 2024-ongoing – DVCR Strategic Research Fellow at Edith Cowan University
  • 2021-2022 – Research assistant at the Mediterranean Institute of Advanced Studies (University of the Balearic Islands and Spanish research council CSIC).
  • 2017-2021 – PhD candidate at the Mediterranean Institute of Advanced Studies (University of the Balearic Islands and Spanish research council CSIC).

National and International Awards

  • ASLO travel award for early careers (2023)
  • Cum laude in PhD in Marine Ecology (highest honours) (2022)
  • Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation PhD fellowship (Reference: BES-2016-078241)  (2017-2021)
  • Summa cum laude in Master in Marine Biodiversity and Conservation (highest award) (2015)
  • Universite Pierre Marie Curie mobility grant (Bourse de Mobilite International) (September 2014 - June 2015)

Qualifications

  • Doctor in Marine Ecology, Spain, 2022.

Research Outputs

2024

Journal Articles

  • Marco-Méndez, C., Marbà, N., Amores, ., Romero, J., Minguito-Frutos, M., García, M., Pagès, J., Prado, P., Boada, J., Sánchez-Lizaso, J., Ruiz, J., Muñoz-Ramos, G., Sanmartí, N., Mayol, E., Buñuel, X., Bernardeau-Esteller, J., Navarro-Martinez, P., Marín-Guirao, L., Morell, C., Wesselmann, M., Font, R., Hendriks, I., Seglar, X., Camps-Castella, J., Bonfill, E., Requena-Gutiérrez, A., Blanco-Murillo, F., Aguilar-Escribano, J., Jimenez-Gutierrez, S., Martínez-Vidal, J., Guillén, J., Cefalì, M., Pérez, M., Marcos, M., Alcoverro, T. (2024). Evaluating the extent and impact of the extreme Storm Gloria on Posidonia oceanica seagrass meadows. Science of the Total Environment, 908(TBD), article number 168404. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.168404.
  • Wesselmann, M., Apostolaki, E., Anton, A. (2024). Species range shifts, biological invasions and ocean warming. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 728(TBD), 81-83. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps14544.
  • Wesselmann, M., Hendriks, I., Johnson, M., Jordà, G., Mineur, F., Marbà, N. (2024). Increasing spread rates of tropical non-native macrophytes in the Mediterranean Sea. Global Change Biology, 30(4), article number e17249. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.17249.

2022

Journal Articles

  • Hendriks, I., Escolano-Moltó, A., Flecha, S., Vaquer-Sunyer, R., Wesselmann, M., Marbà, N. (2022). Mediterranean seagrasses as carbon sinks: methodological and regional differences. Biogeosciences, 19(18), 4619-4637. https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-4619-2022.
  • Wesselmann, M., Geraldi, N., Marbà, N., Hendriks, I., Díaz-Rúa, R., Duarte, C. (2022). eDNA Reveals the Associated Metazoan Diversity of Mediterranean Seagrass Sediments. Diversity, 14(7), article number 549. https://doi.org/10.3390/d14070549.

2021

Journal Articles

  • Marx, L., Flecha, S., Wesselmann, M., Morell, C., Hendriks, I. (2021). Marine Macrophytes as Carbon Sinks: Comparison Between Seagrasses and the Non-native Alga Halimeda incrassata in the Western Mediterranean (Mallorca). Frontiers in Marine Science, 8(TBD), article number 746379. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2021.746379.
  • Wesselmann, M., Chefaoui, R., Marbà, N., Serrao, E., Duarte, C. (2021). Warming Threatens to Propel the Expansion of the Exotic Seagrass Halophila stipulacea. Frontiers in Marine Science, 8(TBD), article number 759676. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2021.759676.
  • Wesselmann, M., Geraldi, N., Duarte, C., Garcia-Orellana, J., Díaz-Rúa, R., Arias-Ortiz, A., Hendriks, I., Apostolaki, E., Marbà, N. (2021). Seagrass (Halophila stipulacea) invasion enhances carbon sequestration in the Mediterranean Sea. Global Change Biology, 27(11), 2592-2607. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.15589.

2020

Journal Articles

  • Wesselmann, M., Anton, A., Duarte, C., Hendriks, I., Agustí, S., Savva, I., Apostolaki, E., Marbà, N. (2020). Tropical seagrass Halophila stipulacea shifts thermal tolerance during Mediterranean invasion. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 287(1922), article number 20193001. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2019.3001.
  • Ortega, A., Geraldi, N., Díaz-Rúa, R., Ørberg, S., Wesselmann, M., Krause-Jensen, D., Duarte, C. (2020). A DNA mini-barcode for marine macrophytes. Molecular Ecology Resources, 20(4), 920-935. https://doi.org/10.1111/1755-0998.13164.

2018

Journal Articles

  • Wesselmann, M., González-Wangüemert, M., Serrão, E., Engelen, A., Renault, L., García-March, J., Duarte, C., Hendriks, I. (2018). Genetic and oceanographic tools reveal high population connectivity and diversity in the endangered pen shell Pinna nobilis. Scientific Reports, 8(1), article number 4770. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-23004-2.

Research Projects

  • Seagrass resilience to ocean warming: integrating genetics and thermal tolerance , Edith Cowan University, Early-Mid Career Researcher Grant Scheme 2025 (Stream 1), 2025 ‑ 2026, $33,216.

Research Student Supervision

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