PhD candidate
Room 108, Building 32
Sir. George Fisher Research Building
ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef studies
James Cook University
Phone:+61 7 4781 6063
Email: alejandra.hernandezagreda@my.jcu.edu.au
Sir. George Fisher Research Building
ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef studies
James Cook University
Phone:+61 7 4781 6063
Email: alejandra.hernandezagreda@my.jcu.edu.au
PhD project |
Coral core microbiome: composition, microhabitat distribution, host influence and response to environmental changes
Bacteria strongly affect scleractinian corals physiology and play an important role in the ecology of coral and coral reefs. Due to the complexity of coral host and coral reef environment, the identification of persistent and obligate bacteria across coral species has not been yet possible. My PhD aims to identify persistent bacteria and factors driving their distribution, through the evaluation of bacterial community structure across different coral species, spatial scales, depth gradients, and between microhabitats within corals utilising the “core microbiome” framework. I am employing metagenomics, histology and microscopy methods to identify coral core microbiome and to understand their variations. I am also examining the influence of intrinsic (host genotype) and extrinsic factors (pH, temperature and environment change) on the coral microbiome. |
QualificationsPublicationsConversation piece |
BSc. in Biology, Universidad Simón Bolívar (Venezuela)
1. Hernandez-Agreda A, Gates RD, Ainsworth TD. 2016. Defining the core microbiome in corals' microbial soup. Trends in Microbiology, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tim.2016.11.003
2. Hernandez-Agreda A, Leggat W, Bongaerts P, Ainsworth TD. 2016. The microbial signature provides insight into the mechanistic basis of coral success across reef habitats. mBio, 7 (4). pp. 1-10. 3. Miloslavich·P, Cruz-Motta JJ, Hernández·A, Herrera C, [...]. 2016. Benthic Assemblages in South American intertidal rocky shores: Biodiversity, services and threats. In: Marine Benthos: Biology, Ecosystem Functions and Environmental Impact, Chapter: 3, Publisher: Nova Science Publisher, Editors: Rafael Riosmena-Rodríguez. 4. Cruz-Motta JJ, Miloslavich·P, Palomo G, Iken K, Konar B, Pohle G, Trott T, Benedetti-Cecchi L, Herrera C, Hernández A, [...]. 2010. Patterns of spatial variation of assemblages associated with intertidal rocky shores: A global perspective. PLoS ONE 5(12):e14354 1. Hernandez-Agreda A, McMahon R, Ainsworth TD, Martin J. What we have in common with corals and their unexplored microbial world, via The Conversation (September 12th, 2016).
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