Jake Dytnerski

Ph.D. candidate

Research

Hong Kong has a seasonally dynamic marine environment. Summer sea surface temperatures can exceed 30°C whereas winter temperatures can drop below 15°C. This range in temperature allows for year-round coral communities, and abundant growth of macroalgae in the winter. For my PhD, I am researching the role of the long-spined sea urchin, Diadema setosum, in the ecosystem, here in Hong Kong. Much work has been done on Diadema antillarum in the Caribbean, and some work has been done on the D. setosum as a bioeroder of coral reefs in the tropics. However, little is known about which marcoalgae these urchins feed on; how they affect the seasonal patterns of macroalgae growth and distribution; if the urchins target living corals here in Hong Kong or just the turf algae that grows on the dead skeletons of the corals. Answering these questions will help understand the food sources of the urchins and how their energy stores vary with the seasonal change in food abundance. I am also interested in the connectivity of the populations of D. setosum across its range, as they can be found from the East coast of Africa to French Polynesia, from Honshu, Japan to NSW, Australia. I want to compare the physiological performance of the urchins from stable tropical environments and highly variable environments to determine if they show extensive physiological plasticity, or if populations have adapted to variable environments. This will allow me to predict how these important grazers will cope with future conditions across their range.

 

Education

2016: Bachelor of Science, Honours Marine Biology, University of British Columbia, Canada                         

 

2013: Arts and Science Diploma: Biology, Langara College, Canada

 

Awards

  1. 2015: Dean of Science Scholarship – Biology research grant                                                                     

  2. 2013: Betty and Tony Pletcher Memorial Scholarship – For Achievement in Biology                                    

  3. 2012: Real Estate Foundation Biology Student Bursary – Bursary for Biology students                            

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    Research

    CLIMATE CHANGE

    Most people have an opinion on the impacts of climate change, but few have thought about the reality. I am particularly interested in how changing climatic conditions, such as ocean warming and acidification, will combine with local pollution to damage marine ecosystems. What is the future of our coral reefs and how can we improve the outlook?

     

    ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION

    Did you know that Hong Kong historically had extensive oyster reefs and the coral communities were much healthier? My team is working with organisations such as The Nature Conservancy to see if we can bring them back!

    MACROECOLOGY AND SPECIES DISTRIBUTION

    Traditional survey methods of algal forest using transect taps and quadrats can be extremely laborious, costly, and even dangerous depending on dive locations. Using an unmanned aviation vehicle (a.k.a drone), we can easily cover large area of coastline and capture high definition pictures, data that would otherwise take up to at least a day and intensive preparation work to collect.

    brussell@hku.hk

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