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Senior Lecturer | University of SydneyKeynote Theme: Environmental and Biological Drivers of Ecological FunctionZiggy is a Senior Lecturer at The University of Sydney, where he leads a marine ecology and conservation research group. Ziggy’s research focuses on understanding the processes that generate, maintain and impact marine ecosystems. His work focuses on the influences that microbes have on the resilience of marine habitat-forming species (kelps, seagrasses) and the complex coastal assemblages they underpin. By integrating ecological theories and experiments with molecular analyses and microbiology, Ziggy’s research aims to provide solutions to long-standing problems of understanding, predicting and managing human impacts on marine ecosystems. Ziggy has done research in temperate, tropical and polar habitats around the world, and is passionate about teaching and communicating his research to the general public. He is one of the founders and leaders of “Operation Crayweed”, a kelp restoration project in Australia.
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Presentation: Integrating macro- and microbial ecology
The impacts of environmental change on ecosystems are widespread. Most of our understanding and management of ecosystems is based on our understanding of the biology and ecology of macro-organisms. But we live in a microbial world; microorganisms are ubiquitous and underpin critical processes in all realms. However, the integration between microbiology and the well-established theory and practice of “macrobial” ecology remains a central challenge. In this talk, I will provide examples of the role microorganisms play on the function and resilience of dominant marine habitat-forming species (kelp forests and seagrasses meadows) and the coastal ecosystems they underpin. I will argue that understanding interactions between macro- and microorganisms is critical to better predict responses of ecosystems to environmental change and to develop successful management strategies now and into the future.
