Thesis
The impacts of climate change on the quality, availability and distribution of nutrients derived from harvested marine resources in south-eastern Australia
Southern Cross University
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Southern Cross University
2023
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25918/thesis.307
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Abstract
Climate-driven environmental change is increasingly impacting marine ecosystems, global fisheries and marine resource use, whilst concomitantly, global reliance on seafood as a source of nutrition is increasing. Marine resources provide a broad range of economic, social and cultural benefits while delivering essential contributions to nutrient security and human health. In an emerging research frontier that intersects climate change ecology and fisheries science, my thesis aims to build knowledge on the impacts of current and near-future climate change on the quality, availability and distribution of nutrients derived from harvested marine resources in south-eastern Australia. I conducted a review of the literature, manipulative tank and mesocosm experiments and field-based sampling on four key species, seaweeds Ecklonia radiata and Sargassum linearifolium, eastern school prawn Metapenaeus macleayi and eastern school whiting Sillago flindersi. Throughout the thesis, I use a range of tools to tackle this topic including proximate and elemental analysis, lipid- and metabolomics, statistical modelling and spatial predictions. Combined, the results show that the quality and availability of nutrients can change within and between species and across spatial and temporal distributions. Overall my thesis supports the growing body of evidence that climate-driven environmental change has the potential to impact the content of important nutrients within marine species and therefore availability to marine ecosystems and consumers. My findings highlight the potential negative implications these changes could have for nutrient security, human health, trophic food webs, ecosystem function, and sustainable fisheries. I anticipate that the outcomes of my thesis will stimulate further interest and study of climate impacts on the nutritional quality of marine ecosystems and harvested resources.
Details
- Title
- The impacts of climate change on the quality, availability and distribution of nutrients derived from harvested marine resources in south-eastern Australia
- Creators
- Tanika Shalders
- Contributors
- Kirsten Benkendorff (Supervisor) - Southern Cross UniversityMelinda Coleman (Supervisor) - Southern Cross UniversityCurtis Champion (Supervisor) - Southern Cross University
- Awarding Institution
- Southern Cross University; Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
- Theses
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Southern Cross University
- Publisher
- Southern Cross University
- Number of pages
- xvii, 237
- Identifiers
- 991013142812702368
- Copyright
- © TC Shalders 2023
- Academic Unit
- Faculty of Science and Engineering; National Marine Science Centre
- Resource Type
- Thesis