I am a postdoc in Marissa Baskett’s lab

Research Interests:

I am broadly interested in population biology. I am particularly interested in the ecology and evolution of dispersal and the processes (e.g., dispersal, selection, plasticity) that underlie population persistence and local adaptation in heterogeneous environments. I try to use a combination of observational, experimental, and theoretical approaches. In the past I have worked on marine invertebrates (bryozoans) and coral reefs.

My personal website can be found here

Publications:

Burgess SC, Treml E, Marshall DJ (in press) How do dispersal costs and habitat selection influence realized population connectivity? Ecology

Burgess SC, Marshall DJ (2011) Field estimates of planktonic larval duration in a marine invertebrate. Marine Ecology Progress Series 440: 151-161 [link here]

Burgess SC, Marshall DJ (2011) Temperature-induced maternal effects and environmental predictability. The Journal of Experiment Biology 214: 2329 – 2336 [link here]

Burgess SC, Marshall DJ (2011) Are numbers enough? Colonizer phenotype and abundance interact to affect population dynamics. Journal of Animal Ecology 80: 681 - 687 [link here]

Osborne K, Dolman AM, Burgess SC, Johns KA (2011) Disturbance and the dynamics of coral cover on the Great Barrier Reef (1995 - 2009) PLoS One [link here]

Burgess SC, Osborne K, Caley MJ (2010) Similar regional effects among habitats on the structure of tropical reef fish and coral communities. Global Ecology and Biogeography 19: 363 - 375 [link here]

Burgess SC, Osborne K, Sfiligoj B, Sweatman H. (2010) Can juvenile corals be surveyed effectively using digital photography?: A comparison of methods. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 171: 345 – 351 [link here]

Burgess SC, Hart SP, Marshall DJ (2009) Pre-settlement behaviour in larval bryozoans: the roles of larval age and size. Biological Bulletin 216: 344-354 [link here]

Wilson S, Burgess SC, Cheal AJ, Emslie M, Fisher R, Miller I, Polunin NVC, Sweatman HPA (2008) Habitat utilisation by coral reef fish: implications for specialists vs. generalists in a changing environment. Journal of Animal Ecology. 77: 220-228 [link here]

Fabricius K, De’ath, G, Puotinen M, Done T, Cooper T, Burgess SC (2008) Disturbance gradients on inshore and offshore coral reefs caused by a severe tropical cyclone. Limnology and Oceanography. 53: 690-704 [link here]

Burgess SC, Kingsford MJ, Black KP (2007) Influence of tidal eddies and wind on the distribution of presettlement fishes around One Tree Island, Great Barrier Reef. Marine Ecology Progress Series 341: 233-242 [link here]

Burgess SC (2006) Algal blooms on coral reefs with low anthropogenic impact in the Great Barrier Reef. Coral Reefs 25: 390 [link here]

Education and positions:

2011 - Present

Postdoc, University of California Davis, USA

(with Marissa Baskett)

2007 - 2011

PhD, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia

(supervisors: Dustin Marshall, Anthony Richardson, Hugh Possingham)

2003 - 2006

Benthic Ecologist, Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS), Townsville Australia

2002

Bachelor of Science (Honours), James Cook University, Townsville Australia (supervisor: Mike Kingsford)

1998 - 2000

Bachelor of Science, University of Sydney, Sydney Australia

Affiliations:

Marine Evolutionary Ecology Group (MEEG) at the University of Queensland [Link here]

Climate Adaptation Flagship, Marine Climate Impacts and Adaptation, CSIRO [Link here]

Spatial Ecology Lab at the University of Queensland [Link here]